The coolest smart home devices on the planet

If your home has an appliance, gadget, or a system that is connected to your smartphone and a high-speed internet, then you live in a smart home. Also, if you have a security system that taps into your home internet connection for monitoring, then you live in a smart home. You interact and control these devices via apps.

Picture the following scenario:

After a long night of beauty sleep, you’re ready to rise and shine. That’s because your mattress is auto adjustable to your optimum sleeping temperature, and has a built-in alarm to wake you up at just the precise moment of your sleep cycle.

Your master bedroom’s blinds open to your backyard and the beautiful sunrise, while the aroma of your freshly brewed morning coffee fills the air. The moment you leave home the lights automatically turn off, and the surveillance system is activated; the thermostat is already busy lowering the house temperature.

Okay, so maybe we are getting ahead of ourselves, but once you start turning your house into a smart home, it’s tough to go back. Here are a few products and services that we think are the coolest and simplest to turn your home into a smart home.

Security Camera - Nest Cam Indoor Security Camera

The third generation of the Dropcam now shoots video in 1080p (an upgrade from 720p), and comes with a magnetic, rotating base that lets you set it up just about anywhere. It offers you two-way audio, razor-sharp night vision, and a high-powered digital zoom, as well as integration with other smart home products, e.g., the Nest Learning Thermostat. However, to harness all the Nest Cam's features, you need to purchase the Nest Aware program, which enables cloud storage and many more features. So the next time you plan a picnic at Wildwood Metropark, rest assured your home is smartly secured when you purchase the Nest Security camera.

Thermostat - Nest Thermostat

Do you want to save money and always have the temperature the way you want it? Of course!!

According to nest.com, “The Nest Learning Thermostat is the first thermostat to get ENERGY STAR certified. It learns what temperature you like and builds a schedule around yours. Since 2011, the Nest Thermostat has saved billions of kWh of energy in millions of homes worldwide.* And independent studies showed that it saved people an average of 10 percent to 12 percent on heating bills and 15 percent on cooling bills. So in less than two years, it can pay for itself.”

Light Bulbs - Phillips hue white starter kit

Adjust the mood when you watch a movie, or listen to music with these color changing bulbs.

Two bulbs and a hub to connect them to other smart home devices is what Philips Hue White starter kit offers you. Although you cannot change the color of these bulbs, the brightness is adjustable up to 800 lumens and you may add up to 50 lights to a single hub. These bulbs are well-matched with a broad range of smart home systems such as Apple HomeKit, Alexa, Google Home, and Nest.

Smart speaker - Amazon Echo

‘Before you can say the obvious, let me make it easier for you!’

Amazon Echo is not just a Bluetooth speaker. It has lots of voice-activated features that will let you control several smart home devices, and will enable connectivity with other smart home hubs. It can read audiobooks, turn your cable TV on, update the weather, and can even facilitate your online purchases just by using your voice. Lastly, as a speaker, its quality is magnificent.

You should also know that without reliable high-speed Internet connections these products wouldn’t function the way they should. Which is why it is important to always make sure that you are receiving the fastest and most reliable speed from your provider.

To see a live demo of some of these products stop by our Buckeye Broadband store locations, at 3050 Navarre Avenue, Oregon, OH 43616 or 4111 Talmadge Road, Toledo, OH 43623. If you are interested in receiving the fastest and most reliable Internet in Toledo visit our website www.buckeyebroadband.com.