--- title: What Is a Smart Home? The 3 Levels Explained | Smart Home Networks & IoT description: A smart home is devices working together, not just apps. See the three levels, connected, automated and intelligent, and what you need to reach each. --- [Skip to content](https://homenetworks.com.au/guides/what-is-a-smart-home#main-content) ![SMH&I](https://homenetworks.com.au/hs-fs/hubfs/Logo%20Transparency%20-01-300px.png?width=300&height=127&name=Logo%20Transparency%20-01-300px.png)Homepage - Home - Products & Solutions - Networking - [Aruba Instant On](https://homenetworks.com.au/network/hpe-aruba?hsLang=en-au) - [TP-Link Omada](https://homenetworks.com.au/network/tplink-omada?hsLang=en-au) - [HPE Juniper Networks](https://homenetworks.com.au/network/hpe-juniper?hsLang=en-au) - Smart Home Controllers - Home Assistant (HAOS) - openHAB - [NUC Build Configurator](https://homenetworks.com.au/smart-home-hubs?hsLang=en-au) - Cameras & Security - IoT Devices - Guides - [What is a smart home](https://homenetworks.com.au/guides/what-is-a-smart-home) - [The building blocks](https://homenetworks.com.au/guides/smart-home-building-blocks?hsLang=en-au) - [Connectivity](https://homenetworks.com.au/guides/smart-home-protocols?hsLang=en-au) - [Controllers](https://homenetworks.com.au/guides/smart-home-ecosystems?hsLang=en-au) - [Networks](https://homenetworks.com.au/guides/smart-home-network?hsLang=en-au) - [Blog](https://homenetworks.com.au/smart-home-networks-and-iot-blog?hsLang=en-au) - [Support](https://homenetworks.com.au/contact-us?hsLang=en-au) - About Us [Shop](https://shop.homenetworks.com.au) - Home - Products & Solutions - Networking - [Aruba Instant On](https://homenetworks.com.au/network/hpe-aruba?hsLang=en-au) - [TP-Link Omada](https://homenetworks.com.au/network/tplink-omada?hsLang=en-au) - [HPE Juniper Networks](https://homenetworks.com.au/network/hpe-juniper?hsLang=en-au) - Smart Home Controllers - Home Assistant (HAOS) - openHAB - [NUC Build Configurator](https://homenetworks.com.au/smart-home-hubs?hsLang=en-au) - Cameras & Security - IoT Devices - Guides - [What is a smart home](https://homenetworks.com.au/guides/what-is-a-smart-home) - [The building blocks](https://homenetworks.com.au/guides/smart-home-building-blocks?hsLang=en-au) - [Connectivity](https://homenetworks.com.au/guides/smart-home-protocols?hsLang=en-au) - [Controllers](https://homenetworks.com.au/guides/smart-home-ecosystems?hsLang=en-au) - [Networks](https://homenetworks.com.au/guides/smart-home-network?hsLang=en-au) - [Blog](https://homenetworks.com.au/smart-home-networks-and-iot-blog?hsLang=en-au) - [Support](https://homenetworks.com.au/contact-us?hsLang=en-au) - About Us [Shop](https://shop.homenetworks.com.au) Smart home guides # What is a smart home? Devices that sense, decide and act together, not just a drawer full of apps. Here are the three levels, and what it takes to reach each one. **The short version:** a smart home is one where your devices work together on their own, not just from separate apps. Most homes start at *connected*, move to *automated* once a hub ties things together, and become *intelligent* when the home reacts to who's there, the weather and the price of power. You can stop at any level, and none of them require a subscription. ### Connected Each device has its own app. Handy, but nothing talks to anything else. **What you need:** smart devices and reliable Wi-Fi in every room. ### Automated Devices trigger each other: open the garage at night and the lights come on. **What you need:** a smart home hub to tie brands together, and a segmented network so it stays secure. ### Intelligent Your home reacts to who’s home, the weather, solar and power prices, and your voice. **What you need:** a local hub, presence and energy sensors, and an AI Hub if you want private voice control. ## One home, three levels The same rooms and devices do far more as you move up a level. Here's what that looks like in a typical Aussie home. | | Connected An app per device | Automated Devices react to each other | Intelligent Context, energy and voice | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Lighting | Turn the lounge lights off from your phone on the bus | Hallway lights come on at sunset and off at 11pm | Lights follow you room to room at night, dimmed to 10% so they don’t wake the kids | | Air con | Turn the split system on from the app before you get home | Air con switches off when a window is opened | Pre-cools the house on solar at 2pm, before the 4pm peak tariff, when the forecast is over 32°C | | Blinds | Close the bedroom blinds from your phone without getting up | North and West-facing blinds close from 10am to 4pm during summer | Blinds close when the sun is on the west windows and it’s over 28°C outside, then open at sunset to let the sea breeze in | | Security | Check the front door camera from work | Porch light turns on when the camera sees motion | Only alerts you when it sees a person, not a possum, the cat or a swaying gum tree | | Leaving home | Check each app to see what’s left on | A "Goodbye" button turns off lights, TV and air con | Notices the last phone leave the house, then locks up, arms cameras and turns everything off | | Energy | Watch the solar inverter’s app | Pool pump runs between 10am and 3pm | Runs the pool pump, dishwasher and EV charger whenever solar is exporting, and holds off when it’s cloudy | ## What a smart home isn’t... A few common worries, and why they don’t have to apply to your home. ✕  Not cloud-dependent A local hub keeps your home running when the internet drops. ✕  Not a subscription Pay once for hardware. Ongoing fees are optional, not required. ✕  Not just voice control Most of the value is in automations that happen without you asking. ✕  Not one brand Mix Philips, IKEA, Aqara and others, all in one app. ✕  Not all or nothing Start with one room and grow from there. ## What you need to start ### A strong network The roads everything travels on. Fast Wi-Fi in every room, plus separate zones for cameras, guests and smart devices so one weak gadget can't expose the rest. ### A smart home hub The brain. A small, quiet computer that runs Home Assistant, ties every brand together and keeps your home working when the internet drops. ### Devices The hands. Lights, blinds, air con, locks, sensors and cameras. Start with one room and add more over time. Explore the building blocks ## Frequently Asked Questions Do I need a hub? Not to get started. Most smart devices work on their own through an app, and that's the *connected* level. You need a hub once you want devices from different brands to work together, or want your home to keep running without the internet. It's the step from *connected* to *automated*. A hub is a small, quiet computer that sits next to your router and runs everything locally. See our [smart home hubs](https://homenetworks.com.au/smart-home-hubs?hsLang=en-au). Will my smart home work if the internet goes down? It depends where the brains live. Devices that rely on a company's cloud, such as many Wi-Fi plugs, cameras and voice assistants, stop responding when the internet drops, or when the company changes or discontinues the product. With a local hub, your lights, sensors, blinds and automations keep working on your home network. You lose remote access from outside the house until the internet is back, but the home itself carries on. Can I keep using Alexa, Google or Siri? Yes. Many homes keep their speakers and voice assistant and let a local hub do the real work behind the scenes. The assistant becomes a front door for voice commands, while your automations and devices stay under your control. If you'd rather keep voice private too, the [AI Hub](https://homenetworks.com.au/smart-home-hubs#ai-hub) can run a voice assistant entirely inside your home. See our guide [Alexa, Google, Apple or Home Assistant?](https://homenetworks.com.au/guides/smart-home-ecosystems?hsLang=en-au) Is a smart home secure? It can be, if it's set up properly. The biggest risk is putting every camera, plug and gadget on the same network as your laptops and phones. If one cheap device is compromised, everything else is exposed. We separate your network into zones, so cameras, smart devices and guests each sit in their own space and can only reach what they need. Add a local hub, keep firmware updated, and avoid devices that only work through overseas cloud services. See [Planning a smart home network](https://homenetworks.com.au/guides/smart-home-network?hsLang=en-au). How much does it cost to get started? You can start small. A few smart bulbs or plugs cost less than a dinner out, and that's enough to try the *connected* level. Most of the cost comes as you add the pieces that make the home work together: a solid network, a hub, and devices for each room. Our configured [Home Hub](https://homenetworks.com.au/smart-home-hubs?hsLang=en-au) starts from $1,624 including setup, and it grows with you, so you can add rooms over time rather than doing everything at once. See [What a smart home costs in Australia](https://homenetworks.com.au/guides/smart-home-cost?hsLang=en-au) for typical budgets. I’m renting. Can I still have a smart home? Yes. Plug-in and battery-powered devices need no wiring and leave with you when you move: smart plugs, bulbs, motion and door sensors, and battery-powered blind motors. A hub plugs into your router and goes in the moving boxes too. Anything hardwired, such as wall switches, ceiling fans or new power points, must be installed by a licensed electrician in NSW, and you'll need your landlord's permission first. ## Not sure where your home fits? Tell us how you live and what you’d like your home to do. We’ll suggest where to start and what you can skip. [Help me choose](https://homenetworks.com.au/contact-us?hsLang=en-au)Find your situation [![SMH&I](https://homenetworks.com.au/hs-fs/hubfs/Logo%20Transparency%20-01-300px.png?width=300&height=127&name=Logo%20Transparency%20-01-300px.png "SMH&I")](https://homenetworks.com.au/?hsLang=en-au) We build networks for Aussie homes who've outgrown their ISP router or basic mesh WiFi. From prosumer WiFi and smart home automation (HAOS, openHAB) to mini PC home servers, we design systems that just work.  Smart Home Networks and IoT Baulkham Hills, NSW, 2153 0417-427-106 sales@homenetworks.com.au --- Privacy Policy · Legal · © 2026. All rights reserved.