Technology seems to be the trend these days. It’s no surprise that many tech gadgets are now available for your home. Should you make your home smarter? Here are 4 smart home products that you might consider adding.
Electronic Thermostats
Electronic thermostats have been around for a while, but they’ve gotten smarter. Thermostats are now wi-fi enabled, allowing you to control it with your smart phone. How convenient is that! They also have more programming options for days of the week and when you are home or away.
Massachusetts residents may qualify for a rebate program that reimburses you for part of the cost of your electronic thermostat. Visit MassSave.com for additional information on eligibility and rebate amounts.
Video Door Bells
You’ve probably seen a lot of national news coverage about thieves stealing packages from door steps. Many of those include videos of incidents. In many cases, those videos did not come from home security systems but from video doorbells. These are becoming one of the most popular smart home products as they are extremely useful yet small and fairly inexpensive. They connect to your home’s wifi and include features such as motion sensor alerts, the ability to answer your doorbell remotely through two-way voice, saved recordings of activity in front of your home, etc.
Wireless Home Security
It used to be that you had to have a company come in to hardwire security systems in your home. This is no longer the case. You can now buy wireless home security systems that connect to your home’s wifi. These systems come with the normal keypad, motion sensors, door chimes, and window sensors. The added benefit is the ease of installation and the ability to monitor your system from a smart phone or computer. Don’t forget to contact your homeowner’s insurance company regarding potential discounts for having a home security system in place!
Smart Outlets
If you travel quite a bit or are simply lazy to get up from the couch, you may want to consider smart outlets. Like the other smart home products listed above, this connects to your home’s wifi, allowing to program and control it from your smart phone. Imagine you are away from town but don’t want your home to look vacant. You can program these outlets to turn lights on/off in different rooms and at different times of day. You can connect almost anything to it!
Summary of Smart Home Products
These are just a few of many smart home products on the market today. Most offer a nice convenience, but some provide added safety to your home (and even possibly a discount on your homeowner’s insurance rates). Contact your insurance company ahead of time to find out what discounts are available.
