Making your home smart can save you time and money. Want to learn more about the benefits of a smart home?
Smart homes are becoming increasingly popular thanks to technological advancements. If you’re not familiar with the concept of a smart home, think of The Jetsons. While the technology isn’t very advanced yet, the day will soon come when your home will do your laundry for you. Making your home smart can benefit you and your wallet in many other ways, so it’s worth considering your options.
1) Lower Your Utility Bills
One of the biggest desires of any homeowner is to have low utility bills. The main culprits are energy-efficient appliances, lighting, and, of course, heating and cooling. However, with smart home devices like the EcoBee4 and the Nest Learning Thermostat, you can start saving money.
The EcoBee4 makes it easy to use electricity more efficiently. It’s a smart thermostat that has been featured in Forbes, The New York Times, and countless other publications as a truly smart device.
With this information,
the device knows when to raise and lower the temperature. So if you’re not in the room, the thermostat will tell you to turn off the heat. It also learns your usual bedtime and wake-up times to adjust the temperature accordingly, saving you money. Unlike other smart thermostats, the EcoBee4 also has Amazon Alexa voice control, so you can use it to listen to the news, get weather updates, and even do your grocery shopping. You can also ask it to play music or set a time to remind you to take dinner out of the oven.
Another extremely
popular smart thermostat is the Nest Learning Thermostat. It’s Wi-Fi compatible, so you can control the temperature in your home from anywhere. Have you ever left the house and forgotten to turn off the heat or air conditioning, or weren’t sure if it was on or off? A Nest device takes all that worry away. Simply open the Nest app on your phone or tablet to check or change the temperature in your home.
Nest also
offers a slightly more affordable option with fewer features, making it accessible to almost anyone who wants to start saving on their energy bills. The ability to control the temperature in your home is great, of course, but what’s even better is that these devices can save you up to 23% on your heating and cooling costs annually. Another reason to choose this option is its ease of installation, sleek design, and Energy Star certification, which means it’s environmentally friendly.
2) Secure Your House
Smart devices can also help you stay safer, more alert, and more informed. There are some extremely advanced security cameras, like Netgear’s Arlo Pro. The company has a range of smart home security products that offer customers peace of mind anytime, anywhere.
All of their products are wireless, waterproof, cloud-based, and allow you to view live and recorded video at any time. The Arlo Pro is an easy-to-install and use outdoor security camera system with ultra-high video quality and a host of other useful features to keep you and your family safe. It’s weatherproof, has a 130° wide-angle camera, and automatically activates night vision. The camera can be fully controlled from your phone, allowing you to view recordings, talk to it, and set an alarm.
Those looking for a smart security product will also be pleased with the August Smart Lock Pro, August’s latest product that lets you control your door from anywhere. The Advanced Lock lets you lock and unlock your door, access it without a key, and monitor who comes in and out—all from your phone. The device’s hardware sits discreetly inside the door, so external hardware remains unobstructed. You can use your key or opt for keyless control at any time. The Smart Lock Pro also integrates seamlessly with other smart home devices like Nest, as well as voice services like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant.
3) A 24/7 Personal Assistant
Of course, you can’t talk about a smart home without thinking about a personal assistant. It’s a classic futuristic scene: you go about your business and talk to a capable, floating robot that’s ready to do whatever you ask. While we’re not there yet, we’re getting there with the Amazon Echo. The Amazon Echo is a cylindrical device that acts as a voice-activated smart assistant. You can speak to the device, and Alexa, Amazon’s virtual assistant, will respond. You can ask Alexa to read you a recipe, give you train schedules or sports scores, or pretty much anything else. Since the Echo, we’ve seen the arrival of the Amazon Echo Dot and the Amazon Echo Show, both with touchscreens.
4) Be In Control At All Times
Having a smart home also gives you control. You can control your home’s temperature and lock your front door, but did you know you can also control your lights? The Philips Hue lighting system is an advanced smart lighting system that is a must-have for any smart home. The lights are available in white or color, and thanks to geofencing technology,
you can control
them remotely from your phone or tablet. This allows you to turn off the lights in your home when you are not using them to save energy. You can also turn them on when you are away to scare off potential thieves and make them think you are home. If you are looking for a simpler smart lighting system than Philips Hue, try the Lutron Caseta wireless bridge, which allows you to control lights, shades and temperature via an app. To keep all your smart devices connected, use Samsung SmartThings. The kit connects to any smart device and allows you to easily control and monitor it.
Smart Home, Smart Choice
The benefits of turning your home into a smart home are endless. From saving money on heating and cooling bills and increasing security with keyless locks and security cameras to letting a personal assistant take care of your daily chores, a smart home is definitely a smart choice.
