Elevate Your Living with the Power of Smart Tech
Who knew there were so many quick and easy ways to upgrade a home with smart technology? I sure didn’t, at least not until we moved into our new (well, old) Tudor cottage in Aberdeen. When we first set foot in this charming historic home, I’ll admit I was a bit intimidated by the prospect of bringing it into the 21st century. But after some research and a lot of tinkering, my husband and I have transformed our space into a veritable smart home oasis.
Let me tell you, we are officially hooked on smart home technology. Not only can these upgrades help save money and energy in the long run, but they also pack so much convenience into our daily lives. From lighting and window coverings to appliances and beyond, smart features have elevated our home in ways I never could have imagined.
In this article, I’m going to take you on a tour of our favorite smart home upgrades and show you how you can modernize your own abode, whether you live in a cozy cottage like ours or a sprawling manor. Get ready to bid farewell to outdated analog living and hello to the future of home technology!
Securing Your Space with Smart Smoke and CO Detectors
One of the very first things we did when we moved into this new/old house was upgrade the smoke alarms. These smart smoke detectors not only detect smoke, but they also keep an eye on carbon monoxide levels throughout our home. I love the way they communicate through our ABC Home app, alerting us to any issues and indicating which alarm is detecting something, even when we’re not home.
The best part is, they all communicate with each other through our home’s WiFi network. So when one alarm goes off, the rest will eventually follow, ensuring that everyone in the house is quickly made aware of any potential dangers, no matter which room they’re in. With a hardwired and battery-powered version available, they make it easy to place extra smoke alarms all around the house for comprehensive coverage.
Another nifty feature is the monthly self-check system. These smart detectors run an automatic sound test each month, so you always know they’re in tip-top shape and ready to protect your family. We have nothing but great things to say about these clever little devices – they provide invaluable peace of mind and an extra layer of safety for our home.
Convenient, Keyless Access with Smart Door Locks
Another quick and relatively inexpensive smart upgrade we made fairly quickly after moving in was swapping out our traditional exterior locks for smart door locks. This has made coming and going from home so much easier, particularly for our son Carson, who can lock and unlock the door without having to keep track of a key.
I can also control our door locks from my phone or our Google Home (it works with Alexa too), which makes locking up the house before bed a breeze. No more anxiously wondering if I remembered to bolt the door – I can simply check the app and secure the entry with a tap. Talk about convenience!
Lighting Up Your Life with Smart Switches and Lamps
Upgrading traditional light switches to smart switches was hands down one of the best smart upgrades we did around here. Originally, we’d only planned to swap out some of our most used lights, but it wasn’t long before we’d talked ourselves into upgrading nearly every switch in the house.
On top of that, we’ve added all sorts of new switches using these brilliant little remote switches, which make it possible to add wall switches wherever you’d like in just minutes. While you can simply press the buttons to control the lights like you would any other switch, you can also control them with your phone, your Google Home (or Alexa) and even better, set them to automatic schedules or create “scenes” for things like waking up, bedtime or movie time.
The schedule feature has been a total game-changer for us. We’ve got our exterior lights set to come on as the sun sets and turn off automatically when the sun rises the next morning. Honestly, it’s pretty incredible what these little smart switches are capable of!
We’ve also made smart upgrades to most of the lamps around the house. I’ve got them set up with schedules to come on at sunset and stay on until bedtime (at least through the winter months when our days are much shorter). And I absolutely love that when I’m all cozy on the sofa, but need a bit more light for reading, I can just tell Google to turn on a lamp for me so that I don’t have to get up. Maybe that makes me sound super lazy, but it’s so nice to not have to crawl out of my cozy cocoon just to turn on a light.
Automating Your Comfort with Smart Shades and Thermostats
Upgrading to smart window shades was a bit of an investment for us, but with so many large, south-facing windows, we wanted an easy way to keep the heat of the sun out through the warm summer months. Because we can set these on an automatic schedule to follow the sun around our house, the high price tag was easier for us to justify.
There are tons of options for smart window coverings at all different price points, but we chose to go with the Lutron brand shades as they fit in so seamlessly with the Lutron switches and lamp plugs we were already running throughout the house. Even though we’ve got them set on a schedule most of the time, we chose to add wall switches for our window shades in each room so that we can quickly open and close the shades with the press of a button. They can also be controlled through the app as well as with Google Home (or Alexa).
As for our smart thermostat, we had a Nest version in our old house and absolutely loved it. We haven’t gotten around to upgrading ours in this new/old house yet, but when we do, we’ll opt for the same. Installing a smart thermostat is a relatively quick and inexpensive upgrade that not only offers convenience, but can help you save money on your heating and cooling costs through the use of automated schedules.
Elevating Your Home’s Intelligence
We use the Google Home system throughout our home, with speakers installed in nearly every room. This allows us to control all sorts of automated features around the house like lighting, window shades, and even our TV. We also use the speakers as our own little surround sound system, and the voice recognition feature means we can all play our own music on individual speakers without messing with each other’s algorithms.
The intercom feature is another one of our favorites – it makes it so easy to communicate with each other in different areas of the house. I believe Alexa works similarly to Google, though we haven’t tried that particular system ourselves.
Automating Your Yard with Smart Sprinklers
Let me tell you, through the summer months, a smart sprinkler system can be life-changing! My husband Brady worked so hard last summer bringing our old in-ground sprinkler system back to life, and I honestly don’t know how we ever managed without it. The best part, though, is that he hooked it all up to a new smart system that runs on an automatic schedule – now, it not only waters on an optimized smart schedule, but it automatically adjusts that schedule with the weather.
If you don’t have an in-ground sprinkler system already installed, there are definitely other ways you can incorporate the convenience of a smart sprinkler system. This smart hose timer lets you automate your watering, especially handy to help keep plants and gardens watered when you’re away.
Streamlining Household Chores with Smart Appliances
We’ve only just recently installed our first smart appliances around here, but I’m already in love. Our new washer and dryer set not only notify my phone as a load finishes, but I can also remote start a load in either appliance from anywhere. Obviously, you’d need to plan ahead for this and make sure your laundry is in the machine, but I’ve already made use of this with our dryer, setting a timer to start drying a load one hour before I get home from work so that it’s ready to fold when I walk in the door.
I plan to look into smart versions of all of our major appliances as we roll through replacing them. There’s all sorts of cool new features out there that would be so convenient to add to our smart home!
Embracing the Future of Home Technology
I hope this article has left you with all sorts of new smart home upgrade ideas that you can put to work throughout your own home. Whether you live in a historic cottage like ours or a modern high-rise, there are endless ways to bring your living space into the 21st century and beyond.
The journey of transforming our Tudor into a smart home oasis has been equal parts exciting and rewarding. It’s amazing to see how far home technology has come and how much it can truly enhance our daily lives. So what are you waiting for? It’s time to embrace the future and Modernize Your Home With Smart Tech Upgrades!
