Written by: Syasya Nur
Are you in the midst of planning a home renovation? While we improve the physical structure of our home, it’s important to upgrade your appliances as well. When you renovate your home, why not take the opportunity to add appliances that will improve your everyday life?
With a few smart purchases, your home will be transformed into a new and improved living space. By riding on the wave of technology, you can save on energy bills, improve your health, and make your home more secure.
5 Must-Have Smart Home Gadgets for a Modern Lifestyle
1. Smart speaker
Smart speakers not just for music – they often act as the controller of the other smart devices in your home. Thus, they help you with common household tasks like adjusting your lighting, ensuring your doors are locked, monitoring security, and more! With their built-in virtual assistant feature, owning a smart speaker is like having an extra helper around the house.
Smart speakers are designed to be compact and unobtrusive no matter where one is placed in the house. The best part? These smart speakers understand verbal commands so you don’t have to lift a finger. Some brands like Google Home Mini, can recognise several languages, so you can say “alamaks”, “lah”, and “hor” to your virtual assistant.
2. Air purifier
The indoor air quality contributes greatly to your health. According to the World Health Organisation, household air pollution is responsible for several noncommunicable diseases like heart disease, lung cancer, and even stroke. An air purifier protects you and your family against airborne contaminants like mould and makes the air inside your house much more pleasant to breathe.
Since an air purifier is your first line of defense against airborne illness, you need to choose it wisely. Consider the air intake rate – higher is better as it allows the device to clean air in a 21 sq m area in just 10 minutes. Users can check the air quality of their homes easily on the screen at the front of the device, which usually displays the PM2.5 reading, room temperature, and humidity. You can see this feature on the Xiaomi Air Purifier 2S. Quality air and ideal humidity levels can be achieved with a simple swipe of a finger.
3. Combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarm
It’s obvious why you need a smoke detector at home, but why should you get a combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarm? Carbon monoxide is an odourless and colourless gas that comes from burning carbon fuel. However, it can be deadly when it builds up in a confined area – say a kitchen or garage with poor ventilation. When you inhale too much carbon monoxide, your blood ends up not getting enough oxygen, which leads to suffocation and loss of consciousness.
Depending on the brand bought, smart carbon monoxide alarms can be controlled with just a few taps on a smartphone app. Some even have displays that tell you the current carbon monoxide levels of your home. You’ll be able to know immediately if something’s gone awry.
What if a fire breaks out and you’re not at home? Not to worry. Smart carbon monoxide alarms like the Google Nest Protect can send an automatic alert to the local fire department. Those few extra minutes can save the lives of your family and reduce damage to your property.
4. Smart security cameras
Security cameras inside and outside the home can give you peace of mind whenever you step foot out the door. Not only can you keep an eye on your possessions, you can also keep watch on your kids, elderly parents, or pets even when you are away from home. Not only that, having security cameras can discourage potential burglars as they know that your property is being monitored closely.
Choose a wireless security camera that is weatherproof, designed against water damage, and easy to install – even for the non-tech savvy. These cameras usually include an app that can connect up to 12 cameras in one go, providing a complete surveillance and security system at your fingertips.
5. Smart refrigerator
Not only can these refrigerators save energy, they also help you with your diet – promoting a healthy lifestyle for you and your loved ones. Smart refrigerators are connected to the cloud and can be managed through an app on your phone. You can use your device to view what you have in the fridge. This is extremely useful when you’re in that familiar situation when you ask yourself, “Should I eat outside, or eat at home?” Not only that, some models can track the expiry dates of your groceries, preventing you from eating spoiled food.
Apart from these five gadgets, here are more cutting-edge smart home products and home office essentials. Investing in small, technological changes can do wonders to upgrade our daily lives at home.
Excited for a home makeover?
Engage Ohmyhome’s renovation services for a fuss-free journey towards getting that home sweet home.
