Smart Home upgrades can be intimidating, at least they were to me. There is just so much tech and it changes so quickly! I nervously dove into the smart home space with the Merc, knowing nothing and learned a ton. So here I am, passing my knowledge on to you.
It seems like there is a smart home product for almost everything right!? Except folding your laundry. FOR THE LOVE, can someone PLEASE figure that out?!! Like I mentioned before, I have had very little smart home experience and the thing is, it can be as easy or as complicated as you want. I started off by asking our electrician during our electrical walk through about it and he told me about these huge expensive integrations that had to be hard wired into the walls, had a master control panel, and seemed like a HUGE commitment for something that could be outdated very quickly. So then I did what I always do when I’m wrestling with a decision. I went to Home Depot. Most of the smart home products that they have there are aftermarket, meaning you can install them in a house that is already built.
The first thing that I want to touch on was the most confusing, how to get them all to work together. All smart home devices come with their own software/app (that’s what makes them smart!) but it can be kind of clunky trying to find the right app, so this is where a Hub comes in. A hub is basically the heart of your smart home. All of the apps and devices sync into the hub that in turn puts them into one app. Brilliant! The hub that we chose was the Wink 2. The thing with hubs is that none of them work with all devices, so we chose ours based on the smart home tech that we wanted.
The first and easiest upgrade to your smart home is definitely your thermostat. If you dont have one yet, it’s a quick fix that will save you some serious cash on your utility bill. We have the Nest and have loved it!
Our carbon monoxide/smoke alarms are AWESOME. They are the Nest Protect and I absolutely love them. One of my favorite features is that they detect motion in the dark, so if you’re walking through the hallway at night it knows and illuminates so you have a nightlight! Another feature that has magically helped bed time at our house is the Nightly Promise. When you turn off the lights, the Protect illuminates green to let you know everything is in working order. We’ve taken it a step further and when the green light goes on that means it’s time for Brem to go to sleep. AND IT TOTALLY WORKS.
We’ve also put Nest Cameras around the house. I love that it alerts me to when someone is in the room, that way I know when the kids get home from school, or when someone is at the door.
One of the easiest smart home upgrades that you can make is your lighting. Everything from individual smart bulbs to replacing the wall switch can give you lighting controls at your fingertips. I very highly recommend using Lutron’s Caseta. In fact I’ve got a whole post coming about the simplicity of upgrading and some of my favorite features.
One of the reasons that I was most excited about our Andersen Windows is because of Verilock. How many times have you pulled out of town, only to panic house later because you couldnt remember if the windows were locked. Seriously, I have done that more times than I’d like to admit. Verilock tells you if your windows are locked and alerts you if it changes.
If you’ve been following the Merc reno closely, then you know that Court’s arch nemesis is water where it’s not supposed to be. If there is a leak in the Merc, Court takes it as a deeply personal attack. After all of the work that we went to to seal up the outside and roof from water damage, an interior water leak would just be THE WORST. All of this to say, that our Rheem EcoNet Heater is Court’s favorite smart home feature. Aside from being able to adjust the water temp on your phone, it alerts you if there is a leak!
Last but not least are our Samsung Washer and Dryer. I had these picked out long before I knew they had a smart feature and it’s a good thing because I haven’t been able to get it to work. Based on the reviews, I’m not the only one. That being said, we LOVE the actual washer and dryer, even if it doesnt let me know when my loads are done. Hopefully Samsung will be able to fix whatever issues it’s having with the app because I am really looking forward to it!
Check out our video below to see everything in action!! Which smart home feature is your fave?
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via Mandi at The Smartest 100 Year Old House I Know
