What was once science fiction is now becoming a reality. The smart home is real. In essence, a smart home is simply a house full of intelligent devices that are all connected to each other. It’s an extension of the Internet of Things, a buzz term in the tech industry in recent years and for good reason.
According to the research firm Gartner, there could be as many as 26 billion units within the Internet of Things by 2020, and that doesn’t even include computers, tablets, and smartphones. Many of these devices are already on the market and are geared toward improving your life at home. While an entirely smart home may still be years away, there are many devices that you can install now to make your life at home more efficient and more comfortable.
Here are 10 easy smart home projects that anyone can do.
1. Install smart outlets.
While not the most glamorous item on this list, the Belkin WeMo Switch is easily one of the most practical. The WeMo Switch is a wifi-connected outlet that plugs into existing outlets around your house. The switch is controlled by your smartphone, so you can turn outlets on or off at will, saving you big money on your electricity bill by turning off outlets with plugged-in appliances when those appliances aren’t in use.
2. Make your plumbing smarter.
Leaks and water damage can rack up large sums on your bank account, but plumbing issues are notoriously difficult to identify. Wally solves that problem by using sensors that scan temperature and humidity in key areas like under your sinks and toilets, and it can detect leaks long before homeowners would be able to detect them. Wally devices are small and unobtrusive, so you can set them up around the house and let them save you money and a headache.
3. Automate the temperature.
Quickly becoming one of the most recognized names in the growing smart home industry, Nest is a company that was quick to market and is now expanding its business with multiple smart appliances, but its first product, the Nest Thermostat, is its star player and the reason why the company has done so well for itself. This smart thermostat can learn your habits and adjust the temperature in your house to how you like it without requiring you to get up to fiddle with the thermostat.
4. Monitor your plants.
Potted plants look great, but it can be hard to remember to water them. The Parrot Flower Power is a nutrient-tracking sensor that you can stick into your pots, and it will send your phone a notification when it’s time to water your plants again. Soon, Parrot will release the Parrot Pot as well, a pot that will go so far as to water your plants for you with its two-liter water tank and nutrient sensor.
5. Connect all your devices through a central hub.
A device that can be the hub of your smart home, the Amazon Echo is a voice-controlled speaker that can play music, order food, tell you the weather, and perform many more similar tasks, but its true power lies in running your home. Amazon Echo can connect with IFTTT, a technology that can link between devices in the Internet of Things, and this allows the Amazon Echo to control the other smart devices in your home, all through voice control, such as telling Echo to change the alarm on your smart alarm clock for the next day.
6. Control your lighting.
The new Philips Hue Bulbs take lighting systems to the next level. These lightbulbs are controlled by your smartphone, so you can turn lights on or off when you aren’t even home. You can also change the ambience in your home by adjusting the strength of the bulbs with just a flick of the finger, creating bright clean light in the morning and warm yellows in the evening.
7. Redefine the home sound system.
Get rid of those pesky wires and install the Sonos System. This home audio system is entirely wireless, and it allows you to stream music through your phone or tablet. The best part? You control everything from your phone or tablet: what song plays, and how loud, and whether it plays in one room, two rooms, or throughout the whole house.
8. Get notified of fire risks.
A smoke detector is all well and good when it comes to letting people inside a building know it’s time to leave, but what about when you aren’t home? Wouldn’t you want to know if something in your house was burning? The Roost Smart Battery plugs directly into the smoke detector you already have, making for an easy install, and sends a message to your smartphone if the alarm ever goes off.
9. Upgrade your kitchen.
For many, the refrigerator is the hub of the kitchen, and with the Samsung Family Hub fridge, it will be even more so. The fridge’s electronics let families leave digital notes for each other and play music and videos, and the fridge takes pictures of the inside shelves every time you close the door and sends them to you via WiFi, so you always know what’s in your fridge and, more importantly, what’s not.
10. Prioritize safety.
If you’re concerned about protecting your things or your family, install the Netatmo Welcome, a security camera that has facial recognition software. This security upgrade not only lets you know if someone breaks into your home, but it can tell you if your loved ones or friends have arrived safely, easing your worries if a child comes back late at night or if you have friends who are house-sitting while you’re out of town.
Whether it’s improving your home’s power efficiency or adding some cool new gadgets to your living space, there are many ways to make a smart home. Are there any other smart home projects that didn’t make this list? Leave a comment below!
More info: Toptal.com
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