Turning your home into a smart home doesn’t mean you’ll have a robot butler tending to your every need or Tony Stark’s Jarvis running your home. Instead, a smart home is a connected home that you can control from a tap of your smartphone.
There are plenty of ways that you can make your home a little bit smarter this Black Friday, but here are our top recommendations…
Install proactive smart security
Traditional security is reactive and when needed, it does great at alerting you to any issues. But what about adding a layer of proactive security on top of it? Ring has become synonymous with smart security. From its slick doorbells to its flashing floodlights, you’ll always be able to see what’s happening around your home.
The Ring Floodlight Wired Pro Full HD 1080p WiFi Security Camera is the perfect addition to the outside of your house. Monitoring your house in full HD, the Ring Floodlight Pro notifies you of any visitors, lets you speak to visitors or, if they’re unwanted, flash the floodlight and set off a siren all from your smartphone.
Complement your Ring Floodlight with the Ring Video Doorbell 4. More than just a doorbell, this allows you to see, hear and speak to your visitors no matter where you are. Its wide-angled with a full HD 1080p video so you can see everyone who approaches your door.
Get more for your energy with smart heating
Now that the outside of your home is smart, let’s upgrade the inside. With smart heating, you’ll never come home to a cold house again. A smart thermostat keeps your home at the right temperature for you and could reduce your energy bills by up to 30% a year!
The Google Nest Learning Thermostat is constantly learning and using data to more accurately and efficiently heat your home. It adjusts to your heating preferences and again when you leave the house. All controlled by your smartphone, you’ll get a monthly Home Report so you can see your energy use and see how you can use less and save more.
Or try the tado° Wireless Smart Thermostat Starter Kit V3+, which learns how long it takes your home to heat up and cool down so your home is always just right. It also uses the local weather forecast so you’re not heating the house during a heatwave! Add in the tado° V3+ Smart Radiator Thermostat to have full control of your radiators and maximise the comfort in your home.
Control your lights with smart lighting
Don’t you hate when you’re nice and comfy on the couch, about to watch a film when someone asks you to get up to close the door or turn off the lights? While we don’t have any automatic door closing technology, we do have plenty of smart lighting that you can control from your phone!
Philips Hue lightbulbs have become the go-to for smart lighting. The Philips Hue White and Colour Ambience Mini Smart Bulb Starter Kit is ideal for dipping your toe into smart lighting and transforming your sitting room. With the Hue Bridge, you can check on lightbulbs when you’re out and put them on timers for when you come home. Through their 16 million colours, you can create the perfect atmosphere whether you want a cosy warm room or want your lights to react to what you’re watching or listening to.
