How to Make your RV a Smart Home

What is a Smart Home?

First, we need to define what a smart home actually is. By definition, it's any "home with electronic devices (such as appliances and lighting) that can be automatically controlled by computer software." [1] More simply stated: A smart home is one where your gadgets talk to each other over the internet. How cool right?! If you'd like to learn more about the syntax of the common language used amongst IoT devices I suggest checking out ThingSpeak . It's free and very easy to get started with. Just pick a unique name for your device and start coding away!

Protip: ThingSpeak allows you to use data from past days or weeks so you could conceivably create graphs for things like how much power, water, etc you're using.

How can I turn my RV into a Smart Home?

If you have gadgets that are already internet-ready then the process is fairly simple! All that's really required to make your rv or any other space "smart" is an IoT hub , and some IoT sensors . These hubs allow your rv (or whatever device) to communicate with the internet and tell you what it's doing in real time. Some of these hubs even include their own programming language which allows users to create programs directly from their phone or laptop. Here are some examples:

The rv hub will automatically monitor things like electricity useage throughout the day and send updates your smart phone for better energy management.

The rv hub can integrate with rv hookups and campsites to help rvers find the best one for their rv while keeping an eye on important statistics like electric cost, local weather forecast etc. 

This rv hub is capable of performing many functions including: powering on/off rvs based on commands from a program or IFTTT, receiving alerts when rvs are started or stopped, tracking rv location in real time using GPS coordinates and more! This is a great device if you want your rv to start up at a certain time after it's been powered off. Just use the "after-hours start" feature from the app! To learn more about what these hubs can do check out this helpful rv hub page . 

As you can see rvs are one of the best places to implement smart home technology! And since rv life has been shown to have positive health effects on rvers, it makes  sense that rv life could be improved even further by adding rv smart home technology!

Protips: Here are some of our favorite rv tools to help you get started with rv smart home tech, including our favorite rv hub.

- rv gadgets for rvers at Camp Addict

- rv camping supplies  (includes rv hubs!)

RV Smart Home Alternatives There are other ways that rv owners can use IoT technology in their rvs without using a rv smart home hub. This is also a growing trend in rv life.