Most smart home projects don't fail because a contractor made one dramatic error — they fail because small, cheap-looking decisions stack up.
These are the mistakes we see most often on Houston jobs, and the ones we vet every scope against before we start.
1. Wi-Fi-only backbone
Fragile and unreliable. Wired Cat6 to hubs, APs, and cameras is the standard.
2. No neutral wires at switches
Modern smart switches need a neutral. Old wiring lacks them; plan the rework.
3. Cloud-only devices
When the internet dies, nothing works. Local-control devices survive outages.
4. Proprietary ecosystem lock-in
Vendor-locked hubs get orphaned. Matter-over-Thread is the durable choice.
5. No UPS on network gear
Houston grid blips constantly. A small UPS keeps automation running.
How to vet your contractor
Read your smart home bid line by line and ask which of these mistakes are being avoided — in writing. A contractor who welcomes the question is the one you want; a contractor who deflects is the one to walk away from.
If you'd like a second set of eyes on a scope of work or an existing bid, we're happy to walk through it with you.
