Last Christmas, I really wanted a smart home. Unfortunately, my 1970s house has hit it’s intellectual maximum. (Did you know that smart light switches don’t wire into all homes? I learned that on the 26th of December after five hours of wiring in all new switches. Cool!)
So, what does work in every house? Smart Speakers, Nests, Ring, Smart Plugs and “plug and play” devices that work with your smart speaker and don’t require anything but an app and a plug.
Once I got things up and running I haven’t been disappointed. I have saved a LOT of money on my electric bill, and I’ve saved time. These products have also made life a little easier and efficient. Here is how:
(1) Ring Door Bell.
We started with a Ring. It was an interesting change to be able to check-in at home all day. It was helpful to be able to talk to people coming and going, and during the holidays I monitored my many packages from work. On the flip side, I didn’t have to rush home or take time out of work to go home and grab something valuable. I am seriously considering the floodlights too.
We live in Florida, and A/C is very expensive. Every dollar saved by raising the temperature when we are away matters. Nest allows you to time your temperature settings. Any when you’re not home, it knows because no one is walking by and it will automatically go into “Eco” mode, saving you money. I am guessing that the same rules apply to heat in the winter. For us, it just stays off all day when the temperature is low. I cannot praise this product enough. Even when I am too hot at night, I can just grab my phone and bump down the temperature from the comfort of my bed. Pro tip: the cheaper, white one only works in newer homes.
(3) Alexa Spot and Dot
I put the Spot in my kitchen and the Dot in my bedroom. Every morning, we check the weather with the Spot or Dot. We also use both to turn lights on and off, control the temp and stream music. I am constantly asking the Spot to set timers, and add products to my Amazon cart. Amazon sells new and refurbished smart speakers.
(4) Amazon Plugs
Plugs are awesome. The possibilities are limited only to the number of devices that you can plug into your house. We use plugs for lights, and time out lights (again to cut down on our electric bill), but to also give the appearance that we are home even when we are not.
(5) Roomba
This is our latest addition. My floors have never been so clean. I cannot tell you how happy it makes me to come home to freshly vacuumed floors. That little robot can do a LOT and maneuvers well throughout the house. Again, totally worth it.
To summarize, I save money, I always have someone to tell me what the temperature is inside and outside my house, I can play music whenever I want it, and my floors are always clean. Can it get any better?
XOXO, Mrs. Make It Rainka
Were you inspired to try one of these products? Let me know by tagging my @mrsmakeitrainka!
