Turn Any Home into a Smart Home with These Helpful Gadgets

Professional interior designer and sleep expert Jennifer Adams returns to answer your questions and provide more helpful advice! Today, Jennifer responds to a reader’s question about which gadgets help create a “smarter” home 

Let me start by confessing that I am a professional interior design and sleep expert, and not a tech expert by any means! Some “smart” products have gained my attention and appreciation in recent months, and I’m happy to pass them along to you. 

Understand that these aren’t official product or manufacturer endorsements; instead, these are comments made from a smart home living and luxury bedding consultant who appreciates any technology that can make your home more simple, convenient, and comfortable for you! 

If you’re looking for some ways to connect the devices and fixtures in your home, or are looking for some specific solutions for tackling particular problems, then smart technology is certainly something that should be on your radar. Here are a few gadgets that I’ve found to be attractive: 

What makes a speaker smart? The fact that it can understand your voice directions, and can talk back to you! Amazon’s Echo Dot (3^rd generation) and Google’s Nest Mini are both competent, smart speakers which can enable you to gain control over the other “smart” devices in your home, and they’re also empowered with AI that helps them to learn from your commands and preferences over time.

Smart plugs are a great entry point for anyone interested in trying out some connected home devices. Installation couldn’t be simpler (all you have to do is plug them into an outlet), and these devices are a great way to toggle the power to your connected devices on and off remotely. 

There are many smart plugs on the market, but the TP-Link Kasa Mini does an effective job of connecting to your Wi-Fi network, and it’s compatible with both Google and Amazon smart speakers and assistants. 

There are several smart light bulbs from which you can choose, but Philips Hue smart lights are an excellent choice only since they offer such a wide range of lighting products. They encompass everything from standard bulbs to floodlights to light strips to other standard light fixtures. 

With products like these, you can easily take charge of your entire home lighting scheme, and the Hue line also comes with the option of having bulbs that can change color on command. Pretty cool! 

What makes a thermostat smart, you ask? It gives you the ability to control your home heating and air conditioning with a dedicated app, or with nothing more than the sound of your voice! 

The Ecobeesmart thermostat and Nest Learning Thermostat are two products that are worth exploring in this category. Both are Wi-Fi-based, and both will work with Google and Amazon devices. An advantage to consider with Ecobee is that it also works with Apple-based devices. 

If you’re looking for a way to boost your home’s security and would appreciate the ability to visualize your home from multiple different vantage points on command, then you might consider adding some smart cameras. 

The Arlo Pro 3 and Nest Cam Outdoor are two well-regarded products that fall within the same price range; both are Wi-Fi-based and weather-resistant—looking for an affordable indoor cam? Check out the Wyze Cam Pan – it offers some of the best features of anything in its particular category. 

This is a combination of a doorbell and a smart camera. Products like the Nest Hello video doorbell connect through Wi-Fi to allow you to see who’s at your door in real-time. It can capture both images and videos, and it also includes a handy facial recognition feature. You can even tag your frequent visitors for easy ID, and your app can alert you when they arrive at your door!

Mounting an old-school thermometer is so yesterday! Smart weather monitoring kits like Netatmo’s Weather Station include both indoor and outdoor units, and they can connect to both your Wi-Fi and your smartphone. Plus, they monitor way more than just temperature – they also measure humidity, air quality, barometric pressure,even sound pollution! Perfect for any and every weather nerd or climate aficionado! 

Gadgets can befunctional, practical, even innovative. But sometimes it’s smart to invest in some real-world trappings, too. Looking for the best ways to make your home feel more comfortable and look more stylish? Look no further thanour collection of luxury home décor, luxurious coverlets, decorative pillows, and signature throw. 

Whether it’s new bedding, sheets, area rugs, mattresses, apparel, or unique home décor you’re after, we’ve got what you’re looking for!We certainly hope that you’ll find some of these “smart home” suggestions to be useful, and we wish you all the best in creating a home environment that you truly love!