I heard you just bought your first house. Well, congratulations and I couldn’t be happier for you. Anyway, I moved into my new house last year. While I was focused on accumulating tons of furniture and crockery, my friend advised me to be a little wise by investing in smart-home gadgets.
Well, half the credit for this article goes to my friend because his recommendations made my life easier. Now, I am going to share a few items that I consider necessary for first-time homeowners. Let’s start:
Home Security System:
A quality home security system can be expensive, but it’s worth the investment. Think beyond burglaries because with a smart home security system, you can:
- Keep tabs on your kids to see what they’re up to.
- Get alerts if there’s a fire, water, or gas leak.
- Alert emergency responders, such as law enforcement or an ambulance.
- Access your home remotely. Even when you’re away, you can remotely monitor your house through your smartphone.
Brands Recommended: Arlo Home Security System, Ring Alarm Pro.
Smart Plugs:
Smart plugs are truly one-of-a-kind gadgets that you’d want to equip your house with and make your electronic devices smart. For instance, you can turn on or off a coffee maker plugged into smart plugs using a mobile app or voice assistant.
- You can connect smart plugs to your home WiFi and control them over a network. Plus, you can integrate smart plugs with voice assistants, for instance, Siri, Amazon Alexa, and more.
- You can set specific timings for electronic devices to turn on or off throughout the day.
- Smart plugs are energy-efficient. You can monitor the power consumption of each device connected to the smart plug via its app.
- While you’re away, you can auto-schedule lights to turn on and off to make it appear as if you’re home.
Brands Recommended: TP-Link Kasa Smart WiFi Plug, Eve Energy Outlet.
Robotic Vacuum Cleaner:
Trust me, it hurts to see your new house getting dirty and dusty but a robotic vacuum cleaner can keep it clean. Most robotic vacuum cleaners:
- Have laser mapping, infrared sensors, or cameras help it to map your house and not get stuck in furniture. Also, you can set no-go areas for your home robots like restroom, kitchen, etc.
- Can be controlled via apps or smart-voice assistants.
- Consist of a large dustbin capacity to ensure you can leave it to work when leaving the house.
- Contain detachable parts like bins, filters, or brushes to make it easier for you to open and clean them. Look out for better filters as the advanced ones can remove the smallest dirt particles.
Brands Recommended: iRobot Roomba, Eufy RoboVac G30.
Smart Thermostat:
A basic thermostat can equip your house with temperature scheduling capabilities. However, a smart thermostat can offer:
- integration with your smart home devices, for instance, Alexa or Google Nest. You can also control a smart thermostat from its application, voice assistant, or from the control hub.
- Automation based on your habits and preferences. In the long run, you may not even need to change its settings since it may adjust them on its own.
- Detailed energy usage of your household from a smart thermostat.
Brand Recommended: Ecobee Smart Thermostat, Sensi Touch 2.
Smart Video Doorbell:
A smart video doorbell is a must, not just for new houses, but for any house because it:
- offers cloud or local storage like microSD cards where doorbell footage can be stored and accessed at any time.
- Are accessible via their apps.
- llows you to speak from anywhere to visitors via a built-in mic because of its two-way communication feature.
- Rings your phone as soon as it detects unusual motion in its field of view. This way, it can warn you of any potential threat lurking around your house.
Brands Recommended: Arlo 2K Video Doorbell, Blink Video Doorbell.
Bonus Recommendation:
While I have told you about vital gadgets for your new home, I believe there is one more thing to be discussed. You will need a reliable internet connection, not just for browsing, but to make sure these gadgets work efficiently. For instance, AT&T Internet can work smoothly with some of these gadgets. There is a dedicated smart home manager app that allows you to manage all compatible devices right from your smartphone!
So, make sure while you’re looking to make your new home smart, don’t forget the internet because it is as essential as these gadgets are. Good Luck!
