Home Automation Starter Kits
If you are just getting started in Home Automation, there are many Starter Kits available. A typical Starter Kit will include everything you need to accomplish particular tasks depending on the purpose of the kit. Some basic Starter Kits might have just a couple of items necessary to get started, while other more advanced Starter Kits might have several components or even a whole house system in a box.
When you buy a pre-configured Starter Kit, you can rest easy knowing that everything in that kit has been designed and tested to work together effectively in your system. Since the components were designed for each other, setup and configuration of your system should be a simpler process than assembling one from scratch.
Individual Components
When buying Individual Components rather than a Starter Kit, you are in effect building your own system. Many people enjoy doing just that, and it is a perfectly acceptable approach if you feel comfortable and properly informed. Remember to consider what your longer term goals are for the system and to take into account things like protocol compatibility between the components. A little bit of extra research up front will make you happy later when you get the results that you were looking for.
Building your own system like this may involve a few more steps and will require a more thorough understanding of specifications, compatibility and how things can work together. It will also give you a wide variety of choice regarding what you want to be a part of your Home Automation system.
What will you choose?
A prepackaged kit does offer the advantage of less worry about things like compatibility – a build your own system approach offers the challenge of a more in-depth understanding but also the reward of being a DIY Pro when you have everything up and running your way.
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