Top 7 Technology Gadgets to Help Style a Home
Whether it’s feeding your pet dog or strengthening your home security, clever technology is what you need in your house. Oftentimes just getting off the sofa is too much work, slob over to the wall switch and turn the lights down. Regardless the case, smart home gadgets are for you. If you want to turn the heating on before you get home, or smart speakers that can play music around your newly decorated coastal interior designed home when you talk to them, or a smart camera that can alert you when there’s an intruder- or even feed your dog for you, these are the things that these smart gadgets can offer you for your convenience.
Google home, Apple home kit and Amazon echo are known main control systems. Others companies like Panasonic and Samsung also have their own systems. But do not forget that they are not compatible with each other, so make sure your gadgets of choice can work with your system. Others work with more than one. For instance, the Google-owned Nest is not compatible with Apple.
Two of the popular hardware hubs are Google Home and Amazon Echo. However, with Apple Homekit, gadgets from Elgato, Philips, ,Honeywell , Netatmo are now compatible with the Home app in the Iphone , Ipad and Apple TV (until December, that is, when the just-announced Apple HomePod smart speaker goes on sale). Lately, a number of emerging brands are out in the market, but for the time being, we think the following are the strongest products on the market.
- Amazon Echo
This is a voice-controlled speaker that looks like a tube of pringles with its own virtual assistant, called Alexa. But if you have the right thermostat such as the Nest, British Gas Hive and a range from Honeywell, when you say “Alexa turn up the heating in the living room” Alexa will oblige. Alexa can also perform other tasks such as confirming sports scores, convert pounds to kilograms, can tell you a joke and so on. Though this is not a hi-fi quality, the multi – directional speakers in the echo can be used for playing music too. Thus, if you have an Alexa in your home, you can change the “wake word” which gets the system listening to you. You can choose between the black or white finish for this speaker matching with all types styles and furniture, even beach homeware. You can also control the Neato Botvac, tell you your weight that morning on the Fibit Aria bathroom scales, or order an Uber. Don’t worry, Alexa understands most of what you say, but, there are some teething problems; careful diction is required before invoking the nest thermostat, so that it will not think that we were saying ‘next’ for example.
- Nest Learning Thermostat
As it comes in several anodized aluminum finishes, the handsome gadget can be wall-mounted or placed on a portable stand. It can control radiators and water heating, and it communicates to your boiler wirelessly. It switches to Away mode in order to save energy once the sensor realizes that you have left the house. But you can still turn heating and water on or off remotely via your smartphone. E-mails are sent to you as an energy summary each month, since the system is programmed to gently encourage you to turn the heating down to conserve energy. For the first few days it notes when you turn the heating on and off while you set a schedule, and creates a suitable timetable automatically. It works with Google and Amazon. Installation is quick, simple and only adds $90 to the price, if it is done by a Nest-approved agent. The nest website is pretty comprehensive and guides you through crucial details, for it doesn’t work with every kind of heating.
- Elgato Eve Degree
One of the latest attractive and tiny weather sensors is the Eve Degree. It is easy to set-up; and it is enclosed in an anodized aluminum case. You just need to turn it on, download the Elgato Eve app and point your Iphone’s camera (it’s only compatible with home kit) at the code printed on the bottom. And you’re done. It can be placed outdoors or inside for the degree is water resistant. Temperature, atmospheric pressure and also humidity can be measured by it. Using the excellent eve app or the home app on apple devices, you can remotely check the temperature, humidity and atmospheric pressure of your surroundings. You can also check the temperature and so on by using the brilliant Eve app or the Home app on Apple devices. You just need to say “Hey Siri, what’s the temperature in the living room?” and your iPhone or Apple Watch will give you the information. It also works with HomeKit.
- Nest Cam IQ
Nest’s latest camera is a smart, advanced and great looking is called the IQ. With a high enough resolution, a high quality lens and digital sensor, this means that when it sees an intruder, it can alert you and with a stream footage to make the evidence useful. Video can zoom in on a person and follow them around the room, showcasing the features of its clever software. Darkness is not a limitation since this camera can see in the dark. It’s speaker and microphone allows you can communicate with home from your phone. You can now pre-order the device, which can be delivered within a few weeks. This device is compatible with Google and Amazon. IQ is uncomplicated to set up with an efficient app. An interior designer can always take into surveillance camera such as this technology, into their layout of the space.
- Philips Hue Ambiance Starter Kit
The Philips Hue range is quite brilliant, even luxury accommodation places around the world are getting on board. This starter kit has three bulbs inside which are controlled from a wireless bridge unit. With a 16 million colors to choose from, the bulbs can be set up through automated timers after choosing the shade you like best. And by using a remote control, you can turn the lights on and off; you can also use your imagination by adding other hue lights such as candle bulbs and standalone lights. Homekit, Google Home, and Amazon works with it, and does equally well with each other.
- Google Home
A speaker that looks more striking than Amazon’s echo, Google’s smart speaker can do a lot of similar things as the Amazon echo, once you can catch it’s attention by saying “okay Google “. You’ll know it’s pretty accurate if you have used Google’s voice recognition on its phone app. From services like the spotify, this speaker can play it’s music, just as what echo does. Adding items to a shopping list, to set alarms, timers, and tell you the time your commute will take today and so and so forth, can be done by this smart speaker. And don’t forget, it can set the temperature on Your Nest Thermostat, Bekin, Honeywell, Samsung SmartThings and so on. It can also work with your smartphone, Apple and Android, in which it is where you set up new accessories to work with it. The Google Home suits any space with its sleek décor and design contemporary inspiration.
- Elgato Eve Energy
One of the simplest ways to get into home automation is through a smart power switch. This homekit-enabled device easily plugs into your wall socket and allows you to plug your light or fan, or kettle or whatever into the switch. it’s easy to set up, just like the degree and allows you turn the attached electrical device on and off remotely and it can monitor electrical consumption also. This device can also calculate the cost of the switch’s usage. This technology is not limited to the home, boutique hotels are also increasingly using the smart power switch technology in their approach to save energy as well.
