Five Life-Changing Smart Home Products

Over the last few years, the use of smart home products has moved from the fringe to the mainstream and thankfully so. Fortunately, that’s a good thing as each of these products is designed to better our lives. While you are likely already familiar with the biggest smart home names out there like Amazon, Google and Ring, there is a whole world of products and devices you may be unaware of. The following five products might not have the branding power of Amazon, but they’re going to change your life regardless. That’s a good thing.

1. WeMo Smart Plugs

Plugging directly into any power outlet in your home, WeMo Smart Plugs enable you to connect to any device you want to automate. To be clear, you are not losing a power outlet. Instead, you are connecting whatever device is plugged in directly to your home network. This is where the fun begins. You can now choose a fan, an appliance or a light/lamp and control them via the WeMo smartphone apps or through Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant or Apple’s HomeKit. These smart plugs are the key to successfully roasting your first cup of coffee without ever leaving the bed. Want to cool your home down before you arrive? The WeMo works well with air conditioners too so you control the temperature of any apartment or home from anywhere in the world.

2. August Smart Lock

Ever have a day where you just can’t find your keys and you are searching your home in a complete panic? Those days are over thanks to the August smart lock. Your smartphone now doubles as the “key” allowing you to easily lock/unlock without fumbling for keys.

Requiring less than ten minutes to install, the August smart lock is a secure way to track who comes and goes into your home. Installation even fits directly over your existing single-cylinder deadbolt. Want the dog walker to be able enter your home without giving them always-on access? It takes less than a minute to enable guest access through the downloadable smartphone app. If you ever forget to lock the door, do not worry! A built-in magnetic sensor can lock the door instantly for up to 30 minutes after you leave.

3. Sylvania Smart Lighting

More moderately priced than some of the competition, Sylvania’s smart lighting setup is going to change your life. How many times have you walked out of a room and forgotten to shut off the lights or tripped over something trying to turn on the lights? With smart lighting, those days are over.

Compatible with a multitude of smart services like SmartThings, ZigBee hub and Amazon Echo Plus, pairing is a breeze. Once you are connected, hands-free control of your lighting is as easy as asking to turn the lights on or off. Want to change the color or dim for the right mood? Just say the proper command. The days of the “clapper” are long behind us thanks to this life-changing smart home product.

Also read:6 Smart Home Devices that Are Totally Useless

4. Evolve Showerhead

This smart home product might be a little “out there” but is going to change your life anyway. How often do you turn on the shower before you get in so the water has time to warm up? There’s a better than average chance you do, and by doing so, you are also wasting water.

Enter the Evolve showerhead. This incredible product will not only send you a notification when the water temperature has reached a preset degree, but it will save you money, too. All you have to do is attach the Evolve to your existing showerhead and turn on the water. The water will heat up and reach whatever degree you’ve determined via a smartphone app. The Evolve then slows the water down to a trickle, saving all of the hot water until you get in.

Not only are you entering the shower at the exact temperature of your choosing, but you are saving a few extra dollars every month. Who doesn’t love the idea of a hot shower and a little extra money in their pocket?

SmartyPans

It is a sure thing that anyone looking at SmartyPans is going to think they are nothing more than a gimmick. The idea of a smart frying pan sounds more like an April Fools gag than a real product. Not only is SmartyPans real, but they may change your idea of home-cooked meals. It won’t turn you into Gordon Ramsay overnight, but with built-in weight and temperature monitors, it is going to help you cook better and healthier.

Connecting to a smartphone app, the frying pan calculates the nutritional info of every item you are cooking with and saves that data. Utilizing voice commands with the app, this smart kitchen appliance helps guide you through recipes all while calculating calories. You can even share recipes with the rest of the SmartyPans community. What’s not to love about a smart frying pan that can tell you to stop adding salt?

Conclusion

It is a foregone conclusion that by this time next year more smart home products will be introduced and be life-changing. The good news is that’s not a bad thing as technology has a tendency to improve our lives. And that’s the goal with every product on this list, to help improve your life in some way. To that end, they all succeed in spades. What’s your favorite life-changing smart home product?