Best Smart Home Gadgets to Transform Your Living Space

There’s not a single aspect of your life that isn’t impacted by technology. For years, people dreamed of having access to some of the technology that we often take for granted.

If you want to minimize your carbon footprint and stop spending so much money on gasoline, you can purchase an electric car.

If you want to call a loved one who you haven’t seen in a while and see them face to face, you can do that.

Want to catch up on that latest novel from your favorite author but just don’t have time to sit down and read 500 pages?

You can download an app and listen to the book on your morning commute. Technology is everywhere, and it’s reshaping the way that we live.

As of 2023, around 43% of American households had some sort of smart home technology in place, meaning more than half of Americans have yet to tap into this trend.

Whether you’re among that number, or you have some smart home gadgets but aren’t sure what you can add next, you can learn more about what types of smart home technology are out there and how the benefits of adding smart home technology to your life.

What is Smart Home Technology?

The most basic definition of smart home technology is any type of home automation that allows homeowners to control home systems and devices with their phones, tablets, or mobile devices.

Installers can set up these systems through wireless connections or by hardwiring systems into place.

What are the Benefits of Smart Home Technology?

The biggest benefit of smart home technology is the convenience that it offers. Instead of having to wake up in the middle of the night to adjust the thermostat, you can do that from your phone now.

If you’re getting ready to pull out of your driveway and realize that you left the bathroom light on, you can turn it off from your car. Convenience is the name of the game when it comes to smart home technology.

In a time when people are busier than they’ve ever been before, being able to streamline some of your daily tasks and use technology to get them done is a huge perk.

Depending on the type of smart home technology that you use, you can also improve your home’s energy efficiency.

While we’ve already briefly discussed smart lights, there are other types of smart home technology that can boost energy efficiency. For instance, you can automate your home’s HVAC system to only operate at certain times.

While having smart home technology installed can incur a relatively high up-front cost, the cost benefits make it a worthwhile investment.

Finally, smart home technology is proven to increase your home’s value. Even if you’re not planning on selling your home in the immediate future, anything that you can do to boost your home equity is a wise investment.

While this certainly shouldn’t be your primary motivation for installing smart home technology, studies do show that homes with smart home technology sell for between 5% and 10% more than homes without it.

What Kinds of Smart Home Gadgets Can I Get?

Check out some of the best home gadgets you can buy to upgrade your living space.

Smart Thermostats

Smart thermostats are one of the most common types of smart home technology. As is the case with any type of this technology, smart thermostats work by allowing you to control your home’s HVAC system by phone.

You can also opt for a system that learns your comfort patterns over time and starts making changes for you.

If you and your family are gone to work and school during the day, it doesn’t make sense to leave your HVAC system running at full force, increasing your utility bills.

With a smart thermostat, you can adjust the temperature shortly before everyone returns home and have the house nice and comfortable when you arrive. This is also helpful if you like to travel and have pets in your home.

By keeping up with the weather at home, you can adjust your thermostat accordingly from wherever you are.

Smart Lights

Smart lights are also incredibly popular, largely because of the customization options that you have. It’s great to be able to turn off your lights remotely. Everyone has left their house and realized that they left a light on behind them.

Instead of wasting energy and money by leaving those lights on until you get back home, you can pull up the app on your phone, turn off your lights, and go about your day.

That’s not the only way that smart lights can benefit you, though. You can also set schedules for your lights, instructing them to turn on and off at certain times.

Many people utilize this technology to start their days, telling their bedroom lights to turn on when they need to get up every morning.

Additionally, you can change the colors of your lights, creating different atmospheres for different situations. Many people implement smart lights in their home theaters, as you can set your lights to sync with your music or movies.

Smart Security Camera

Smart home technology has also changed home security for the better. There are several companies, including Ring, Blink, and Arlo that allow you to control high-definition security cameras from your phone.

The resolution that these cameras provide is significantly better than the grainy security footage that people relied on for years.

Additionally, you can save images from your security cameras, which is crucial should someone try to break into your home.

Finally, most of these systems allow you to communicate verbally with the person on the other end of the camera, which is a proven method of discouraging burglars from breaking into your home, as they’ll assume that someone is inside.

Smart Home Speaker

Perhaps the most popular type of smart home technology is the smart speaker. Smart speakers, such as Alexa and the Amazon Echo, are voice-operated and can perform a variety of tasks.

For instance, if you want to listen to a particular song, you can tell your voice speaker to play it and it will. You can also ask your speaker questions instead of trying to Google an answer.

If you feel like you have too many things on your to-do list to possibly keep it all straight, your smart speaker can also serve as a virtual assistant that you can train to remind you about tasks you need to complete.

Smart Appliances

One of the newest types of smart technology is smart appliances. Trying to get everyone in your house to tell you what they need from the grocery store is next to impossible, but with a smart refrigerator, your fridge will keep up with what you need.

You can also invest in a smart washer and dryer, giving you the ability to turn your laundry on from wherever you’re at.

No more getting home from work only to find that your child’s soccer uniform needs to be cleaned.

Now, if you’re at work and remember that you left it in the dryer, you can turn the dryer on and get everybody to the field on time and ready to play.

Get Smart Home Gadgets

Smart home technology has come a long way over the last few years, so it’s impossible to determine how many more parts of our lives will be affected going forward.

Understanding how you can implement smart home technology can help you maximize your home’s energy efficiency, comfort, convenience, and even your family’s safety.