We don’t generally think about technology when we think about home maintenance, but it’s probably about time we started to consider it. Many homes now have smart thermostats, smart locks, video doorbells, and smart appliances as well. All of that integrated technology can make our lives a lot easier, but only when it works seamlessly and that has a lot to do with the manufacturers themselves. There are three main areas they’ve focused their attention on: energy consumption, convenience, and security. This is a solid foundation to build upon and matches up pretty well with what consumers are actually looking for.
It Starts with Convenience
If the manufacturers of smart home technology gadgets and appliances are going to convince more people to adopt their products they have to first show them that it will actually make their lives more convenient. The problem is there are still a lot of people that aren’t really buying in. Most surveys suggest somewhere between 10 and 20% of the population have some type of smart home related technology in their homes. There’s a lot of room for growth.
Why the slow rate of adoption? It turns out many aren’t really convinced that it will make their lives more convenient. This is partly because of the fear of something new and partly because the manufacturers have to do a better job of selling the benefits. Yes, it can be a little complicated getting everything set up in the first place if you’re not overly tech savvy, but once you get past that initial set up it really can make life a lot simpler.
Take a video doorbell such as the popular Ring model for example. These amazing devices allow you to see and talk with whoever rings your bell – even if you’re on the other side of the world! All you have to do is set up your device once using a free app for your smartphone and you will always know who’s at your front door. If it’s a friend or family member you can even let them in if you have a smart lock installed as well. There’s no doubt these technologies will make our lives easier and the companies selling these devices are now starting to focus on this convenience aspect when selling their devices.
Reducing Energy Consumption
Reducing energy consumption is one of the primary concerns of most home owners. We’ve touched on traditional ways to do this in other articles on this site such as this one that explains how to install insulation without tearing down your walls. Now we want to talk about how you can do it with smart technology. The most obvious way to reduce your energy usage using smart technology is by installing a smart thermostat such as the Nest.
These devices can actually learn your habits and when used in conjunction with sensors can even make adjustments when nobody’s in a particular room. You can set daily schedules and vacation schedules to automatically make adjustments when you’re not going to be home. This can easily save you several hundred dollars over the period of a year and is well worth the reasonable investment in a smart thermostat. Most manufacturers are doing a good job of selling smart devices as great tools for reducing energy consumption and that’s why almost all new homes have them.
Making Sure it’s All Secure
We all want our homes to be secure so it’s probably no surprise that smart devices that help us with this are doing quite well. In fact the adaptation rate of this type of smart technology is well ahead of other smart devices. One of the simplest smart security devices you can install is a smart lock and, as we’ve already touched upon, when used in conjunction with a video doorbell they can also be quite convenient. If you’re thinking of installing a new smart lock, but you’re not that comfortable with this type of DIY job you may want to check out are article How to Install New Doorknobs for some helpful advice.
When used together the video doorbell and smart lock can act as your own personal security guard. You can see who’s at your door, interact with them, and control access all from an app. Home owners that have these devices installed are typically very happy with the added security and convenience. Just remember to protect all of your smart devices behind a network firewall to prevent cyber criminals gaining access to your network and potentially your home.
It’s pretty clear that smart technology can make our lives better and by focusing on convenience, security, and energy consumption, technology companies will have greater success convincing more of us to jump on the bandwagon.
