Make your home smart: 12 ideas for a Smart Home

A smart home doesn’t have to be fully automated – you can choose from hundreds of products from numerous manufacturers. This allows you to selectively use a range of technologies to best adapt your home to your lifestyle.

smart home hub

If you plan to use several smart home devices and want to increase their number in the future, you should first pay attention to the hub. It is the “brain” of your home and all your smart devices. A good hub lets you control all your smart technologies from one place. There are many different control centers on the market, depending on your needs and wallet.

Intelligent heating and cooling

One of the most popular ways to use Smart Home technology is to optimize heating and cooling. Imagine controlling the temperature, humidity and even airflow in your home with a mobile device anytime, anywhere. Such vehicles can significantly increase energy efficiency and slightly reduce electricity or heat bills.

Thermostat

Smart thermostats have become very popular lately. Some of these thermostats have impressive customization features like the Nest. The Nest thermostat actually “learns” as it adjusts various features you bring to the temperature of your home. Over time, Nest begins to make these adjustments on its own without your intervention. For example, it can understand what temperature is most comfortable for you under what conditions and will independently monitor its observance.

Smart thermostats can do wonders in your home / Nest photo

If you like cooler temperatures during the day and higher temperatures at night, or vice versa, your thermostat knows and automatically adjusts the settings for the right time of day. It also turns off automatically when you leave the house.

Another popular option from the Ecobee, it can be used with multiple remote sensors so you can adjust the temperature in individual rooms.

Ventilation

Smart vents work in the same way as the thermostats we wrote about above. They measure the temperature in different parts of the house and adjust it to maintain the correct temperature in separate rooms. Some models can even integrate with smart thermostats, for example.

ceiling fan

Ceiling fans turn on when people are detected in the room and turn off when they leave the room. In addition, it is automatically adjusted to maintain the desired temperature in the room.

Equipped with smart fans, air quality sensors and other functions / Photo by thegadgetflow

If you don’t like the look, there are versions that you can use with almost any fixture you choose so you can remotely control and program the speed and light of your ceiling fan.

humidifier for home

Whole house humidifiers are perfect for homes in areas with extremely dry air or for families sensitive to dry air. There are several smart humidifier systems, including those that connect directly to the waterline, so they never need to be refilled, and some have Wi-Fi and can be remotely monitored and controlled directly from your smartphone.

Smart kitchen

Smart Home devices are absolutely irreplaceable in the kitchen. Familiar hardware equipped with smart functions not only provides a new user experience, but also becomes more functional. You can control it remotely or receive information such as notifications about the end of a wash or cooking cycle directly from your smartphone.

Refrigerator

Smart refrigerators are always in fashion at CES (Consumer Electronics Show). For example, there are refrigerators with a large touch screen built into the door, where you can order products online. They can also send a photo of the inside of the food storage compartment to your smartphone while you shop (useful if you’ve forgotten exactly what items you missed).

Modern refrigerators with smart functions can surprise / Photo Samsung

There are cheaper and less functional, but less “smart” refrigerators from other manufacturers that do not have a touch screen and cameras, but support a smartphone application. For example, such a refrigerator can signal power outages and the need to replace the water filter.

dishwashers

Another smart device entering the smart kitchen appliance market is the dishwasher. There are models with Smart Assistant that allow you to activate certain settings when you are away from home. You can also view statistics from your smartphone that help you save energy and control your devices remotely.

communication tool

Families who spend a lot of time in the kitchen now have communication equipment. One such product is a loudspeaker that functions as a radio. There are special models for smart home systems or, for example, Home Pod from Apple. VoIP uses hands-free and cell phone calls and allows you to talk and send messages to family members outside or in another room.

Security

smart lock

One of the most obvious ways to apply smart technology to home security is with advanced door locks. An extremely popular device in this segment is the Smart Lock. You can lock and unlock the door remotely with the help of a phone app (very handy if you often forget whether you really locked the door when leaving the house).

A modern door can be unlocked using a smartphone / Photo by Aquara

Such a lock also allows you to create virtual keys for guests and keep track of who enters and leaves your home.

surveillance camera

When talking about home security, it is impossible not to mention security cameras. If you are away from home often, a smart camera system can help reduce the stress of home security.

There are many camera systems available that connect to Wi-Fi and can be controlled remotely from your mobile device. There are versions with features such as motion sensors, face recognition technologies, real-time video monitoring and notification systems.

smart doorbell

Modern variations of the peephole have come a long way and are actually advanced surveillance systems with warning, communication and remote control functions. Such devices allow you to see who is standing at your door, even if you are not on the other side.

Xiaomi doorbell / Xiaomi photo

One of the popular models of SkyBell, if you are in the office, allows you not only to see but also hear a visitor at the door and talk to them on your smartphone. There are also versions with night vision mode and call mute.

Water and humidity sensor

Often, homeowners don’t notice water leaks until they cause serious damage. There are systems with sensors that report water leaks. This will ensure that you take the necessary action before things get really bad.

smoke detectors

Another concern for every home owner is fire protection and rapid response. Many smoke detection systems now include Wi-Fi connectivity and smartphone notification technology.

More advanced systems can detect smoke and carbon monoxide, as well as monitor the overall air quality in the home. Such systems can be enabled for notifications via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi – they can even tell you that someone is smoking in the house.