It seems that everything is becoming “smart” these days. First, it was phones. Now everything from cars to toilets is getting the “smart” treatment. One of the most recent trends is making the home itself smart. These days, creating a smart home means so much more than just making your daily routine easier. Making your home smart can also increase your return on investment by growing resale value. In other words, a home with a claw-footed bathtub isn’t worth as much as one with a smart tub that can check your blood pressure and give you stock options while you bathe.
But how do you “educate” your new home? Well, there are plenty of ways to upgrade your house to the domicile of the future. Whether you’re starting with the blank slate of a brand new house or you’ve just purchased a fixer-upper, here are some steps you can take to turn your home into a 21st century smart home.
Boost Your Bedroom
Making your bedroom experience smarter and more efficient should definitely be on your radar. After all, you spend one-third of your life sleeping, so you might as well make it as sophisticated as possible. Obviously, it’s important to start with the “bed” part of the bedroom. A great example of how you can make your snoozing smarter is by upgrading to the ReST Bed. Providing a customizable sleep experience by focusing on certain parts of the body, this kind of sleep tech has become popular for those in need of next-level restfulness. And, because of its adjustable firmness, many couples’ arguments can be avoided.
But your smart sleeping setup isn’t quite complete with any old pillow. Something like the ZEEQ smart pillow will definitely help you catch more Zs than your standard setup. Unless your regular pillow plays music, assists you with waking up, and monitors your sleep patterns with smart technology, that is. …Didn’t think so.
Furthermore, while the classic alarm clock has perched on nightstands for decades, it’s definitely evolved over time. Smart alarm clocks such as the Kello not only buzz you awake in the morning but help you soothe your way to sleep at night. As this device wakes you up with your favorite playlists and even “trains” you to sleep with its rhythmic lights, you’ll find yourself not needing a snooze button. Did you ever think that was possible?
Renovate the Restroom
Let’s talk bathroom improvement. And no, unlike the bedroom, we didn’t research how much time you spend there in a lifetime. While it may seem like you can’t innovate classic bathroom appliances, the truth is that there have been massive smart developments in the past few years.
It’s been said that the toilet has barely been built upon since its invention. However, the truth is there have been some incredible developments in the form of smart toilets over the years. If you’ve got a deathly fear of germs (or a deathly fear of having to clean the bowl), something like Ove Decor’s SmarToilet will be perfect for your bathroom. Because of its automatic flush and self-cleaning nozzle, an innovative appliance like the SmarToilet is ideal for both fans of cleanliness and, let’s be honest, people who just don’t want to spend their time cleaning a toilet.
While it’s not always the best part of your routine, checking the bathroom scale can also be made much more intuitive with modern technology. With a smart scale such as the QardioBase, you’ll learn much more about your body than you would with your classic scale. With this smart scale housed in your bathroom, you can follow fitness goals, connect with an app on your mobile device, and even track pregnancy progress. Or discover your spouse is pregnant when you see them checking their pregnancy progress.
Kickstart Your Kitchen
The kitchen is often referred to as “the most important room in a house.” So why not make it the smartest room in your smart home too? There are plenty of essential kitchen appliances that have gotten the “smart” treatment over the years. A perfect example of this is the June Intelligent Oven, helpful to amateur cook and master chef alike. Not only does the June heat up food at three times the speed, it can also sense the meal you’re preparing through a camera and offer cooking suggestions. And, even if you don’t end up learning much about cooking, the June Oven learns on its own, keeping itself updated consistently.
Additionally, your refrigerator can be so much more than a 250-pound food-storing box you cover in magnets. A smart fridge such as the Samsung Family Hub makes the kitchen a multimedia playground. With the ability to do everything from managing your grocery list to play your content directly on your refrigerator, an appliance like the Family Hub will give you even more incentive to make that trip to the kitchen for a midnight snack.
But, once the dreaded morning routine returns, you’ll want to treat yourself to a nice cup of smart-brewed coffee. A smart appliance such as the Nespresso Prodigio could do the impossible and improve those groggy mornings. Because you can control the machine with your smartphone, you won’t need to leave the breakfast table (or your bed) to prepare the caffeinated cup you so desperately need.
Liven Up the Living Room
Your living room is a place for relaxation, but that doesn’t mean you should be relaxed when it comes to building it. With all the advancements made in smart technology over the past few years, you can make your post-work trip to the couch a futuristic relaxation experience.
Let’s start with the most important living room fixture: the TV. Whether it’s a sporting event, blockbuster movie, or trashy reality TV show (no judgment here), you’ll definitely want something to rival the big screen experience. Having a smart television like the Sony 4K Ultra HD TV will let you stream anything you’d like with stunning visuals. However, it might result in your friends inviting themselves over whenever there’s a game on.
And, when you need a break from your all-day TV marathon, you may want to just relax and listen to some music. But why wrestle with CDs and AUX chords when you can just utilize a smart speaker? Hands-free hubs such as Amazon’s Alexa have become a mainstay in many living rooms, allowing you to listen to music, podcasts, and check on weather and traffic directly from your couch. Now if it could only get you another drink from the kitchen…
Defend Your Doors
While we’ve mainly been focusing on convenience, you definitely shouldn’t neglect how turning your home into a smart home can improve security and help prevent break-ins. Devices that interact with your smartphone ensure that you can keep an eye on your home whether you’re at work, running errands, or saying you have errands to get away from work.
Starting off with the entrance, a smart door lock can definitely help you feel more secure. Technologically advanced locks such as the August SmartLock can have you resting easy whether you’re inside the house or not. And, because you can control the lock from your smartphone, you need not worry about scrambling back to your front door every time you forget your keys.
Finally, whether you use it as a workstation, parking space, or general storage area, the garage is an important part of your smart home. One of the best ways to go about modernizing that part of the house is to upgrade your garage door opener. The MyQ garage door opener, available from Chamberlain, not only allows you to remotely control your garage door, but also adds an extra layer of security. Because it sends alarms to your phone whenever it’s opened or closed, you’ll be able to ease your worries during that well-needed vacation.
To help make your smart home purchases check out these Amazon shopping tips: https://www.thebabbleout.com/
All images courtesy of their respective manufacturers.
By Louie Fox
