The reality of “top 10 home gadget ideas” living may seem a little ordinary to those who grew up dreaming about flying cars and travelers in every home, but that, in our opinion, is what makes contemporary smart home concepts and trends so beautiful. The finest ones ease people’s lives by operating in the background.
The Alexa-enabled voice-controlled smart speakers and gadgets from Amazon are a prime example of “smart” technology making it into our homes. Globally, they have connected over 300 million smart home appliances, and each one can manage far more than just your music.
According to data conducted by eco-experts, it’s astounding that there are currently 2.2 million smart homes in the UK. These houses are equipped with cutting-edge technology that aims to simplify daily living, save time, reduce energy costs, and provide entertainment.
According to tech expert Naeem Adam of electronics store AO.com, “smart tech is constantly evolving to help people live their day-to-day lives with ease as well as creating new ways to keep our homes safer and easier to control.”
We’ve researched and talked to the experts to offer you the best new smart home trends for the upcoming year since we know how difficult it can be to stay on top of the trends when the market changes quickly.
- The Robotic Revolution
In just a few years, intelligent robot cleaners have advanced significantly. Designed initially as pricey toys that rolled about your house collecting dirt, these toys now include NASA-caliber navigation software that can map out your home and even clean up after you make a mess. We can’t recommend them highly enough if you have a pet that molts, as prices have dropped and quality has increased significantly.
A greater variety of robotic household assistants are beginning to appear. Roborock S7 Pro Ultra and other multipurpose cleaners can automatically vacuum, mop, wash, and empty your yard. Robot lawnmowers maintain a spotless lawn without requiring you to do any work. When you’re not home, EBO Air is an autonomous security robot with several cameras that patrol your house, checking for issues and monitoring the pets.
While owning a personal robot butler may seem like a sci-fi dream, it’s becoming more and more possible thanks to devices like Temi, which can follow you around and do a variety of practical tasks like answering questions, displaying content, controlling smart home appliances, and serving as a home security droid when you’re not home. Temi uses face detection to ensure it’s always there when needed.
- Reduce expenses and save energy.
We’re all looking for ways to control our energy bills because the cost of electricity is so high. While many easy ways exist to save energy, the newest smart thermostats can help.
According to Gav Murray, Director of Hive, “installing a smart thermostat means you can control your heating on the go and avoid wasting money on an empty home.” You can use your smartphone to prevent the heater from turning on too early if you’re stuck at work or experiencing traffic delays on your way home. It can save your annual energy costs by up to £311.
- Smart lighting is capable of more than just color changes.
App-controlled light bulbs may appear like a costly joke to those unaware. Still, they are adaptable, improving mood, transforming bedtime routines, and enhancing security.
Giuliano Ghidini, Consumer Commercial Leader at Signify, says, “Smart lights [of which Philips Hue is the market leader] can be on duty as your security Marshall and mimic the actions of people being at home even when they’re not.”
Color-changing bulbs, now an intelligent option for almost every fitting, can make you feel more energized in the morning or relaxed in the evening. You can also guarantee a peaceful conclusion to any day by adjusting your lights to dim as you go to sleep and brighten to wake you up gently.
Selecting a widely compatible smart bulb can also work with other app-connected devices. For example, it can dim automatically before a movie begins or change brightness during the day based on the sun’s location in the sky.
- You may want to update your home WiFi.
WiFi routers aren’t particularly attractive, but you can only get the most out of your devices if you have a robust and dependable connection throughout your house (and even your garden).
As absurd as it may seem, most UK households own an average of 30 networked gadgets, and some smart homes even have more than 60 devices linked to the internet, according to Gary Newson, Regional Director for Netgear. Your home network is under strain from all these connected devices, and nothing is more annoying than investing in app-controlled convenience only to have it fail to function when you need it to.
To help strengthen the signal across your house, your internet service provider should be able to provide reasonably priced WiFi extenders; some, like EE, even promise that you may connect up to 100 devices without any problems.
However, if you live in a large house with adolescents who are often on the internet and you want to make sure you have a good signal everywhere, then getting a mesh-style system like the Orbi WiFi 6E could be your best bet because it guarantees maximum speeds for up to 200 connected devices.
- Wellness and health via technology are here
Health technology is expected to grow significantly in the coming years as the population ages and wellness devices become more and more critical in maintaining our homes and bodies. These include posture monitors, at-home blood pressure monitors, smart watches that check blood oxygen levels and heart rate, and smart scales that measure your body composition.
One area where innovative technology might help you stay healthier at home is air filtration. The newest connected air purifiers automatically alter the power based on their ability to detect the amount of particle matter in the air. Joy for allergy sufferers!
However, wellness is more than just a response to health or fitness—it’s also about happiness. To provide a real spa experience at home, Aqualisa offers a variety of voice-activated connected showers that may be combined with lighting, temperature, and even music.
- Use technology to secure your home properly.
Not long ago, having a large dog or an expensively installed alarm system was the only way to ensure home protection. Fortunately, technology has advanced since then, and the most significant smart home security systems now include sensors, cameras, and simple alarms that may alert you to activity in your home or yard. For example, the best video doorbells record video and photographs as potential evidence and can instantly alert you by smartphone when a person approaches the house—even if they don’t ring the bell.
Brands like Ultion from Brisant, which lets you unlock the door using a smartphone app, are among the increasingly popular keyless locks. It is helpful for folks who frequently misplace their keys and allows you to grant remote access to other individuals, like a house sitter or dog walker.
Furthermore, even though some people view “smart” security devices as frivolous rather than profound, Boundary is one of the organizations that currently provides 24/7 call center help and can even notify the authorities.
- Using voice control may truly simplify life.
As we previously stated, 300 million smart speakers have been sold worldwide, demonstrating the impressive popularity of Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, and Apple Siri. It’s simple to see why they’re appealing; you can video contact friends and family, read the news, stream music, answer school questions, and even narrate books without pulling out your smartphone.
Due to the popularity of voice control, more and more devices—including soundbars, computers, TVs, and even automobiles—are becoming compatible with it and have hardware integrated right in. This implies that you can purchase speakers of higher quality, for example, with the same intelligent features.
It’s also important to remember that smart speakers like the Google Nest Audio and Echo Dot can also function as a bridge to other smart home kits, so all you have to do is ask to dim the lights, check the video doorbell, or close the drapes.
- Listen to music everywhere
With over 39 million monthly users streaming over 138 billion songs, it’s safe to say that we’ve fallen in love with music streaming. Gov. UK data confirms this. With companies like Sonos, Audio Pro, Denon Heos, and Bluesound that can play high-quality music over WiFi, smart speakers make it even easier to enjoy this music throughout the house. You may have a playlist in the kitchen, a living room playlist, and a bedroom mix for the evening.
When your virtual DJ is compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant, you won’t need to take out your smartphone—ask, and it will take care of the rest. With a streaming amplifier, you can even wirelessly transmit music across your home from a conventional analog turntable.
The fact that you may now enjoy the newest technology without compromising with subpar speakers is, however, the most significant consideration in this situation. Now, even the most prominent music specialist can use the highest audio quality and the practicality of intelligent smartphone control.
- Window coverings receive technological attention
For years, high-end homes and hotels have showcased remote-controlled curtains and blinds. However, with advancements in battery technology and intelligent wireless control, living in luxury at home has always been more complex and affordable.
SwitchBot offers a variety of plug-and-play devices that allow you to control your curtains and blinds with your smartphone. You can even program timers for dawn and dusk, which can help you sleep better and increase the security of your house while you’re away.
According to Lisa Cooper, Head of Product at Thomas Sanderson, “Electric blinds can also help with energy efficiency as they can be programmed to close when the sun disappears and temperatures start to drop, maximising heat retention.” ‘And naturally, they’re ideal for windows that are difficult to access, like the increasingly common gable ends.’
- Smarter kitchens are created with connected appliances.
Although app-controlled appliances were once considered a bit of a gimmick, owning white goods that can be managed remotely offers benefits. Shopping is made more accessible by refrigerators that detect when milk is running low and even allow you to view inside via a webcam. Franke’s Alexa-compatible AQ Sense Monitor cooker hood features a built-in 21.5″ monitor for streaming media, continuously monitoring the air quality and adjusting the suction to maintain a healthy home environment.
While it’s fun to start the washing machine from a distance, linked appliances have advanced a lot. With app control, you can do more than turn the washer on and off. For example, you can access over 40 additional wash cycles to care for specific garments, receive maintenance updates and reminders to keep the washer reliable, and see how much water and energy are used in each process. Ben Peach, Laundry Product Manager at Haier Europe, explains.
Which gadget works best in a smart home?
The WiFi that connects everything in a smart home is crucial, as we’ve already discussed, so if you’re having trouble getting a solid signal in the bedrooms, it might be time to upgrade your router.
A video doorbell would make an excellent first smart device if you loathe missing deliveries yet are addicted to the ease of online purchasing. Hopefully, no one tries to break in, so you might not catch a burglar with one, but you can ask the courier to store your new shoes in a secure location.
A speaker with an integrated virtual assistant is the most straightforward and adaptable smart home equipment available. Whether you go for a speaker that works with Google Assistant, Apple’s Siri, or Amazon’s Alexa, they are affordable, stream music, and have an ever-expanding feature set that includes voice control over several smart home devices.
Plans for smart homes?
The reality that not every gadget enjoys communicating with other devices is the biggest issue with smart home technology. By providing cross-party interoperability with numerous top smart home products, Matter seeks to change that. As a result, it is possible for Hue Lighting, Samsung SmartThings, Ikea, Amazon, Google, and Apple to function in unison.