I’ve learned a lot about my smart home – here are 5 things I'd change if I started from scratch

It's no secret that building a smart home is an ongoing process. What starts with one smart speaker or a single security camera can quickly turn into dozens of devices, multiple apps and an increasingly complicated web of automations.

I've spent years adding, testing and reviewing smart home gadgets, and whilst I'm happy with the setup I've ended up with, there are plenty of things I'd approach differently if I were starting again today.

So, if I could wipe the slate clean and build my smart home from scratch, these are the five things I'd prioritise from day one – and a few mistakes I'd make sure not to repeat.

1. Invest in solar-powered smart security

Solar-powered security cameras are often overlooked, largely because of concerns about how reliable they can be in the UK's unpredictable climate. I used to have the same reservations, but after paying more attention to the solar options available, I've now found myself avoiding wired cameras altogether.

In fact, not making the switch sooner is one of my biggest smart home regrets.

The obvious benefit is that solar cameras don't add to your electricity bill, but I've found the biggest advantage to be how convenient they are. As long as the solar panel gets enough direct sunlight, you have far more freedom over where you can install the camera, and many models offer a range of mounting options.

The Tapo C660 Kit has been one of my favourite solar security additions. Since installing it last summer, I've never seen the battery level drop below 90% – even through the middle of winter. It's not positioned in an especially high-traffic area, as it mainly overlooks the bottom of my garden, but it still alerts me when it detects movement, and that's really all I need from it.

It's one of the easiest and most reliable smart home additions I've made, and if I were starting my smart home again, I'd have prioritised solar security much earlier.

2. Put more focus on smart garden gadgets

The garden wasn't exactly a core part of my smart home setup when I started building it, and I completely underestimated how much enjoyment I'd get from bringing smart technology outdoors.

Smart outdoor lighting has been brilliant for summer evenings and hosting, but there's one category I wish I'd discovered much sooner – smart bird feeders and bird houses. Birdfy's models have brought me an enormous amount of joy in recent weeks, and if you enjoy spending time in your garden or like seeing the wildlife around your home, I think you're missing out if you haven't considered one.

The Ebony Nest Ebony Bird House and Ebony Lite Bird Feeder have been the focus of my recent garden upgrades. Both provide somewhere for birds to feed or nest, whilst also incorporating a camera that can film and identify the birds that visit. The Birdfy app can then notify you when birds arrive, tell you what species you're looking at and even let you watch them live.

Both models have built-in solar panels, so once you've set up the camera, it can start charging immediately. You don't have to worry about constantly removing the camera to charge it indoors, although that's still an option if you want to position the feeder or house somewhere covered and away from direct sunlight. I've mounted mine on different walls around my garden, where they get plenty of sun whilst giving me a great view of the birds visiting.

I just wish I'd discovered the Birdfy gadgets sooner. My smart home is no longer limited to the four walls of my house, and that's made the whole experience much more enjoyable.

3. Don't abandon smart lighting

Smart home security has evolved dramatically in recent years, and as a smart home reviewer, a huge amount of my time is spent testing the latest security cameras, video doorbells and motion sensors. The downside is that I've found myself putting smart lighting to one side, which is something I wish I hadn't done.

Yes, smart security helps protect your home and keeps your smart home working in the background, but smart lighting can do far more than simply make a room look nice.

You can use schedules to mimic natural daylight throughout the day, automatically turn lights on and off when you're away, or even use certain models as visual timers for things like cooking, working or getting ready for bed.

I wish I'd built more of these automations into my setup from the beginning. Security might be the most obvious place to start when building a smart home, but lighting is arguably where you'll notice the benefits every single day.

4. Stick to one brand for security devices

As I've mentioned, I have security cameras and other gadgets from multiple brands spread across my smart home. Whilst I have plenty of favourites – including Reolink, Tapo and Aqara – sticking to fewer brands is one thing I wish I'd done differently from the start.

On paper, having cameras from different manufacturers doesn't sound like a big deal. I can view and control many of them through my Echo Show 8, which acts as the central hub in my smart home. When I'm at home, I can simply ask Alexa to show me a specific camera feed, and it works well.

The problem becomes more obvious when I'm away, and when I want to quickly check multiple cameras from my phone, I often have to jump between different apps. That's not exactly difficult, but it's unnecessarily frustrating when all I want to do is quickly see what's happening at home.

It's one of those lessons you only really learn after you've built your smart home over time. Having the latest and greatest camera from every brand might seem appealing, but sometimes consistency is more valuable than having the "best" individual product.

5. Make Matter a priority from the beginning

Finally, and probably my biggest regret of all, is that I didn't prioritise Matter from the beginning.

Matter is becoming increasingly important to the smart home, giving compatible devices a common standard that helps them work across different platforms and ecosystems. With support from major names including Google, Apple and Amazon, it's also a standard that's designed to make smart home devices more interoperable as the industry evolves.

Smart home gadgets aren't always cheap, and the last thing I want is to spend money building a setup that becomes increasingly difficult to integrate as my needs change. Buying Matter-compatible products can help give you more flexibility in the future, particularly if you decide to switch platforms or introduce devices from different manufacturers.

There are also important benefits around privacy and security, including local control in supported setups, although the exact features depend on the individual device and ecosystem.

If I were starting my smart home from scratch today, I'd make Matter compatibility one of the first things I checked before buying anything. It might not be the only factor I'd consider – device quality, features and ecosystem support still matter – but I'd want to know that whatever I buy has a better chance of fitting into my smart home for years to come.