The internet and artificial intelligence have given rise to a new technology that is redefining how we can improve and manage our homes. Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to the next standard of living: smart gadgets!
Smart gadgets can add an unmatched level of convenience to your life and allow you to save time, energy, and money. They are quickly becoming the new standard of life, largely due to their ability to streamline and automate daily tasks.
People all around America, even those in rural areas, are now leveraging the power of these home automation tools. By the end of 2025, these technologies are expected to be used in 77.6% of homes in America and will reach up to 92.5% by 2029.
When I first realized the power of these smart home devices, I was quickly taken aback at how convenient they could make my life. So, I wasted no time contacting Spectrum Internet for a reliable and high-speed internet plan and researching smart home devices that would do the trick for my place.
By now, you might be wondering, “What are smart home devices? How can they improve my life? And which ones should I choose?” Don’t worry; this article will answer all these questions and more. Together, we will take a deep dive into the following aspects:
What Are Smart Home Devices?
Smart home devices are a network of interconnected devices that can be controlled and monitored remotely. These devices rely on the internet to transmit information to each other and perform or automate tasks. These tasks can include anything from making your morning coffee, scheduling appointments, turning off lights, controlling thermostats, and even securing your home, to name a few. Some of the most common examples of these AI-powered gadgets include:
Smart Lighting
- Smart Bulbs: This allows you to set and control the brightness, color, and schedules of lighting.
- Smart Switches: Allow you to turn the lights in your home on and off remotely.
Smart Thermostats
- Smart home devices that allow you to set, control, and monitor the temperature of your home remotely.
Smart Security
- Smart Cameras: Camera systems that monitor your home remotely and alert authorities when needed.
- Smart Door Locks: Enable you to lock and unlock your doors remotely.
- Smart Alarms: Detect and alert you to potential threats in real-time.
- Smart Wireless Doorbell Cameras: Attachable doorbells with cameras that allow you to view and talk with visitors remotely.
Smart Appliances
- Smart Refrigerators: Monitor and regulate items and offer alerts when inventory is low, allowing you to purchase groceries timely.
- Smart Ovens: Preheat and monitor cooking remotely.
- Smart Coffee Makers: Start brewing coffee automatically.
- Smart Plugs: Control other devices via a plug.
Smart Entertainment
- Smart TVs: Control with voice commands or apps.
- Smart Speakers: Control other devices with voice commands.
Smart Home Cleaning
- Smart Robot Vacuum: Clean your floors automatically.
- Smart Air Purifiers: Improve air quality.
Smart Wearables
- Smart Watches: In addition to displaying the time, they display notifications, track fitness metrics, monitor heart rate, and make calls or payments.
- Smart Clothing: Smart clothing, like smart jackets, comes with a sensor on the sleeves that allows users to take photos, play music, or answer calls on their mobile.
Overwhelming, isn’t it? There are a ton of smart devices, each with notable features. However, you only need a few- to be more accurate, just 7 of the devices mentioned above to improve your life. We will now explore the 7 top smart gadgets to make your life easier by helping you organize and automate tasks.
It’s important to mention that the smart home devices that I am going to share are those that can greatly improve the areas of your home that matter the most while allowing you a great deal of savings in terms of time, money, and physical labor.
Smart Speakers
These AI-powered gadgets are some of the best home automation tools on the market, as they act as a portal between you and other devices. They come with built-in voice assistants like Google Assistant, Siri, and Alexa that act on your voice commands to complete required tasks efficiently.
Smart speakers can also seamlessly integrate with other smart home automation tools that you may use, such as smart thermostats, smart lighting, security systems, and even appliances like coffee makers. This allows you to create a highly connected home and streamline your most important tasks.
Each home may have different needs, but fortunately, there are many smart speakers on the market that cater to a diverse range of needs. Some of the most popular ones to choose from include:
- Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen): $45 at Amazon / Best for budget-conscious customers
- Google Nest Mini (2nd Gen): $49 at Walmart / Best for Google Assistant fans
- Amazon Echo (4th Gen): $100 on Amazon / Best overall
Smart Thermostats
These AI-powered gadgets are another one of the most useful home automation tools you’ll need. Smart thermostats are smart home devices that allow you to remotely adjust, regulate, or schedule the temperature of your home based on your preferences. Once these smart home devices learn your preferences, they can also automate temperature settings based on your preference data.
These devices also let you adjust temperatures in the most used rooms in your home, allowing comfort where it’s most needed. By allowing you to manage heating and cooling as it is needed, they allow you to create an energy-efficient home and drive down costs.
Let’s take a look at some of the most popular smart thermostats these days:
- Amazon Smart Thermostat: $80 at Amazon / Best for budget-conscious customers
- Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium: $220 at Amazon / Best overall
- Google Nest Learning Thermostat (4th Gen): $248 at Amazon / Best for those seeking smarter features.
Smart Lighting
Smart lighting systems are made up of a network of smart bulbs, smart switches, and fixtures that allow you to remotely adjust, monitor, customize, schedule, and set the lighting intensity of your home. They can either be controlled after an integration with your smart speaker or through the dedicated apps the system provides.
Through smart lighting systems, you can easily save a significant amount of electricity costs. Let’s say you forgot to turn the lights off in your home; easily open the app and instruct it to turn them off. Want to plan an indoor romantic date? Simply instruct your smart speaker to dim the lights. Additionally, these systems can also secure your home by automating lighting control to make your home seem occupied.
Below are some of the best choices available to you:
- Wiz Tunable White LED Smart Bulb: $9 at Amazon / Best white smart light
- Govee Wifi LED Smart Light Bulbs: $17 at Amazon / Best for color switching
- Philips Hue White Floodlight LED: $30 at Amazon / Best Floodlight
- Govee Curtain Lights: $130 at Amazon / Best smart party lights
Smart Wireless Doorbell Cameras
These are a cost-effective way to secure your home. Smart wireless doorbell cameras are small devices that can be easily placed next to your main entrance. They can monitor your home’s surroundings in real-time and notify you when they sense any potential danger. Some models store the recordings on a cloud platform where they can be accessed for weeks, and some offer SD cards for instant access.
They come with features like motion sensors and a speaker to track anything unusual and allow two-way communication remotely or while you’re at home. This can allow you to easily monitor and receive packages while you’re away and stay one step ahead of potential threats. These devices can help you create a cost-effective full-scale security system as they can integrate with other smart gadgets like smart lighting and smart locks.
Here are some models you might want to consider:
- Blink Video Doorbell: $30 at Amazon / Best for budget-conscious customers
- Arlo 2K Video Doorbell (2nd Gen): $80 at Amazon / Best overall
- Google Nest Doorbell (2nd Gen): $100.00 at Amazon / Best subscription-free choice
- Ring Battery Doorbell Pro: $150 at Amazon / Best high-end choice
Smart Home Cleaning Products
As a clean freak, I’m going to recommend both smart vacuums and smart air purifiers. Smart vacuums are mostly round-shaped machines that run around and clean the floors in your home. Some smart vacuums even come with a mop. Smart air purifiers are air purifiers with added features like an app or voice control and integration with other smart home devices.
Let’s face it: working and coming home to a dirty house is highly frustrating. It becomes even more so when you realize you have to clean. Not anymore! Both these devices can keep your home in pristine condition 24/7 while you sit back and relax or focus on other, more important tasks. They can also be scheduled to clean your home remotely, ensuring you come home to a clean floor and fresh air.
Let’s take a look at the top options available for both of these home automation tools:
Smart Vacuums
- Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni: $1300 at Amazon / Best vacuum and mop hybrid overall
- iRobot Roomba j9+ Robot Vacuum: $500 at Amazon / Best for pet waste solutions
- TP-Link Tapo RV30 Max Plus: $250 at Amazon / Best vacuum and mop hybrid for budget-conscious customers
Smart Air Purifiers
- Coway Airmega IconS: $571 at Amazon / Best overall
- Levoit Core 400S Smart Air Purifier: $187 at Amazon / Best value
- Rabbit Air A3 Air Purifier: $750 at Amazon / Best for those who prefer silence
- Coway Airmega 400S Smart Air Purifier: $500 at Amazon / Best for larger areas
Smartwatches
They say health is wealth, and none of the smart gadgets mentioned so far are going to be of any use to you if your health isn’t in order. With smartwatches, you can embrace a healthy lifestyle and stay one step ahead of potential health concerns. These wearable tech innovations can track calories burned and also monitor your heart rate, sleep patterns, and even blood oxygen levels.
These smart gadgets also ensure your safety and well-being in potentially alarming situations. With advanced features like fall detection, emergency SOS, heart rate monitoring, and location tracking, they can sense danger to the user and alert emergency contacts or first responders accordingly.
Below are some smartwatch choices you might want to look into:
- Apple Watch Series 10: $360 at Amazon / Best for iPhone users
- Samsung Galaxy Watch FE: $170 at Amazon / Best for budget-conscious Android users
- Garmin Venu Sq 2: $177 at Amazon / Best for fitness freaks
Smart Gadgets – The Future Standard of Living
Smart gadgets have already significantly transformed the way we live by introducing higher levels of convenience, efficiency, and automation to our daily lives. From smart speakers to smartwatches, each piece of technology can improve our lives in numerous ways.
As time and technology progress, smart gadgets will continue to take us closer to the future standard of life, one that is more convenient, safer, smarter, inclusive, and highly interconnected.
