Making Your Home Smart

Jul 30, 2024

As society keeps moving forward with our technology, and changing as rapidly as it is, so is the way we live our daily lives. Smart Homes have become a way to make life easier and safer for our families. So, what are some ways you can make your home work smarter for you?

Internet and Wi-Fi

The choice you make on your internet plan can make all the difference in using various electronic equipment like computers, smartphones, security cameras, and streaming cable services. Consulting with your internet provider to understand the details of each package, including upload and download speeds, can ensure you select the most efficient plan for your household’s needs. This is particularly helpful if you work from home. Having faster internet will make working from home much easier for you and your coworkers who rely on you to get your job done quickly and correctly.

For larger homes, a Wi-Fi extender can be a valuable investment. The average range of a home Wi-Fi network can be anywhere from 100 to 300 feet, but obstacles like walls, furniture, and other objects can block or weaken the signal. A Wi-Fi extender is a tool that helps transmit a Wi-Fi signal from your wireless router to those hard-to-reach places and increases the range you can use your Wi-Fi in your home or office. Websites like CNET are a great resource for finding the best extender in your price range.

Home Security and Sensors

Remember a time when no one had cameras in their homes? That time is a distant memory and now it seems like everyone has a doorbell camera. The positive thing about this shift is that these security cameras have become much more affordable and are now widely accessible. Companies like Ring, Wyze, and SimpliSafe offer various packages to start you off with securing your home from fires, floods, and other emergencies. They also offer great monthly plans for 24-7 assistance, recording, and real-time alerts.

Leak sensors can be installed under sinks to alert homeowners to leaks, whether they are at home or away. Indoor cameras can notify you if smoke or CO₂ alarms are triggered. This technology allows for monitoring your home from anywhere in the world, providing peace of mind in case of break-ins, pipe bursts, or fires.

Many landlords and Airbnb hosts use smart lock bolts for front entrances. These locks use codes instead of keys, which can be changed frequently if needed. This allows household members to enter using a keypad and enables remote access, allowing you to lock or unlock the doors from anywhere, providing flexibility and security.

Smart Appliances

Smart appliances are another fantastic way to maximize technology in your home while making your day-to-day life much easier. Whether it is your smart refrigerator letting you know when you are out of milk or a robot vacuum cleaner that can be programmed to work while you sleep. There are so many ways to help you save time and money by using smart features. Smart bulbs and outlets can be programmed to turn on and off at specific times and adjusted for brightness to conserve energy. If you are interested in saving water, then you would want to investigate a sprinkler controller. It is a smarter, simpler, and greener control over your lawn’s irrigation system with smart-zoned control over your sprinklers.

Smart thermostats are excellent for reducing utility costs by optimizing heating and cooling.

Most smart home devices can be linked to systems like Alexa or Google Nest, creating a cohesive and efficient home. Every item discussed ranges in price but working together can help in lowering your monthly housing costs. You can find many of the items mentioned here on PCMag.

Embracing technology does not have to be daunting. Modern advancements have made technology much more user-friendly and accessible. As daily life increasingly relies on the internet, technology, and now AI, we have become so accustomed to it that we rarely stop to think how much of it we touch throughout the day. We all have the opportunity to take advantage of this to make technology work for us. Investing in smart home technology, from security cameras to internet-enabled appliances, can be a wise decision for lowering monthly housing costs and improving not only quality of life, but the safety of your home.

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