Some of the best smart home devices can be an incredible help around the home — they provide convenience and comfort that simplifies your life. But what if you live in a rental? Can you make your unit into a smart condo? What are the rules around changing technology, and what are the cost benefits of upgrading features in a home you don’t own?
While condos and apartments have rules that might make a complete smart home integration impossible, that doesn’t mean you can’t have a well-connected home. There are many options for condo automation that don’t require redoing the wiring or taking apart built-in systems. Here’s how to make your apartment a smart home.
Smart Home Tech Considerations for Condos and Apartments
1. Permanence
The main thing to keep in mind is — how permanent is it? Smart home tech like a vacuum robot or a smart speaker are items you can quickly and efficiently take with you to another home. If it doesn’t require sophisticated installation from a professional, it’s a good option for your smart condo.
2. Portability
The other important factor is portability. If you have the go-ahead from the landlord to install a smart thermostat or water system, does it make sense to go this route when it is a challenge to take it with you whenever you move? Again, consider the cost versus benefit if you’ll only be staying for a shorter period.
Portability and cost-benefit ratio go hand in hand. If you’re willing to invest in the best hardwired smart home devices, you should keep in mind that removing them from the condo when you leave will cost you. And it could become more of a pain than you want. If you’re not planning to live in the condo long-term, it might not make financial sense to spring for the more extensive upgrades, even if your landlord will allow it.
Best Smart Home Tech for Condos or Apartments by Room
Entry and Hallway
Your home’s entryway is where the ambiance begins — so a simple lighting upgrade here will allow you to control how bright or calm you want the lighting to be. A system like Phillips Hue is the gold standard and easy to set up, so you can control your home’s lighting through voice or phone control.
Another excellent option for the entryway is a smart lock like the August Smart Lock Pro + Connect Hub, so you never have to worry about losing your keys again — but changing over to smart locks would require approval from your landlord first.
Living Room
If you live in a condo — there’s a chance you probably live in a busy city with a demanding job and not a lot of time to spare. Each week, nothing takes up more valuable free time than cleaning, making robot vacuums and mops a favourite smart home recommendation. A condo is, by default, a smaller space, so a two-in-one vacuum and mop is an ideal situation for a condo. Ecovacs Deebot X1 Omni is as good as it gets, with a smaller footprint than the competition for a two-in-one — and built-in dustbin emptying, cleaning and drying of the mop. It also features voice control and a security camera, so you can use it to monitor the dogs when you’re not home.
But if you’re looking to start small, a super simple way to transform your living room items into smart items is with a smart plug, like the Wemo Mini Smart Plug.
Kitchen
While you might not be able to upgrade the major appliances in your kitchen to smart home devices, you can undoubtedly make your smaller home appliances smart. For example, this Fellow Stagg EKG kettle is not only a gorgeous statement piece in your kitchen, but it is also connected — allowing you to control it through your phone. Likewise, coffee snobs will love its precision pour snout and temperature control.
And that connection is available with almost any kitchen tool you can think of, including this Tovala Gen 2 Smart Steam WiFi Oven.
Bedroom
If the future is here, it is here because we now have smart beds. Eight Sleep’s Pod Pro Mattress is a smart mattress that lets you set the temperature on each side of the bed to the temperature that helps you sleep best. It also tracks your sleep time, sleep stages, and how much you toss and turn and monitors health indicators such as your HRV, resting heart rate, and respiratory rate. It’s a large piece of helpful smart home tech that you can take with you no matter how many times you change apartments.
Another perfect addition to the bedroom is Dyson’s Humidifier + Purifier. Condo air is recycled throughout the entire building. Living in a big city means the outdoor air is constantly polluted from traffic — making a purifier a must even before the pandemic. And with Canadian winters drying out your home every year, a humidifier is always necessary from November through March. Dyson’s latest gives you the best in HEPA filtration, so even if you have sick roommates, you’re much less likely to catch anything if you have this cleaning the air. It’s also a smart device investment you know will hold up throughout all future moves.
Smart Home Tech to Avoid in Condos or Apartments
Unfortunately, when you’re renting, your landlord provides your stove, dishwasher, and fridge, so upgrading these to smart home appliances wouldn’t make financial sense. You would want to take these with you when you leave, so where would your landlord store the ones that came with your apartment while you lived there? You’ll have to wait for homeownership to upgrade all the major appliances fully.
Also, anything that requires hardwiring — such as doorbells, security cameras and thermostats might be out of the question. Some landlords will allow these installations if you ask permission and pay for the professional installation — but remember that everything has to be just as you found it when you leave. Luckily, some smart tech companies have made doorbells and security cameras that don’t require wire changes or long-term subscriptions, so some limited options are available.
The key thing to consider when it comes to condo automation is — is it portable? If it is, go for it. If it’s not, think about the cost-benefit when it comes time to move again.
