Must Have Tech For Your Home

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Technology for the home is a must in 2019, it’s not just about having the latest gadget anymore, but they can now help you to run your home, save energy and increase security. 

Smart devices are connected to your smartphone so you can control whatever it is you want to remotely, whether it’s turning the heating on for when you get home, checking on the home CCTV systems or just turning on some music without having to get up. 

It’s better to stick with the one brand to make sure everything syncs, for example, the Apple Home app works on the iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, HomePod speaker and Mac computers and all you need to do to control the gadgets is to say “Hey, Siri” to the Apple device. Similarly, with Google, Google Home and Google Home Mini, you can speak to the Google Assistant, and these can also be controlled through an Android phone or the dedicated Google Assistant app for iPhone. Another popular system is Amazon’s Alexa. All can do similar things but check out what particular device get is compatible with the other tech you have. 

Smart Thermostats 

Different brands are coming onto the market now which allow you to turn the heating up or down via your smartphone, or by asking Alexa or Google to do it for you. You can schedule the times for the heating to go on and as the products get smarter, they learn your movements. For example, if you’ve accidentally left the heating on, it will turn it off for you. 

Smart Doorbells 

A video bell which attaches to your door can be so handy. When someone rings the bell, it can notify your phone instantly, and a speaker and microphone mean you can speak to whoever is at your door directly. Most devices come with a rechargeable battery that can be easily removed and offer a video recording plan too. 

Smart Bathroom Scales

Nokia does some fantastic connected bathroom scales which not only tell you your weight but your body water content, fat content and more. They can also tell you the weather forecast for the day and your heart rate. Not only this, but they also save every measurement to the Nokia Health app on your phone or online so that you can monitor your weight gain or loss over a period and spot any trends that you might find hard to otherwise. The scales also include a coaching programme which will send you gentle encouragement emails to help you reach your goals. They will also allow you to see your weight in kilos, lbs or stones and lbs and they are even smart enough to know who’s standing on them just from the weight. This means that several members of a family can use them. 

There are many different gadgets for each purpose, so it’s hard to compare them but if you read reviews on specific makes and go with the ones which are compatible with what you already have then you can’t go far wrong.