Live smarter with the latest smart home technologies

More than just ensuring home living is easier and more convenient than ever before, smart technologies integrate logic and intuition into people’s daily lives, allowing us to worry less about the mundane and focus more on enjoying life to its fullest.

If you are ready to introduce these smarts into your natural sanctuary, here are some of the latest and best smart home technologies to enhance your life.

Virtual assistant: Amazon Alexa

Amazon Alexa is a digital assistant that serves as the “brain” of your smart home. Boasting compatibility with hundreds of millions of smart devices, Alexa is easily one of your best choices when it comes to such systems. With a digital assistant in place, you’ll be able to control your home systems just by the sound of your voice.

Other great choices include Google, Assistant, Wink Hub, and Samsung SmartThings. Granted, each assistant comes with pros and cons, so do your research to ensure you choose the one that’s best suited to your needs.

Lighting: Philips Hue

Philips Hue bulbs take home lighting up a notch by not only allowing you to control the intensity of the light, but the color as well. Feel like illuminating your interior up in yellow to match your happy mood? Or perhaps you want to immerse your living room in blue for a relaxing ambiance at the end of your work day? With Philips Hue, you’re one step to making your home a more welcoming space.

HVAC: Ecobee SmartThermostat

A smart thermostat is practically an essential in a smart home. With it, you can cool or heat your space at specific times, while also keeping your energy costs minimal. But unlike other smart thermostats, the Ecobee SmartThermostat also acts as an Amazon speaker, allowing you to not only control your home’s HVAC system, but also perform other tasks as well, including shopping, playing music, and controlling other smart devices. It’s a nifty device to have, especially if you don’t have hardware yet for your voice assistant.

Power consumption: ConnectSense Smart Outlet

Smart outlets like this one from ConnectSense allow you to shut off the electric connection to the outlet remotely with your mobile device, and even schedule when they turn on or off. This way, you can save on energy consumption automatically.

While it may be pricier than a regular outlet, the immense return on investment potential on this device makes this one of the most worthwhile smart home choices you can make.

Security: NetGear Arlo Q

A house won’t be a home unless you can feel safe and secure in it, and with a smart security system like this one from NetGear Arlo Q, you can have peace of mind knowing that your home is protected at all times.

What’s great about the NetGear Arlo Q is that it can produce high-quality video and audio even in pitch-black conditions. You can even set the hours when you want the camera to record. It has the capability to record seven days’ worth of video, and comes with plenty of extras like free audio backup, making it a standout over the rest.

Buying or selling a smart home?

If you’re looking to buy, sell or invest in the communities of Dryden, Rock Island, Cashmere or Lake Chelan? Coldwell Banker Cascade Real Estate can assist you with your property needs.

From home appraisal to property management, our real estate professionals are some of the most trusted names in North Central Washington, and we would be glad to be of service to you.