We’ve always been obsessed with the idea of convenience. This is why we create products that help make our lives easier, from our Google calendars to our smartphones and even to our homes. These may be tackling champagne problems, but if you’re into tech gadgets, we’ve got the list for you!
There are many accessories, brands, and options available in the market, but we narrowed it down for you into 5 Smart Home Products that you can start out with.
1. Smart Doors
Smart Doors have been around for a long time. From card-activated hotel doors, to the automatic sliding doors you see in groceries and malls, we see that smart technology really has merged with the simple items in our daily routine. Compared to the basic lock and key, home security has since then evolved.
Modern Smart Doors like Igloohome feature a digital lock and a smart key holder, which come with a code that you can input. It’s efficient and it minimizes the hassle of key handover, especially when you’re not at home, or occupied with work and you have friends or relatives coming over. Locks like Latch can even generate a code that grants temporary access to deliverymen while you’re not home. You can even track the people going in and out with their software!
The beauty of Smart Doors is that it gives you peace of mind when you leave the house because it locks automatically when you leave. But remember: for your Smart Lock to work, you need to make sure that your door shuts perfectly. Wonky doors can cause built-in motors to struggle, or a misalignment in locking.
If you’re renting the space, it’s also important to check with your landlord if you’re allowed to install Smart Locks. Some allow alternatives such as Smart Doorbells— a modern take on the doorbell that’s connected to the internet and can notify you via smartphone when someone’s at your door. One example is Nest, which comes with facial-recognition features.
via the-ambient
2. Smart Thermostat
With a country as hot as Singapore, air-conditioning is a godsend. There’s nothing more satisfying than going in a room that is nice and cool.
To get your aircon running, you would normally need to adjust the thermostat through the little device mounted on your wall or through a remote control, but Smart Thermostats like Nest can be connected to your home’s wireless network and can be adjusted through an app. There are even smart air conditioning brands like Ambi Climate, which can change the temperature even when you’re not home by using the GPS tracking on your smartphone. Plus, it can even shut off automatically when you leave, saving you from a hefty electricity bill!
3. Smart Blinds
Smart Blinds let you rely on a mechanism that replaces your hands and automatically rolls it up or down. That way, you get a welcoming view of the city when you wake up, or much-needed privacy at night when you’re about to sleep.
There are many options— the more familiar one being a motorized system that you control with a remote control. Some even include a wall-mounted switch with a button to press. The more modern ones like Somfy and MC. 2 Altex SecureZip can even repel UV rays and rain, and keep the cold air of your airconditioning in. This Singaporean brand can be controlled via voice recognition with Google and Alexa, or even with its own app!
4. Smart Light Bulbs
When connected to an app on your smartphone, you can adjust a Smart Lightbulb based on dimness. This helps set the mood when you need bright white light for work, want a warm hue for when you have friends over, or even when you need it dimmer for movie nights! Like all wireless Smart devices, these lightbulbs can even be controlled from anywhere. When you’re on vacation, you can set a schedule for the lights to be turned on and off for energy-saving reasons.
When choosing a Smart Lightbulb, it’s important to consider whether you’ll need a hub to control your bulb, along with the brand and price of the bulb. We recommend starting out with kits like the Philips Hue Ambiance set, which includes both adjustable white and colored lights that you can adjust via wireless network. If you already have lighting fixtures set up in your home, you can also opt for a Smart Switch such as the Lutron Caseta Wireless Switch instead to save on costs.
5. Smart Cooker
Ultimately, we all aim to have our own personal robot to do our cooking for us. But we have a long way to go before then. Thankfully, Smart Cookers like the Instant Pot are now available.
A Smart Cooker is usually connected to an app that you can control with your smartphone. It allows you to accurately adjust and monitor the progress of your meals through the notifications that get sent to your phone. You can even prep a stew or some ribs in the morning, and come back home to a delicious, ready-made meal with meat that just slides off the bone! But if you have any last-minute cooking to do, don’t worry! You don’t need to pre-soak ingredients, mix nor watch over your cooking. Just toss in your ingredients, and let the smart cooker do the rest!
And bonus points: this pressure cooker comes with a monitor, which reduces the risk of any cooking accidents or burns by notifying you every step of the way.
Multi-purpose cookware means not having to buy different appliances, which saves you a lot of money. But if you already have existing cookware, you can also invest in a Smart Stove such as the Sugawa Smart Cooker – a smart stove that you can control via touch sensor. It even comes with a self-protect feature where the cooker will automatically shut down if it’s too hot, or if left idle for a certain period. These safety features are important things to consider for your home, so make sure to look out for those!
Hope we helped give you some inspiration on how to start your smart home journey if you haven’t taken the leap already. Overall, a smart home, when done properly, will help you save energy, lessen your utility bills in the long run, and allow mastery over your home. Plus, they’re just fun to have around so enjoy!
*images via pexels.com
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