10 Must-Have Add-Ons for Your Smart Home System (Part One)
Learn more about smart home technology and how it makes life easier and helps save energy in your home.
We have created a list of 11 total products that we think are must-haves for your smart home system. We will present all 11 in a 3-part series, beginning with the first four products today. Be sure to check out our Smart Home Hubs Buying Guide to help you select the perfect smart hub to control all the must-have devices you incorporate into your home.
1. Programmable Thermostat- Help ensure a comfortable home no matter how hot or cold it is outside. Many models actually program themselves and learn your heating and cooling patterns in as little as one week, and then make adjustments as necessary. You can also control them remotely, which comes in handy for sudden snow storms or heat waves that can somehow sneak by your favorite local weather forecaster.
Help ensure a comfortable home no matter how hot or cold it is outside. |
2. Water Leak Detector- Has this ever happened to you? You take your family on an unbelievable vacation and when you get back, you discover the washing machine water line sprung a leak and you now have over a foot of water in your laundry room. Well, hook up a water leak detector to your smart home system and get notified when water is first detected, so you can have your plumber spring into action and fix the leak before water begins to accumulate. Try Samsung's SmartThings water leak sensor or Honeywell's water leak detector to protect your home.
3. Smoke/CO Alarm- Help keep your family safe from fire and carbon monoxide with a smart alarm. These alarms are not your ordinary smoke alarms. Smart alarms actually tell you where the fire or CO leak is in your home, notify you when fast and slow-burning fires are detected and tell you when the batteries are low. And if you leave the oven on too long and your pizza leftovers burn, you can silence the alarm from your couch instead of having to frantically open the smoke alarm and rip out the batteries.
4. Security Camera- Protecting our homes and families is one of the most important responsibilities we have. Security cameras can be included as part of your smart home network to give you more peace of mind. Connect them to your smart hub and start receiving instant updates when cameras detect movement or when someone knocks on your door or rings your doorbell. Some camera systems enable video to be saved, which can then be turned over to police should a break-in occur.
We will present part two of our series installment next, so make sure you come back to see which products have made our list.