How Much Does it Cost to Build an App like AT&T Smart Home Manager?

Imagine leaving your teenage children at home with a chore list while you go to work only to find that they spent their entire day playing Xbox and watching Netflix. While this is on the lighter side of things, imagine someone with a malicious intent accessing your home WiFi with unauthorized access.

Events from both the ends of the spectrum are happening on a very frequent basis in the WiFi and network sharing space. Events that AT&T aims to solve through its Smart Home Manager app. The application, with its different WiFi network and device management features, makes it effortless for the providers’ users to take charge of how their network is operating remotely.

Being first of its kind offering in the smart home management domain, the solution is only a few steps away from becoming mainstream. Taking advantage of this blank scope multiple internet service providers are expected to launch a similar offering with advanced features set. If you too are looking to make an app like AT&T Smart Home Manager, this article is for you.

We will deep dive into the AT&T Smart Home Manager development process, the features, and the cost of building a similar software.

The working of an app similar to AT&T

In order to initiate smart home manager app development it is critical to understand how the AT&T offering works. The internet service provider has come up with a solution where the users can view and manage the devices on their home WiFi network, from anywhere.

Users sign in into the application with their AT&T user id and password after which a series of diagnostics automatically starts on the home network giving them recommendations on improving their home network.

The users also get a “My Wi-Fi” section from where they can personalize the network, share WiFi details, and view devices that are connected on their network along with the network speed and data usage. The application also gives users the freedom to reboot the WiFi in order to keep the home network in an optimized condition.

Now that we have looked into the basics of the AT&T app flow, let us dive into the many facets that go behind deciding the cost to build AT&T Smart Home Manager app.

Also read: Building a Smart Home Automation App: Opportunities, Challenges, Process, Costs

The Development Cost of an App Like AT&T Smart Home Manager

An app like the AT&T Smart Home Manager typically costs from $50,000 to $120,000. What decides this estimate is the feature sets, the choice of design system, team size and location of the custom app development service provider. A combination of these four facets together lay out the exact AT&T Smart Home Manager app development cost – something which you can only know when you share your requirements and get an estimate from a specialized agency of developers.

On a high level, here are the details of the four factors.

Features of a smart home manager app similar to AT&T

In order to ensure that the process you follow to create an app like AT&T Smart Home Manager, it is critical to understand the key features that will go behind its development.

1. Speed test and signal strength

The first feature to consider when you develop an app like AT&T Smart Home Manager is enabling a facility where the users can test the speed and signal strength of the internet both when they are in a network area and outside of it.

AT&T does it automatically when the application starts but when you create an app like AT&T Smart Home Manager, you can choose to make the step a manual choice which the users will have to take, this way you will be able to expedite the app onboarding time to an extent.

1. Connected devices management

One of the key AT&T Smart Home Manager app features lies in having a dedicated section for viewing and managing the connected devices active on the WiFi network.

Through the app, the users are able to look at the number of devices connected on the network, pause their connection for some time, and even set a Downtime Schedule through which the device will automatically get disconnected in the scheduled time.

1. Wi-Fi profile management

An app similar to AT&T Smart Home Manager should have a feature where the users can change WiFi details like name, password from inside the app. It also comes with a QR code functionality using which the users can share the network details with others effortlessly.

In addition to this, this facility gives users the ease to create device specific profiles.

1. Gateway reboot

One of the biggest challenges internet users face when they are out of home is the inability to reboot their home network, making it difficult for them to keep critical devices like security cameras active. When you make an app like AT&T Smart Home Manager it will help to have a feature that would make it easy to reboot the internet remotely without taking help of a technician.

1. Diagnostics and troubleshooting

Every now and then internet connections face a downtime or sudden inactivity, an event that leads to users connecting with the internet service provider and then waiting for them to rectify the issue. A solution for this which can be followed in your smart home manager app development process is having an in-app diagnostic and troubleshooting feature using which users will not have to wait in line for technicians.

The design system for an app similar to AT&T Smart Home Manager

Once the features are planned out, the next part to create an app like AT&T Smart Home Manager that comes in is building a design system. The way AT&T is designed is fairly straightforward. It puts in all the information in their dedicated space making it extremely easy for the users to get onboarded and learn the app’s working.

Team size and location of the smart home manager app development providers

One of the most crucial aspects of the development cost of an app like AT&T Smart Home Manager lies in choosing the development agency. While it is known that a company from the USA or UK will charge somewhere around $120-$150 per hour for their resources and on the other hand someone from India will charge only $60-$80 per hour, what is less talked about is the team composition.

The simple rule of thumb here is that the more experienced people involved in your project, the higher would be the resource cost and at the same time the faster would be the development speed.

With the AT&T Smart Home Manager app features and design system now finalized, the actual work on the steps to create an app like AT&T Smart Home Manager starts.

Development Process of an App LikeAT&T Smart Home Manager

The smart home manager app development is fairly straightforward in nature, however it still requires a fair share of due diligence when dealing with the app security and regulations. Here is the process that we typically follow when we make smart home manager applications.

1. Ideation

When you develop an app like AT&T Smart Home Manager, you will typically have two options – A. To make the app for your internet service provider company or B. To create a white label software which can be used by ISPs with the option of full customization. Irrespective of which option you choose, the design system and features can remain the same.

1. Design

At this part of the process, the design guidelines are set up with special attention being given to set up brand guidelines and user flow. The intent here usually is to provide a design that will motivate users to take control of their smart home management.

1. Development

At this stage, the application is built with all the right feature sets and technology integrations. Here, the focus is on using the best APIs that would enable users to remain connected with their home devices effortlessly, irrespective of how they are from their original network area.

1. Testing and Launch

With the app now developed, the last stage is to test the application on multiple devices and launch it post an assurance that it runs seamlessly across multiple platforms and operating systems.

We have come to a stage where you know the basics of smart home manager app development and have a rough idea into the factors that would determine the cost and what the process would look like. The only thing left here is to partner with the right custom software development company that understands how a connected ecosystem works at an intricate level. This is where startups and enterprises typically take Appinventiv’s help.

At Appinventiv, we have built countless custom software in sectors ranging from healthcare, education, to retail, each with their individual use cases and applications. While the ecosystem we have worked on is the same on a technical level, each project comes with its own challenge that requires a deep understanding of the project and the users requirements – something our development team excels at. As a top notch mobile app development company, we excel at creating mesmerizing and intuitive digital products for our clients.

Experience the efficiency that Appinventiv partnership can get you by reaching out to us.

FAQs

Q. How to build an app like AT&T Smart Home Manager?

A. The process to create an app like the AT&T Smart Home Manager would require gathering a complete understanding of the application’s goals and user requirements, designing the best guidelines, developing a feature-rich application, and launching the app after thorough software testing.

Q. How much does it cost to develop an app like AT&T Smart Home Manager?

A. The cost to build an app like AT&T Smart Home Manager usually ranges from $100k to $120k depending on the features you choose, the number of connected devices and their protocols, design system, and the technologies you integrate in the application.

Q. How long does it take to develop a smart home manager app like AT&T?

A. The time it takes to create the app can be anywhere between 8 to 14 months depending on the same factors that determine the application development cost. The best way to get an exact estimate for it would be to connect with an app development agency that understands the custom software ecosystem perfectly.

THE AUTHOR

Sudeep Srivastava

Co-Founder and Director