Home automation is one of the fastest-growing and most
exciting genres of consumer technology these days. What may or may not have
started as a gimmick has begun to offer legitimate innovation, convenience and
enhanced security, and the streamlining of your home’s gadgetry.
In the past couple of years, we’ve seen several companies
emerge as the frontrunners of the modern smart home, but there are always
newcomers who are arriving to the scene, releasing their own versions of
products that innovate in new ways. Despite just about everyone wanting their
home to be a smart home, you might
say that the home automation market is at risk of becoming a bit saturated;
when there are several gadgets competing to fill the same spot in the home
automation spectrum, how are we supposed to choose which smart home tech to
get?
Here are some of the coolest, most innovative and useful
home automation technologies that stand out from the crowd.
Luna Smartbed Mattress Cover
You’ve probably gotten into bed at night and shivered as you
wished there could be a way to warm your bed up before you get into it. Or
maybe during the night, you’ve woken up just long enough to throw the blankets
off and wish there was a way to keep your bed cool as you slept. The answer to
your prayers is the Luna Smartcover, a cover for your mattress that makes your
bed smart.
Via Indiegogo
Much like the renowned Sleep Number beds that have dual
controls on each side, Luna gives you the ability to control the temperature of
your bed on both sides or either side individually, right from your smartphone
or tablet. It’ll also learn your temperature preferences and schedule over
time, which means that at a certain point you’ll practically never need to
adjust the temperature manually. Luna monitors your vitals and tracks your
sleep patterns like the wearable tech available today. It’s also a smart alarm,
can connect to most major home automation systems including the Nest Learning
Thermostat, and is available in several mattress sizes. Currently available for
preorder through crowdfunding site Indiegogo, Luna currently starts at a reduced
$235 for the full-size mattress and is slated for release early this summer.
Smarter Coffee Maker
After you’ve had a gorgeous night’s sleep on your smartbed,
you should have the perfect cup of coffee waiting for you in the kitchen. The
Smarter Coffee Maker is an innovative smart appliance that eliminates the
possibility of human error in coffee brewing, such as making the coffee too
strong or too weak, or somehow getting grounds into the carafe.
Via Firebox
Via the accompanying app, simply specify how much coffee you
want brewed, your desired strength, and then activate or schedule the coffee
maker to being brewing. All you have to do is periodically refill it with whole
coffee beans and water and remove the used grounds; the machine grinds only the
beans it needs for each brew, ensuring that you have the freshest, most
delicious coffee each and every time. The Smarter Coffee Maker can currently be
preordered for about $230 and is expected to
ship in late May.
Amazon Echo Voice Assistant
Users of iOS devices have Siri at their beck and call while
Windows Mobile offers Cortana and Android users have Google or Google Now.
Echo—created by online retail mecca Amazon—could be compared to Google, Siri,
and Cortana, but it’s a voice assistant for your home rather than a mobile
device.
Amazon Echo is a nine-inch cylindrical Bluetooth and WiFi
smart speaker with seven internal microphones with a multicolored LED ring and
two physical buttons on its top. It can play music from connected devices like
any other wireless speaker, but Echo has impressive brains that make it an
incredibly innovative device. Inside Echo lives Alexa, the female voice that
can control your connected devices, answer your questions, and so on. And since
there are a number of powerful microphones inside Echo, Alexa can hear you
speaking at normally volume from across a large room and can deduce whether
you’re talking to her or to an actual person; in other words, no more yelling.
There’s also an app that gives you full control of Echo directly as well as the
included mini remote control.
Essentially, there’s not much that Echo can do that Google
Now or Siri can’t do at the moment. However, Echo is cloud-connected and, with
future updates, promises full integration with smart home tech, which is going
to make Echo astronomically more useful, a must-have accessory of home
automation systems. Right now Amazon Echo can only be purchased from Amazon
by invitation, but anyone can request an invitation to purchase Echo for $199;
Prime members invited to purchase Echo are offered a reduced price of $99.
Quirky Aros Smart Air Conditioner
Say goodbye to those unsightly window units that have to
constantly be adjusted and readjusted in order to keep your home at a
comfortable temperature. The first thing that many notice about Aros—the smart
air conditioner developed by Quirky, known for the Wink home automation
platform—is its sleek, attractive design. The 8,000 BTU unit is all-over white
and displays the temperature at which it’s set via the discrete LEDs in the
front corner. Once it’s connected to the Wink app via your home network, you
can control the Aros remotely whether you’re sitting two feet away or leaving
work.
The main purpose of Aros is to keep your home cool while
using as little energy as possible. One function that allows the Quirky Aros to
do this is the Smart Away feature, which uses geotagging with your phone’s GPS
to detect when you leave home and when you return; this allows Aros to turn
itself down or off when you leave, but to begin cooling as you approach your
home. The Aros is available for many retailers and has recently dropped in
price, allowing you to pick up this smart air conditioning unit for between
$250 and $279
just in time for summer.
Kwikset Kevo Smart Lock
Of the smart locks and deadbolts on the market currently,
the Kwikset Kevo is arguably the most capable,
functional, and full-featured. Kevo gives you three secure ways to unlock your
door and enter your home: Using either the traditional metal key, the included
key fob, or by turning your smartphone into an electronic key, or eKey. Any
smartphone with compatible Bluetooth can be assigned either a temporary or
permanent eKey, then users simply touch the Kevo lock while holding onto their
smartphone and the door will unlock.
Additionally, Kevo connects to your home network in order to
function as part of your smart home as it’s compatible with many other home
automation tech like the Nest Learning Thermostat and Wink platform. It can
also be setup in such a way that the door automatically unlocks as you
approaching using your smartphone’s NFC capabilities. Kevo is fairly simple to
install and can be locked and unlocked remotely using the accompanying app,
which is also how you assign eKeys to other residents of your home as well as
to temporary visitors. The Kwikset Kevo smart lock is available for $219 from a
number of retailers.
For more home automation ideas, head to Modernize.com.
