Choosing the Best Smart Home Devices and What to Consider
Whether it’s for your primary residence or your lakefront getaway, adding smart home devices can be a great way to modernize your home. However, when it comes to adopting smart home technology, the variety of options out there can be head-spinning. When shopping around, it’s important to consider what aspects of technology would benefit your daily life, and be sure to compare products before you buy. Here, we offer some guidance to help you make the best choices.
Determine your needs
If you’re just getting started in your smart home journey, first consider your needs. Are you simply looking for home management help, such as turning on and off lights? Or do you want added security like smart locks or devices that can alert homeowners to movement in the house?
Home management is a great perk of smart home technology, allowing you to adjust everything from lights to heating and AC to opening the garage door. You can even lock your doors at night and set the alarm right from your phone, which is particularly helpful if you’ve left your lakefront getaway in a hurry.
The convenience factor applies to nearly all smart home devices and functions, but many people want smart home technology to allow them to accomplish tasks or get information without using a screen. For example, if you’re busy making breakfast but want to know the weather forecast, you can ask a smart home device to search it for you, and it will relay the information through your home speakers. Or, if you want to know how to convert a recipe, a quick question to a smart speaker can yield instant results.
Home security is another common reason people look to smart home technology. Nowadays, it’s easy to install a smart home camera that will alert you to any movement inside or outside your home. Plus, with smart home security, you can monitor your house via a live feed that you can watch from your phone while you’re away. Other popular smart security devices include solar lights and floodlights.
Common products
Smart home devices range from speakers to screens, power outlets, doorbells, door locks, and thermostats. As you consider what might be useful for your home, it’s important to research recommendations for the best options for each category.
For example, when you search for a home assistant that can pair up with various devices, consider whether you prefer Google versus Amazon. It usually comes down to user experience, and whether having a direct link to your Amazon account is important to you.
Amazon’s Echo device is a Bluetooth speaker which is powered by Alexa. It works with several smart home devices directly, so you can pair it with your home security system, light switches, and thermostat. The Google Assistant operates in a similar fashion, but reviewers say it’s easier to connect to other devices throughout your home.
When you’re considering what type of devices you need for your home, think about what’s most important to you: home security, convenience, house management or all of the above. You can meet all three needs, but start by narrowing down what will make life easier and make you more comfortable and safe at home.
Are you contemplating whether to buy a lakefront getaway? Well, you’ve come to the right place! At Lake Front King, we can help you find the perfect property or land for building your dream vacation home. Reach out today for more information!
Featured photo by picjumbo.com from Pexels.