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Original poster

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

62 replies

OakAshElm · 19/01/2023 18:47

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.

OP posts:
Krakenes · 19/01/2023 20:46

Lights and heating. Saves having to turn all the little lamps on. I just bought smart plugs from Amazon. I know say ‘goodnight Alexa’ all the light turn off and the heating goes down to 14. I remotely put lights on and off when I’m on holiday (can also set up a timer for them to come on at sunset). Would not be without them!! Love being able to put the heating in so the house is warm for when I get home. Also have tongs/straighteners/iron plugged into them so no panicking when I leave the house and can’t remember if I’ve switched them off!!

changer121 · 19/01/2023 20:58

Hive

Security cameras

Ring doorbell

App enabled burglar alarm which is over 20 years old but was recently updated to use a SIM card for monitoring/police notification.
-fabulous,can set and unset alarm whenever needed away from home etc
And view our security cameras through the same app.

Miele washing machine with built in detergent dispenser and app control-
Genuinely life changing

Alexa plugs for lamps / Xmas tree lights

Remote garden lights

Eufy

Iliveditwizbit · 19/01/2023 21:06

I love to light my house up with different hues as I’m walking back to it on a dark day 😃
However, this stuff can be as annoying as it is convenient. Glitches quite often but my wifi is not the world most reliable. You have to have really good wifi for lots of stuff to run very smoothly.

Iliveditwizbit · 19/01/2023 21:08

If I had a washing machine that would gather up the laundry , wash it and then.. hang it all up.. now that would be a game changer 🤔

LeroyJenkinssss · 19/01/2023 21:09

We have tado heating which has been fab with each room controlled separately.

Smart bulbs so can have daylight or soft white plus a myriad of other coloured lighting settings which the kids adore. We just tell Alexa it’s time for bed and she switches off all the lights in the house so can just do it in bed.

Alexa in most of the rooms so can drop in on the kids to call them for dinner without sounding like a fish wife. They have also used it to call for us in the night if they were scared.

not smart but plenty of sockets would be a dream (I live in a very old cottage where electricity was a much later add on and it’s rubbish not have a socket anywhere near sensible places).

prescribingmum · 19/01/2023 21:16

Agree with others that heating is definitely the one I wouldn’t be without. Others we have are doorbell, security alarm and security cameras (external). We have also got some lights (not whole house).

Usb is switching to USB-C and all companies have slightly different output for fast charge so while we got got use out of our usb sockets (installed in 2013), I definitely wouldn’t be putting them in now.

As a pp said, technology has advanced so much, can retro fit a lot of smart things but we wired in the the things we could when walls were open (thermostats, bell etc)

MrsHGWells · 19/01/2023 21:18

buying off the plan, I would get more built in modifications completed:

  • Keyless house entry / same as cars.
  • plugs to have usb posts built in or modifiable wiring connections at plug points ( extra wire connections for future house connectivity) especially kitchens
  • laundry shaft / dumb waiter installed
  • add extra smart storage into all rooms
Motelschmotel · 19/01/2023 21:25

Hardwired smoke and CO detectors. No batteries to change.

Air conditioning. It’ll be £££ but I think worth it given what climate change is doing to us.

Keypad on front door (normally hidden in a box). No need for keys.

Make sure you have many more sockets than you think you’ll need. Don’t go for usb ports. Technology is hardwired to change. They’ll be obsolete before your house is.

The rest you can do as and when, starting with thermostats.

Apollonia1 · 19/01/2023 23:31

I've remote-controlled window blinds. I love just pressing a button, instead of rolling up and down blinds.
I can also control them via an app - useful for my kids rooms - I tell them it's not morning-time until the blinds open.

BasicDistinct · 20/01/2023 00:51

LeroyJenkinssss · 19/01/2023 21:09

We have tado heating which has been fab with each room controlled separately.

Smart bulbs so can have daylight or soft white plus a myriad of other coloured lighting settings which the kids adore. We just tell Alexa it’s time for bed and she switches off all the lights in the house so can just do it in bed.

Alexa in most of the rooms so can drop in on the kids to call them for dinner without sounding like a fish wife. They have also used it to call for us in the night if they were scared.

not smart but plenty of sockets would be a dream (I live in a very old cottage where electricity was a much later add on and it’s rubbish not have a socket anywhere near sensible places).

How do you do the Alexa thing - is it by using the app?

LeroyJenkinssss · 20/01/2023 06:28

@BasicDistinct no voice control - each Alexa is named so you can just say “drop in on kitchen” and then talk away

Katekeeprunning · 20/01/2023 07:22

remote control blinds are the best things I have in our house . I have them on timer as our kids never close them if I’m not there and the whole street can see in as they also leave all the lights on.

handmademitlove · 20/01/2023 07:30

We have hive heating but also have the house zoned so we can heat the living areas and bedrooms separately - this is much more efficient and allows us to only heat the living areas during the day and then heat the bedrooms in the morning / bedtime.

HappyAsASandboy · 20/01/2023 15:27

We have Hive and I love it.

If you already have Alexa then buy compatible lightbulbs, dimmable where you might want them, and plugs for the sockets.

USB sockets on the wall socket plates are great. Probably don't need them everywhere, but somewhere useful in each room would be nice. Don't worry about the USB-C switchover - that's the other end of the cable! Eventually all mobile phones will be able to use the same charging cable as they will all go from USB on the wall end to USB-C on the phone end!

Wheretheskyisblue · 20/01/2023 15:49

Lightwave light switches are good then you can control all you lights through alexa. It also means you can voice control your garden lights and any water features etc.

Voice controlled blinds are good too although it is annoying that whenever the app gets updated it loses the link with alexa. Also with the honeycomb ones you need to be careful they don't hit any obstructions on the way down as they tangle and break so I don't like to control them when I am in another room.

Definitely recommend the video door bell and nest thermostat. It is really nice to be able to turn the heating on when you are travelling home.

We have apps for the ovens and washing machine too but I personally wouldn't bother.

mathanxiety · 20/01/2023 16:30

Alexa
Smartplug
Smart bulbs

I like the sound quality of the Alexa for music.

SnackyOnassis · 20/01/2023 16:48

We've also got sensor lighting under the kitchen cabinets at floor level so when you walk into the room to quickly grab something, you don't have to switch on the lights. We installed it when we were getting up in the middle of the night to do bottles for the baby, and it is a gamechanger!

OhmygodDont · 20/01/2023 16:53

declutteringmymind · 19/01/2023 19:23

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

Tell me about it. We replaced all our sockets then upgraded our iPhones 🤦🏻‍♀️

OhmygodDont · 20/01/2023 16:57

I’ll add smart garden sockets to the list. Brilliant for us with the children’s pool as you can set it to filter for the right amount of time in a smarter schedule or just ask it to turn on or off more.

Also used for our garden fountain or Christmas lights etc. we have all the smart cameras and hive, light bulbs, plugs etc even turn the tv on and off with Alexa.

YorkieTheRabbit · 20/01/2023 17:20

We have
Hive, use both smart plugs and bulbs, it’s great for heating and hot water.
Sensors for lights in all the bathrooms, down stairs loo are fairly high on the wall, the bathrooms have them low towards the floor. They remain on until they no longer sense movement
Aqualisa shower, push button on the outside of the shower enclosure, no more getting wet until the temperature is right, once the light stops flashing, it’s the correct temperature
Alexa in different rooms
CCTV
Wired smoke alarms

Monkeybutt1 · 20/01/2023 18:01

We have
Smart oven
Smart fridge/freezer
Smart dishwasher
Smart washing machine
Smart dryer
Smart house alarm
Robot hoover that mops
Most rooms have a Google that have morning routines on

Sammz21 · 20/01/2023 18:10

Yes, I second hot (boiling) water tap

  • it's great for making hot drinks instantly
and for cooking pasta, just put water in pan & ready to cook - easy
DillDanding · 20/01/2023 19:00

I love our boiling water tap. I loathe things out on worktops so I was thrilled to get rid of the last thing I hadn’t managed to hide in a cupboard.

Blossomtoes · 20/01/2023 19:08

Don’t bother with a blue tooth compatible coffee machine. It’s the most pointless thing ever.

User16458769 · 20/01/2023 19:09

HappyAsASandboy · 20/01/2023 15:27

We have Hive and I love it.

If you already have Alexa then buy compatible lightbulbs, dimmable where you might want them, and plugs for the sockets.

USB sockets on the wall socket plates are great. Probably don't need them everywhere, but somewhere useful in each room would be nice. Don't worry about the USB-C switchover - that's the other end of the cable! Eventually all mobile phones will be able to use the same charging cable as they will all go from USB on the wall end to USB-C on the phone end!

My Apple ones are USB-C at the plug end