Not only the cities are getting smarter. Since we are in the era of innovations and great advancements, not only are various smartphones are being made but also awesome gadgets that could be remarkably beneficial to your humble homes. Although some might come a little bit pricey, rest assured that the features they have often justify to all the money you have spent on it.
Some of the benefits might even save you some money going forward by reducing the cost for power and heating. Perhaps you could call it an investment. Here are some gadgets that could help you smarten up your home:
BeOn Starter Pack
We start off with keeping security level in our homes high enough that no burglar nor thief would even dare go near the door. Here we have the BeOn Starter pack. “BeOn Bulbs are smart security gadgets disguised as light bulbs”, as said by Ry Crist from CNET.
Their starter pack comes with three LED lights, copying the exact pattern of the lighting routine or patterns in your homes whenever you are away. This is to give off that idea that someone is home. You just need to alert the BeOn’s system (through their downloadable app called BeONHome) that you are not going home for the night and it would instinctively initiate the lighting routine.
It has a battery pack (to keep everything working even when power is down), a microphone to detect alarms, and Bluetooth for connectivity.
Amazon Echo
Amazon is equipped with Alexa’s (Siri’s competitor) awesome capabilities, from following commands up to playing music. This could be either plugged in or connected to devices with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connection. You just need to download the Echo app for better results. The app itself links to other music applications like Spotify, Pandora and Amazon’s very own Amazon Prime. Plus, this is superb too for storytelling lovers who don’t like to read because it plays Audible audiobooks.
Basically, Amazon Echo becomes your best friend. You ask, you command or control, you get new updates, it will give you everything, weather, sports, meetings, you name it. Some even say that Alexa works better than Siri, but you just find it out and try it for yourself. If you’re a visual type of a person, you should also check out the Amazon Echo Show that comes with a touchscreen.
SmartThings Hub
Just as their message states, “SmartThings is the easy way to turn your home into a smart home”, this kit has everything you need to make life more convenient for you especially if you a smartphone with you. It includes a hub, sensors, and a power switch. SmartThing is not really in competition with other smart home solutions. It’s more like a connector to extend the functionality of different worlds, even though it’s a wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics.
Now, what exactly that this do? First, plug it in and connect it to your router, then attach the sensors, which all depicts whether specific movements like when the door suddenly opened or when you just arrived from somewhere.
Moreover, it can be connected to more than 200 devices in your homes like lights, clocks, security cameras, thermostats and many more. Some perks of this are upon entering your home, the lights will be turned on without actually touching the switch and it can send you alerts on your smartphone when suddenly an intruder has opened a locked door. You can even check your security cameras because all of which starts recording the moment something fishy is happening.
These are just some great improvements in technology that you could install at home. Imagine going home from work or school and find yourself relaxing but at the same feeling secured, comfortable and updated. Ah, it t feels like being transported to the future already.
Photo credit: CODE_n
Source: Ry Crist (CNET) / Ry Crist, David Carnoy (CNET) / Michael Gowan (Tom’s Guide) / John R. Delaney (PC Mag) / Michael Prospero (Tom’s Guide) / Samuel Gibbs (The Guardian)
