The Smart Home / Home Automation
Smart home technology (or home automation) is something we have adopted in our own home for a few years, and for many, it is already a reality they have been living for a long time. With smart technology controlling your systems, you can pretty much ensure that your home is prepared for any situation. The internet of things (IoT) is definitely here to stay. New devices and technologies come onto the market at lightening speed.
Blinds that shut at sunset, heating that adjusts itself to your daily routine, an oven that sends you a text message when your dinner is done, check if you've run out of milk while you're out at the grocery store and view what’s inside your fridge from your smartphone, remotely control your washing machine, talk to your microwave, schedule your coffee brew in time for when you get up, or personalise your shower experience and mix the water to your preferred temperature via a digital shower. And, look after your personal fitness by attending Peleton classes right in your home; or pursue interactive fitness workouts with innovative reflective technology via the iFIT-connected home gym; or install a Vaha interactive mirror that delivers fully personalised, immersive sessions for body and mind.
Sooooo, for anyone who might be interested in setting up a smart home, here is our list of some useful home technologies and related smart products.
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Sound
Get rich sound via a wireless home sound system: a whole-house WiFi network that fills your home with brilliant sound, room by room; with a powerful smart speaker with voice control built in.
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Sonos One S
By Sonos
Compact design fits just about any space and put it on your kitchen countertop or tuck it away on your office bookshelf. Airplay 2 on Sonos - stream sound directly from your iPhone or iPad and ask Siri to play Apple Music.
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Buy Here
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Voice Control
Make your space a little smarter. Voice control your smart home: turn on lights, adjust thermostats, lock doors and more, with compatible connected devices. Manage your day and get instant information, check weather and traffic on your way out.
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Echo Dot Smart speaker with Alexa
By Amazon
The sleek, compact design delivers crisp vocals and balanced bass for full sound. Voice control your entertainment — stream music from Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify and more. Play music, audiobooks and podcasts throughout your home.
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Buy Here
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Smart Heating
Come home to a cosy house or wake up in a warm bedroom or automatically turn off your heat when you leave the house. Google Nest is a thermostat that not only looks stylish but even helps save energy.
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Google Nest Learning Thermostat
By Google
It gets to know the temperature that you like while you’re at home. And turns itself down when you’re away. It even learns how your home warms up or how draughty it is, so it only uses the energy that it needs.
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Buy Here
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Smart Protection
Nest Protect, a smoke alarm that thinks, speaks (with a friendly human voice) and tells you where the emergency is; and alerts your phone.
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Google Nest Protect
By Google
Nest Protect is a smoke and carbon monoxide alarm with a split-spectrum smoke sensor to detect both fast and slow-burning fires. It can send an alert to your phone, speak to you and even light the way in the dark.
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Buy Here
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Smart Doorbell
Detect motion when people come to your property (and receive notifications on your smart device), and see, hear and speak to visitors in real time from anywhere with Ring.
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Ring Video Doorbell
By Amazon
Answer the door from wherever you are with Two-Way Talk, or if you're busy, save time and use Quick Replies to respond with a pre-selected message. Receive instant notifications when anyone presses your doorbell or triggers the built-in motion sensors.
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Buy Here
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Intelligent Lighting
With the Phillips Hue range you can control lighting from pretty much anywhere to create your desired ambience for your home.
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Wellner Table Lamp
By Philips
Get warm-to-cool white light and built-in light recipes with the Philips Hue White Ambiance Wellner table lamp, which adds a unique touch of style to any room of your home. Control instantly with the included Hue dimmer switch or Bluetooth.
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Buy Here
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Connected Lighting
Browse the entire collection of Philips Hue smart lights and accessories. Decorate your home – inside and out – with smart light fixtures, lamps and bulbs, and then add accessories to further customise your space.
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Smart LED Bulbs
By Philips
Bring smart light anywhere in your home with smart LED bulbs offering soft white light. Suitable for most light fixtures, these bulbs offer instant wireless dimming.
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Buy Here
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Home Monitoring & Security
Remotely check what is going on in your home from anywhere via your smartphone to give you that peace of mind and check everything is ok. Monitor when people arrive or leave, if they have left any packages outside, and see what your pets are up.
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Canary Indoor Security Camera
By Canary
24/7 watch live, 1080p HD WiFi IP camera with high quality sound, 147° wide-angle lens and automatic night vision, intelligent person and motion detection with alerts, smart arm/disarm, activity zone masking, works with Alexa and Google Assistant.
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Buy Here
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Robot Cleaning
Complete all your cleaning needs right from your smartphone. Eufy’s Path Tracking Sensor ensures that it adapts to different surface while remaining on the most efficient route to clean each room.
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eufy BoostIQ RoboVac
By Eufy
A self-charging robotic vacuum cleaner that cleans hard floors to medium-pile carpets. The EufyHome app, and Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant voice control-services let you accomplish your vacuuming needs with zero effort from you.
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Buy Here
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Smart Kitchen Appliances
There are plenty of ways smart tech can help in the kitchen (rather than just being a fancy gadget) - if they are genuinely helpful, and use technology to make our lives better.
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Family Hub Fridge Freezer
By Samsung
Manage and prepare food more effectively. The View Inside feature lets you take a look inside your fridge from your smartphone. Your phone and fridge can work together to make dinner planning easier; and The Calendar lets you share and check the schedules of family members at a glance.
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Buy Here
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Automated Kitchen Gadgets
When it comes to kitting out your home with smart tech, the kitchen is great place to start. Why not ‘request’ a coffee whenever you feel like it.
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Nespresso Expert Coffee Machine
By Krups
This smart connected machine with its modern and unique design is controlled by Nespresso app which allows you to create your own personalised coffees, schedule a brew time, and brew remotely.
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Buy Here
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Home Safety
Smart locks let you create virtual keys and time-restricted passcodes, so you can control who can access your property (and when). This really makes smart locks great option for rental properties / Airbnb holiday homes.
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NUKI 220090 Combo 2.0
By NUKI
You decide who gets access to your home no matter where in the world you are - 24/7 control & tracking over your smart lock via Nuki app or Nuki Web. This smart home door lock supports Apple HomeKit, Siri, Alexa, Google Home, or Apple Watch.
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Buy Here
Please note: This is not an affiliated post, other related products are available that might suit your needs better. I have simply created a list of my preferred smart solutions; some of them I use in my own home.
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You Might Also Be Interested In:
>> ACOUSTICS IN INTERIOR DESIGN
>> LIGHTING PLANS
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