What 'smart' things do you have in your home that you like?

[OakAshElm]

Buying a new house off plan and it seems like a good idea to get all sorts of the latest technology in as it is built rather than try to add things at a later date. I'm really behind on this sort of thing. In my current house we have an Alexa for radio and for cooking timers but that is about it.

I would love a house where I can do all sorts of things from my phone so looking for suggestions. Things I am thinking about are being able to turn the oven on to warm up before I get home with the kids (or is this dangerous?) Being able to switch the lights and heating on and off without getting out of bed! Also little modern touches like sockets with in built usb charging looks great. Maybe a Ring doorbell. Budget isn't huge so as much as I would love an automatic vacuum cleaner I don't think I can stretch to that.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Also suggestions for things which don't work well.

if you already have an alexa you can just buy smart lightbulbs to be able to trun lights on/off remotely. I have all lights and lamps controlled by alexa. Also have a smart heating thermostat so can control heating/hot water remotely or from alexa. And I have a eufy robo vac which is the best thing ever!!
none of these things need "building in" to a new house though

Other than the sockets you don't need to build them in.

The robot vacuum is the best bit though. Well worth it

Smart thermostat sounds great! Exactly the sort of thing I don't want to miss out on. I know what you mean about not needing 'building in'. I guess what I mean is that because all the things like lightbulbs/ thermostats etc. will be needing to be installed in the new place. I want to buy the right smart things first time rather than having things there which then need to be replaced with smart ones.
Currently googling robot vacuums to see if I can stretch the budget...😂

Smart thermostat definitely, I thought it was a gimmick but now I don't have one I miss being able to turn the heating on before I drive home.

Also USB slots on sockets are useful.

Definitely smart thermostats.
We also have WiFi enabled ovens they're limited to 1 hour if you're starting them remotely but it means you can preheat if you're on your way home.

One other thing, which isn't smart but it annoys me in our extension - if you have any open plan areas, think about where you might have your seating and consider a floor socket. Where our sofa is, we need extension cables if we want to have electronics plugged in to be used there (mainly charging a phone or using a laptop) and it would be really handy, and less of a trip hazard, if there was one under the sofa.

Be careful with usb as Apple are moving over to usb-c

Ring type doorbell?
Probably high grade Ethernet cables with ports in rooms so you have stable Wi-Fi.
Wi-Fi boosters

Hot water tap

so it turns out I’m a bit of geek and have lots of gadgets!

I have a hive thermostat that controls the heating, works with Alexa or an app on the phone. This does need plumbed into the boiler by a gas safety engineer (you can self install but seems complicated)

I have Phillips’s hue light bulbs that I control with Alexa, I believe there are other cheaper ones though. I also have smart plugs I use for lamps or things like the Christmas lights. Loads of routines you can set up once you’ve got them all added.

also have the ring doorbell which I like, it’s a big laggy for actually talking to people on Android, one fail with that was I bought i chime as didn’t always hear it upstairs but you can get your alexa’s to alert you so never needed it.

I would invest in Alexa’s in other rooms, so make sure you’ve one upstairs and one downstairs to voice command

I also have the hoover n it mops as well, don’t use the mop very often but really like the hoover.

one thing I’d really love to get is smart lock door handle for the front door, the thought of not needed a door key for a quick school run would be great, but I’m not buying a new front door just to get one!!

Smart thermostats are great. We have Nest, would recommend. If you go away it’s so handy being able to switch the heating back on via your phone before you get home.

Nest doorbell, thermostat, fire and carbon monoxide alarms, cameras on the drive and back garden. All are Nest and can all be accessed on my phone app. Makes me feel very secure! I like I can check security of home while away and I really like being able to turn the heating or hot water on when I am out of the house. The doorbell is great for being able to tell delivery drivers to leave the parcel with a certain neighbour.

Definitely smart thermostat, but we have Honeywell Total Connect which means we control each thermostat by room, which is great at saving on energy costs.

We also have lights, garage door and a home security alarm controlled by Google Home, as well as smart plugs (retrofit, not built into sockets) so that we can turn the pond pump and electric blankets on and off via Google.

Our internal and external cameras are also linked to our phones, as is the underfloor heating, and our Samsung TVs can be turned on and off with Google Home but I could live without that.

We have smart smoke alarms that notify our phones in case of smoke which are also great.

We have a Google doorbell and a google home with a display in my office so I can see who is at the door while working which was also a game changer.

Next on the list is a smart washer and dryer so I could see how long is left on the cycle without going upstairs. We are making do with a camera pointed at them for now, but it’s not ideal.

Smart Plugs. We have Tapo ones to switch TV’s, Soundbar, printer off as ours still take some electricity to sit on standby with the complicated set up that DP insists is necessary. I used a device to measure the electricity used and they will pay for themselves in a year. Also, to switch lights on randomly in rooms at the front of the house that we don’t use often. I’d like to find a way to use IFTTT (if this then that - app) to link it to an outside light being triggered.

We also have Hive and individual TRV’s for virtually all our radiators so I can choose to heat one room or many (you have to fit TRV’s to virtually all radiators to be able to control it to this degree or any that don’t have a Hive will turn in too). There are other suppliers (Nest etc) and some people have real problems with Hive but it’s generally done what I need it to.

If you’re buying off plan and are able to specify socket placement etc then I’d think really hard about where your furniture is going to be and if you want wall lights or to be able to switch off main lights from bed, different parts of the hall etc. Sensor activated nightlight in bathrooms is useful.

Blimey. I've just about got used to Alexa managing my shopping list.

We have just gutted and renovated a 1930's house, so not a new build- but the the roof and all the insides are basically new. DH is into 'smart' things! He has put in 'cat 6' leads throughout (although I'm not 100% sure what they are for?) The house isn't fully finished, but here are the things I like so far:

• Aqualisa shower. You press a button and dial the temperature to what you like. Just feels so quick and modern compared to turning leavers on normal showers 😂
• All the lights are smart- so I can turn them on/off from phone, laptop or the actual switch.
• The dog has a GPS tracker thing on her collar- handy when she escapes the temporary fencing we currently have!
• I can view the cameras on the house from phone/laptop and listen to the speakers
• We bought all miele appliances which have app options- but I'm yet to link them to my phone

I'm looking into a robo/rumba vacuum robot and DH wants a robo lawn mower once we get grass. DH advised against getting USB installed into the sockets, as thinks they will be superseded very soon. Buy a USB block instead. Get your sockets installed higher up the wall too- so you aren't bending to skirting boards.

I've got Nest thermostat but it lives on a table so definitely didn't need to be built in. You attach something to the existing boiler. We just got smart bulbs that work with Alexa as does the vacuum and the ring doorbell. We have a cctv system that is separate. Maybe I'd link them all so you're sticking with the same brand for ease.

Smart plugs inside cupboards get used a lot. Think about where your router is too.

"Get your sockets installed higher up the wall too- so you aren't bending to skirting boards."

Oh god no. Sockets need to be just an inch above the skirting board or it looks terrible.

I dont have many smart things in my house however I do have one that works without fail.

It wakes me up at the right time
It makes sure food is ready at the right time
It keeps me warm at the right time
It makes sure the house has enough fresh air
It has conversations with me

'It' is my cat and 'the right time ' is when he says it is .including demanding the window is open so he can shout at the birds and local cats
😂

The only other thing I have is a Eufy , which I would highly recommend.

I love my hive.

Plug sockets with usb's in them has made a big difference in our home.

I would focus on finding out about thermal efficiency first. With the amount of materials techology around now, you should be looking towards Passivhaus, especially in new builds.

Robot vacuum
Smart plugs
Smart bulbs
Electric blinds
Climote heating control
Blink security cameras
Alexa (great for shopping list)
Electric gates
Electric garage door

If it’s a new build, you’ll have no choice on this one as sockets have to be between 450 and 1200mm.

Not a 'smart thing' but getting a water softner has been great. I thought London had hard water, but our new place is even harder! Now I have far less cleaning of the shower screens, mirrors, I use less shampoo and my hair is much softer. Plus the benefits to pipework and appliances will be worth it in the long run. We have a filtered water tap in the kitchen and also the en-suite. The plumber recommended one there- so you don't have to go downstairs in the night to get water. Yes, you can drink softened water, but because its SO hard here, I can taste the salt and its not recommended if TTC/pregnant/kidney issues etc.

"If it’s a new build, you’ll have no choice on this one as sockets have to be between 450 and 1200mm."

Good 🤣

The good thing about smart home tech now is that you don’t need to build it in. It’s not like the days where you needed miles of cables in the walls, it’s all Wi-Fi. So you can build it up when you know what you need and add to it as you have the need / money.

I love smart home stuff as it’s enabled me to cheaply retro-fit electric central heating to my 30 year old house. I use apple HomeKit-enabled plugs, bulbs and thermostats.

The ikea Tradfri series is compatible with all operating systems and is much cheaper than Phillips for light bulbs. you can try their stuff out in IKEA stores and see which things you like.

I’ve recently added some Aqara devices to my kit, and have some Meross inline switches which work well.

I use the apple home app to set scenes - I have early evening, late evening (dims the lights to help us get sleepy for bed), dinner party etc. I have the outside lights programmed to switch on when we come home in the dark. The immersion heater and electric radiators are all on smart plugs and I can set the timers from my phone.

The Aqara sensor reads humidity and air pressure as well as temperature, so I could also programme a dehumidifier if I needed to.

I love it because it’s all so adaptable. I can change around the smart plugs and bulbs as needed, and the bulbs can be dimmed and changed between cold and warm white.

We have a robot vacuum as well, but that’s a no-brainer as the house is all one level, with tiled floors (and lots of bloody pet hair).

The only thing I would bother fitting in advance of moving in would be your kitchen under counter lighting. IKEA does these as part of their smart home kit.

just make sure you have enough sockets and the rest you can do as you go along.