How smart is your home? Sounds like a weird question, but millions of homeowners have converted their homes to smart homes, thanks to smart home technology.
What is a smart home? It’s the process of automating control of your home, usually via your smartphone or computer. You can use smart home tech to update everything from your kitchen, garage door, home locks, and more.
Smart homes are convenient, more secure, and can even add to the resale value of your home.
If you’re thinking about getting started, keep reading to find seven smart home technology gadgets that can change your life for the better.
1. Amazon Echo
One of the most useful and easy to use smart home technology brands is Amazon. If you want something simple to get started with, you can’t go wrong with the Amazon Echo.
It’s a home speaker that’s hands-free and voice-activated, meaning you can ask it just about anything, as you would your smartphone. Need to check the weather, find the next movie showing, or learn the year Casablanca was released? Echo can help with this.
You can also use it to stream music. If you have additional Amazon smart home technology, you can access and control it all through Echo.
There are various sizes and models of Echos, all fairly affordable, so you can pick up multiples for different rooms of the home.
2. Robot Vacuum
If we can’t use robots to make our homes better, what good is the 21st century? We love robot vacuums as they automate one of the household chores many of us dread—vacuuming.
They are able to learn the layout of your home, including where furniture sits, and can vacuum your home completely on its own. If you don’t have the patience or time to vacuum, simply turn on the robot and let it roll through the home and clean while you focus on more important things.
3. Smart Thermostat
A smart thermostat, such as Google’s Nest Learning Thermostat, is a fantastic investment that can save you money in the long run.
You can program it to certain temperatures based on preferences, the weather forecast, and your schedule. For example, you may want to turn off the air-conditioning during the day, when no one is at home.
Even better, you can access your thermostat control from your phone, allowing you to reprogram it as you’re on the way home from work, or turning it off after you’ve left.
4. Outdoor Security Camera
Keeping your home safe and protected is a priority for any homeowner, but it can be hard to do when you’re not home.
You may want to install a small outdoor security camera outside on your property. You can then link it to your smartphone or Mac, allowing you to view, in real-time, what’s happening outside your home.
If you’re viewing the footage on your computer, you’ll need to make sure it’s fast enough to buffer the video. Click here to learn more about how you can fix a slower Mac.
5. Google Nest Hub
Do you already use Google products in your life, such as Gmail? If so, you may want to check out Google Nest, as it will easily integrate with your schedule and organization.
Google Nest Hub is a smartphone control system, similar to Echo in that it’s voice controlled. You can control all of your smartphone technology through your Google Nest, and it also has Google Assistant built-in.
Use it to check flight times, play music, turn off lights in another room, or play podcasts. The Google Home Nest Max version also has a video screen, which can be customized as a digital photo frame and a home screen that you can personalize.
6. Video Doorbell
Another current smart home technology you may want to explore is the video doorbell. How many times have you heard the doorbell ring, but were hesitant to answer, as you’re not expecting anyone?
Video doorbells allow you to see who is ringing your doorbell via a camera that feeds the footage through to your smartphone. They are a fantastic security feature if you’re wanting to make sure you know the person at the door before answering.
It can also be a useful tool when you’re at work, as you can see if and when a delivery person has delivered that package you’re expecting.
7. Smart Light Bulbs
Smart light bulbs are a popular way to incorporate smart home tech into your lifestyle. Popular brands like Philips Hue or Wyze Bulb are easy to install and give you complete control over your home’s lighting, even if you’re not home.
Smart lighting is lighting that can be controlled via an app on your phone. You can generally turn the lights off and on, but you can also dim them or alter their color, depending on the bulb.
The bulbs can be screwed into your current electrical fixtures, so you don’t need to rewire or tamper with the electric systems of your home.
Smart lighting can help save money as well—the bulbs tend to be energy-efficient. Plus, if you’re not home and you remember you left the lights on, you can easily switch them off from your phone.
Which of These Smart Home Technology Gadgets Are You Most Excited to Try?
Smart home technology can be intimidating if you’ve never tried it before, but it is usually intuitive and comes with plenty of instructions! You can also find YouTube videos for each product to learn more about how they work.
If you’re ready to try it out, why not select one of the gadgets above and try it out. You’re sure to be amazed by both the fun and convenience that smart home tech can bring.
Get started today and make life easier around the home, thanks to these technology gadgets.
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