Smart home technology is no longer reserved for the rich or tech-savvy, and the tech industry has responded with ever more sophisticated solutions. Many people believe that smart home technology is a result of gadgets such as Google’s Nest or Amazon’s Echo however the term covers a variety of solutions for your house. This includes everything from remote-controlled lighting and heating to CCTV, home safety systems doorbells, smart locks. Some allow you to keep track of your elderly relatives, pets, children and even track your children.
The main ingredient in any smart home system is integration. This is why the top products available are those that can work with other systems and devices to make your property smarter. A smart light bulb, for example is able to communicate with the central hub to schedule your lights on a schedule or turn them off after leaving the house. A video doorbell can alert you to visitors coming in and trigger your alarm system to call the police or fire department. Once you’ve learned the IFTTT (If this, then that) service that you can utilize services such as Stringify to automate devices in more complex ways.
Of of course, bringing a range of new devices into your home has certain issues. CNET is dedicated to understanding the privacy policies of companies, voice concerns and direct questions to companies.