IOT tech can make your home a lot more comfortable for Christmas and these are four of the best items to invest in if this interests you.
Designed to look sensational and work perfectly, the learning thermostat is Nest’s first product. You simply need to click the screen to change settings, and turn the dial to vary the heating upwards or downwards. Alternatively, you can use the Android or iPhone App to do all this. You can also control it using Google or Alexa, if you have any of the two. It can be used to control hot water and heating, for instance, as it connects to your boiler.
You can leave it to learn your patterns or set a schedule yourself. It automatically turns the heating off after 48 hours, if you forget to do so before going off on a holiday. To warm up your home before your arrival back from your travels, you can turn the heating back on with a single click on the app.
For an additional £60 you can request a professional installation when placing your thermostat order. By controlling when energy is used, Nest claims that the thermostat saves users money on related bills, and uses regular messages to communicate just how much, if any, energy was saved during the current month as compared to the previous one. Alphabet, Google’s parent company owns Nest. The Nest alongside a Wi-Fi connected plug may be possible to set up an ethanol fireplace – you can read more in this guidebook on ethanol fireplaces.
If you have a garden or potted plants, watering them is essential especially during the hot summer months. Designed to fit between the garden hose and tap, the Eve Aqua is a well built attachment. For the best outcome, you can set it to come on at regular intervals throughout the day; for instance, every 2 minutes, 4 times a day. The gadget also keeps tabs on the volume of water used as well.
The simple phrase “Hey, Siri, turn on the sprinkler,” is all you need to control the Eve Aqua, which you can name as you like. If a dry spell occurs, for instance, and the watering needs to be topped up, while you are away from home, you can use your iPhone to control the gadget if you have HomePod, Apple TV or iPad set up as a home hub.
Philips continues to maintain its pioneering role in the field of smart lighting technology. Three white only, or white and millions of other colors, are connected to your router and the starter kit’s bridge unit. To wake up to a sunrise effect for instance, you can turn the lights up gently or set schedules in the morning.
You can use your phone to turn the lights on or off anytime you are away from home. You won’t need the bridge unit since there’s a built in compatible hub for those with an Amazon Echo Plus.
Supported Systems: Google, Apple, Amazon
Designed to easily attach to your door, the video bell links to the Ring Chime bell within your house wirelessly, or triggers an existing door bell when the button is pressed. A notification is instantly sent to your phone when the bell is rang, and you can speak to whoever’s at the door directly through the bell’s microphone and speaker.
The bell comes with two metallic faceplate options and an easily removable and rechargeable battery. To store video recordings for a period of 60 days, a video recording plan, with monthly charges of £2.50, is available.