These days, it’s hard to imagine going anywhere without your smartphone. After all, it is your key to communicating, finding your way around town, and listening to your favorite tunes or podcasts. In much the same way, innovations in “smart” home living have already started to revolutionize the way we take care of day-to-day tasks in the home.
Nearly everything in your home, from your doorbell to your light dimmer can be controlled from your mobile device. Let’s explore some of the innovative ways you can make your home a smart home.
1. Programmable Thermostats
How many times have you walked into your home at the end of a hot summer day only to be greeted by a blast of warm, stagnant air? Make your home your climate-controlled sanctuary with a smart programmable thermostat.
Using your smartphone or the wall-mounted controls, you can schedule what temperatures you want your air conditioner to heat and cool to during a 24-hour period. Watch your power bills decrease by keeping your temperature at a steady temperature while you’re out of the home, conserving energy to heat or cool the home only during the hours you’re in it.
2. Smart Light Bulbs
Smart lightbulbs offer a quick and relatively affordable way to enter the smart home universe. These specially designed bulbs integrate with various home assistant programs that allow you to turn lights on or off, control the intensity, or even change the color at the touch of a button. Like the programmable thermostat, smart light bulbs can be programmed to turn on and off at certain times of the day, saving energy when you’re away from the home for the day or on a long vacation.
3. Smart Locks
Today’s technology makes lost keychains a thing of the past. With new smart locks and doorknobs, your smartphone can be used to lock and unlock your door. Some models allow you to provide visiting friends and family members with a code so they can come and go without fumbling under the doormat for a key. And, importantly, smart locks allow you to monitor who is entering and leaving to maximize security and peace of mind.
4. Smart Refrigerator
When we think of our ancestors who had to rely on a block of ice to keep food fresh, it is hard to imagine how they would react to the newest refrigeration technology: the smart refrigerator. The smart refrigerator keeps tabs on the expiration dates of your food, eliminating unnecessary food waste, and the meal planning tools based on ingredients you have make meal planning a breeze. Keeping track of your family’s schedules on the interactive screen, the smart refrigerator becomes mission control for family harmony at the touch of a button.
Today’s connected home innovations offer intelligent ways to save money, time, and resources all from your smartphone — the original smart device. Watch from near or far as your home hums with the progress of these new inventions.
