You do not need an electrician or a big budget to make your home a little smarter. A few well-chosen devices, set up over one weekend, will take care of the heating, the front door and keeping an eye on things while you are out. The plan here runs across three simple steps: a hub on Saturday morning, a doorbell in the afternoon, then heating and cameras on Sunday. Devices that work with Matter talk to each other, so you can add more later without starting again. None of this needs a subscription or any technical background, and you can set the pace yourself. Start small and let the system grow with you.
Saturday morning: set up the hub
Put the Nimbus Home Hub, £129, on a shelf in a central room. Its 8in screen shows your cameras and heating at a glance, and it acts as the brain for everything else. Connect it to your Wi-Fi first, then name every room in the app before you add any devices, because routines and voice control are far easier to set up once the rooms already exist. Take five minutes over the names now: every device you add later joins a room, and the hub keeps them all in one place.
Saturday afternoon: the front door
Before you mount the Nimbus Video Doorbell, now £119 down from £149, check the Wi-Fi signal at the front door with your phone. The doorbell can run on its battery, up to 6 months per charge, or you can wire it to your existing doorbell for constant power. Its 160 degree head-to-toe view shows parcels left on the step. Set motion zones so that passing cars or pavement foot traffic do not send you alerts, and you will keep the useful notifications and lose the noise. A wired doorbell never needs charging, which suits a busy front door, while the battery model is easier when there is no wiring nearby.
Sunday: heating and cameras
The Nimbus Smart Thermostat, £199, works with most UK combi, system and heat-only boilers. Photograph the old wiring before you start and switch off the boiler's power, or book our set-up service if you would rather not touch it. Then set a schedule and an away mode so the heating follows your week. Place the Nimbus Indoor Camera, from £59, in a hallway or living room facing inwards rather than out of a window, and use privacy mode whenever you are home. Both the doorbell and the camera can tell you when someone arrives, so you are never left guessing at the door.
Your weekend checklist
- Check that your Wi-Fi reaches the front door
- Photograph your old thermostat wiring before removing it
- Name every room in the app
- Set motion zones on the doorbell
- Create one bedtime routine, such as heating down and lights off
- Share access with everyone at home
You can add smart plugs and lights later, and Matter makes that straightforward. If you are not keen on wiring, our set-up team can install the doorbell and thermostat for you. If a device does not work as you hoped, our 30 day returns policy covers it, and every device carries a two year warranty. Start with the hub and grow from there, and browse our smart home range when you are ready.
