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Tech Corner May 2023 | Ways to Create a “Smart” Home

Tech Corner:  May 2023

Topic:  Ways to create a “Smart” Home

 

Technology continues to change the way we live and interact on a daily basis and there doesn’t seem to be any signs of slowdown in new products hitting the market.  It’s now become a norm to daily life and most people after become accustomed to it, unknowingly couldn’t survive without it.

 

When it comes to your home, there are literally hundreds to thousands of smart-enabled devices to “smart-ready” your home.  By now, most people utilize one or more of these devices in their daily life and interactions, but there are so many smart-devices these days that it’s impossible to keep up.

 

Not only being the “cool thing” to do these days, but many of these devices bring with them enhancements to functionality and security.

 

Here are a few of the most popular devices to help smart-enable your home.

 

  • Wireless Door Bell
    • Smart-enabled door bells such as ring, chime, and others, allow you to be anywhere, at any time, and be able to see and hear who is at your door, and even communicate with them. No more going to the door and sneaking through the curtain to see who is at the other end.  Not to mention most of this video is recorded and can be used for playback and deterrent for theft.
  • Smart Locking Doors
    • We have all driven away from the house and had that lingering question of whether or not we locked the house door. Now you can click a button on your smart-phone and see if you locked it, and if you forgot, click a button to lock it.
  • Wireless Thermostats
    • Not just the old way of creating your temperature day/time settings, but being able to control the temperature in your home from wherever you are at. Some go even further with the capability to have different settings for different rooms and members of the house, all controlled from an app.
  • Smart Sound/Speakers
    • Home speakers, patio speakers, tv speakers, or whatever they may be. Being able to control your sound from an app without having to walk around and fine tune the speakers to your
  • Smart Surveillance/Cameras
    • The days of wondering what’s going on in or around your house while you are out are over. Houses are being equipped with interior and exterior cameras that you can monitor for anywhere, like you are watching a 24/7 tv show of your home.
  • Smart TV
    • This is one of those obvious ones which most people have quickly become accustom to. No more needing to have the antenna, cable box, dish tv, etc.  As long as you have internet access, your smart-tv can gain access to the internet and thousands of available streaming applications.
  • Smart Garage Door Openers
    • Open and close your garage through the usage of an app, from wherever you are at. Similar to leaving the house and forgetting to lock your door, the same thing services for the garage door opener.  Many people have become accustom to home deliveries at their home and a constant worry is theft from the front porch, now you have ability to open your garage remotely, have someone put the packages in your garage, and remotely close it.  Very convenient.
  • Energy Monitors
    • Monitoring the energy usage of all the devices in the house from the oven, washer, dryer, and more. Will set alerts for devices that are turned on, how long they are in usage, and more.  Very convenient in being able to compare to your monthly energy bill to make adjustments and controls to keep your energy consumption down and lower your energy bills.
  • Smart Lights
    • Adjusting lights throughout the house, being able to control the times they are on or off, being able to set security features to turn lights on in different areas of the house while you are out of town, and more.
  • Smart Vacuum/Roomba
    • Smart vacuums and Roomba’s are a 24/7 cleaning helpers in your home. Turn them on, they learn the room and environment, and they move around your house and keep things clean and tidy.  They can be set to certain days, times, etc.  When they are done, they go back to their charging station and rest until the next cleaning cycle.

 

These are just a few cool smart devices to help smart-ready your house and take advantage of some of the new technology.  Some are more practical than others depending on your lifestyle and the way you will use the devices, but definitely worth spending some time learning more and seeing some of the other devices that are out there.