Many of us think of the smart home of the future as a scene from a movie, like a home where an advanced super computer named J.A.R.V.I.S. helps solve problems. While we may not be at JARVIS status yet, we can enjoy some smart home devices already. Here is a list of 5 fun gadgets to make your home a smart home.

Gadgets For a Smart Home

1. Smart hubs like the Amazon Echo or Google Home: A smart hub helps connect other smart home devices together and gives you an easy way to monitor what those devices do. These new hubs can play your music, perform online searches, monitor smart devices, provide weather and traffic updates, and so much more. No smart home would be complete without a smart hub.

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2. WiFi connected outlets like the Belkin WeMo Insight Switch: These switches plug into your outlets and connect to your Wifi. They allow you to remotely turn on lights from anywhere, monitor power consumption, set up timers, turn on appliances, and more. Wifi Connected Outlets are highly recommended as one of the first items to get you started in creating your smart home.

Bonus: Smart home items also work with a free online service called IFTTT (If This, Then That). IFTTT uses common apps and programs to allow you to assign things to happen if certain criteria are met. For example: Using your smartphone GPS, you can send a signal to IFTTT when you are in your driveway. Then, IFTTT will send a command to your WEMO switch to turn on an outside light so you can see on your way inside. Pretty cool stuff.

3. A smart lock: Not only do you want a lock that can protect your home effectively, you might want one that can be locked or unlocked from anywhere. The newest versions of smart locks even have an option for geofencing so, if you leave the area, your home will lock automatically. Smart locks can also allow you to unlock a door for a neighbor or if you have a delivery.

4. Combat germs with a self-sterilizing door handle system: This is simply amazing. We all touch door handles all day long. The transfer of germs can make a whole household sick. Now, a simple doorknob can keep family members healthier.

5. Automatic WiFi Reset Plug: With tons of smart home devices active in your home, WiFi will be more important than ever. When your WiFi goes down, so will parts of your smart home. With a Wifi reset switch, your internet connectivity is monitored and your modem/router are power-cycled if WiFi fails. This is my new favorite smart home item!

Any home can become a smart home. Just imagine the possibilities. Even now, we can turn on and off lights, outlets, and remote control thermostats; close window blinds; lock door locks; open garage doors; monitor food in the refrigerator; and even reorder consumables automatically. Yep, we can now enjoy a historical home with the newest tech features using just a few smart home devices. Awesome!

Have you seen any amazing new products that we all may dream about using in our smart home? Let me know in the comments.

*All products listed in this post are based upon my own opinion. I do not receive compensation from any of these companies or endorse their products.

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