Simply put, smart home technology refers to home systems, appliances, and devices connecting to a network that can be controlled through an app, over the internet, or a control system, remotely or on-location. Talk of the devices taking your commands and sending you information regardless of where you are in the globe.
Of course, this takes your convenience, comfort, and efficiency to a whole new level. In addition, you are able to improve your appliances’ functionality, use energy efficiently, and maximize your home’s security.
With all the buzz, however, you might be thinking that you are too late to join the wagon. Ideally, incorporating home automation when building your home allows for limitless imagination of what you can do. Not to worry though, you can still be able to add smart technologies to your existing home. However, be sure to plan for smart technology in your next home addition construction in the planning phase.
That being said, here are some of the new 2021 smart home technologies that might work for the new 2021 smart home technology you might want you.
Smart Kitchen Appliances
With so much to do in a day, you might want a technology that can be able to offer you a hand in some tasks. Wouldn’t coming home to an already made meal, or, at the very least, a started dinner do justice to you with your busy schedule?
Thankfully, smart appliances such as WiFi sous vide cookers allow you this privilege and much more. You can be able to control your cooking with your smartphone from wherever you are.
A smart refrigerator, for instance, allows you to schedule meals, create grocery lists on your phone, read out recipes as you cook, update you on food expiration dates among other functionalities. If you need help to have these new tools installed you might want to contact general contractors.
Baby Monitors
If you are a working-from-home mum with a toddler, you might appreciate a technology that helps you check on your baby without leaving your work. Whether in this group of mums or not, you will have the peace of mind being able to check on your baby at home from wherever you are. In addition, you don’t have to constantly check your baby at night.
The technology is built to track your baby’s sleep and breathing and send you alerts whenever something is amiss. The smart video feature allows you to watch your baby, entertain and even soothe the baby from a remote location.
Smart Thermostats
The biggest percentage of home expenses is contributed by heating and cooling costs. You might want a technology that helps you maintain your desired temperature at home efficiently while keeping the associated expenditure down.
A programmable smart thermostat allows you to control the temperature depending on the surrounding. It is also able to sense when you are not at home and adjust the temperature accordingly. Having one also means that you don’t have to wake up or go home to a cold house. You can set the thermostat to start heating the home on your way from work, or a few minutes before you wake up.
Smart door locks
Home security is always a concern for most households. While it might be expensive to install an entire home security system for your home, the smart door lock technology offers you a good place to start.
For starters, you can easily monitor the people coming in and out of your home in your absence from wherever you are. Some models allow you to let people you trust get into your house when you are not at home. In addition, they can detect break-in attempts and send alerts to the authorities. The best part though is carrying keys or hiding one under the mat is a thing of the past.
Smart speakers
As said earlier, some smart devices are built to take your voice commands. Even as you incorporate smart devices into your home, you want a device that can help you in this area. That is where smart speakers come into the picture.
These speakers powered by Google Assistant, Siri, or Alexa, will not only sound good when listening to your favorite music, but they will also do whatever you command them to do. That includes helping your kids with spelling, reminding you of your appointments, and allowing you to control your smart devices among others.
Smart home security systems
As said earlier, home security has always been a major concern. However, home security goes beyond just some thieves trying to break in to include the safety of the home. A smart home security system is able to address this effect and help you save a lot of money on in-home repairs. You might want to give your home security a boost with one this year.
Some smart home security systems come with sensors that can detect different things in a home. For instance, movement sensors can be placed on doors and windows to detect entry from these areas. Smoke sensors can detect smoke, which helps prevent fire occurrences. Similarly, flood and freeze sensors can help prevent your home from floods or freezing of the pipes in cold weather. Glass break detectors can alert you when there is an intruder in your home. In addition, the outdoor security cameras help with monitoring what’s going on around your home.
Smart lighting
Lighting also contributes significantly to the energy bill of a home. If you are the type who forgets to switch off the lights while leaving the house in the morning, or doses off while the lights are still off, you might appreciate a little help from smart lighting technology.
With smart lighting, you can schedule them to switch off when you leave the house. You can also program them to switch off at the time you hit the bed. Better still, you can check them through an app and switch them on or off from wherever you are. Of course, this brings your home security to a whole new level. You can make your home look like you are still there when you are on a vacation to keep burglars away. To top it all, as you settle on your couch, popcorn in hand ready for a movie night, you can command the lights to dim to your desired brightness.
Smart plugs
You’ve probably heard that you can switch on and off smart devices from wherever you are. That is true, but you can’t be able to do that if you haven’t upgraded how your home’s wiring works. You need to change it so that it can be monitored, managed, and controlled from afar. This means that your smart devices need to be powered by a smart outlet if you are to control them from a remote location.
Changing power outlets in your home to smart outlets is a lot of work. Smart plugs offer an easier way to do that. You just plug them in the existing outlets, and then configure them through an app, connect them to your network, and use them to control the smart devices that are plugged into them. That’s what makes it possible to dim the lights or switch off the TV while you are away. Other plugs can be scheduled, such that your smart lights turn on and off in times that you need them to.
Smart Wi-Fi Router
A smart home can also be known as a connected home. This is because smart devices in a smart home connect via the internet to one control system. This is to say that your smart devices wouldn’t do much if they can’t connect, which makes Wi-Fi everything in a smart home.
This being the case, you want a smart Wi-Fi router that is able to send a strong and speedy signal throughout the home if you are to enhance the full functionality of your smart technology. This is particularly necessary if you have a big home. Some smart Wi-Fi routers such as the Google Nest WiFi have a range extender that doubles up as a smart speaker. As you give voice commands through Google Assistant, you are able to spread the same throughout your home.
Note: If you want to increase your network security it is recommended to use NordVPN. You can learn more about NordVPN if you check for online reviews from other satisfied customers.
Smart Sprinklers
You want a well-maintained lawn, but if you live in a place where you have to constantly water it, it becomes a daunting hassle. You can save yourself the stress and save some money on your water bill while at it with a smart sprinkler system.
You can program this sprinkler to water your lawn at designated times to ensure that your lawn gets its daily dose of watering even in your absence. If there is a local watering restriction, you don’t have to switch off the sprinkler manually. You can block off those days, and the app will schedule watering around the allowed limits. In addition, this technology is built to detect the weather and season. They are able to stay off when it is raining and adjust to normal scheduling when the weather changes.
Conclusion
As smart home technology keeps evolving rapidly, so can it become overwhelming for you to make a choice of what you might want. The secret here is to assess your lifestyle so you go for devices that best suit your unique needs. Remember to keep it within your budget, and to start small and build as you go.
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