If you want to bring your home bang into the 21st Century, by turning it into a tech-connected smart home, you may find it difficult to source smart technologies that actually make a real difference to you and your family, and which are therefore worth investing in. Here are some of the technologies, which are essential if you want to make your home smart:
A Smart Thermostat
There are a number of companies, including Nest and Eco-bee, who have created excellent smart thermostats, which can be controlled wirelessly and via smartphone. The beauty of products like the Nest Learning Thermostat and Eco-bee Smarter WiFi Thermostat is that, not only can you control them from a distance, but that they can also learn your schedule and your energy preferences throughout the day, so that your home can be heated as you like it without any input from you at all.
Of course, for the average mom and dad, the fact that you can keep an eye on your heating, to keep costs down, and more importantly that you can turn alter the heating from your bed, make these smart technologies a must!
Smart TV
Every family home needs a good Smart TV, and the technology is now sufficiently advanced and sufficiently affordable that there is no reason not to take the plunge. A smart TV is simply a Smart TV which can be used in conjunction with apps, to stream Netflix, Hulu, Sling and any most other streaming services you might be interested in. It can also be used to play games, which will keep the kids happy.
If you want to get the most benefit from a Smart TV and avoid the frustrations of buffering, it would be wise to also invest in a decent high-speed internet connection, like the services offered at http://www.wavedirect.net. This is particularly important if you live in a rural area, where the average connection can be unreliable at best.
August Smart Lock
Okay, so this is a particularly niche device, but if you value your family’s safety, and you want to avoid a burglary, you might consider investing in the August Smart Lock, which is a neat little product that allows you to remotely lock and unlock your doors. So, if you leave the house and forget to unlock the door, you will no longer have to rush back to make your home secure. You can also use it to unlock the door if one of your kids or your spouse forgets their keys so that they can get safely inside without interrupting your day.
SkyBell HD
Used in conjunction with the August SmartLock, the SkyBell HD – a video doorbell- will make your home one of the most secure on the block, because it enables you to remotely see and speak to anyone who comes to your door, enabling you to see off cold-callers and would be intruders in a pinch, even if you’re on the other side of the world!
