Are you new to tech, gadgets and all this smart stuff? What really are the top 5 smart gadgets you need to get you started and well on the way to amping up your smart life.
There’s so much you have to choose from, do you need a hub or sender unit? What devices do I need? what do these things do? if you are a seasoned vet in tech? Then I’d find another article to read, but if you’re new to all this and want to get started the right way, the first time, check out this guide and you’ll have all the knowledge you need to choose the right gear without making the mistakes.
If you’re a total beginner and don’t know what smart tech is all about let alone what top 5 smart gadgets you need ( don’t worry, we all started somewhere) check my beginner’s guide here
What is smart tech?
As a brief simplistic guide, smart tech is a single or collection of devices that are designed to make you and your family’s life easier, for instance, there’s smart heating control, smart tellys, smart lighting and so on so let’s get into the finer details.
Im in, so what are the top 5 smart gadgets you need?
Smart Heating
This is classed as one of the first smart home devices, and definitely a top 5 smart gadget you need, usually in the form of a smart thermostat that’s wirelessly connected to your boiler or heating system.
With a smart thermostat, you can control your heating, hot water and with some systems, you can control each individual room’s temperature. Some have whats called geo-fencing where your system knows when you have left your house and when you’re returning so your house isn’t being heated when the place is empty thus saving you money.
Of course with the thermostat being smart, some of them will learn your behaviours and tailor your heating requirements to optimise your settings, again saving you money in the long run.
What Do I Need?
A smart thermostat to start with, this will control your heating with an app on your phone or tablet.
Theres a few to choose from, but I suggest you research, Nest, Hive and Tado or check out my post on smart heating here
Expect to pay anything from £80 to over £300 for a full system.
Smart Lighting
This is exactly as it sounds, a method to control your lighting from an app in your phone. These are more independent lighting switches and more commonly bulbs that are connected to your home wifi so you can control them from anywhere
You can switch the lights on and off, set schedules, change lighting colours and themes. So if you’re trying to get your better half in the mood, just grab your phone soften the lights and you’re good to go!!
Going away on holiday? you can set separate schedules for each lighting unit you have connected, so you could have your lounge lets come on at say 7 pm until 11 pm, then stairs lights 11:05 till 11:15 then bedroom lights following that kind of pattern soi It would definitely look to a watching burglar that someone is in and moving about the house normally
Having a bit of a party? you can set some lights to interact with your tunes, your local club Dj will have sleepless nights believe me!!
What Do I Need?
You have 2 choices, you can buy smart bulbs like the ones in the Phillips Hue range or you can buy smart light switches that also have an aesthetic design appeal as they are nice and modern as well as being super cool as they control your lights!! One thing I will say is pick one method of lighting control and run with it as you don’t want loads of different apps controlling your lights or you’re gonna have a full smartphone page with 12 light-controlling apps!! Not good
Smart Speaker/Home Assistant
I joined these into one heading as they usually go hand in hand with each other, I’m sure you’ve heard of Amazon’s Alexa? It’s a voice and app-controlled home assistant, you can say “Hey Alexa what’s today’s weather, whats my schedule, what’s apples stock trading ‘ and such like.
You can also sync your other smart devices with your digital assistant or home hub. For a detailed post on smart home tech check this here
You can also use your smart speaker/ home assistant to form the core of your smart home control. Instead of spending 100’s on fully wired in home automation systems and 1,000’s on the electrician to install it then more 100’s to fix it when your blinds go up when you turn your kitchen light off!!
Briefly, if you use your smart assistant to integrate and synchronise your smart kit, your phone will be a world more organised and tidy, if you buy an Echo Show for instance you can control all your smart devices, heating, lights, speakers CCTV etc using the one app.
What do I need?
you just need to make a choice on what smart speaker you like and if it is compatible with your current smart set up if you have any of course. Choose a brand you know or like such as Google, Alexa, Nest or Apples home kit but there’s a world of choice out there
Smart Plugs
These can literally be a money-saving game changer and an economical way of transforming your standard but beautiful house into a hi-tech smart emporium.
A smart plug can literally change any device that just needs to be switched on to work into a smart, remote controllable device.
You can control and table lamp into a smart lamp, you could fill your kettle, switch it on and set up a schedule for it to boil and boom your kettle has boiled just as you walk down the stairs. I also have a deli and i have smart plugs controlling cooking equipment so its hot and ready to use when i walk in the door.
You could attach a normal electric radiator to a smart plug and there you have it you have now got a smart heater. Of course it goes without saying that if you have a device that requires various button presses after powering on to get it to work then this isn’t gonna work for it, as much as I’d like to program my air fryer to have my dinner ready when i come home it’s not going to happen! But I’m sure you get the jist!
What do I need
There is literally hundreds to choose from, I think even Amazon have created their own!! Best advice as said before is to make sure you choose one that can be operated with your current smart home devices or the ones you mainly intend on buying.
Smart Doorbell
Smart doorbells are becoming more and more widespread as they provide convenience as well as security. How many times have you missed a delivery? The postie walks up your drive then he rings the bell, you’re not in and back to the sorting office your parcel goes. if you had a smart doorbell, you can catch him walking up your drive, you can speak to him and ask him to leave your parcel in a safe place or knock next door to take it in for you.
They are also really good for security too, you can set a geo-fence to scan that area, and every time someone steps into this area your tricky doorbell lets you know through an app. To save the footage you do have to subscribe to a monthly plan which is about £2 a month but if you’re using it for security there’s not much point having it without the plan. For a more detailed post and advice which smart doorbells to choose click here
Conclusion
So i’ve said these are the top 5 smart gadgets you need today, and i stand by that statement, I think, maybe without you even knowing, you need these gadgets, trust me start simple, get a smart home hub, digital assistant, smart speaker or whatever you want to call it, see how useful it could really be. Slowly add things to your smart home map and before you know it without spending major dollar, you’ve got a smart home my friend and you’ll never look back trust me!!
Smart Television
As a last throw in that I didn’t know whether to mention the smart telly, for me this is just a given, why oh why would you even consider a telly that wasn’t smart in this day and age? In fact it should be illegal to buy a T.V that isn’t smart.
There’s so many streaming channels, games, apps and uses for your smart TV I’m not sure I’d even watch a TV if it wasn’t smart. You can play free games, browse the internet, post on Twitter, stream 4k films and series, stream content from your phone or websites the list goes on but I had to mention it because it is one of the 5 smart gadgets you need without a doubt!
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