Smart Home Devices have been around for some time now. However, they have become quite popular recently within the domestic market, especially with the rising popularity of smart speakers featuring voice assistants such as the Google Assistant and the Amazon Alexa. But voice assistants aren’t the only notable devices in the smart home range. There’s almost everything available for every household function. Do you need a fully automated garden sprinkler system? Well, there’s a smart sprinkler controller available for just that!
Similarly, you’ll find many smart products in the market that include smart blinds, smart bulbs, smart pet feeders, smart door locks and so much more. Here are some smart home devices that may pique your interest, other than the widely famous smart speakers and voice assistants.
- Smart Bulbs
Smart lighting comes in various forms. Users can choose from a variety of options that include smart bulbs, smart light strips like the Hue lightstrip extension, smart lamps, and even smart floodlights; there is everything for everyone available on the market.
Smart home devices promise a lot of things including home automation and most of all comfort – and smart bulbs provide just that. With integration to your smartphone via Bluetooth or its associated mobile app, or even with the help of a voice assistant, you can easily control them through simple voice commands or with a single tap on your phone. You won’t have to make the walk down your hall just to turn off that bathroom light you forgot to turn off, or worry about the kitchen lights you may have left on, on your way out. You can simply monitor your smart lights’ activity through the mobile application and turn them off.
What’s more is that with the integration of an external motion sensor to your lights if they do not already include that feature, they can automatically turn on and off with your arrival and your exit from a particular room. Motion sensor integration can be ideal for households with elderly individuals or kids, and even perfect for cutting back on those electric bills!
- Smart Sprinkler Controller
Maintaining your garden or the backyard can mean serious business since they require different watering habits throughout the year as the seasons change. It all comes down to the different kinds of soils in areas, the plants in your yard, and even the weather conditions of the area you reside in.
With a Smart Sprinkler Controller, a lot of functions can be automated through the device. These functions can be controlled, maintained, and regulated through a single device which can easily be accessed through its smartphone application.
Smart Sprinkler Controllers are designed to replace the ordinary sprinkler controller that comes with your in-ground sprinkler system, and with a bit of information from your side like the kind of soil your yard has as well as the area size, these devices can save you a lot of time and water consumption. With the help of the smartphone application, you can easily create a specific watering schedule by yourself or let the sprinkler controller create one tailored to your garden’s needs. You can also turn your sprinklers on and off through the smart application – ideal for when you’re running late for work and your yard needs watering!
An additional benefit to smart sprinkler controllers, however is that they use information from local weather stations in order to adjust the watering schedule whenever necessary. For instance, if it’s bound to rain later in the day, the sprinkler controller would automatically adjust the schedule and skip watering your yard so as to save water.
- Smart Blinds
We have heard about smart locks and smart smoke detectors even but have you heard about smart blinds that lower themselves or draw aside according to the time of day to ensure the best sunlight enters your house? Or even when it’s 7 a.m. sharp and you should be out of bed? Well, they do exist! And they aren’t exactly new, they’ve been around but given that smart devices are gaining popularity among domestic consumers, smart blinds are also making their mark in the market.
With a simple voice command or through a single tap on its smart application, users can easily control the smart blinds, along with set schedules on the app for the device to follow according to their routines. Lowering the blinds or drawing the curtains forward around a specific time in the evening regardless of whether you’re home or not is great for privacy and home security purposes if you really think about it. There are, however, different kinds of smart blinds available on the market with different price points that offer wither all three of these functionalities: voice control, app control, and remote control functionality, depending on the device and brand.
Conclusion
Homeowners always tend to lean towards the commonly known smart devices like smart cameras, smart door locks, and even video doorbells. Smart bulbs are fairly common but people tend to become hesitant given the prices. One thing, however regardless of whatever smart device you are to purchase, think of it as an investment in your home. These devices go a long way in not only providing home automation, but security and energy efficiency too.
