Smart home

 The newest feature for the OnHub Wireless Routers isn’t a Google feature at all. So what is it, where did it come from, and why does it make your connected digital home more useful than ever before?  

  Welcome to the first of seven blog summaries that share my trials and success of creating a smart home inside my home. With a little elbow grease and help from Geek Squad, the project is already turning into a fun journey!  

 I’m a huge fan of Arlo cameras. I’ve been using them for several months and I’m impressed with their ability to withstand all weather conditions while still streaming great video. Now Netgear has brought the Arlo inside with the Arlo Q, and this camera comes with all the bells and whistles including sound and zone detection.

Are you tired of high household energy bills? Sure, you could cancel all your utilities and live like Henry David Thoreau in a log cabin by a pond somewhere, but then how would you keep up with what’s happening on Walking Dead or The Voice? No, today, thanks to some nifty gadgets, you can still live in a modern household and save power with smarthome technology, and we’re going to show you how.

Saving money these days is less about depriving yourself of things, and more about just being smarter about how you spend your hard-earned cash. Luckily, new technology is around that can make saving money a snap, if you’re willing to invest in those savings ahead of time. Where once we’d lower the heat and throw on an extra sweater to cut back on the bills, nowadays we can save power with smarthome technology, and the use of smart thermostats.

Sleep is such an important part of our lives even though we may not enjoy getting it with so many things to do and see. Regardless, there are ways to maximize the quality of your sleep in what little time you are in bed. In this final edition of the Smarten Up series, we discuss the values of colour with sleep as well as what smart home technology you can use to help you rest and wake up refreshed better.

If you have ever wished that you could control your garage door, lamp, or other “non-smart” device from your smartphone without breaking the bank, this simple and innovative solution will let you do just that without a tremendous amount of effort but at the same time it will make you feel like an accomplished do-it-your-selfer.

When your little one’s close to arriving and it’s time to think about buying a baby monitor, you have a few different ways to go. In this edition of the Smarten Up series, we take a look at whether to go video and audio (or just audio) and taking a modernized look at the the traditional baby monitor. Not only can you use monitors to peer in on whether your baby’s ok, but some even offer Air Quality and Room Temperature real time readouts. Read on to find out more. 

One of the keys to sleeping comfortably at night is making sure that your room and your body are the right temperature. In this edition of the “Smarten Up” series, we look at the idea of using a smart thermometer to help you make sure that your room is a great temperature for you to fall asleep in. What are those optimal temperatures exactly? What makes the Ecobee 3 Thermostat a good choice for your home for this purpose? Read on to find out.

In the first installment of the “Smarten Up” series, we discuss the idea of using smart locks to your advantage. We take a specific look at the August Smart Lock and its accompanying products. Bringing home the ability to open your locks without fumbling for keys and providing guests with access to your home without having to worry about cutting keys are convenience that you can offer while making it all look like a Jedi mind trick.