6 Ideas to Turn Your House Into a Smart Home

The 1950s space race inspired a whole host of predictions about what life would look like in the future.

We thought that by the turn of the millennium we'd be traveling on commercial space shuttles, popping into town on hoverboards, and being served drinks by robots.

While most of those inventions only existed by way of cinema, one advancement that still feels distinctly futuristic is the advent of smart technology.

Our homes are becoming more voice-activated and programmable by the day, making day-to-day life simpler and even more convenient. And more and more people are fully embracing smart tech, opting to transform their houses into smart homes, controlling all aspects via voice control and mobile apps.

What's more, this cutting edge technology is affordable, and with many products, apps, and ideas on the market, setting up your smart home is easier than ever.

Let's take a look at these six ideas: 

1 - Home assistant

When it comes to setting up your smart home, the best place to start is at the core.

The main home assistants on the market are Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Apple Siri.

There are advantages and disadvantages to all three products: Google Home has a better speaker than Alexa, whereas an Amazon Echo Dot is extremely cheap and easy to set up. Alexa has the widest range of product compatibility, but more and more products are cross-platform, and as the technology develops this should even out. 

2 - Smart locks

Home is all about security. Installing a smart lock means you can forget about forgetting your keys, as many on the market are touchpad operated.

You can install an app on your mobile phone or tablet to check the door is locked, or unlock it remotely if someone else has forgotten their key. And you can set up different passcodes for people who may need to access your house, like cleaners or neighbours who may be watering your plants or feeding your pets while you're away. 

3 - Smart bathroom

While some people think of the bathroom as a sanctuary from the rigours and trappings of modern life, others are excited by the idea of a smart bathroom.

Smart mirrors are available, onto which you can project emails, work documents (if your time is money), or even movies.

With a smart speaker, you can listen to the news as you brush your teeth, or set the mood for a long, relaxing bath.

4 - Lighting

As well as LED lights and energy-saving light bulbs, smart lighting systems are growing in popularity.

A simple smart plug transforms the simplest lamp into a voice-activated, remote-controlled light.

You can also set up timers for your lighting, controlling it from an app on your phone (or with your voice) that sets the tone for any mood in your home - many people use it to gradually dim the lights as the evening draws in, helping you to wind down ready for bed.

You can also program the lights to come on at certain times, rotating throughout your house while you are away, as a deterrent to would-be burglars.   

5 - Sound

Smart technology means that listening to music, audiobooks, or podcasts is easier than ever.

Even better, you can listen in any room of your house, all you need is a compatible smart speaker linked to your home assistant. Speakers vary in cost and quality, but it is possible to find options to suit all tastes and budgets. 

6 - Smart thermostat

Incredibly convenient and a real money saver, smart thermostats have been around for a few years, and are now cheaper and simpler than ever before.

You can set timers to put the heating or water on at specific times throughout the day, or you can operate it remotely from your mobile device.

On a cold winter's day, this means you can put the heating on half an hour before you get home. You can also monitor how efficient your heating system is, and some thermostats can actually diagnose problems, so you can fix them before they escalate.

Smart thermostats can dramatically reduce your heating bills and make life simpler.  

Cheap, easy to use and incredibly useful, smart technology is taking our lives, and our homes by storm. There are many more ideas out there to turn your house into a smart home. The future is already here!