Do you remember the Jetsons, that futuristic family from the popular 1960s cartoon? How crazy was it seeing all those gadgets and gizmos and thinking how great it would be to have them in your own home? Believe it or not, the future has caught up with the past. For some, adopting home automation may seem like a way to complicate things that have worked just fine until now. But the truth is, some smart home devices are simply better than their old-school counterparts. Here are three familiar household amenities that you should consider retiring in favor of their new and improved versions.
Doorbell: Someone rings it and you know there’s a guest at your door—that is, if you’re home. But, with a video doorbell, like those made by Ring or Nest for example, you can see who’s at your door—day or night/home or away, straight from your mobile device via live video stream. Motion sensors notify you if someone approaches, which is helpful for monitoring and deterring unwanted guests; your video footage is stored in the cloud and many have the ability to speak to visitors at your door from anywhere.
Lights: When it comes to smart lighting, you have two options: Smart bulbs such as Philips Hue or LIFX allow you to set your home’s ambience by changing color, switching between warm and cool and have your lights mimic the sunrise in the morning or sunset in the evening. This is great for regulating sleep cycles, moods and even hunger patterns. They are more energy efficient, some include built-in speakers, motion sensors and security cameras and connect with Siri or Alexa. The other option is Smart Switches which can control your old “dumb” bulbs through an old-fashioned switch on the wall.
Thermostat: Smart thermostats such as Nest learn your household’s patterns to identify the best schedule for your lifestyle, automatically adjusts temperature when conditions change, and you can control it from your phone, tablet or voice assistants like Siri and Alexa.
Of course, there are numerous other home automation devices that can benefit you. Smart security systems, smart garage doors, smart smoke alarms; the list goes on and on. These gadgets and gizmos might be cool and convenient, but they also provide a few other benefits for your household, such as peace of mind, saving money, conserving energy and boosting home value. Give me a call to chat more about what smart tech can do for your home’s market value. Until next week….
Jill Santandrea, Broker Manager, EXIT Homestead Realty Professionals LLC, 1070 E Chestnut Ave, Vineland, NJ 08360; 856-692-EXIT; Cell: 856-362-0967; Direct: 888-856-5455; TheJillTeam.com; E-mail: [email protected]; Text JillS to 85377 for my mobile business card. Listen to Jill on 99.9FM SNJ Radio Today. Source: 2019 Buffini & Company
