The continued innovation in technology has greatly revolutionized how we do things. Today, you can remotely control home functions such as adjusting the temperature of your thermostat, switch lights on or off, start dinner and see who is at the door and a whole lot more. This translates to enhanced convenience and home security as well saving on energy.
All you need to do is to automate your home using smart home devices. Anyone can achieve a smart home. With a Raspberry Pi 4 set, you can turn numerous devices to smart devices in an affordable way. In addition, a Raspberry Pi 4 set combined with the right software such as Mozilla’s Things Gateway can help you build a smart home hub.
Here are five smart home devices for 2020.
1. Ecobee Smart Thermostat With Voice Control
Heating and cooling costs account for a bigger percentage of home expenses. Investing in a smart thermostat is a great way to save on these costs. You can easily command it to heat the home when you only need it.
Unlike previous models that allowed temperature control for the room housing the thermostat, this smart thermostat comes with several remote sensors. You can place these sensors in various rooms that you would like to be temperature-controlled. It has Amazon’s Alexa built-in, thus you don’t need to have a separate Alexa speaker. In addition, it is Wi-Fi programmable and has a mobile app integration that uses Google Assistant and Siri commands. It also has two microphone holes for enhanced audio processing.
2. SimpliSafe Home Security System
It gives peace of mind when you know that your home is safe from break ins as well as environmental threats. This security system allows you to enjoy this with or without a contract and affordable monthly monitoring plans. It is also easy to set up and allows you remote monitoring from wherever you are.
The Haven package comes with 14 elements including motion, water, glass break, temperature, carbon monoxide sensors. Others include motion detector, smoke detector, siren, smart lock, keypad, camera, video doorbell and a yard sign. You can always opt-out of some elements if you are on a budget.
3. Nest Hello
A smart doorbell is a great way of telling who came by the house while you were away. This goes a long way in enhancing your home security. Moreover, if you are home, it gives you the ability to choose whom to let in the house.
Nest Hello is that smart doorbell that lets you do much more. It allows a 160-degree viewing angle and 1600 by 1200 resolution, infrared night vision and HDR for a clear picture any time of the day. It is able to distinguish people from other moving things, and you can teach it the names of people who visit you, allowing it to identify strangers. Other features include live streaming, two-way audio and pre-recorded quick responses.
4. Shark Ion R85
Cleaning can be such a time-consuming task. Having a smart vacuum cleaner is a solution to having a clean house regardless of how busy your schedule is.
This robotic vacuum cleaner comes with a self-cleaning brush roll, XL dustbin and voice commands powered by Alexa and Google assistant. Its suction is powerful to provide thorough carpet cleaning and pet hair collection. It also has smart sensors to help in navigation around obstacles. The voice commands allow for remote control, and you can also make cleaning schedules in the downloadable app.
5. WeMo’s Smart Light Switch
When you are relaxing on the couch or away on a trip but you want to trick people that you are home, a smart light switch can be a savior.
This smart light switch gives you control over your lights using your voice remotely. The mobile app allows you to create schedules for your lights. For instance, you can schedule your porch light to go on in the evening and off in the morning. If you are away from home, you can easily switch the lights on at night, switch them off at the time you go to sleep, basically, conveying the message that you are home.
Conclusion
Smart home devices are no longer the future, they are now a reality that we are living with, and it is for your convenience to savor in the inventions. They may be expensive investments, but the advantages of having such devices outweigh these costs.
–Nora Price