Technology is nearly impossible to avoid in the modern-day. People spend most of their awake time staring at screens, whether it be for work, watching TV, playing video games or messing around on a cell phone. Technology is in our cars, at school, at work and in our homes, it seemingly surrounds us at all times.
While we have long used technology in our homes, it has become even more popular recently. This shows no signs of slowing down as spending on smart home systems is expected to skyrocket in the near future. But what goes into a smart home and how do you make your home “smart”?
Without any further ado, let’s go over some of the best ways to turn your home into a smart home.
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Utilize a Virtual Assistant
At the center of many smart homes is a virtual assistant. Examples of these are Google Home and Amazon Alexa. These are smart speakers that can provide you with dozens of different benefits and uses. Best of all, they are incredibly cheap and nearly every family can afford one or more. They can add some very helpful automation to your life, to help reduce how much you need to do every day. This is obviously very welcomed in our busy lifestyles.
The way these often work is through IoT (Internet of Things), which is when devices can communicate with one another and share information without human interaction. This could be telling your speaker to play music from a Spotify playlist or asking the speaker to add things to a grocery list (or even buy the groceries for you). Connecting and integrating Amazon Alexa and related items can be quite simple, but if you require some assistance, this recent blog post can help you.
Add Some Smart LED Light Bulbs
One of the biggest power hogs in our homes are lights. These lights often remain on for hours at a time, and traditional bulbs can use up a lot of power. The widespread use of LEDs can help people all over the world save millions and be more efficient.
However, in addition to using LED bulbs for efficiency, many in the modern-day are smart as well. Smart light bulbs can be programmed to turn off and on at specific times, can be dimmed and some can even change colors! These bulbs can be controlled with an app on almost any device. Also, don’t worry, all of those light switches in your home have smart alternatives too.
If a smart bulb is used with a standard switch, it becomes just as basic as a traditional bulb. So be sure to have the necessary supplemental items to get the most out of your smart bulbs.
A Programmable Thermostat
Most homes have a thermostat, but unfortunately, many of them are quite archaic and require you to manually change the temperature. A new and smart programmable thermostat can be programmed to change the temperature to predetermined numbers at predetermined times. Many even come with features to change your temperature remotely, track usage, and many other helpful inclusions.
Not only is this convenient and makes it easier to keep the temperature in your home where you like it, but it can also save you money. Running your heat or portable air conditioner all day can be expensive, and programming your thermostat to heat or cool your home at specific times, will reduce your energy usage in most cases.
Have Some Cameras for In (and Out) Of Your Home
Having cameras can help you keep tabs on what is going on inside and around your home. Thousands of home and garage break-ins, and other shady behavior, take place across the world. Unfortunately, a lot of them go unsolved and can add a lot of stress, worry, and paranoia to a person’s life. If you have a security camera, you can feel safe knowing you can always see what’s happening on your property.
They are great for security and peace of mind, while also helping you monitor your children, pets or anything else in your home. Even simply having a doorbell camera to see who is at your door, without having to open it or glance out the window can be nice. These cameras can be found for an affordable price from many different providers.
Smart Locks for Your Doors
Security is incredibly important for your home. You want to keep your home safe, and free of intruders. However, traditional locks and keys are outdated and not all that convenient in many situations. For example, if someone needs in your home, but doesn’t have a key, they have no other recourse other than to wait for someone to come home.
Thankfully, smart locks can make it much simpler. Many use keyless entry, and utilize an app on your phone to let people in and out. You decide when your door is unlocked and when it stays locked, allowing for much more convenience. Many of these locks can even keep track on when the door was unlocked, and by who. Don’t worry, they are just as secure as traditional locks and will protect your home the same.
In conclusion, the methods included in this article and others like them can help to turn your home into a smart home.
