From Google Nest Hubs to Amazon Dots and Samsung SmartThings, in 2022 homeowners certainly have options when it comes to smart home devices and enhancements and many of them wouldn’t have it any other way. Walking into someone’s home and hearing them say “Hey, Google turn on the dining room lights” or “Alexa, can you preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit” has become commonplace and streamlines the trivial daily tasks that many of us would like to pass the buck on. While these technologies certainly aren’t new, they have reached some pretty impressive heights in 2022. If you are a millennial homeowner you’ve been immersed in the idea of a smart home since the 90’s when The Disney Channel released the movie Smart House. While most of us are not dealing with an Echo Dot that sets a strict curfew, (thankfully!), we have seen some amazing and innovative smart home devices throughout the years. First gaining traction in the mid-2000s smart home technology has become important and more appealing to current and potential homeowners every year. So how smart is your home right now? Raising your home’s IQ is easy when you know what to invest in and how that kind of investment can pay off in the long run.
As Best Reviews notes, “We haven’t quite achieved Jetsons-style houses in the sky, but the breadth of smart home devices on the market brings us closer every day…There’s a smart home device for almost every household need and nuisance. Almost one-third of homes currently use smart products, and it’s predicted that over half of homes will be equipped with smart products by 2022.” Smart homes have gained popularity not because most people are “techy” and have looked away from a manually operated home, but instead because smart homes provide easy and efficient support for daily tasks in the home. From operating a garage door, front door, lights, thermostat, television, even appliances like your oven, to enhanced security systems and cameras, smart home devices can help you feel safer and better equipped in your home.
According to The Seattle Times, “When most people talk about smart homes, what they really mean is remote access to one’s home systems. Remote access lets you operate your home’s systems without cloning yourself. Depending on the customizations you choose, remote access can let you check in on your home through video surveillance, turn on the entertainment system for that in-law who can’t figure out the remote, and even unlock the door to let the dog-walker in — and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Remote access can give you remarkable peace of mind, and it’s incredibly convenient to have complete control while away.” In layman’s terms this means having your home appliances including your thermostat, lighting, garage door, etc. be able to be controlled via the app of your choice, computer, or your voice assistant.
For starters, today the top-ranking voice assistants are brought to you by Amazon and Google, however, there are a few more you may want to consider when deciding on the perfect assistant for your home.
1. Amazon Alexa
2. Google Assistant
3. Wink Hub
4. Samsung SmartThings Hub
Smart Home Security
Thinking about heightening the security in your home all while using some pretty simple technology to achieve it? Smart home security might be right for you. The Seattle Times writes, “While traditional home-security systems alert authorities in the event of a fire, break-in or other disaster, the advanced security of the automated home goes much further. For starters, many smart home surveillance systems can send intelligent notifications that differentiate between welcome guests and strangers. The best part is an advanced home-security system, as part of your home automation installation, is fully customizable to your specific security needs.”
Lighting, Thermostat, and Window Treatments
How about waking up in the morning and asking Google to remove your window treatments without having to get out of bed? From lighting control and automating your window treatments, setting up a system to control these tasks via voice control or app is pretty cool. When it comes to lighting, you can time your systems to turn on, turn off, or dim at certain times of the day. You can also ask your smart home device to do the same via voice control at any time of the day without needing to schedule the command. Similarly, you can control your thermostat to change at a certain time of day, say a cooler temp in the evening and warmer during the day? All of this is possible with the click of a button or voice command thanks to smart home technology!
Audio & Television
“Hey Google, play The Golden Girls from Hulu on living room TV!” …it really is as simple as that when it comes to controlling your television from your smart device. As far as audio goes, The Seattle time writes, “Who doesn’t love to be in a home filled with music? Distributed audio makes that dream a reality, connecting multiple (or all, for the ambitious) rooms to your home network, putting the power to DJ your home right at your fingertips — and yes, it can integrate seamlessly with the other components of your smart home. With lighting and music under your full control, you can turn your living space into a complete club experience without flipping a switch.”
