Colorado Springs Smart Homes 2018
Well it’s 2018, and we haven’t talked about Smart Homes for awhile. What’s new since we published Part 1 and Part 2 of our smart homes blogs? Let’s just say a lot! The Internet of Things continues to grow and specialize. After the initial influx of hooked-up items to come on the market, smart home things are becoming more creative and useful. Let’s look at a few of the cool things you may have missed in Smart Homes 2018. First, though, we want to tell you about an offer from Colorado Springs Utilities where you can get a $50 rebate on a smart thermostat. This could help you begin your journey into a connected home. Here’s the link: https://www.csu.org/Pages/smartthermostatrebate.aspx So back to smart homes. What new things did we see that got us pumped?
Geofencing
One of the best new goodies is geofencing. This new product is sending us on the way to programmable homes that don’t need constant voice commands or button-pushing on your part. Once used only for targeting ads, now geofencing is moving into homes as well. As an example, you could set a geofence 200 feet all around your home. Then when all of your phones exit the geofence boundaries, your alarm arms, lights go off, TVs turn off, front door locks, garage door closes, and vacuum starts cleaning. This is a step to true home automation, as once you set the parameters, you don’t have to think about it again. Your apps do it for you. Here's a link to check it out: https://research.adobe.com/project/smart-geo-fencing/
The Ecobee Switch+
The Ecobee light switch combines the Amazon Alexa with a light switch. The switch works like a normal switch, and looks like a normal switch, but also acts as an Alexa hub. This puts the hub on the wall, not the table, and allows you to have voice access to your smart home and the Internet from any room. It also contains a built-in nightlight and motion sensor that turns the lights on or off as you access the room. Here's a link to check it out: https://www.ecobee.com/
The Smarter iKettle
The Smarter iKettle can be either programmed or accessed through an app or Amazon Alexa. There are options to grand and perk coffee, or bring the water to a certain temperature, perfect for your heat preference. It even tells you what the water level is. Perfect for onsies at your office! Here's a link to check it out: https://smarter.am/
TP-Link Lighting
This multi-color light bulb can be used without any hub, controlled from your phone or by voice. Soft White to Daylight gives you your voice in brightness, or you can program the lighting to your circadian rhythm. It has a full range of colors for mood lighting or parties. Cool thing? No big investment here. You can buy just 1 bulb if that’s all you want, so you can experiment with it or give it to your nephew for his birthday. Perfect way to experience some smart! Here's the link where you can check it out: https://www.tp-link.com/us/products/details/cat-5609_KB130.html
Summary
There are new smart home things coming out all the time, and they are becoming more specialized and useful all the time. For more info, here’s a link to one of the favorite Smart Homes 2018 blogs. So check it out, and have fun making your place a Smart Home! Here's an article where you can read more: PC-Mag The Best Smart Home Devices of 2018 Remember! If you're looking for a rental home or you want to buy a home that you can turn into a Smart Home, call All Seasons, LLC, CRMC at: (719) 632-3368. We are the only Certified Residential Management Company in southern Colorado. We can help you find your dreams!
