Best Smart Technology Upgrades for Your Home
Smart home technology has really improved and grown over the last few years. Pretty much anything you can think of to add to your home is on the market somewhere. Companies are constantly creating new gadgets to improve our lives, but the abundance of products can be overwhelming. We’ve put together a simple list of the best smart technology upgrades you can make to get your house on the path to be a smart home.
Smart Lighting
One of the first products in the smart home industry was smart lighting. Remember The Clapper, the light that turned on and off with a clap of your hands? Now, smart lighting is much more developed, allowing you to turn lights on and off from your phone or via voice assistant. This can be helpful if you left home and realized you forgot to turn off a light. It also helps when you’re staying out later than expected and want to make sure your dog isn’t in darkness for hours. You can also use it when you’re out of town to make sure outsiders don’t think the house is empty.
There are plenty of smart lighting options available, but here are some cool ones that include different color options and connect to WiFi, allowing them to be controlled by an app and put on a set schedule.
Voice Assistant
Voice assistant technology is now a crucial component for many smart home products. The most popular ones are the Google Home or Amazon Echo (AKA Alexa). At the simplest level, voice assistants can help make lists, tell the weather, and play music. But their real power comes from connecting to other smart technology products. When synced together, your voice assistant can control almost every aspect of your home with just a few commands.
Robotic Cleaning
Have you ever wished your house would just clean itself? A robot vacuum or mop can help with that. The smart robots connect to Wi-Fi and have intelligent mapping. This makes them ideal for carpets, hardwood floors, and for picking up pet hair. You can program it to run at certain times of the day and connect it with your voice assistant.
Video Monitoring
Another popular smart home technology accessory is a video monitoring system. The benefits speak for themselves, making you feel safe and secure whether you are in your home or out for the day. Alerts will pop up on your phone letting you know any activity happening at your front door, from a package being delivered to showing if a salesperson is stopping by. Many systems also allow two-way chatting, which can be handy if you’re expecting an important delivery when you’re not at home. The two most popular systems are the Ring or Nest, both of which start with doorbells but offer products for other parts of the home including alarm systems, cameras and our next device, thermostats.
Smart Thermostat
Smart thermostats are the best smart home technology upgrade to help save money and reduce your energy use. Most models have smart sensors that keep your home at the perfect temperature depending on occupancy and time of the day, so you’re not wasting energy heating your home with no one in it. Plus, if you’ve got your smart thermostat synced to your voice assistant, you can control the temperature in your home by just speaking a command. This is perfect for when you get in bed and realize it is WAY too hot under your covers; just tell Alexa to turn up the air conditioning!
Smart technology can help upgrade your home to a new level of living and can add value for potential buyers if you are planning on selling. With such a variety of products at a range of price points, it’s very easy to build your smart home to the level you want, whether that’s a simple device or a fully automated smart home system. Galaxy Lending Group is here to help you finance the home of your dreams.
