Families are busy. Moms have yoga classes; kids go to soccer and dance; and, dad tries to play as much golf as possible. However, maintaining the house when you’re away from the home used to require clever planning. Today, families are getting smarter by investing in automated and smart technology.

Home Automation

What if you had to wash all clothes by hand? This would be a terrible inconvenience, so washer and dryer machines were invented to automate the task. What if you could do more tasks to save both time and money? Today, home security, heating and cooling, and lighting tasks can be automated and controlled remotely.

WiFi Switch

WeMo technology uses WiFi to connect to your smartphone. So, any device plugged into the WeMo socket instantly becomes remote enabled. Brew coffee before you get home; turn on your lights and radio to ‘trick’ would-be thieves; and, turn on the lamp so you stop bumping your knee when entering a dark basement.   Use IFFT (if this then that) functions to link devices with your Twitter, Google Drive, and other platforms. For example, if you’re a football fan, have the outside lights turn on and off excitedly each time you tweet about a scored touchdown.

Keen Thermostat

HVAC contractors and homeowners alike are amazed by the Nest thermostat. While the notion of programming a thermostat is attractive, a lot of owners don’t actually follow-through and make use of the feature. However, the Nest begins learning your household’s patterns and starts programming when to heat and cool the home for you. Moreover, you can use your smartphone device to instantly communicate with the thermostat. Let’s say that you had planned on arriving home from a vacation on a particular day, programming your thermostat accordingly before you left. Yet, plans changed and you decide to stay a few days longer. With the Nest, you can reprogram to keep costs down while you’re away from the home.

Multi-Hue Bulb

Talk about mood lighting; hue bulbs change color, so you can keep the ambiance optimal for reading, viewing television, or entertaining. Moreover, the remote access controls the lights in the house, which is a convenient option for dads and moms with children who make a habit out of leaving lights on in vacant rooms. Moreover, the IFTT function is a neat option that helps you connect to other platforms. For example, you can change the light from yellow to red after sending an “I love you” Facebook message to your wife or husband.

Smart Lock

Do you have a habit of second-guessing whether you locked the front door? Is your child old enough to stay home alone for a couple of hours after school, yet you’re a bit hesitant to present them with a housekey? The smart lock solves those problems and more with remote capabilities. Actually, by connecting to your smartphone, you don’t need to worry about getting extra keys made for family members or fretting if particular access points or locked.

Chris Price is a real estate investor. He likes to write about home improvement and homeownership. His articles are available mainly on DIY and homeowner websites.