Do you remember the classic 1999 Disney Channel Original Movie “Smart House”?
Of course you do.
Well, it’s 2020, and I say we all deserve to have a high tech house that cleans up after us and hopefully doesn’t trap us in the house by locking all the doors and windows so that we have to remind it that it will never be human…tbh, that part was somewhat traumatizing to me as a child.
Point being, we all want a smart house, and with the numerous high-tech options out there these days, we can have it. Ready to turn your house into a non-scary smart house?
Let’s do it.
Amazon Alexa or Google Play with Integrations
The thing about Alexa is that, on it’s own, it’s not really that cool. I use it to set timers in the kitchen and alarms in the bedroom…whatever.
But when you hook it up to your speakers, and you can ask Alexa to play any song on Spotify through your Sonos system, now you’re getting somewhere.
Why not use smart plugs to have Alexa turn on your lamps and Christmas lights, too? Control your robot vacuum while you’re at it.
I’m pretty sure we can even control our oven and washing machine with Alexa now. Maybe we should start calling her Pat?
Nest Thermostat
I don’t know if it’s the pretty design , the easy usability, or the fact that it adapts based on your temperature habits, but the Nest just makes you feel way more high-tech than having the same thermostat that your dad wouldn’t let you touch as a kid.
We did once go on vacation and came back to a freezing house because it goes into vacation mode when it doesn’t detect motion for a certain amount of time.
Tbh, it did have a little twinge of scary smart house mommy/Pat taking over. Keeping it spicy over here!
…but it’s a nice feature if you’re like me and always kicking yourself boarding the plane and thinking about how you’re paying to keep your house 70 degrees when nobody’s there. Just be sure to check the vacation mode settings!
Motion Activated Lights
This is a super simple one, but when you walk into a room and someone automatically turns the lights on for you, it feels very “my house is also my assistant.”
If you can’t afford to pay someone to turn on the lights for you, install a motion activated light switch. It’s easier than you think to switch out the switches in your house.
We love having a motion activated light in rooms where we commonly have our hands full—the pantry, laundry room, weird storage areas. Plus, if you have kids, it’s great not to worry about them leaving lights on all over the house.
We’re even thinking of putting some in rooms in our house where the light switch is in a weird place—I’m looking at you, powder room—so we can stop slapping the empty wall whenever we walk in.
Automatic Paper Towel Dispenser
I know this sounds dumb and like the kind of thing you can find in almost any public restroom these days, but for some reason having a motion paper towel dispenser in your house feels very very cool.
We put one up in the city house and I immediately got a bunch of questions about where it’s from. People love it!
Plus, it takes the towel back if you don’t use it, so you can show off the function without having to waste towels. See? So cool.
It’s Not Like a Regular House, It’s a Smart House
How do you make your house smarter? Let me know in the comments—I’m always looking for cool new gadgets to buy!
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