One of the major benefits of living in this modern-day world is the fact that there are so many appliances that can now be controlled by a smart device. Making a small investment in smart-enabled devices can bring convenience.
I’ll show you the top 6 smart home essentials for your living room that can help make your daily life more comfortable. By the end of this post, you may find yourself picking up a few new hi-tech gadgets for your own home.
6 Living Room Products For Your Smart Home
1. Wi-Fi Thermostat
If you heat and cool your smart home with a central HVAC system, do not miss out on owning a WiFi thermostat. You can connect this electronic gadget to your smartphone or other mobile devices via a compatible app.
Here are some of its benefits:
- By being connected wirelessly, you can control the temperature inside your smart home no matter where you are located. For example, let’s say you had to leave your home unexpectedly and later realized you had left the heat turned on.
- You can adjust the air conditioner and heating system through WiFi network or Bluetooth connectivity.
- By using an app that’s connected to your smart thermostat, feel free to instantly turn off your furnace and not waste money heating an empty residence.
- With a smart thermostat, you can also set up a daily or weekly heating and cooling schedule for your home. That way, you can make sure to save the most amount of money on your energy bills. [1]
- Some expensive products like a Nest Learning thermostat can even be controlled through voice commands using a smart speaker. It can be connected to Amazon Echo, Alexa, Google Assistant, or Apple Home Kit.
There are many options to choose from, and you don’t have to spend a ton of cash to get a high-quality and great unit. I recently reviewed the top smart thermostat for the lowest price, and it’s four competitors.
If you ask me, the service it can bring to my household is on another level. Take a look if this new gadget sparks your interest and if you need this in your home.
2. Robot Vacuum
Next up is a smart home gadget that removes a dreaded household chore – vacuuming. Robot vacuums are all the rage right now, and for a good reason too – it backs you up on your cleaning days.
These handy products keep your home clean without putting too much work because it’s easy to operate. A robot vacuum is wireless, so you don’t need to plug it while cleaning. It is rechargeable, and other units come with a charging hub.
If you do any research on these products, you’ll quickly realize that the top brands like the Roomba are very expensive. However, there is an affordable option out there that works the same, if not better than those pricey vacs.
I’ve scouted out the cheapest robot vacuums you can buy that do an amazing job at cleaning your home. These are my favorite picks and are the most affordable brands available in the market today.
3. Wireless Light
How would you like to have total control over the lights inside your smart home with just your mobile phone via an app? You don’t need to get up from your couch and switch the light on or off.
Wi-Fi controlled lights and switches are a hot product right now because they let you create the right ambiance indoors for every moment.
What can smart lights do?
- Smart light bulbs let you change the color of the light that’s emitted from soft white to blue, red, green, orange, and more. You’ll have full control of your light bulb via a smartphone app.
- New smart lights last for years and might be helpful in reducing electricity consumption as compared to incandescent bulbs.
- These light bulbs come with different specifications and quality. If you want, some units could be connected to a speaker for voice command purposes. Plus, you can purchase a smart assistant to operate it.
You can buy Wi-Fi light bulbs for just one room or set up a complete smart lighting system for your whole residence. If you want, you may even install these lights outdoor.
A light bulb can simply make a difference in your living room ambiance. One of the most popular smart lights is the Philips Hue bulbs that comes in a standard A19.
4. Smart Door Lock
Have you ever left your home and later thought to yourself, “Did I lock the front door?” That same question has popped into my mind too many times before.
You get paranoid because you always watch on the news about home break-ins because of unlocked front doors. Once you got a smart door lock, you never have to worry ever again.
These items give you complete control over the security of your home from your smartphone or tablet. Here’s why:
- It is simple to operate, and you can lock or unlock your doors from anywhere in the world.
- You won’t be needing a physical key since it has the fingerprint technology and pin codes.
- At the same time, you can send out virtual keys for others who need to get access to your home when you’re not there.
- Keep track of who is coming and going with history logging and notifications.
The best smart door lock can do that and more. Perhaps you should give one a try. You don’t need to buy the expensive Nest products to make your space a smarter place.
There are affordable smart locks that offers the same features. Just check out my post to see a cheaper alternative like an August smart lock.
5. Wireless Video Doorbell
Another device that can back up your home security and add convenience in your home is a wireless doorbell camera. Why did I include a smart doorbell in the living room essentials?
Well, imagine you’re in the living room, watching TV, and someone is at the door. If you don’t have a smart doorbell, you have to stand up to see who it is. It’s such a waste of time.
However, if you have a smart doorbell, you can check your mobile device via an app and see who it is. Now imagine this, if you also have a smart lock, you can open the door without the need to stand up.
Now I think that it is a real convenience when you’re enjoying yourself in the living room. Here are other benefits of having this little gadget:
- A doorbell camera records every interaction that happens at your door. You can set it up so that it will automatically turn on and captures video whenever it senses any motion or only turns on when you feel it’s necessary. Plus, it can support HDR recording.
- Most video doorbells also have infrared night vision so you can get a clear picture of who’s at your front door at night without turning on the exterior lights.
- These doorbells have two-way audio systems as well. It lets you communicate at anytime of the day with a microphone and speakers if there is a visitor outside. And unless you tell him or her that you’re not there, they’ll never expect it.
- It is easy to install, and you don’t need to actually plug it in an outlet because it is operated using battery power.
Wi-Fi doorbells come with a variety of features, and finding the best one for your needs can be time-consuming. To help your learn more, I’ve created a guide to choosing the best wireless video doorbell for your home.
It includes the best five products at the lowest prices and explains all of the features so you can come up with the right decision. You can find an equally the same product as a Nest on my review but has the same quality.
6. Smart TV
What kind of living room doesn’t have a TV? To make things more interesting, the smart TV will bring entertainment to the next level for the whole family.
Here are some of the perks you can enjoy when you have a smart TV in your living room (things that you cannot do with a regular TV):
- It can do everything a regular TV does and so much more. You can now browse the web with your smart TV.
- You can watch YouTube, Netflix, streaming services, or music podcasts directly.
- Screen sharing from your mobile device via an app is available. So you can turn your TV into a gaming screen and play any game using your mobile device. At the same time, you can watch videos from your Android or Apple phone smartphone so the whole family can watch it all together.
That’s It…
I’m sure there are other gadgets you can place in your living room for smarter technology. The top 6 featured on this list is the good start to making your house a smart home.
I hope you enjoyed this post and found something that sparked an interest. Don’t forget to check out other home gadgets on my page to help you live better.
Reference:
[1] https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-wi-fi-2377430
