The Latest and Greatest for Smart Homes
The latest and greatest smart home technology can make your life easier, more secure and more environmentally friendly. These connected devices can be programmed to turn on lights, lock doors or vacuum floors remotely.
The smart home industry has matured and gone mainstream, lowering the barrier to entry. The best smart home systems are flexible and work with other smart devices, including Apple, Google, Amazon and IFTTT.
Smart Speakers
When looking for the latest and greatest smart home technology, look no further than smart speakers. These devices use voice recognition to provide a variety of services, including music playback and hands-free calls. They can also be used to control other smart home devices, such as lights and door locks.
Smart speakers can be purchased in different styles and sizes, depending on your preferences. Some are flat and elongated, while others come in shapes that mimic photo frames or other objects around the room. The key is to find a device that fits in with your existing decor and has a pleasing aesthetic.
There are many things to consider when choosing a smart speaker, including the type of features it offers and its sound quality. Some models are incredibly loud and will do a great job at reproducing bass.
Most of these products have voice assistants built in, such as Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Some even work with third-party control devices, such as smart plugs.
Bluetooth: This allows users to connect the speaker to their mobile phone or other audio devices for hands-free music playback and streaming. It also provides access to virtual home assistants that can provide a number of services, such as weather updates, language translation, entertainment apps and more.
If you’re looking for a smart speaker with good sound quality, look for one that has a high-quality speaker and an advanced microphone array. Having a good microphone can make all the difference when trying to get commands through to the assistant.
Wi-Fi: It’s important to have a speaker with Wi-Fi connectivity, as it allows you to control the device from anywhere in your home. It’s also useful if you want to add additional smart home gadgets in the future.
Compact Size: If you’re looking for a compact speaker, choose one that’s easy to place in any room without compromising sound or space. It should also be comfortable to hold and operate.
With so many different models on the market, it can be difficult to decide which one is right for you. Some companies offer a wide range of models, while other manufacture only a few. The best thing to do is to figure out what you need from your smart speaker and then research the options. This way, you’ll know which option will suit your needs and budget.
Smart Thermostats
The latest and greatest smart home technology includes Wi-Fi-connected thermostats. These devices connect with your heating and air conditioning systems to learn, remember and adjust to how and when you use them, saving you money on energy costs and helping you save on climate change.
Keeping your home comfortable is a struggle for most homeowners. It’s difficult to know when it’s time to turn on the heater or AC, especially in a cold or humid environment. And if you’re a busy parent who doesn’t have the time to manually adjust the thermostat, it can be even harder to make the necessary adjustments.
A smart thermostat, on the other hand, is a device that you can program with a schedule to automatically adjust temperatures when you’re away from home, or before you wake up in the morning and go to bed at night. It’s also a great way to save energy by reducing the amount of time that your heating and cooling system is running, which can help lower your utility bills.
Some smart thermostats have built-in sensors that can detect when you’re home and when you’re away, and can proactively adjust the temperature to meet those needs. They can also alert you if someone’s entering your home and help you get out of an uncomfortable situation quickly, such as if a pet is in the house.
Many of these smart thermostats can be linked to your smart home system, allowing you to create automations that can lower the temperature, turn on lights and arm your security system when you’re leaving for work or heading out on vacation. These automations can be triggered by your phone or any other smart device, so you can control the comfort of your home while you’re away from it.
Another feature to look for in a smart thermostat is an occupancy sensor, which uses infrared technology to check whether there are any people home and adjusts the thermostat accordingly. This is a great option for families, and one that can help save energy by cutting down on air conditioning usage.
Smart Doorbells
Whether you are looking for a simple doorbell to let people in, or you want to add some extra security to your home, smart doorbells are the way to go. They offer a host of features including two-way audio, video, and motion detection.
Many of these smart doorbells also have advanced features that can be integrated with a wide variety of other smart home devices. These include a video camera, Wi-Fi, and an app on your phone or tablet.
The best smart doorbells have a high-definition video and two-way audio capabilities, so you can see and speak with visitors at your home from anywhere in the world. They also have built-in motion detection, so you can receive notifications when someone presses the doorbell or triggers the built-in sensors.
Some models also have a package-detection feature, so you can get an alert when a delivery person drops off a package on your porch or front doorstep. This is great for preventing porch pirates from taking your packages without your permission.
A good smart doorbell should have a good quality video image, a decent microphone and speaker, and a good range of other features like motion detection and cloud storage. It should be able to send you an alert when someone approaches the door, and start recording automatically.
Most smart doorbells come with a cloud subscription that allows you to review footage on a mobile device. They may also come with a microSD card slot so you can store local footage on the unit itself.
If you want to integrate your smart doorbell with other smart home devices, look for models that are compatible with HomeKit. These systems have a larger range of features than other smart home platforms, and they allow you to set up routines for different actions.
Another advantage of a smart doorbell is that it can help to reduce your homeowners insurance costs. Many of these doorbells come with motion detection and video capabilities, which can be useful in gathering evidence for law enforcement should you experience a break-in.
A few of the most popular smart doorbells include Ring, August, Eufy, and Arlo. Each one has a unique feature set and is priced accordingly.
Smart Lighting
There are a number of smart lighting systems available on the market, and they range from simple light bulbs to complete kits that include everything you need to get started. These kits often include more than one type of smart bulb, a hub and wall plugs to help you outfit several rooms in your home with smart lights and control them remotely through an app or a digital assistant.
There’s a lot of variety in smart lighting, which makes it easy to find the right fit for you and your needs. Some smart lights are primarily designed for convenience, while others have additional features to help you save energy and create ambiance.
Some smart lights also integrate with a home security system or other systems to help you monitor your home while away. These products use sensors and remote-controlled technology to detect the presence of people in a room or the amount of daylight entering a room. They can also be programmed to turn on or off when there’s a certain temperature, sound or external data such as weather forecasts.
Having a smart light is also a great way to cut down on your energy use, since you can program the lights to shut off when there’s no activity in the room. You can also set a schedule that turns the lights on only when you arrive at a specified time, like when you get up in the morning or when it gets dark outside.
Smart lights can also be used to set a mood, with color-changing options that let you choose the perfect hue to help you focus and relax. Some lights even sync with music to create a mood-enhancing ambiance in your home, such as during a romantic dinner or during a family movie night.
Most smart lighting systems require a central “bridge” that connects to your home Wi-Fi network. This bridge then communicates with the lights and their apps to allow you to control them from your smartphone or tablet.
Choosing a smart lighting system is an investment, but it pays off in the long run with lower energy bills and increased comfort in your home. Some systems can save you up to 90% on your electricity bill.
