March 14, 2019
Everything these days is smart, right? Smart phone, smart watches, smart speakers … Sometimes it’s overwhelming, and sometimes it can really simplify your life. See some great ideas below to make your home “smarter.” I didn’t even realize many of these things existed! They are now all on my must-have list. I feel like this is the current-day Jetson’s List.
Amazon Echo – Most of us are at least familiar with the Echo at this point. This is a voice-powered speaker manufactured by Amazon. If you’re after a premium speaker, this isn’t what you’re looking for. It will fill a small room with sound, but it won’t radiate throughout your home. However, you can connect the newest version to your home audio network. We have one, and I have conveniently stashed it in a drawer because my 7 year old was repeatedly saying “Hey Alexa, Beatbox!” While cute the first time, this gets highly annoying after awhile. If anyone knows of a quick child-proof feature, send it my way! Regardless, the Echo is very popular and you can pull up the daily news, weather, and music for a reasonable price.
Ecobee4 – This is a smart thermostat that integrates with many things and also has a built in Alexa Speaker (It doesn’t just work WITH an Alexa Speaker, it actually houses a speaker inside.) It features a touchscreen, a remote temperature and proximity sensor, and mobile and web apps. Control your thermostat using your voice with built-in Alexa. Ask to play music, hear the news, set a timer, or adjust the temperature
Nest Hello – Nest Hello is a live-streaming video buzzer doorbell that you can view from your phone or computer. (who knew!?) You can receive notifications when it detects motion. The best part of Nest Hello is that it scans faces and tells you WHO is at your door based on friends and family that you ID through the app. You do have to pay a $5 monthly fee to take advantage of this feature.
Nest Protect – Again, I must be living in the stone ages. This is a smart smoke and carbon monoxide detector that has an in-app feature that allows you to silence it from your phone. (I’m guessing I’m not the only one that burns food in the kitchen and has to quickly climb a chair to shut off my smoke alarm!?) This is a must have if you’re like me and lay in bed to see the smoke alarm flash to make sure it’s still working, and if you get highly annoyed by the smoke alarm chirping to tell you it needs new batteries.
Neato BotVac – This robot vacuum is one of the best out there, and be connected and controlled via Amazon’s Alexa voice platform (Are you seeing a trend here? We all CLEARLY need an an Echo!) This Wi-Fi connected robot vacuum can be paired with an app on your phone, and you can start, schedule and even STEER it from your phone! It also performed better in tests than the popular Roomba.
These are all fun ideas that you can integrate into your current home or a new home that you may one day build! Technology improves every day. Our concept at Joyner Homes is Character Rich, Smart Design. Smart Design is important so that you end up with the home that you love and enjoy! See how the process of home design with Joyner Homes works here. Explore places that we build here. Then think about how you would like to integrate your smart accessories into your home that is created with Smart Design. Please call or contact us with any questions!