Smart home

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.

Out of all of the things that have happened since we moved from a quiet cul-de-sac with neighbours to a 12-acre farm, having break-in after break-in has been the worst. Possessions can be replaced but when you lose the sense of security you have in your home? That’s really hard to get back. Thankfully we discovered Arlo smart home security, and I sleep better at night because of those cameras. Here’s my take on Arlo and how we use it on our property.

In the final installment of the “Setting up a Smart Home” series, we’re going to take a look at turning your smart home into a daily money saver through the use of smart thermostats. While you can save a few bucks here and there by turning the heat down once in a while, smart thermostats can help you put an actual system together so that you don’t have to do as much guesswork. Some adapt to your heating needs while some use your current location to set away settings. There’s one that even compares your power usage to your own city’s current energy prices to sell you what you’re saving in Near Real Time. Find out more about these thermostats by reading onward.

The physiological need for shelter nowadays extends to the idea of the roof over our heads that keeps us safe and comfortable. In Canada, from coast to coast, those needs swing wildly between regions and seasons; the one thing that keeps us comfortable are the heating and air conditioning systems installed in our homes. Controlling these systems used to be a dance of setting the right temperature. That changed with programmable thermostats, and then again with the invention of the Smart Thermostat. It’s a revolution in home control and it’s my opinion that, barring a few cases, almost everyone should have one. Want to know why? Read on.

In this third installment of the “Setting up a Smart Home” series, we take a look at one of the easiest, yet neatest facets of a smart home: The Smart Lock. Smart Locks require very little effort to install, even less effort to upkeep and can make your life (especially in a large household) easier. No more worries of lost keys or getting locked out of the house by accident. Read on to find out why a smart lock should be considered as your first (or next!) smart home purchase.

In this installment of the “Setting up a Smart Home” series, we get ready to install! Before you bring out the power tools and start downloading apps left and right, you should keep a few things in mind. This blog will help you sort through some of the important things (like having the best internet connection possible) and smaller things like spot checking potential trouble spots. 

Do you have smart lighting installed in your home? If not, have you been thinking of getting it? Today I examine the key features and benefits of smart lighting in an attempt to help you answer the question: Should I add smart lighting to my home? If this is a question you’ve been pondering, or if it’s one you’d like to begin pondering, then click on through and we’ll get the ball rolling with a basic explanation of what smart lighting is and what it can do for you. Let’s get started!