- Which standard do you build on, and what happens if a brand disappears?
- Who does the electrical work, and under whose licence?
- Can I get a line-by-line quote rather than a package price?
- What happens to my home if I stop paying you?
- Show me a home you handed over two years ago that still works.
Prices, measurements and counts in this guide are ELEVATED's own, recorded across our Singapore projects in 2026. They are not industry averages, and prices are ranges we review quarterly.
Ask an installer to show you their work and you will be shown an app. That tells you almost nothing. The questions below are the ones whose answers you will still be living with in five years, and they are ordered by how much they cost you to get wrong. Nothing here is about a specific company; take the list to whoever you are considering, including us.
1. Which standard do you build on?
You want: a named open standard, most likely Matter, with an explanation of what runs over Thread and what runs over Wi-Fi and why. Worry if: the answer is a brand name. A home built entirely inside one manufacturer's ecosystem is only as durable as that manufacturer's interest in the Singapore market.
2. Who does the electrical work, and under whose licence?
You want: a named Licensed Electrical Worker, and clarity on whether they are employed by the firm or subcontracted. Worry if: the answer is vague, or the smart-home vendor expects your renovation contractor's electrician to handle wiring they were never briefed on. Most smart-home failures we are called to fix are wiring decisions made by someone who did not know what was going on the wall.
3. Can I have a line-by-line quote?
You want: every device, every point, every labour item priced separately, so you can remove things. Worry if: you are offered only bundled packages. Bundles hide both margin and omissions, and they make it impossible to compare two quotes.
4. What happens to my home if I stop paying you?
You want: nothing. Local control, no subscription for basic function. Worry if: scenes, automations or remote access depend on the installer's own cloud account. Ask specifically whether the hub is registered to you or to them.
5. Can you show me a home you handed over two years ago?
You want: an address they are willing to call, or at minimum a project page with a device list and honest notes. Worry if: every reference is recent. Anyone can make a smart home work on handover day.
6. Which region are the devices from?
You want: a direct answer. Some hardware sold in Singapore is the China-domestic version, which can be region-locked to a Chinese app and out of scope for local warranty. Worry if: the question is brushed off. This is the single most common hidden problem in Singapore smart-home installations, and it surfaces months later.
7. What is the warranty, and who honours it?
You want: a written period for the devices and a separate one for the installation work, with a named party for each. Worry if: "manufacturer warranty" is the whole answer. That leaves you shipping a switch overseas while the wall stays open.
8. What is the exit plan?
You want: to hear that the switches are standard sizes on standard back boxes, so a future owner can replace them with ordinary rockers. Worry if: the system needs proprietary back boxes or a bespoke panel. Consider what a buyer of your flat inherits.
9. Will you plan on my floor plan before I commit?
You want: a marked-up plan showing switch positions, sensor positions and conduit routes. Worry if: you are sent a brochure. The plan is where the thinking is visible, and it costs an hour to produce.
10. What is not going to work in my flat?
You want: a real list. Household shelter walls block Wi-Fi. Some gates cannot take a lock. Certain condo management rules forbid drilling the facade. Worry if: everything is possible. An installer who has done this in Singapore has a standing list of constraints.
11. How many devices, and how many will I actually use?
You want: to be talked down. A four-room flat that works well usually has fewer devices than the first quote suggests. Worry if: the count only goes up. Sensors in rooms nobody automates become batteries to replace.
12. Who do I call in two years when something stops?
You want: a number, a response time and a callout rate in writing. Worry if: support is a chat group that will be archived when the project closes.
How do you compare two quotes fairly?
- Line the quotes up device by device. If one is a package, ask for it broken out before comparing.
- Count the wiring items separately from the hardware. Wiring is where the durable value sits and where the cheaper quote is usually thinner.
- Check the standard and the region of every device, not just the headline brand.
- Price the two-year cost, not the handover cost: batteries, subscriptions, callouts.
If a quote is materially cheaper, find the line that explains it before you decide. It is usually the electrical work, the region of the hardware, or the absence of a warranty on the installation itself.
See this in a finished home
our completed projects — photographs, the device list and what was decided on site. All projects.
Sources
Checkable references for the rules and standards cited above.
- Energy Market Authority — electrical installation and safety
- Connectivity Standards Alliance — the Matter standard
- IMDA — equipment registration for radio-communication equipment
Questions people ask
How much should a smart home cost in a Singapore flat?
Scope drives it far more than flat size. Our published cost guide breaks recent projects down by scope; a four-room flat with lighting, curtains, a lock and sensors typically lands in a five-figure range once wiring is included.
Is it cheaper to buy the devices myself?
Sometimes, on hardware. It rarely saves money overall, because the wiring, the back boxes and the commissioning are the labour, and an installer will not warrant devices they did not supply.
Do I need a smart home specialist, or can my renovation contractor do it?
Either can work. What matters is that whoever runs the electrical stage knows the switch models, back box depths and conduit routes before the walls close, because those cannot be changed afterwards.
What is the most common mistake in Singapore smart homes?
Missing power points in places that were obvious in hindsight: inside the pelmet, above the main door, at ceiling positions for presence sensors. Devices can be changed later; the wiring cannot.
Should I be worried about region-locked devices?
Ask the question directly and get the answer in writing. Hardware intended for the China domestic market can be tied to a Chinese app account and outside local warranty, which usually surfaces months after handover.
Tell us about your space.
Send your floor plan on WhatsApp. We reply with questions first, then drawings and a line-by-line quote.
WhatsApp us · +65 8897 9983