TOP 5 SMART HOME GADGETS FOR YOUR HOME

Smart home automation is designed to make our lives simpler. With a smart home system you can bring together all of your lighting, music, TV, heating & cooling and security devices. When connected to one central system, we’re able to have a lot more control over them whilst at the same time requiring much less effort.

In this blog post we’re going to look at 5 impressive gadgets that are either extremely useful, extremely cool, or both!

VIDEO DOORBELL

A video doorbell is a gadget that will be installed at the front door or front gate of the home. It allows you to see who is at the door or the gate, directly from your phone or any screens you have connected to the larger smart home system. In addition to seeing who is there and determining whether you want to allow them access to your home, you can even speak with the person.

This is useful for dealing with people you might not necessarily want to open the door to, such as unsolicited door-to-door sales. Since close contact at the moment is limited, you may also want to instruct visitors such as delivery drivers to leave their parcels at the door, so you stay safe and can collect them once they’ve left.

The benefit to a video doorbell is that you can also answer the door when you’re away from home. And, if it’s someone you trust, such as a family member, you could even choose to let them into the home.

SMART CLIMATE CONTROL

One of the best benefits of a smart home is that you have greater control over your energy usage and your home’s temperature. With higher control thanks to a system such as Crestron or Control4 you can quickly switch off any heating in rooms that aren’t in use and adjust temperatures for each room based on your preferences.

Smart climate systems can even use machine learning to automate activation and deactivation of heating and air conditioning, knowing exactly when to do so based upon your habits and the time of year.

This ensures that heating or air conditioning is only on for as long as necessary, thereby conserving energy and saving you money in the process.

IN-CEILING SHOWER SPEAKERS

When bathroom acoustics are on point, who can turn down a good sing-along in the shower? With smart home automation, you can control speakers that are not only integrated into the ceiling and voice-activated, but are also water-resistant, making for an amazing shower experience.

This means no more relying on a portable speaker that needs setting up every time. It also saves your mobile phone from any water-related incidents.

These shower speakers can also be linked to the other speakers in the house through a multiroom audio system, allowing you to take the music with you, wherever you are in the home.

If you don’t fancy the speaker in the ceiling, you can also install in-wall speakers that will play music through the acoustically treated walls.

AUTO-TRACKING CAMERAS WITH FACIAL RECOGNITION

Security cameras and CCTV are not only a great crime deterrent but they also capture everything that goes on within their field of view. When linked to a wider smart home system, the camera can also trigger alerts and activate other devices. This is why cameras are one of the most important elements of a smart home security system.

The added benefit of cameras with facial recognition is that it can track people as they move through the camera’s field of view, rotating and panning as required. It can be programmed to recognise family members and trigger events such as unlocking doors with smart locks or switching on lights. As for the people the camera doesn’t recognise, you can program the camera to do whatever you feel is appropriate – anything from generating alerts to locking down the home.

AUTOMATED PANEL MECHANISM

Nothing gives your home that James Bond feel better than a concealed gadget majestically emerging from the wall or ceiling.

With a bespoke and automated panel mechanism, you can seamlessly conceal a smart home gadget such as a TV screen or projector when it’s not in use. By using the same material and upholstery from the wall or ceiling on the automated panel, you can make it look as if there’s nothing there. Then, when you’re ready to use it, all it takes is the press of a button or a simple voice command.

Not only does this look and feel great in a modern automated home, it helps your home to achieve a cleaner and more minimalistic interior. Our London Showroom is a great example of this feature in action.

IMAGINATION IS THE ONLY LIMIT

The benefits of the smart home are ever-expanding as new and more advanced technology develops. The devices above are just a small taste of some of the exciting things you can control with smart home automation. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination. For inspiration on your own project, book a demonstration at your nearest showroom.