How to Get the Most out of a Smart Home Setup

Smart homes can make your life much more convenient. With today’s technology, you have many options when picking devices. Once you have them installed, the next step is using them efficiently. Here are some of the best ways to use your smart home setup.

1. Coordinate Your Lighting

With smart lights, you can control your lighting from your phone or with your voice. But don’t stop there to take full advantage of your smart light bulbs — you can take this feature a step further by pre planning routines triggered by time of day or voice prompts.

Struggle to find the motivation to wake up and start an early morning workout? Try setting your lights to turn on at 6 am without prompting from you. Want to dim the lighting to reflect candlelight for your 7 PM dinner? You can try that too. Enjoy truly automated lighting routines with just a little prep work.

Also, some lights let you change the color to create a specific ambiance. It’s perfect for setting the mood during a party or date night. Another benefit of smart lights is that they help with security. For example, you can turn them on remotely while on vacation to deter potential break-ins and throw off anyone who may be keeping an eye on your schedule.

2. Play Your Favorite Songs

Smart speakers, like HomePod or Amazon Echo, can make it easy to hear your favorite music whenever. You can simply ask your personal assistant to play a particular song. It’s perfect for parties or when you’re cooking.

Again, though, routines can really level up this speaker setup. With the Alexa Routines feature from Amazon, for example, you can now schedule your music. You can set it to automatically play your favorite artist when you wake up in the morning or play soothing music to fall asleep.

3. Create a Shopping List

Don’t forget everyday functionality that can take the onus off you for grocery shopping each week. With voice assistant speakers, you can easily create a shopping list. Your Google Home or other smart hub will sync with your phone’s grocery list app. Then, whenever you want to add an item to the list, simply use voice commands. 

Having a digital copy ensures it will be with you wherever you go so that you won’t leave it at home. Also, if you’re in the middle of cooking and realize you need something, you can add it to your list right away. The bonus is you don’t even have to use your hands.

4. Save Money on Your Energy Bills

Smart thermostats are an excellent way to conserve energy and reduce expenses. These devices can shut off when you’re away and turn back on when you come home. Also, they learn your ideal temperature and adjust accordingly. Besides conserving energy, you can save up to $140 on your heating and cooling bills per year.

Another benefit of smart thermostats is their convenience. You can control it from your phone  — letting you warm up your home office in the middle of a meeting or while you’re on your way back from a trip away.

5. Take Further Advantage of Voice Assistants

Voice assistants, such as Siri or Alexa, can make your life so much simpler. This may seem obvious, but without really exploring the capabilities of these voice assistants, many people may invest in these devices without building the habit of using them to their full potential.

In addition to playing your music on cue, you can control them hands-free to accomplish lots more. Suppose you’re cooking but need to look up a recipe. You can simply use your smart assistant. Also, if you’re doing work and need to Google something, you can ask right from your seat.

Here are some other tasks smart speakers can help with:

• Set up calendars and appointments

• Make phone calls

• Set a timer for food or laundry

• Get weather and news updates

• Play a game, like trivia

6. Improve Your Security

Smart security cameras are excellent for monitoring your home remotely. It can give you better peace of mind when you’re traveling and help you keep tabs on package deliveries.

The cameras allow you to upload footage to the cloud for greater convenience, which can come in handy if you or your neighbors need footage of a local concern. Look for cameras that have high-resolution video, motion detection, and audio recording.

Along with the camera, upgrade to a video doorbell and smart lock for better protection. Having a video doorbell allows you to see who's at the door before even opening it. When you live with roommates or family, this can be a great way to conveniently grant them access in the case of lost keys or visitors.

7. Charge Your Devices More Efficiency

Smart plugs can help you power all your electronics remotely so you can adjust your usage from any room in the house. It’s also convenient for those hard-to-reach outlets. Some plugs even offer real-time energy monitoring and recommended on and off schedules.

8. Get Your Smart Devices Working Together

We’ve already mentioned routines and their capacity to make lighting more intuitive. However, routines can coordinate lots of various smart devices to work in tandem with a central trigger or command. Experiment with these to find routines that work best for your lifestyle

For example, you can set the lights to turn on and music to start playing at certain times in the morning. You can prompt your smart hub to remind you of your scheduled meetings and turn down your lights and thermostat by saying “I’m leaving” on your way to work.

If you’re feeling creative, you can even ask your smart hub to set all the lights to bright colors and play disco music when you say “I’m ready to party.” Whatever experience you’re looking for, your smart hub won’t judge you.

Best Ways to Use Your Smart Home

Smart technology is quickly growing in popularity. However, you might find yourself with a purchased or gifted smart hub and no idea what to do with it. Learning the full capabilities of these smart devices can help you have a little fun and create more organization at home.

With these devices, you can complete tasks right from your phone and set yourself up for success. Consider these tips for enjoying your smart home.

Author

Evelyn Long is the editor-in-chief of Renovated. Her real estate work has been published by the National Association of REALTORS®, Rental Housing Journal, and other online publications.

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