As a kid, I always dreamed of having a house like the Jetsons. With a push of a button, you could have your clothes laid out, teeth brushed, and breakfast on the table. Then you hop into your flying car as you floated off to school. Today’s technology may not let us fly off to school but with a push of a button, we can do almost anything around the house that needs to be done. You can find smart technology in almost everything from cameras, doorbells, windows, window blinds, clocks, speakers, hot water heaters, washers, dryers, and even ovens. Upgrading your home can even be quite inexpensive.
There are very good reasons why you should seriously consider upgrading your home to a smart home. They make our homes more efficient, bring us greater convenience, help control our comfort, give us peace of mind, and can even help lower our utility bills.
The first thing to consider is getting a smart speaker. There are a variety of smart speakers to choose from. Amazon Echo, Google Home, or even Apple came out with its Homepod smart speaker. How many times have you got all comfortable in bed and forgot to turn off the light, or forgot to turn down the furnace? With a smart speaker it’s as easy as saying “Alexa dim the lights.”, or “Alexa set the temperature to 65 degrees.” If you are cooking dinner and you don’t want to forget the cornbread that you just put in the oven, it's as simple as saying “Alexa set a timer for 30 mins.” You used the last of your eggs and milk in that cornbread; “Alexa put eggs and milk on my shopping list.” And if you forgot to have Alexa set the timer you can say “Alexa where is the nearest pizza delivery place?”
Smart LED light bulbs are sold by a variety of companies like Wyze. They sell the most inexpensive bulbs that can be turned on, off or even dimmed with a single tap on your phone or sync up with your smart speaker. Wyze also offers smart thermostats that can monitor and control all your home environment from the app on your phone or again synched up with your smart speaker. You can even have the lights turned on and the heater up before you even get home.
Smart refrigerators offer us the ability to keep track of important details like the usage and expiration dates of all your groceries. It can keep track of what you need and even send you a message that the door was left open. For a little bit more you can get a refrigerator with an internal camera that will show you what is inside without even opening the door.
Smart ovens come in various sizes with ones that even sit on your countertop. Bake, broil, sear, and reheat are just some of the many food preparation possibilities. The Brava Oven has an internal camera that lets you monitor the food as it is cooking.
One of the number one reasons people today upgrade to smart homes is to have security cameras or ring doorbells. Sadly we find individuals taking advantage of packages left on doorsteps or try to enter our homes when we are away, Having the peace of mind our home is monitored 24/7 doesn’t have to be expensive. Wyze also offers a wide range of cameras and a video doorbell. These can be placed indoors or outdoor to capture clear images and videos day or night. You can download their app and watch from anywhere what is going on inside or outside your home any time of day. These also come with speakers so you can talk to whoever is at your door.
Another safety concern we have is smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. These now have smart technology that can alert you and the emergency authorities even when you are not home. Some smart smoke alarms, have emergency lights that can help you find your way out of a smoke-filled home.
Who wouldn’t want to go to sleep and wake up with your house freshly vacuumed and mopped?
Robot Vacuums come in a variety of shapes and sizes to fit any size home. Bissell, Roomba, and Shark are some of the most popular brands that offer, not only vacuuming, but can also wet mop your floors. They come with docking stations that act as charging stations and disposing of the dirt in easy to empty trays. You can use your smartphone to program the time of day and size of the room that fits your needs.
So with just a few simple steps, you can upgrade your home to a smart home that can not only save you time and money but give you peace of mind with its many safety features for your family.