Whether you are developing property for rental, and want to give that polished feel, or you’ve recently moved into a property yourself and want the most modern finishes available to you, smarthome technologies are going to be way up there on your wishlist.
The smarthome is one of the best examples of the ‘Internet of Things’. So many appliances and utilities can be connected to your home’s WiFi network, and by extension your smartphone, tablet or other services that make use of the APIs in the tech, allowing you to control your home from wherever you may be.
The smarthome technologies we feature below are not just fascinating because of what they can do alone, but all of them can also connect to a service called IFTTT (if this, then that) which allows them to speak to one another. For example, you put a romantic playlist on Sonos, and your lights turn red. Oh the romance!
Take a look at our top 5 smarthome technologies, that are both awesome in their own right, but also talk to one another for all sorts of hacks!
1. Nest
Nest thermostat learns your schedule and the temperatures you like. In theory, you should never have to touch the thermostat again, and even knows when you’re away, or likely to be back. Through IFTTT, you can even use location to let it know you’re on the way home.
2. Alexa
Amazon’s Alexa is designed around your voice. It’s always on, allowing you to ask for information, music, news, weather, and more. With IFTTT you can even use it to control other smarthome technologies, such as turning the Nest thermostat down.
3. Hue
Philips Hue connected bulbs let you take full control of your lighting, turning to whatever colour you fancy, or blinking for alerts. Through IFTTT, you can even set the colour of your home to match your latest Instagram, or to flash when you’re tagged in a Facebook post.
4. Musaic
Musaic is a Smart Hi-Fi system, allowing you to enjoy your music in every room. Through the IFTTT integration, you can set your Hue lights to go into disco mode when your party playlist plays, or even sound an alarm if someone breaks in.
5. Danalock
Danalock lets you control the access to your properties. Through the IFTTT integration, you can set it so your front door unlocks when you arrive at the house, or to lock via text, or at a certain time of day that you set, so you can always be sure.
Have you used any of these smarthome technologies in your properties? Let us know on Twitter, @ElevationComms.