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10 Simple Tech Solutions for a Home With Smart Technology

Living

Smart technology is no stranger in the home. But for some of us, figuring out how to make the magic happen can seem a little more than overwhelming. From the new energy-efficient technologies to the explosion of the IoT (Internet of Things), our way of living has changed dramatically over the past few years and the trends have a full head of steam that show no sign of slowing down any time soon.

Internet of Things

If you’re a stranger to IoT, it’s pretty much transforming the way we live and work by connecting “things” and transferring data over the internet to command a device to switch on or off. The connected “things” could be people to people, people to things, or things to things. And they’re controlling anything you can think of that has a switch such as cellphones, coffee makers, washing machines, computers, thermostat, wearables, sprinkler, radio, lights, security systems and so much more.

Ready to spice up your home with smart technology? Here’s a peek at 10 must-have gadgets and simple tech tricks that will give you complete control over your home in no time.

1. Light It Up

Smart lighting controls with LED bulbs that can be controlled straight from an app. Program Philips Hue to gently wake you up in the mornings or sync them with your party tunes. These light bulbs work with any standard light socket but they have some added internal components which allow them to be controlled wirelessly from your smartphone. And they’re fairly easy to set up. So, for those of us who tend to forget to turn the lights off when we leave the house for work- not to worry, just open the app and voilà!

2. Get Temperatures the Way You Want… When You Want

Say goodbye to hot and cold spots and say hello to your new best friend: the Nest Thermostat. Your new companion is ready to make your home as comfy and cozy as you’d like based on your habits. It’s auto-scheduling feature learns the temperatures you like and is able to program itself in about a week. It can also sense when nobody’s home and turn itself down to help you save an average of 10-15% on energy bills. Like the Philips Hue, the Nest can be controlled from your phone, tablet or laptop through a simple Wi-Fi connection.

3. Multitask Grocery Shopping and the Family Calendar

The fridge of the future? Samsung has re-imagined the family fridge; it’s so smart that it can tell you exactly what’s inside when you’re out of the house. Now you’ll never run out of milk (or Corona). Manage groceries, jam to tunes while you’re cooking and even coordinate the family’s schedules so you’ll never miss the kid’s practice again.

4. Did You Hear an Echo?

No, we’re not referring to the reflection of sound waves off empty room walls… we’re talking about the almost 10-inch tall cylinder voice command device, who responds to the name “Alexa.” The Amazon Echo is capable of voice interaction, music playback, making to-do lists, setting alarms, streaming podcasts, playing audiobooks, and providing weather, traffic and other real time information. All you have to do is ask: “Alexa, re-order paper towels.”

5. Say Goodbye to Pet Hair

One of the simplest smart gadgets on our list, the iRobot Roomba, will pick up pet hair, dust and debris when you’re not even home. With a price tag at a fraction of the smart fridge, this smart vacuum has a full suite of sensors to map and adapt to all your real world clutter one level of your house at a time.

6. Take “Fully-Automated” to a Whole New Level

Imagine never having to clean your toilet again. The Neorest 750H intelligent toilet can take care of that for you. This high tech lavatory has energy and water saving features, has an intuitive sensor that opens the lid before use and closes it again to flash itself after every flush. Oh, and it even comes with a personal cleansing system and heated seat. We’ll take one (or maybe two).

7. Unlock Your Front Door’s Potential with Linus

Oh no! Did you forget to lock your door? With the smart lock, Linus, you don’t have to worry anymore! Key-less entry and customizable levels of access available for various guests, contractors and family give homeowners an individualized approach to security. The Linus Lock is supposed to be the first-ever retail product outfitted with Weave technology, a Google software language designed to help multiple smart home devices communicate with one another.

8. Schedule Your Sprinklers Automatically

Watering your lawn has never been easier (or more convenient) than with the Rachio Wi-Fi Smart Sprinkler Controller. It’s automatic and easy-to-use so you can control water usage right from your mobile phone app. Not only that, but it takes into account your local forecasts, sun exposure, soil and plant types into a customized watering schedule so you’ll never use more water than you need (saving money and the environment). Plus, many local municipalities offer rebates up to 100% of the retail value. Talk about smart savings!

9. Feel the Vibrations

When it comes to smart home security systems, you have a lot to choose from, but the Myfox Home Alarm is the only one on the market that claims to prevent break-ins before they happen. Thanks to door and window vibration analysis, it can tell the difference between normal occurrences (like wind) vs break-in attempts. The system comes with sensors and smart privacy-friendly security camera to notify you of events so you can keep your loved ones safe. Hey, it might even prevent your teenager from sneaking out of his bedroom window in the middle of the night, too!

10. Coffee. Because Monday Happens Every Week

What? They’re telling us that coffee can get even better? Smarter Coffee is a Wi-Fi coffee machine that makes a fresh cup of coffee every morning (before you even get out of bed) with a simple tap on your smartphone. Grind and brew; you adjust the strength, taste preferences, even set alerts, auto-schedules and more. The machine even cleans itself.

Smart Technology Brings Homes of the Future

The word on the street is that we’ll see the a few of these futuristic gadgets and smart technology hit the home in the next year or so:

While we may not quite be ready for a robot to cook for us, we’re pretty excited about some of these other smart technology trends on this list. Because, who doesn’t love the idea of a toilet that can clean itself?