15.09.2025 Connected Solutions by Somfy Everything You Need to Know About a Smart Home Project How to turn any home into a smart home, step by step. Until recently, a smart home seemed to be a colossal project, as an investment of money and time. Fortunately, the smart home is no longer in the field of science fiction and is no longer reserved only for large companies or those with unlimited budgets. We, the Somfy team, have been making comfort our mission for more than 50 years and we know that home automation is not only very possible, but the next natural step for home and apartment owners alike. The industry has developed and adapted to the increased interest of consumers, and the electronic equipment necessary in a high-tech home is increasingly efficient and easy to install. Therefore, the prices are also much more affordable! The process of transforming an ordinary home into a smart one thus becomes a realistic one to achieve. Given that studies show that we spend ~90% of our time indoors, whether in the office or at home, the quality of our life depends on the quality of the conditions in which we live and work. So, if you want to make your daily experiences more enjoyable, read on and you'll find out: What is a smart home and what can it actually mean in terms of achievement Exactly what systems you can incorporate into a smart home What advantages make this investment worthwhile? What your life can look like in a smart home, along with examples of scenarios and activities you can set up in a system And last but not least, how to start such a project, from concept to the purchase of the necessary equipment In the end, you will know exactly what type of smart home suits you and where to start, depending on the scale of the project and your budget, and we, Somfy, are by your side every step of the way. What is a smart home, actually A smart home is not much different from a smart phone. Both work on artificial intelligence and the network dubbed the Internet of Things (IoT), so they understand what we want and store all the information they receive to provide an optimal user experience. We got used to the phone so much and quickly, that our existence would be significantly complicated if we had to go back to a classic phone, even for a single day. And then, why not improve your home (and your life) by turning it into a smart one, when technology is available and even accessible? So a smart home or smart home is, essentially, a network of electronic equipment connected and controlled through a control unit or a smart device, via Wi-Fi. From the respective control center, these devices can be easily activated, even remotely. For example, with a simple click, you can open the curtains or adjust the temperature in a certain room, even before entering the house. Moreover, since these devices no longer depend on the human factor to get up and running, you can even program them to perform certain sets of actions autonomously. Such as setting the window rolls to open at the same time when you go on vacation or changing their angle on their own depending on the light outside, to protect your furniture. A smart home is made to react and respond promptly to your or your family's requirements. Of course, the requirements change from day to day and from person to person. AI-based systems process all this information and cover the needs of each tenant, through individual actions or pre-established scenarios. In addition, they can go even further and make new recommendations based on users' previous behaviors. How do you turn your home into a smart home? When the richest people in the world competed to have the most impressive property of its kind, with all the options included, automation was synonymous with luxury and opulence. Everything else seemed insufficient. For example, Bill Gates invested over $100 million in a smart home whose construction and continuous improvement took no less than 17 years! Fortunately, for those with their feet on the ground, the automation of a home can be done gradually, even starting from a simple smart bulb. You don't need to know all the details right now and renovate your inhabited space from 0. It is enough to think about what type of comfort prevails for you and start the changes from there. The first step to transforming your home into a smart home is to choose the right systems for your needs For example: Do you want to have more control over the temperature or brightness in your home and save energy? Invest in a lighting system or a climate control system. Are you more concerned about safety and want to know that everything will be fine, no matter how long you are away from home? An automatic access and security system would be a good place to start. Or do you want to make the hours spent at home as fun as possible for you and your loved ones? Automated entertainment solutions would fit you like a glove. These are the most common functionalities in a smart home and are a good starting point for any project. Here's everything you need to know about them, in detail: A. Climate control systems Do you know the feeling you get on cold winter days, when you come from outside and enter a properly heated room? The feeling is priceless, and a smart thermostat can do that for you. The device regulates the temperature exactly the way you like it, so that every day you return to a welcoming home where you love to spend your time. Also, having full control over the temperature, even remotely, eliminates unnecessary electricity consumption. Discover more information about smart thermostats. B. Motorized window equipment The climate control system is even more effective when combined with motorized window shading equipment and Mother Nature's input. In such a smart home - such as the one designed by Somfy - the blinds and curtains can be programmed to open at different angles, at different times of the day or year. In winter, open blinds let natural light in and warm up the space, and in summer they can close automatically, to keep your home as cool as possible. Basically, the innovation specific to a smart home is supported by a very natural principle, for the benefit of the environment and the user alike. Discover more information about motorized roller shutters, electric shutters and smart blinds. C. Lighting systems The chandelier in the living room becomes a nuisance, if you have forgotten it on and have already laid down in bed after an exhausting day. Many battles have been fought in the evening for such a small reason, which has such a simple solution. In a smart home, mounted sensors turn the lights on and off automatically, every time people enter or leave the room. In addition, the luminaires can also be controlled remotely, via a simple app or voice commands. They can also be programmed to operate after a certain schedule. Philips and Somfy are partnering to give users a new perspective on lighting automation solutions. D. Motorized and secure access systems A system of this kind allows you to move freely when you come and go or when you have guests, without compromising on safety. Garage doors or gates can be fully motorized and operated by smartphone, voice control or remote control, but also by geolocation. So you no longer need to get out of the car to open the garage or go to the door to allow access to those who are "from home". Discover more information about motorized gates within the Somfy offer. And to check who is ringing the doorbell, it is good to install one or more video intercoms. Just as you take the liberty of not answering any phone call, thanks to the video intercom you can be selective with those you receive - or not - in the house. In addition, through the same device with an integrated camera you can easily check the perimeter of the yard, the closing or opening of the shutters, but also the gate or garage door. You'll feel much safer with this extra control option. Discover more information about video intercoms within the Somfy offer. E. Entertainment features If smart home technology is one of the most important trends in the real estate market, the smart entertainment sector is overwhelmed by the abundance of options. There is fierce competition to produce new and new electronic equipment that will push innovation to a new level. From speakers to smart consoles to pool monitoring functions, for example, these devices turn a simple home into a real home. A place to come with joy, have fun with friends invited to dinner or relax after a day spent in the urban jungle. Activating systems is as simple as child's play As you already know, whether we are talking about distinct actions or entire scenarios, all of these can be activated in different ways, from day to day. Depending on your preferences or where and when you are, each wheel of the mechanism can be activated by: Apps installed on your mobile phone Voice commands Remote controls and switches Automatic, by programming and preset The smart home has advantages to offer for everyone It is obvious that the possibilities and benefits associated with such a house are multiple. In an environment specially designed to meet the tastes and needs of its tenants, each of them will find a real utility. A smart home gives you freedom of movement and peace of mind, when you know that everything is under control at home. The house will always seem inhabited, thanks to motorized and repetitive actions, programmed or triggered remotely. Even when you're caught up in demanding projects at work or sunbathing on exotic beaches, thousands of miles away. The time spent at home also becomes more pleasant, for those of all ages, when there are countless options for relaxation and leisure. Regardless of the context or season, high-tech appliances at home will make your evenings or weekends much more fun. Vulnerable categories are all the more protected in a smart space. Children are monitored more easily by parents, through dedicated security systems. Elderly people or those with certain disabilities can carry out their daily activities with greater autonomy. Motorized and automated devices help them, which can be controlled in multiple ways. What can life look like in a smart home? Examples of configurable scenarios and tasks in the system A smart home offers a special experience to each owner, depending on their lifestyle and expectations. That's why users will use the same functionalities available in different ways. This is because it is not so much about the equipment, but about its usefulness in the actions and scenarios imagined by each one. Here are some ways in which the system can be automated and leveraged, even by the most demanding customers: 1. Each device responds with individual actions Each element of a well-developed network has its role. Created to provide solutions - here and now - the smart equipment will quickly provide the best solution for the request received. Like in the Aladdin movies, you just need to ask and your wish will come true. As long as you keep the requests within the limits of technical possibilities, of course. Precise commands such as setting the air conditioning, dimming the lights, turning on the TV or automatically opening and locking doors - all are easy to fulfill, in any smart home. 2. The entire system collaborates to deliver pre-set scenarios Beyond the momentary requirements for individual actions, in a smart home you can even pre-establish certain scenarios. Not of the movie, but of life. They can be programmed to run at a specific time of the day, or they can be triggered later, via voice commands. Imagine what it would be like to benefit from the following scenarios: Scenario 1: Welcome! It could be configured to prepare the atmosphere in the house, and activated via the app on your smartphone, even before you walk through the door. What if every evening you were greeted by a welcoming, warm home, with the lights on at the desired intensity and the TV on on the show you like? Scenario 2: Let's cook! For this, you could set the system to make the kitchen lights brighter and Spotify to automatically turn on your favorite playlist. If you want to link this set of actions to a voice command, all you have to do is include a certain wording in the system, such as "It's time to cook!", and the memorized scenario will run hands-free, automatically. Scenario 3: Good night! In the rest scenario, you can schedule all blinds to close, turn off lights, and lock doors, with a voice command like "Good night, Alexa!". Scenario 4: Good morning! For this set of actions, you could program the motorized blinds to open automatically, at the same time as triggering the wake-up alert, to start your day with sunrise. Scenario 5: Party time! Do you like to organize parties at home or on the terrace, for your friends? Prepare an entertainment scenario, with action sets adapted to the weather. Is it a beautiful day? Party music will start to resound on the terrace, and the eco-friendly LEDs in the courtyard will light up, to guide guests to the party venue. If, on the other hand, it's a rainy day, no problem! The script will provide a set of indoor activities, where the electronic equipment for games or smart home theater cinema is just waiting to be put into operation. How to start such a project, from concept to equipment purchase In Romania, the smart home is a relatively new concept, but interest in such a home has apparently grown overnight. One of those responsible is George Buhnici, the presenter of I Like IT from PRO TV, who publicly detailed each stage involved in the construction of his smart home - #casabuhnici. From the foundation to the roof, the entire property is designed to optimize energy consumption, through innovative solutions that can be controlled with the greatest ease. In this case, the house was designed and built from the ground up as a smart home, with the necessary investment. However, you don't need such a deployment of forces to enjoy the benefits offered by a smart home. You don't need to have unlimited financial or time resources, nor do you need to get your doctorate in smart homes. You just have to know what you want and go from there. Here's what we recommend: 1. Set your priorities, depending on the resources you have. You can divide the project into stages and install, in turn, only one of the smart home systems mentioned above, before moving on to the next one. Or automate one room per year, starting from the baby's room, for example. Whatever your priorities are, solutions exist. It's important to know that, in order to add a smart component to a home, you do NOT need to destroy walls or pieces of furniture of any kind. The devices are easy to mount, many are wireless and do not spoil the existing interior design through a multitude of cables. So, you won't need to renovate your home after setting up a smart system, so there's no need to feel pressured to add them all at once. No matter how simple or complex the network of devices you are thinking of, it can be developed in record time or in your own time. 2. Do your research on the necessary equipment. For a complex project, consult a specialist and ask for an offer. Poll the market to see what broadly fits your plans. If you want to see how you come to terms with this smart home concept and what difference it could make in your home, a set of essentials would be a good place to start. For example, a smart home kit from Somfy consists of a TaHoma control unit, a smart socket, indoor motion sensors, a smoke sensor, and an indoor alarm. Through the control unit that connects them, the included elements can be controlled from anywhere, but also programmed for specific tasks or scenarios. If, on the other hand, you have a large project in mind, don't let yourself be overwhelmed by the multitude of gadgets available. In order to have the most pleasant experience and not waste your budget on inferior quality equipment, turn to a company with experience in the market, such as Somfy, which offers the motorization and automation systems you want and the appropriate equipment. 3. Consider the activation and control system you will use. Again, depending on the scale of your project and the number of elements you'll be installing, you'll need some type of "control panel." The more equipment there is, the more sophisticated you'll need a control unit that's more sophisticated, but as easy to use as an app. The following options are among the most popular options for managing a smart home system: a. Virtual assistants, such as Google Home or Amazon Alexa, are popular because they make the transition from a regular home to a smart home start as easy as possible. Users receive, for a discounted price, an idea of what a smart home should be and a sense of autonomy. However, on their own, these assistants cannot offer the complete menu. b. A central control unit is the core through which all the elements of a smart system in the home are connected and controlled. Why act each device separately, when you can have them all at hand? For example, the TaHoma Switch is a control unit created by Somfy, through which the different systems present in a smart home are managed, from the lighting to the security one, to the motorized window system. They can be paired with both voice control devices such as Google Home and the IFTTT interface. So, regardless of the brand, compatible smart devices can communicate with each other, with the ultimate goal of giving you the complete experience of a smart home. c. Apps installed on your phone are the easiest way for home automation systems to be controlled remotely. Some of these apps are developed by smart home equipment manufacturers and come with them at the time of purchase. But there are plenty of standalone apps, compatible with various devices, to which they can be easily connected. For example, the creator of the iPod developed the Nest app, which can remotely adjust any compatible thermostat. Other apps allow you to access the cameras with sensors in the house or feed your pet, through a command sent to the feeding device. In this chapter, the possibilities are endless. d. IFTTT (If This, Then That) is a platform that allows you to connect two or more services together. Here you can merge the scenarios preset by various smart services with a certain type of trigger to get a cause-and-effect reaction. Specifically, if you set a voice command like "I'm back!" and connect it to a device programmed to play a certain type of music, every time you get home and say the magic words, the perfect music for relaxation will start in the speakers. 4. Get a price rating for your smart home. Before starting any complex project, it is essential to check what the rates are. This is the only way you will know what is possible, but also what to give up, so that you can fit into the budget and make your long-awaited smart home a reality. Ask for a quote from Somfy and we will be happy to advise you so that you can choose the most suitable equipment for your home. All that remains is to make the necessary purchases and call on the same specialists, who will take care of everything related to the installation of the chosen devices. Thus, with a little patience and just a few easy steps to follow, any home connected to an electricity grid can be automated, at any time. You just need to know what is a priority for you, what systems you would like to include and what budget you are willing to allocate to achieve the comfort you dream of. We help you discover the right products for your smart home project Do you feel inspired or more informed? If you want to make sure you're making a wise investment with long-term benefits, Somfy's experts are here to assist you. Send us some details about your house project and we will help you select the best solutions for it, from concept to offer to installation! Find out more Categories Connected Solutions Disqus is inactive