Published on November 8th, 2018 | by Sunit Nandi

Smart Home Automations You Can Use From Your Phone

Smart home automation is the direction technology is headed over the next couple of years, which means pretty soon we’ll be able to control everything in our home with just a smartphone. Smart speakers already let you ask questions and perform tasks with your voice, but there’s so much more we can do with smart home automation thanks to the Internet of Things. Let’s take a peek at some of the best innovations you can find on the market today.

1. Smart Microwave

Amazon is well known for their Alexa-enabled products that allow consumers to control device functions with just their voice. Alongside a new version of the Echo smart speaker, Amazon unveiled a new smart microwave that can allow customers to defrost chicken or order more popcorn with just their voice or smartphone.

Amazon says the microwave keeps track of how many times you cook popcorn to make sure you never run out. The company is providing a smartboard and chip to other manufacturers who might want to include the Alexa-powered technology in their upcoming devices. Coffee makers, espresso machines, fridges, and even kitchen ovens are being considered.

2. Indoor & Outdoor Lights

LED lights were one of the first common home appliances that were given the smart home treatment. Bulbs from manufacturers like Philips and LIFX allow users to control the lights in their homes with an app on their smartphone. Integration with digital assistants like Google Home and Amazon’s Alexa offer voice-enabled control, too.

One of the best features of smart lights is the ability to set them up on a schedule and group them by room, so you can control everything that is happening at once. Some lights even feature the ability to detect music waves in the room and sync their pulsing to the music, making for great party effects.

3. Smart Pool Automation

If you’re lucky enough to afford the cost of a pool in today’s economy, you’ll be happy to know that there is plenty of home automation tech for pools as well.

While smart home technology is just now getting taken seriously in the pool industry, some pool suppliers have showcased how their equipment can be hooked to digital assistant ecosystems like Amazon’s Alexa for climate control heating and cooling, pumps, lights, and all aspects of a pool setup.

Being able to control everything about your home directly from your smartphone or with your voice is the future. Digital assistants like Alexa come with additional features that can be enabled called skills. These skills can be accessed through the Alexa app on your smartphone and showcase things like telling you the weather, the current temperature of the pool, or whether or not the heater is currently running.

4. Energy Consumption

When you get a bill from the electric company in the mail, a breakdown tells you how much electricity your family used that month. But how do you know that’s accurate if you’re not monitoring the meter outside yourself? That’s where Neurio comes in.

Neurio is a device that sits inside your circuit-breaker panel to monitor real-time energy consumption for your home. If you’re serious about saving money on energy costs, it is one of the best smart home automation additions you can make. The app is robust and works on iOS and Android, allowing users to see just how much energy is being consumed by everyone in the home.

5. Smart Doorbells

As the internet of things has expanded exponentially since 2016, we can expect tons more smart products showing up in different categories. Smart doorbells have recently taken off with the rise in home package delivery, as no one likes having to deal with package thieves.

There are several brands to choose from, depending on your budget and the feature set you want. Most smart doorbells have a few things in common. You’ll get a notification on your phone when someone pressed the doorbell outside. You also have the option of speaking to them through your phone or viewing who’s there thanks to a camera attached to the unit.

Some smart doorbells even feature integration with Amazon’s Alexa, allowing you to let people into the house even when you’re not home. Amazon has experimented with this concept themselves by allowing delivery drivers limited access to homes via their smart lock service.

Tags: automations, Phone, smart home, use

About the Author

Sunit Nandi I'm the leader of Techno FAQ. Also an engineering college student with immense interest in science and technology. Other interests include literature, coin collecting, gardening and photography. Always wish to live life like there's no tomorrow.