It can be very easy to read the words ‘SMART Home’ and immediately think this doesn’t concern you because you didn’t win HGTV’s Smart Home of the Year, there’s too much money involved, or you’re just not very tech savvy. Think again! Your home can be smart just like the homes you see on T.V. with the addition of a few affordable gadgets! Your lights, window shades, thermostat, doorbell, electronics, and more can complete tasks at the touch of a button—or even no button at all—with less complications than you may realize. Here are the smart gadget essentials you need in order to take your at-home experience to the next level in 2021.
Speakers
One of the most common gadget investments to elevate your home intelligence are smart speakers. These speakers respond to voice commands through AI technology, providing homeowners with a full-functioning virtual assistant. With the ability to wirelessly pair with practically any device, speaker families like the Amazon Echo or Google Nest can search the internet, tell you the weather, read recipes, display the time, schedule events, book appointments, play music, read books, and so much more.
Different generations of each speaker within these families will vary in price depending on the number of capabilities you are seeking to possess. Even so, the speakers on the lower-end of the price range ($40-$80) are still very powerful and can complete the basic voice command procedures. However, they may not possess as much pairing compatibility with other gadgets as higher-end packages ($90-$200) possess. Smart speakers are capable of accomplishing a lot on their own, but can do so much more when paired with other smart gadgets like smart plugs, blinds and lights. Simply by telling your smart speaker to turn off the lights, lower your blinds, lock the doors, or even change the temperature, your home will be completely under your control from anywhere, depending on which level of speaker you choose to invest in.
Lighting
This is where your home can begin to truly feel like the ones on T.V. By purchasing smart lights, any light fixture can wirelessly link with a touch-command app or voice-command speaker. Simply turn on and off your lights at the breath of a word or the touch of a button! Many affordable smart light bulbs are available between $8-$20 and can hook up to your Amazon or Google home devices. Many smart bulbs need a hub to connect to, but devices like the Amazon Echo Plus double as a smart hub for products like smart bulbs. Just make sure during your purchase that you know what your smart bulbs need to work optimally.
Another area of smart lighting that you may want to consider is automating your blinds. Similar to smart bulbs, many automated blinds can pair up with a smart home device or they have their own app, remote, or device to be controlled from. These can generally range between $90 and $300 per blind and you will need to make sure the dimensions of the blind match that of the window you’re installing into. The installation itself will vary depending on how many windows you’re installing. Either way, this is a worthy investment that will completely erase the hassle of dealing with difficult manual blinds and can actually be safer for home with young children since they’re often cordless.
Home Security Systems
One of the best devices to complete your basic smart home gadget collection is a smart home security system. With this technology, you can truly begin to make your smart home your own. The higher the price, the more capabilities a system has, so choose your system based on the essential capabilities you’re searching for. These systems provide 24-hour monitoring of your entire home and will alert you as soon as something seems wrong.
They can control and monitor your locks, smoke detectors, security cameras (if you have any), heating system, doorbells, and more. Ranging anywhere from $40 to $400, these systems can be installed for you and are well worth the investment depending on which specific needs you’re seeking to satisfy. A great choice to begin with is the PC Editor’s Choice Vivint Smart Home going for $39.99. The only catch is that many of these systems do require a monthly subscription for remote access and swift response calls to the authorities if something goes wrong. Home security systems are a great addition to your smart home to ensure your family and home are always protected!
Vacuums
A final and fun addition we believe should be considered for the bare bones of your smart home is a smart vacuum. Using wireless sensor technology, smart vacuums know where to go all on their own without ramming into furniture or falling down the stairs. Keep in mind that they will usually need to be plugged in whenever they’re not in use for a recharge, but they get the job done regardless with no strings attached.
Smart vacuums start as low as $30-$60, but these more affordable options have been known to have issues and are not capable of pairing with a remote or smart phone app. The $90-$140 range is where you will get the most bang for your buck and be able to pair with a remote or app. Smart vacuums are arguably the most timesaving of the essential smart home gadgets, which is highly important in 2021 when time is scarce! If you can work it into your smart home budget, we highly recommend allowing these efficient robots to do the hard work for you.
Make your time at home as stress-free as possible, where you can always be assured your house is safe, clean, well-lit, and fully adjusted to all of your comfort preferences. Our team at Marsh Landing Realty are experts on homes and ready and willing to help you as you explore the features that are necessary for your everyday life. Let’s find or build your smart home together today. Contact us to get started!
