9 Smart Home Devices to Help With Everyday Life

Smart home devices were once seen as reserved for tech-savvy professionals with plenty of cash to spare. But, as the market becomes more competitive, prices have decreased, making smart devices more accessible than ever.  Smart devices can be useful for most people, but they can offer a certain level of independence for those of us who are older, experience mobility problems or have certain disabilities.

Top smart home devices for the older generation

Mobility and movement is often reduced as we grow older, but many smart home devices could go some way towards helping you remain in your own home for longer. Some of the top devices that can offer independence for the homeowner and reassurance for their family include:

Smart TVs

Smart home entertainment systems can be an essential if you’re often at home for long periods of time. These TVs can allow you to have all your catch-up TV, radio, and internet, all in one place! Now TV and Fire Stick add-ons even offer the voice control, which can be super handy if you have limited mobility or find operating a remote control difficult.

Smart vacuum cleaners and robot mowers

If you struggle to keep up with cleaning your home or mowing the lawn due, you may want to consider the benefits of robot vacuum cleaners and lawn mowers. These little devices will buzz around any home sucking up dust or cut the grass in your garden, learning their way around as they go, while you relax inside. As this type of technology becomes more common, prices for devices of this nature will continue to drop.

Smart fall alert and medical devices

Increasing numbers of these devices are coming onto the market and can offer reassurance for many people who live alone. Different devices can automatically send an alert to your family or the emergency services if you have a fall or a medical emergency. Some devices require an ongoing monthly contract, but if you shop around you should be able to source the device most suited to your needs.

Smart pill dispensers

It’s so easy to forget to take tablets, even though we know they’re often necessary for our health and wellbeing. Adding a smart pill dispenser to the home can provide you, and even your relatives, with alerts if you forget to take your medication.

Wearable devices

There are a number of smart wearable devices enabling people to lead independent, fulfilled lifestyles. Blood glucose monitors are particularly useful if you need to keep a watchful eye on your glucose levels, your intake of carbs, or your activity levels. A number of smart blood pressure cuffs are also on the market to track daily blood pressure fluctuations, which could reduce your need for visits to the doctor.

Best smart home devices for people with a disability

More and more smart home devices are being developed, making life much easier for people with a disability of any kind. Some of the top smart home devices currently on the market include:

Amazon Echo

Alexa is the virtual assistant offered by Amazon that can be downloaded to smartphones to enable remote control of devices when you’re away from home. However, taking advantage of all the additional possibilities offered by Alexa may mean upgrading to an Amazon Echo device.

Adding Amazon Echo to the home is an ideal start to creating a smart environment, offering lots of opportunities for controlling devices with voice commands. Increasing numbers of home devices can be controlled using Amazon Echo. Imagine getting settled onto the sofa and being able to adjust the temperature of the room or the brightness of your lights using only voice commands, without having to move from your prime TV-viewing spot!

Video doorbells

Smart video doorbells allow you to see who is at your door and to let people into your home, whether you’re present or operating the system remotely. These systems also feature movement recording, so any time someone gets close to the doorbell, video recording is initiated during the day and at night.

Smart central heating and thermostat devices

New central heating apps for smartphones and tablets allow easy remote control, whether you’re at home or away. Smart thermostats in all rooms of the home can be adjusted to offer varying room temperatures to suit needs exactly, leaving you able to do things like pop the heating on before you set off home.

Security cameras and floodlights

Many of us would feel more secure in our homes if smart security cameras and floodlights were in place. Many of these devices now have built-in alarms, which can also be a comfort. Modern security cameras have great night vision and smart devices may offer the ability to detect the most familiar people that call to your home. Floodlights that turn on automatically when motion is detected and begin recording automatically can help reduce levels of anxiety and send alerts to smart devices to ensure users are fully advised of all movement around the exterior of their property.

The market for smart home devices is in its infancy at present, however, some of the products already available are proving to be a great source of independence and reassurance for many.