Smart gadgets for around the home are becoming increasingly affordable and in turn, incredibly popular. We have chosen our top five smart gadgets that will make your life easier and more importantly – safer. Your Wightfibre #FastestIW connection will enable you to seamlessly enjoy all of these products and future releases remotely, using your iOS or Android powered mobile device. From smoke alarm batteries that alert you of danger in your home when you’re out, to controlling your slow cooker from your desk at work on a cold winter’s day, everyone is bound to find a smart gadget that they will fall in love with.
One of the first smart gadgets to be released was the smart thermostat, there are various versions available but we have chosen this one from Tado. The beauty of this product is that its more energy efficient then using the timer on your boiler. This means that it is not only more friendly to the environment but in turn is cheaper to run. The Tado thermostat links to your mobile device and tracks when you are due home, meaning that the temperature will be correct for your arrival home. Do you use a smart thermostat? Tell us about it on Facebook, we’d love to know how you have found the transition.
This battery is a necessity for every safety-conscious home owner. It is designed to fit your existing, traditional smoke alarm or CO2 detector, but when fitted it will then transform your detector into a smart gadget. If your alarm does go off and you have a Roost battery fitted, it will alert you or any other nominated people of the problem via your or their mobile device, where you are then presented with options such as call 999 or silence the alarm. We can see the Roost battery becoming part of everyday life very soon and it is probably the most important smart gadget featured in this blog.
You may have recently heard about the launch of Amazon Echo, Google have also released their latest smart gadget to rival it – Google Home. Google have launched a number of new services recently and is increasingly offering users the choice to have everything they need in one easy to use account. Google Home has a built in speaker, responds to voice commands, streams music, connects to your existing cast devices and can control multiple smart gadgets around your home. Google Home may seem futuristic and to many unnecessary, but for £50 less than the Amazon Echo, we think it’s the obvious choice for anyone looking to ‘smartify’ their home with one easy to use hub.
Belkin’s Crock-Pot is part of the WeMo wireless smart home platform and has recently launched as the first slow cooker that can be controlled using your mobile device. Users simply download the accompanying app for the slow cooker and they are able to control it’s settings remotely. Other features include reminders to your phone, adjusting the temperature & cooking time, a ‘cook calculator’ and even the ability to check the status of your food, so that you can adjust it accordingly for your arrival home. This product retails at around £99, which may more than a standard slow cooker would usually cost, but is fantastic value for the ability to relax knowing that you can monitor the cooker’s status.
Many companies are now offering smart plugs, but we have chosen to feature the Samsung ISP8 plug. Like all smart gadgets, this plug can be controlled remotely using your mobile device allowing you to turn the plug on or off. There are many reasons you may want to do this, from controlling a light whilst you are away to deter burglars to checking your straighteners are definitely off when you’re out of the house. This plug can also be used alongside other smart gadgets such as Alexa and Tado. It’s definitely worth considering for those who need to check everything twice before leaving the house.
If you’ve purchased a smart device for your home then we would love to hear about it and whether you’d recommend one. Contact us through Facebook page or Twitter account to let us know.
Is your connection too slow to benefit from smart devices? Switch today to be part of our #FastestIW network.
