Types of smart home tech
Smart lighting lets you adjust the brightness and colour of your lighting to suit your mood or environment – dim the lights for a movie night, wake up to refreshing bright light, or create a party atmosphere - all from your smartphone or smart speaker.
Adding elegance, ambiance, and convenience, smart lights also offer home security and better energy efficiency.
Imagine walking through the door and the lights are already on as it’s past sunset, or sitting on the sofa asking your voice assistant to dim the lights so you can watch a movie – smart lighting lets you do this and much more.
You can automate lights to come on and off whenever you like – set a light to get gradually brighter to wake you in the morning, or dim slowly at night when you go to bed.
Home or away – you can check which lights are on or off from your smartphone for peace of mind.
How do smart thermostats work?
Smart thermostats let you remotely monitor and set your home temperature and central heating schedule via your smartphone or tablet. They provide you with a more efficient heating system, with easily accessible controls and a user-friendly interface.
They should not be confused with smart meters, which digitally send your meter readings directly to your energy supplier for more accurate bills but cannot control your central heating.
There are three components to a smart thermostat – the first plugs directly into your boiler, the second is the thermostat and main control which replaces your existing thermostat and connects to the first component via WiFi, and the third is your smart device with downloaded app. The app allows you to control your heating from wherever you are.
Smart plugs offer a broad range of uses and are a simple way to make any appliance ‘smart’. Simply slot the plug into your socket, then plug in any appliance or gadget you want to control. The plug connects to your home WiFi network either directly or via a hub to provide wireless control via an app.
You can switch the plugs on and off at the touch of a button, or set up schedules to automate them. For example, you can plug in your existing lamps and easily switch them on and off for convenience or security. Ease worries when you’re away from home by checking you’ve switched off your iron or hair straighteners.
Some plugs offer energy monitoring so you can track how much energy you’re using and make changes to reduce it.
Control your smart home products using only your voice with a hands-free smart speaker like Google Home. They allow you to use smart products with a single voice command and provide helpful assistant features. Ask what the weather’s like, check your diary, set a timer, and even play fun family games.
Each smart voice control speaker has a “wake word” so that when you speak to the device it will listen and respond to your request. Google Home, for example, responds to “Ok Google” or “Hey Google”.
It only takes a few minutes to set up a smart speaker. Simply plug the power cable in and open the companion app – you’ll be guided the rest of the way on there.
Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are an essential in every home, and a smart smoke alarm offers increased safety features. You not only get an alarm in the home, but also an alert on your smartphone if there’s a problem or the batteries are running low.
A smart doorbell uses WiFi to notify you via your smart device when there’s somebody at the door. You can see, hear, and speak to anyone at your door so you never miss a visitor again.
Smart security cameras are the smart evolution of traditional CCTV cameras. You get an instant view of inside or outside your home from your smartphone, tablet, or PC.
They’re ideal for increasing home security, keeping an eye on a sleeping baby, monitoring your pets, and making sure your family is home safely while you’re at work.
Smart baby monitors let you use an app to check in on your baby, and some also include a standard monitoring device. You can see and hear your baby so you don’t need to get up to check on them when they make a noise.
