Imagine finally reaching home after a long walk under the blistering sun, only to struggle with finding your keys before entering a stifling living room.

Now, picture this instead. While at your doorstep, you swiftly unlock your digital door lock with just a touch of your finger and immediately step into a cool, comfortable oasis away from the heat. Effortless, efficient and highly customisable, such is the draw of a smart home that many of us aspire for today.

From controlling our lights and air conditioner remotely to enjoying the unparalleled convenience of voice assistance, we're just scratching the surface here, as our devices and homes get smarter.

If you're a first-timer looking to take your home to the next level, we've asked 50 AsiaOne readers who own smart homes or appliances to share their tips, advice and experiences to make your journey easier.

Whether you're looking to save energy or boost security in your home, here's what to expect and look out for, according to our readers who've been there, done that.

Experience convenience and comfort like never before

This might come as a no-brainer, but with 74 per cent of readers echoing this sentiment, convenience is undoubtedly one of the biggest draws of smart homes.

Jason, a 42-year-old businessman, who has been a smart homeowner for three years, said it has been a game changer for busy professionals like him.

"The scene customisation feature lets me set up different scenes for various needs, whether it's a relaxing scene before bed or a cosy movie scene. Instead of going around the house, I can just press a button and it will instantly adjust the lights, curtains and aircon to the specific setting," said Jason.

Comparing the smart home system to having a personal assistant at home, Jason added that this has saved him much time and effort, especially after a long day at work.

While design consultant Willie, 28, cautions that the learning curve for smart home systems can be steep, he believes the trade-off is worth it.

"Although there is a learning curve, small things like not having to worry about losing your keys or getting up to control the lights have improved my quality of life. The convenience is truly unparalleled," said Willie, a smart homeowner of two years.

Save the earth (and your wallet)

Another huge perk of smart home living is saving costs in the long run – thanks to having seamless control of your appliances and energy-efficient smart appliances.

The scatterbrain among us can probably relate to this. You'll either spare time and effort rushing home to switch off devices that you've accidentally left running, or worse, let your electricity bills suffer the brunt if you have no choice but to leave these devices on for the entire day.

Surprisingly, 14 per cent of the respondents can identify with this experience. One of them is university student Keith, 25, who shares how often he has forgotten to switch off appliances like the air conditioner, lights and fans while rushing out of the house.

"Switching to a smart home system has been a lifesaver as I can easily check on my appliances even when I've left home. Not only has this helped me avoid lectures from my dad, we have also noticed a fall in our electricity bills," said Keith.

Finding the solution that best fits your needs

Even though the perks of smart homes are aplenty, smart homeowners know that it's not always a walk in the park.

Take it from Ashvin, 35, who went through a painful process before he found a system that worked for him.

Having built his smart home gradually with different appliances such as a smart security system, smart light bulbs and fridge, the IT technician faced a huge obstacle when he realised that his appliances could not work together and required different apps to manage.

"It was a nightmare trying to keep track of everything and making sure they were all working properly," he shared.

After doing some research, Ashvin switched to a new set of smart home appliances that could be controlled via a centralised hub and work together seamlessly.

His advice to anyone looking to upgrade to a smart home? "Find a seamless solution that can integrate all your smart devices in one place," said Ashvin.

For those looking for an integrated solution that can connect all your smart devices via one app, why not consider Daikin's Reiri for Home?

A seamless smart home automation system, Daikin's Reiri for Home app will take your home to the next level by providing an enhanced lifestyle of comfort, convenience, cost-effectiveness, energy efficiency and security.

Case in point, Daikin's most prominent smart air conditioner boasts intelligent diagnosis and fuss-free smart monitoring, which allows users to easily monitor and control its energy consumption. Given that the air conditioner is typically one of the most energy-consuming in a home, these features will come in handy when managing energy use and costs.

Be it a smart air conditioner with smart monitoring and control, smart lighting system with optimal lighting for every purpose, or smart digital lock with remote control, Daikin's Reiri for Home is a strong contender for a go-to smart home system.

What's more, the app has an easy-to-use interface that can be connected to communicate with a variety of electronic devices and appliances.

Coping with unavoidable tech hiccups

Technology isn't infallible and our readers have first-hand experience with the importance of having backup or support. From dining in the dark to being stuck outside the house due to system errors, these day-to-day hiccups are unavoidable.

To deal with these, one in five readers stressed the importance of knowing where to get service support and ensuring regular maintenance.

This will keep you from panicking when you face sudden interruptions in your smart home system, said Jun Jie, 31. Having bought smart appliances from different suppliers, the civil servant ran into multiple technical faults when he realised they could not work well together on a single app.

But no sweat for Daikin's Reiri for Home users. Users can simply approach their dedicated service support team for any integration issues with devices installed by Daikin.

Get a head start in the smart home race

Great news for all homeowners using Daikin's smart air conditioner. All homes fitted with Daikin's smart air conditioner can be seamlessly upgraded to a smart one via Daikin's Reiri for Home app, which means you will be one step closer to your dream smart home!

With Tengah earmarked as the first HDB town with smart technologies, residents there who have opted in for the central cooling system will have their future homes fitted with Daikin's smart in-built air conditioner. In other words, you're already en route to realising your smart home living dreams.

Convinced to join the smart home living community? Take your first step towards future living here.

For more information, check out Daikin's website, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

This article is brought to you in partnership with Daikin.

yukiling@asiaone.com

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