Top smart home products to easily make your detached home smarter

Have you been thinking about finally dragging your household into the 21st century by investing in some Smart Home technology? You’ll definitely find lots of products that allow you to easily monitor and manipulate all sorts of appliances and devices in your home, however, that wealth of choices can seem daunting to those just starting to dip their toes into the Smart Home tech waters. For those folks looking for a bit of guidance to smartening up their living spaces, I’ve come up with some picks for the top smart home products to easily make your detached home smarter.

Smart Plugs for your Smart Home

Perhaps one of the simplest ways to make your house smarter is with a Smart Plug. These little gadgets look like those old school plug-in electrical timers you probably have used to set a light on a schedule while you were away on vacation. However, the new Smart Plugs give you an amazing level of control over all sorts of devices and appliances, such as heaters, televisions, and yes, even lights. Essentially, you pop something like the WeMo Mini Smart Plug, or the TP-LINK HS110 Wi-Fi Smart Plug with Energy Monitor into your wall socket, and you’ll be able to monitor, control and remotely access whatever device you connect to the plug. Turn on your lights remotely using your smartphone, set your coffee maker on a schedule – whatever you can imagine, it can likely be accomplished with a simple Smart Plug.

Illuminate your Home Experience with Smart Lighting

Another easy entry into the Smart Home revolution is with Smart Lighting. Gone are the simple lightbulbs of old. Today, you can install lighting in your house that is internet-connected, and amazingly versatile. Philips offers a range of products in its Hue line, from simple bulbs to entire kits, which can change the way you think about lighting in your home. Imagine changing the colour of the lighting to suit your mood, at the swipe of a finger on your tablet or smartphone. Or, maybe set your lights to pulse in the morning to wake you, instead of the blaring tones of an alarm. The ilumi A19 Smart LED Light Bulb even lets you set it to turn on when you walk in the room and it detects your smartphone. It can also be synched with music to pulse at the beat, creating a banging party atmosphere.

Indoor Cameras for a Smarter and Safer Home

One real benefit of Smart Home tech is the improved security. Smart lights can be set to go on and off at intervals to simulate you being at home. But, for the ultimate in Smart Home security, why not invest in a Smart Indoor Camera? Something like the D-Link WiFi Indoor 180-Degree HD IP Camera or Nest Cam WiFi Indoor IP Camera allows you to see what’s happening in your house, from anywhere there is an internet connection! You can also get alerts when the cameras detect motion in the home, and even have two-way communication. That’s awesome for today’s parents who have to be at work, and want to check on the kids when they get home from school. The cameras also come with night vision, too, so you can keep an eye on your home even when the lights are out. And with local recording, these Smart Home Indoor Cameras also save footage, so you can view it at your leisure.

Outdoor Cameras for Smart Home Protection

If you’re going to have cameras inside your home, then you probably should also consider having a camera or two outside your detached home, so you can keep a digital eye on your property. Cameras like the Nest Cam Wi-Fi Outdoor 1080p IP Camera, and NETGEAR Arlo Pro Wireless Indoor/Outdoor HD Camera let you keep tabs on your home’s outdoor spaces, both night and day. You can receive instant alerts when there is motion in your backyard, or even if sound is detected. The cameras are weather-proof, too, so you never have to worry about what’s happening outside your home on rainy nights, especially considering these outdoor Smart Home Cameras also come equipped with night vision. You also get crystal-clear two-way communication, so you can talk to delivery people or anyone else who comes to your home while you’re at the office, or away on vacation. The cameras also record locally, and give you 24/7 streaming video on your smart device from anywhere there’s an internet connection.

Smart Alarms for a Secure Home

And while cameras can offer a certain sense of security because you can see and scan your home or property any time you want, there is nothing that makes your detached house more secure than a Smart Home Alarm System. A Smart Home Security System can alert you when something’s amiss in your house, and some even feature automated dialers that immediately dial certain numbers when windows are opened or doors are disturbed. For the novice Smart Home buyer, I’d suggest the SkylinkNet Security Solutions Home Alarm System. It works with your existing router to turn your home into a connected fortress of security. Okay, maybe not a fortress, but the system features a hub that you connect to your router, plus two window and door sensors that let you monitor who comes and goes from your home. It’s compatible with both iOS and Android smart devices, and has a backup battery to keep the system running in case of a power failure. Plus, the system is expandable, so you can add up to 100 sensors and 10 SkyLink cameras to the network for total security.

Best of all, many of these devices either come from the same company, or use an umbrella technology like Apple Homekit or Nest, so you can get them all talking to one another, and working together to make your detached home a lot smarter, and easy to control with a single app on your smart device.

Do you want to make your home Smarter? Which of these Smart devices would you like for your detached home? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below.