We have all seen the advertising campaigns that claim that a certain product will change your life. Unfortunately, they almost always fall short of their promises, and whatever the product was, it ended up in the back of the garage gathering dust within a month.
Fortunately, smart home products are one sector where that is not the case. They promise big, and they deliver big..
Turning your home into a smart home What is a smart home? What is a smart home? We recently launched a Smart Home category on MakeUseOf, but what is a smart home? Read More Here we take a look at some of the products that can really change your life in a year, and that's a promise from MakeUseOf...
Summer is coming, and while for some unlucky souls that means smashed barbecues and sitting on the beach in woolly hats 5 Great Ways To Use Your Android Phone On The Beach This Summer 5 Great Ways To Use Your Android Phone On The Beach This summer Going to the beach this summer? Take a look at these apps! Read More spend our days sitting on the fridge and our nights glued to the bed sheets.
That doesn't have to be the case. Invest in the Quirky Aros, a smart air conditioning unit, and the joys of summer will flood back.
Its goal is to lower your air conditioning bill by running at certain pre-scheduled times of the day and by selecting a slower fan for a longer period of time. This means that instead of coming home and turning your air conditioner on full heat (the most inefficient way to use it), the house should already be at the desired temperature when you walk in the door.
Best of all, you may never have to set it up again. It can learn your habits and preferences to adapt without user intervention.
It is currently available for $179 on Amazon. Or you can move to England Expat on the cheap:a quick guide to affordable living abroad. Expat on the Cheap:A Quick Guide to Affordable Living Abroad. We love to travel and as such we know a few things. Here are some tips for becoming an expat in an affordable way. Read more.
Face it, keys are a nightmare. We lose them, we don't have enough of them for guests, and we break them into locks. The oldest keys date back to 700 BC. C. in Nineveh, an ancient Mesopotamian city. They are due an update.
Get yourself a 21st century key by investing $181 in a Kwikset Kevo on Amazon and it will allow you to lock and unlock your door with a simple touch of your finger. You can also assign permanent and temporary keys to family, friends, guests and lovers (!) And you can monitor all the details thanks to the accompanying smartphone application.
Cleverly, the Kevo has been designed to look like a regular lock to prevent people from trying to hack it. Finally, in case there is a technical failure (or you lose your finger), you can also use a normal key. Just don't lose that too.
It is vital to keep up with the regular maintenance of your home. Not doing a little DIY can lead to catastrophic structural failure, water leaks, or an electrical disaster.
In any case, few of us heed such advice, and there is now even less incentive to do so.
Wally Home aims to monitor all the places in your home. 6 creative uses for wireless surveillance cameras in your home. 6 creative uses for wireless surveillance cameras in your home. Security cameras are useful for more than just surveillance. With a bit of creativity and effort, you can improve your quality of life with these unusual ideas for your security cameras. Read More It does this by immediately alerting you on your phone if a single drop of water lands on it.
Sensors also monitor temperature and humidity, allowing you to keep an eye on places where the silicon or grout might weaken.
The hub and a pack of six sensors will set you back $235 on Amazon.
Never doubt the Dalai Lama. Once again, Tibet's greatest Buddhist has hit the nail on the head with the above quote:A good night's sleep can do wonders for the body, mind, and soul.
Still, it's hard to get a good night's rest when he has a lumpy mattress, his other significant snoring, and the neighborhood stray dog won't stop barking. He can start to address these issues by getting a weapon and a new partner, however a slightly more practical (albeit more expensive) solution is to get a smart bed.
For $999 you can get a Sleep Sleep c2 king-size bed on Amazon. Unlike fitness trackers that monitor your sleep The 8 Best Fitness Gadgets To Help You Get Fit The 8 Best Fitness Gadgets To Help You Get Fit With the ever-increasing emergence of wearable technology, the Internet of Things, and smart gadgets, now it's always easier to get fit. Read More It will track a host of variables, from your movement and heart rate to your breathing and quality of sleep.
All output is sent to the web app, which gives you the tools to configure the bed in the best way for your personal circumstances, increasing the amount of sleep you get each night. You can even customize both sides of the bed to give you and your partner different settings.
If you are the type of person who likes to spend Sunday in the garden, this smart device will revolutionize your life.
No more taking a holiday and needing to ask someone to go and water the plants Koubachi - Helps you take care of your plants [iPhone] Koubachi - Helps you take care of your plants [iPhone] Read More - Click and Grow has you covered.
It will allow you to grow three herbs and/or spices at the same time, in the same pot, without any effort on your part. There's a light timer to make sure your plants get the optimal balance between day and night, a fertilizer that releases nutrients based on your plants' requirements, a water tank that will hold up to a month's supply, and smart soil that controls the balance between nutrients, oxygen and water..
If your plants die while you're using this device, you should probably give up and turn your backyard into a parking lot.
The device is $95 on Amazon.
Another issue about taking a vacation or weekend is what to do with your pet. You can take them with you, put them in a cage, or just keep them inside with a Petcube.
It will stream 138-degree video, complete with sound, to your smartphone or tablet, meaning you can relax knowing Fido is safe and sound.
It can also help you solve some of those pesky questions like “which of my five dogs ate my flip flops”, “how did the rabbit get out of its hutch?”, and “who got on the hamster”.
Pick one up for $199 at Amazon.
Did you just buy a smart device that you think will change your life? Tell us about it!
We'd also love to hear from you if you've used any of the devices we've covered in the article.
Please let us know your thoughts and feedback in the comments section below.
