As technology for the home is becoming more and more integrated into our daily lives, we’re discovering gadgets that help families live more efficiently, give us peace of mind and are even designed well to blend in with our living spaces.
We’ve rounded up some of our favourites smart home technology gadgets here.
D-LINK OMNA Home Camera
When you’re stepping out for errands, away for a night out or even on vacation, you can keep an eye on things at home with this in-home camera. It’s also great for keeping an eye on your pets! It offers a wide-angle lens at 180 degrees so you can see more even in complete darkness. We love the motion detection that captures what’s happening and will send you alerts right to your device. There’s also a two-way microphone and speaker communication ability so you can chat if needed – and the discreet and modern design of this camera looks great, but is also functional, as it records video clips and images for backup.
NETATMO’S PRESENCE Outdoor Camera and Flood Light
This helpful gadget offers you a new level of home safety with the ability to distinguish people from cars and animals. Now you can see if someone is hanging around your entrance way, when your kids come home from camp and even if you need to keep an eye on the dog in the backyard. It installs on any outdoor light fixture. Live stream what’s happening in real-time on your device via the Netatmo app.
ECOBEE3 with Room Sensors
Created in Toronto, this thermostat helps keep the house temperature at any level you like in more than one room. You can measure the temp in a variety of rooms (with sensors) and adjust accordingly. Grandma finds it too cool in the living room? Your little one feels too warm in the bedroom? The sensors can help deliver better comfort to each room. You can also manage the room-by-room temperatures on your mobile device via the ecobee app.
NESPRESSO PRODIGIO
Your morning schedule is tight and you can’t even begin to function until you’ve had your first shot of caffeine. Prodigio is Nespresso’s first connected machine that is for the most efficient espresso lovers. Connected through Bluetooth to your device, you can program the precise moment when you need your coffee fix without worry. The downloaded app will also monitor when you’re almost out of coffee and when the machine is in need of a cleaning.
GOOGLE HOME WIFI EXTENDER
Ever find there are areas of the house where you can’t seem to get online or get dropped signals? This great unit from Google offers stronger wi-fi signal throughout the home at an affordable price and it’s really easy to set up (for multi-level houses you can also set up additional units to increase your area of coverage). What we love? There’s also a parental control so you can limit the time your family is online.
RACHIO SMART SPRINKLER CONTROLLER
You’re away at the cottage and you’re worried about your lawn. Before your tomato plants shrivel up and your grass turns yellow, consider maintaining your garden sprinkler system remotely. You can control your sprinklers right from your smart device with this gadget. It also can also automatically delay turning on with EPA WaterSense smart metering so when it rains, it knows to wait even if you don’t.
FURBO DOG CAMERA
We can’t forget about our family pets. Furbo is a smart dog camera that allows you to interact with your best furry friend. Say hi and also receive alerts on your mobile device if your dog is barking and in distress. The 2-way audio ability will let your pup hear your reassuring voice. We also love how you can toss treats from the device too simply from the command from your phone. The gadget also has night vision so you can see your pets in the dark.
BELKIN WEMO SWITCH SMART PLUG
Remember when we all used to have timers on light switches in the home that we could program to turn off and on during the day or night? It made it appear like someone was home, but it was actually just on a set schedule that didn’t change much. So sneaky – until everyone caught on. With the Belkin WeMo Switch, your mobile device allows you to program or manually turn electronic devices on and off at your convenience via app. It can even be scheduled to turn on a light right at the golden hour of sunset to make it look like someone is home. The switch can also be used to control fans and heaters remotely. We love that each person in our household can control the WeMo from each of our phones.
PHILIPS AIR PURIFIER SERIES 2000i
If someone in your family suffers from seasonal allergies, or has asthma, this latest from Philips helps improve the air quality in your home. The air purifier automatically monitors and purifies the air as well as offers real-time air quality feedback right to your mobile device through a connected app. The Pre-filter and True HEPA filter removes 99.97% of allergens and pollutants in the air while the Active Carbon filter reduces gases and odors from the air.
MIELE G6000 ECOFLEX DISHWASHER
We previewed this dishwasher earlier this year at the Canadian Interior Design Show and it had won us over with its much touted energy efficient features. Now we’ve learned that this new line has already been rated ‘Most Efficient’ for 2017 by Energy Star for exceptional energy efficiency. The new EcoFlex’s technology also features a ‘QuickIntenseWash’ (yes, it’s one word now) for a serious clean in 58 minutes from start to dry finish. We also love the flexible basket design so we can re-arrange where everything goes if needed.
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