The runaway success of voice-controlled speakers has put the smart home at the centre of everyday modern life.
A smart home is more than being able to ask Google, Siri or Alexa to put your favourite playlist on shuffle. There’s a whole world of Wi-Fi connected gadgets you can add to your home to make everyday life easier.
From thermostats and light bulbs to video doorbells and fridges.
Here are 5 reasons to get involved...
1. Save money on your energy bills this winter
A smart thermostat, like Hive Active Heating, is designed to work with you and your routine to help save energy. With the Hive app, you can schedule up to six heating events throughout the day, so you can get up in comfort on those cold mornings or return to a toasty home after a long day at work.
Routines don’t always go to plan, so if you’re heading home early, Hive will pick up your phone’s location and send you a reminder to turn the heating on so you don’t come home to a cold house. You’ll also get an alert if you’ve left it on when you go out, so you can just tap the app and turn it off.
2. Make your home more appealing to buyers
Would you rather move into a home that was already future-proofed with the latest technology or one that would soon need updating?
According to research by Barclays, people would pay an extra £3,310 for a new home that comes fully equipped with the latest technology, such as smart heating systems and appliances.
What’s more, smart tech is an important consideration for those trying to get on the ladder. Barclays found that around half of people planning to buy in the coming 5 years were interested in properties with smart home tech and smart security. And when it comes to security, you can't go far wrong with the Ring Video Doorbell 3. It lets you check who’s at the front door from your tablet or smartphone in full HD, even if you're not home!
The Ring floodlight cam is another great piece of security tech worth considering. Use it to monitor the outside of your home on your smartphone or tablet, with motion sensors and a siren alarm to deter unwanted guests.
3. Say goodbye to left-on lights
It’s a nagging feeling when you’ve left the house in a rush and you can’t remember whether you turned the lights off or not. Smart home tech has a solution – smart lightbulbs.
Philips Hue Smart Lightbulbs pair with an app, so you can switch them on and off using your phone. Whether you’re at work or busy with errands, you can make sure everything is off and save some energy.
When you’re at home, create the ideal atmosphere with 16 million colours to choose from. Whether it’s game night, movie night or just catching up with your favourite soaps, find the perfect settings and then save them to use again later.
4. It can make cooking and shopping easier
If there’s one room in the house where you need a helping hand, it’s the kitchen. Thanks to the latest smart fridges and increasingly clever Amazon Alexa Skills, smart kitchen tech is on the rise.
Tap twice on the Instaview door on the LG GSX960NSAZ Smart Fridge Freezer so you can view what’s inside without opening the door and connect to LG’s ThinQ app to adjust your fridge’s settings when you’re out and about.
Or what about using an Apple HomePod to help out in the kitchen? Just ask: ‘Siri, how do I cook rice?’ or ‘Siri, what can I make with chicken and mushrooms?’ and your assistant will have the answer in seconds.
5. Get Google to help organise things
If you’re starting to feel like there are too many apps for different smart products, a Google Nest can connect to most of them, so you can control everything with voice commands.
You can adjust your smart thermostat, dim your smart lightbulbs and with a Chromecast you can control your TV too. Just say “Hey, Google” and tell it what you need, then Google Home Mini will take care of it.