10 Best Gadgets To Automate Your Home

These days you can’t shake a stick without bumping into a gadget or two that will help automate your home and make it smarter. At the same time lifting a little bit of pressure off you. There are three main contenders in the race for the smart house crown. Amazon’s Alexa, Google’s Assistant and Apple’s HomeKit these all have voice control options as well as remote. As I type Alexa can be used with the most gadgets but they all have their merits.

The idea behind the smart home is that you have control over different aspects without even having to be in the house such as the heating or to help you remember things. Another important aspect is home security. There is so much out there now designed to make your life easier. Here are our top ten.

Echo Show 5 – Compact smart display with Alexa

The first Amazon Alexa was released over five years ago and since then the products have just gotten better. The latest affordable offering at just £79.99 is the Echo Show 5, which features a 5.5-inch display screen.

Use the device and the voice-activated Alexa operating system to listen to music, get real-time information such as news, traffic and weather, and create to-do lists and set alarms, connect with loved ones and listen to podcasts.

The screen allows you to make video calls and watch the latest movie trailers and you can of course control all items in your smart home including viewing cameras and controlling the thermostat.

Withings Sleep Automation Pad

Getting a good night’s sleep is too important for so many of us not to be getting them regularly. Order the Withings Sleep Automation Pad today and make your sleep smart.
This intelligent pad goes underneath you as you slumber and keeps track of your heart rate, snoring and even how deep you’re sleeping. All you have to do is slip it under your bed linin and connect it to the app and away you go.

It aims to promote healthy sleep which has many benefits to your overall physical and mental health. At only £99.99 it’s never been easier to get a decent bit of shut-eye.

Google Nest Hello Video Doorbell

Replace your regular doorbell with this Google smart doorbell today and transform the way you answer the door. Compatible with both Google’s Assistant and Alexa you can view your front door from tablet or smartphone. You can see the entire person head to foot and even parcels on the floor.

The camera is excellent meaning you always get a crisp and clear image. You can get one at Argos now for £229 which may seem a little steep but for the home security, it gives you it pays for itself.

Google Nest learning thermostat

Another Google Nest item next, this time the learning thermostat. This third-generation model not only programs itself it also saves energy and controls hot water as well as heating. It learns how warm you like a room when you’re at home and turns itself off when you leave. It even has the technology to learn the draughty areas of the house so the temperature is always perfect.

You can control the device from your mobile. The money you save on electric will make up for the price of this nifty heating system. Consider it today.

Hive smart lights

Smart lighting has been around for a few years now and the Hive system is one of the best. The company have a whole host of products but we like the lights the best. You can download the app and control all the lights from your phone.

When you’re away you can turn on the mimic mode and the software will turn the lights on and off in a pattern it has learned from you to make it appear like you are still there. Clever huh? Visit the website today and start upgrading today.

Ring Stick up Cam Smart Security Camera

You can never be too careful in this day and age, protecting your home is now so vital and no smart home would be complete without a security camera.
The Ring Stick Up Smart Security Camera is motion activated so you get an alert via the free app when it’s triggered. Then you can see, hear and even talk to your visitor, pet or worst-case scenario, an intruder. Order you’re from John Lewis today.

Eve Room Indoor Air Quality Monitor

This handy gadget is compatible with Siri and keeps track of air quality, temperature and humidity in your home. It allows you to make healthier decisions within your home and even allows you to track trends over time.

Everything can be revealed at a simple voice command as well as being seen on the app and monitor interface. At £89.95 it is reasonable value and surely worth a shot?

Nest Protect 2nd Generation Smoke + Carbon Monoxide Alarm

One of the best about the many automated gadgets you can now get for your home is that in many ways they make you and your family safer. Our third and final Nest item for the evening is the smoke and carbon monoxide alarm.

This clever product not only detects smoke and carbon monoxide, but it also detects where in the house the issue is if it is a slow or fast-burning fire and then alerts your phone in case you’re not home. It could very well be the difference between life and death of a sleeping family member or pet. £89.99 is a small price to pay for such an intelligent system.

SmarTap Smart Shower

Upgrade your shower routine with this magic SmarTap smart shower today. It now has half off at Victoria plumbing so now’s the time to take the plunge. Set a maximum shower time to ensure you never use too much water while at the same time setting the temperature and flow of the water to suit you perfectly. We love this.

iRobot 980 Roomba Cordless Robot Vacuum Cleaner

Our last gadget is the latest Roomba vacuum cleaner. It comes in at £699.99 at Argos right now so it is an investment but rest assured it does the job it's set better than anything else on the market.
It is controlled via the Roomba app so you simply set it too clean wherever you like. It will then hoover the whole house with such precision, leaving no corner uncharted until you have some of the cleanest floors around. It detects carpets that need a more heavy-duty clean and if low on battery it will return to the base, recharge and continue the job at hand.

We hope this little list has inspired you to upgrade and automate your home a little bit. We’d love to hear if you have any favourite gadgets. Please let us know.