Can I Make My House a Smart Home Automation Without Internet?

Most smart home devices need to be connected to a Wi-Fi network to work properly. This is how they communicate with their mobile apps or web portals to provide you with a variety of useful features like remote control, voice integrations, and automatic adjustments based on your daily routine. However, some of these smart devices aren’t designed to need internet to work. And, as more and more of us look to reduce our internet usage, the question is: Can I make my house a smart home without the internet?

The answer is yes. There are a number of central getaways that can support smart home automation without internet connectivity. Exploring these options can open up new possibilities for your home automation system, and allow you to enjoy all the benefits of modern technology in a way that is more sustainable and secure than online connections.

To create a complete home automation system that doesn’t need the internet, you will need a hub that supports a wireless protocol such as Z-Wave or Zigbee. Most of the big manufacturers offer a variety of smart hubs that have this capability. These include the Samsung SmartThings hub, the Wink Hub, and the newest option from Ecobee called the Nest hub. You can also use an open-source hub such as Home Assistant or the more affordable Z-Wave hub from iHome.

A few other things to keep in mind are that any device that requires an internet connection to function will not be able to operate when you’re offline. This includes devices that respond to voice commands and are designed to run with AI like the Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. This is a necessary trade-off to get the convenience and reliability of internet-connected smart devices.

The good news is that there are still plenty of other devices you can buy to build your smart home. Smart bulbs, for example, are available with offline functionality from Philips Hue, IKEA’s Tradfri line of smart lighting, and myriad other brands including Shelly, Athom, and Xiaomi’s Yeelight sub-brand. And, there are many switches and plugs with offline capabilities from the likes of Sonoff, Inovelli, and EZVibe.

One other thing to consider is that when you’re creating an automated home that doesn’t connect to the internet, you will need to spend some time setting it up and making sure everything works correctly. That means setting up schedules for your devices, ensuring that your voice assistant is set up to work with them, and making sure that your smart home can respond quickly to your requests without needing to send them off to the cloud and back again.

Ultimately, it’s worth the effort to build a home automation system that doesn’t require internet connectivity to work. That will give you the peace of mind that your smart home won’t be susceptible to an internet outage, and it will help protect your privacy by reducing the chances of your smart home being used to re-create Skynet or send your personal information to a third party.