Step 3: Purchase
And now, the fun part begins: it’s time to go shopping!
This is where you invest in technology that will make your at-home lifestyle more relaxed, comfortable and convenient than you ever thought was possible. By now, you should know which signal protocol your system will be using, what you will be automating, and what devices will be running on the system. If you aren’t sure of this at this point, I highly suggest going back and making a checklist of all these items before moving on.
Got all your stuff in order? Great. It’s time to buy! Below is a brief but incomplete list of retailers that sell home automation products…this page will have many more resources for you in the near future.
SmartHome.com is a very reputable company with an expansive product list, and also the creators of the Insteon technology. You can search their site for system-specific things, or you can search by protocol. They might be on the pricier end, but overall it’s reasonable. Their website says that the average purchase is about $200, but you may be well under or over that number, depending on what you’re getting.
SmartHomeUSA.com is also an online store for home automation tools and devices. You can tell that some of their products aren’t up-to-date and it certainly isn’t as sleek of a website, but they have lower prices.
If you are looking to buy X10 products, ExTenOnline.com is a clean, simple interface for you to get your X10 fix. It’s safe, too – it’s an Amazon store, so if you choose to purchase from here, you’re protected by Amazon’s fraud protection.
Of course, you can also get your products off-line, either at a store (there are many smart home device stores open) or through your contractor. I am working on compiling information about this, to bring you a directory for these services. Subscribe to our feed or check regularly for updates.
I love your website! It is one of the most thorough and helpful sites I have seen for home automation, terrific for the beginners out there as well as for honing up the knowledge of some of us more experienced too! I would love to have a link to your website on my own site, EXtenOnline.com. I am a new online startup and I sell X-10 products and some Insteon. My customers could learn a great deal from reading your website, I highly recommend it!