Hurrah, it’s official, we’re all getting smarter! But while internet enabled devices are nothing new when it comes to communications technology and workplace related environments, the ‘Internet of Things’ is now making inroads into our domestic lives too.
Obviously, this is a good thing, as it frees us up from mundane home jobs and repetitive activities that can easily be automated, monitored and just taken off our hands.
Take a look at these 7 routine home and garden tasks that can be made so much easier with the help of smart technology.
1. Opening the front gate or garage door
You may already have automatic gates or garage doors, but can you find the remote control when you need it or are you forever fumbling around in the dark, or fishing for it at the bottom of your handbag? The solution is obvious – use your phone, tablet or any internet connected computer.
The Chamberlain MyQ Garage has been hailed one of the best smart garage door openers on the market. With full Wink Home Hub and Apple HomeKit connectivity, the MyQ system can control most garage door openers from major manufacturers after 1993. The company also has plans to introduce geofencing functionality, meaning that the device can tell when you’re nearly home and open the garage for you in anticipation of your imminent approach, then close the door when you’re safely inside.
Gogogate 2 is another super smart solution for your front gate or garage door. Set temporary or time-based access passes to allow, say, your cleaner, gardener or building contractor into your home with this system. See in real time what’s happening in your garage with a full calendar of events, door status information and alerts. You can add an IP camera for visual control too.
2. Cooking dinner
Wouldn’t it be nice to come home and find dinner is ready? LG’s SmartThinQ ovens and cooktop burners have already thought of that. The MyRecipe app lets you choose the temperature and cooking time at the touch of a button, so that it is now perfectly possible to come home to a cooked meal waiting for you!
Other functions include WiFi remote diagnostics for LG engineers to troubleshoot. The SmartThinQ app also integrates with fridges and freezer products, so you know when it’s time to replace the air or water filter, or make extra ice.
The Samsung Family Hub goes a step further and uses the fridge as the centre for family engagement, with an app that contains a family calendar, photo wall, music and entertainment centre functionality as well as fridge inventory capability.
3. Vacuum cleaning
Here’s a household chore most people wish they could simply forget about – and here’s how. Robotic vacuum cleaners have been around before the Internet of Things existed, but now a new generation of app-enabled smart robot vacuum cleaners are emerging that promise to make manual hoovering a thing of the past.
The WiFi enabled Neato Botvac Connected and iRobot Roomba are among the best on the market, with the LG Hom-Bot Square and Samsung’s POWERbot Robot Vacuum in hot pursuit. Once paired with the iOS or Android app, you can start, schedule and steer these go-anywhere devices from your smartphone, then watch it whiz round your house doing what you like least.
4. Taking the rubbish out
Household waste is a messy business – but how can smart technology help? Well, it won’t be able to actually remove the rubbish from your home, but it can help make your life a lot easier.
The Bruno Smartcan has an app to notify you when it’s refuse collection day and when it’s time to order more bin bags. There’s a clever vacuum inlet at the bottom of the rubbish bin, so you can just sweep dust and dirt into it and Bruno will do the rest.
GeniCan is a natty little device that attaches to the side of any rubbish bin and scans your waste. It won’t help with rubbish disposal, however the information builds into a shopping list based on previous purchases that is sent to your smartphone and help you shop more intelligently and save money.
5. Mowing the lawn
In the garden, there’s Robomow and Bosch’s Indego – robotic lawnmowers operated via a smartphone app! Take the hassle out of mowing the lawn by getting smart: simply set the mower up on your lawn and watch it go.
The device maps your lawn area and then cuts the grass using a high powered cutting system and the most efficient route. Multi sensors sense obstacles and navigate around them swiftly and quietly. These lawnmowers are battery powered to give you about an hour’s cutting time before returning to the base station for recharging, and there’s even a PIN number to protect mowers from unauthorised use.
6. Watering the garden
If you have a garden sprinkler and use it regularly to keep your lawn and garden plants in top condition, you know how cumbersome this task can be. Not to mention the cost associated with the huge water consumption.
Enter Droplet – cloud power at the end of a garden hose! This smart sprinkler system combines the latest technology in cloud computing, robotics and connected services – all accessed and configured from your smartphone. Droplet uses weather station data to ascertain how best to look after your plants and delivers the right amount of water exactly where and when needed. According to the manufacturer, you can save up to 90% of your sprinkler water consumption by switching to Droplet.
Installation is straightforward and easily configured via the company’s website or smartphone app, so you can control this cool garden gadget from wherever you are.
7. Organising all the apps!
With so many different apps controlling various parts of your home, things might get a little confusing. The Internet of Things is still a bit of a mess with different standards and protocols, so wouldn’t it be handy to have a control centre of some sort to unify your gadgets and apps?
This is where Samsung SmartThings comes in – one home hub to organise your apps into an easily usable system, including Samsung and other manufacturer’s devices. It’s simple to set up and allows you to control all your smart devices with the SmartThings app, so that you can communicate with your home, regardless of where you may be.
Article provided by Sara Bryant, an independent content writer working alongside a selection of companies including Wessex Garage Doors, who were consulted over this post.
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