Home Automation the SmartKit Way 

SmartKit was established in 2017 to provide quality home automation at affordable prices. We represent brands such as SONOFF, and our own OpenIrrigation; in addition to selling EZVIZ, LifeSmart and Amazon Echo.  We spoke to Tim Gaul from SmartKit and discovered some pretty neat facts about smart homes.  

A Beginner’s Guide  

According to Tim, the quickest way to get involved in home automation is by using their “plugin devices”. The SONOFF Micro, SONOFF Slampher and SONOFF S26 smart plug will allow you to begin benefiting from the eWelink ecosystem within minutes. SONOFF products do not require any additional bridges or hubs, only a WiFi connection. You can plug the device in, pair it with your smartphone and be up and running with your first smart home installation.   

Affordable and Achievable    

“Gone are the days of costly, hard-wired smart home solutions – you already have all the infrastructure required to begin your smart home journey”, says Tim. As mentioned above, you can begin with “plugin devices”, move onto lighting with LED, light switch and dimmer controls, add power monitoring and react to environmental changes, such as temperature.   

Tim continues “for the braver DIYer, you can control your pond, pool, garage, irrigation and gates – all from your smartphone or voice-enabled device. SONOFF now offers a home security solution with motion detection, door sensors and cameras. All devices are available for only a few hundred Rand or less”.   

Use Technology Optimally  

“With regards to our products, the most important thing about home automation is good WiFi. A second key factor would be to familiarise yourself with the integration of products such as Smart Scenes, IFTTT, Google Home and Amazon Alexa to extend the capabilities of your solution beyond simple on and off. Should you have this basic foundation for your ecosystem, you could greatly extend the capabilities of your smart home without much investment in more expensive solutions”.  

Buying Trends   

Tim says his customers tend to be 30-somethings and upwards. “I believe this technology may be more affordable for older millennials (who are now homeowners) but it is by no means restricted to their age group”.   

We asked Tim what he thinks a home cannot do without and he said every home needs a voice-controlled assistant. Alexa, for example, has a screen in the kitchen, presence all over the house and she even sits on the car dashboard!   

2020 in a Nutshell  

Currently, we only do deliveries and collections and purchases at our head office have been halted. Additionally, we have moved to a more chat-based system as the phone system has not been permanently manned since the beginning of the pandemic.   

Our presence is now almost exclusively online, which allows us to continue trading – provided we are legally allowed to do so.   

Visit SmartKit online.