Smart home devices you need before winter arrives

Winter is coming, and with it comes snow, ice, and cold. It’s pretty to look at, but the frosty weather can be a major inconvenience when going about our day-to-day lives. But it’s not that cold yet, so now is the perfect time to plan how you’ll have a better winter. One of the ways you can improve your home and make your day-to-day easier is by adding smart home devices.

Here are a few smart home devices that are perfect to set up and begin using before winter, and some that will be great to have before the holidays.

Smart home devices to keep you safe and warm

If you’ve ever wondered if you turned off the coffee maker or had to rush home because you aren’t sure if you’ve locked the door, you know having these situations pop up is a lot harder in the cold winter months. With a few key smart home devices, you can avoid having to rush home on icy roads to check your appliances or doors.

Smart plugs give you peace of mind

Smart plugs are electrical plugs you can add to any outlet. Once you plug in a ‘non-smart’ device you can control that device via a compatible app. That means if you leave your coffee maker on and it’s plugged into a smart plug, you can turn it off from anywhere you are. It works for any device including flat irons and curling irons, so if you’re always worried about whether or not you left your hair appliance on you’ll know right away because it’s plugged into a smart plug.

Smart plugs can also be used to control non-smart lights. You can plug in a lamp and set it to turn on when it gets dark so you don’t have to come home to a dark house. You can also add a smart switch in place of your existing switch if you’d like to have a permanent way to control non-smart lights.

Smart locks mean never searching for keys in the cold

Smart locks can be added to any door and let you lock and unlock your door via an app. If you are wondering if you left home without locking your door, all you have to do is look on the app. If you did forget to lock the door you casn just tap your phone to lock it, and that saves you a trip home on icy roads. Smart locks are also great if you always forget where your house keys are. Instead of standing out in the cold because you’re locked out, you can just use your key code or your app to unlock the door.

All-weather smart cameras can handle cold weather

While most smart cameras have batteries that charge quickly, choosing a security camera designed to stand up to a Canadian winter is a must when you want to keep your cameras up and running. There are different types of all-weather, wire-free cameras you can choose from. You’ll find weather-resistant cameras with rechargeable lithium-ion batteries as well as cameras with power plugs if you’re near an outlet.

All weather cameras have water-resistant cases and can withstand snow, rain, sleet, and icy temperatures. Some of the most popular weather-resistant cameras are rated up to -20 Celcius.

Smart devices keep your pets happy too

If you have a cat or dog who you want to check in on during the day or you want to make sure they are fed on time, there are a lot of smart pet devices you can choose from. It’s really nice to have a smart pet feeder in the winter when the house is chilly, because you can feed your pet without having to jump out of bed.

All you have to do is tap your phone and food will pour into their bowl. Some smart pet feeders also let you set a schedule so your pet is fed at the same time every day. Smart pet devices are also great to have when you’re delayed at work due to weather or icy roads. You can pop onto a smart pet camera and check and see how your kitty or dog is doing, and some have the option to play with your pet.

When you add a few smart home devices to your home, they will benefit your pets in different ways too. You can turn on your smart lights so they don’t sit in the dark when the days get shorter. You can also have your TV plugged into a smart plug so you can turn it on remotely to keep your pet company. If you have a smart thermostat you can turn your heat up to ensure they are warm and cozy until you get home.

Smart home devices to set up before the holidays

There are a few smart home devices you’ll want to add to your home before the holidays, and one of the most useful is smart lights.

Use smart light recipes in the winter

Smart lights connect to your home’s Wi-Fi network and can be controlled by an app. That’s a great option to have if you don’t like coming home to a dark house, but there are a few other ways smart lights can make life easier in the winter.

Some colour smart lights offer the option of ‘light recipes.’ These recipes can imitate the sunrise so your room fills with bright light as you’re waking up. They can also create a sunset, so if the skies are gloomy and there is little sun, your lights can fill your room with a cozy glow.

There are also holiday-specific light recipes you can try out that will make your next festive gathering a lot more fun. Smart lights can sync with music so they can flash different colours along with the beat of your favourite holiday songs. They can also sync with whatever you’re watching, so they will change colour along with the action on your TV screen.

Decorate your yard with outdoor smart lights

Outdoor smart lights are a great option for decorating your house or yard during the holidays. You can use smart outdoor lights to set a holiday theme in your yard by changing the colour to red and green or mixing and matching your outdoor lights to complement your home’s holiday decor. You can even add a portable Bluetooth speaker to play holiday music and have your outdoor lights sync with it.

Enjoy lag-free holiday movies and streaming with a mesh router

With the holidays come houseguests and kids home from school. You might want to stream your favourite holiday movies while your kids are gaming and your family is streaming music. That’s a pretty heavy load for a router to handle, and with a few extra smart home devices added to the mix, you may experience lag.

Preparing before the holidays by upgrading your router now means you won’t have to worry about lagging and overload when you’re trying to enjoy the festive season. A mesh router is a great addition because it has several pods or pucks you place in different areas of your home. They bounce your Wi-Fi signal from point to point to cover every corner in your home. You’ll find a few types of mesh routers that can connect over a distance so you can position a pod in the best place to boost your signal to your outdoor cameras and smart lights too.

Smart home devices to set up before winter

Smart home devices make every day a lot easier. Take a look at everything you can choose for your smart home at Best Buy and choose which you’d like to set up before we begin another Canadian winter.