There are no specific requirements to make your smart home, well smart. Installing one or more different smart devices into your home would categorize your home as a smart home. You can make your home as smart as you want it to be. There are many different devices that can be installed to enhance your home living.

1. Choose your smart home assistant

The first step to making your home into a smart home is choosing your assistant. The most popular voice-controlled assistants are the Google Home and Amazon Echo. These devices are similar but still have differences. The assistant will help you to use your other smart devices. Say “O.K Google, turn on the lights” or “Alexa, play music”.  

When selecting other devices for your smart home, make sure that those devices are compatible with your assistant. 

2. Invest in Smart Lights

With smart lighting you can walk into your home and say “Alexa, I am home” and program which lights you would like to turn on once that is said. Some of the options can dim and have multi-colors. Smart lighting can also be controlled from a phone app which allows you to control your home lights even when you’re not at home. This is a great security feature if you’re away from home or on vacation but don’t want your home to appear empty. Some systems require a bridge to connect the device to Wi-Fi. The bridge allows you to control multiple devices all at once and when you are outside of your home. 

3. Smart Plug

The smart plug is a great way to start turning your home into a smart home. These plugs can be found for as cheap as $15 a plug. You will be able to use an app to turn on/off what is plugged in or use voice activation from your assistant when you’re at home. For example, the app will allow you to turn off your bedroom light from miles away. You can control when your plugins are using energy or not to stay energy efficient. Schedules can be created to turn on/off certain devices at specific times. There are also smart plugs designed for the outdoor elements so you can conveniently control your patio or holiday lights with ease. 

4. Smart Thermostat

A smart thermostat is a great way to be energy efficient by tracking your usage. This thermostat will allow you to improve your energy use by sensing patterns in the home to adjust the temperature based on movement at certain times of the day. You can see on your app the daily and monthly energy history and where you can cut back to save energy and money.

5. Home Security

Smart cameras can be placed inside or outside of the home. These cameras connect to an app allowing you to watch what is happening inside or outside of your home wherever you are at. The app will notify you when motion is detected on the cameras. If you choose to install cameras, make sure that you are on a secure network to keep your private life confidential.

You’ve picked up a drone, congratulations! You have taken the first step into a fun new world. A limitless world with new perspectives and freedoms that come with being un-tethered by gravity, free to travel the skies any way that you choose. Drones can be fun to fly as a hobby, or perhaps you want to create inspiring aerial photography. While this can be a little intimidating at first, with a few simple steps you can take to the skies and master your aerial platform in a safe and controlled way. Today we’ll take a look at some of the important steps and elements that come with flying a drone.

How Well Do You Know Your Drone?

Before going airborne, take a few minutes to become familiar with your drone. Learn about the controls, settings, and discover key information about the battery performance. It’s also a good idea to do some research about air traffic and drone rules in your area.

Even if you have never flown a drone before, you can become a master in a short amount of time with some practice. Many drones offer beginner modes and simulators that allow you to get used to the controls and fly in a safe way, without putting your drone or anyone else in harm’s way. Many of the drones in the DJI lineup offer both a simulator that connects the controller to your phone or tablet and a beginner mode that restricts the drone altitude and speed. These two modes provide a great opportunity for novice pilots to build their confidence before embarking on a full-fledged flight.

Drone Controls

Many drones on the market use a standard controller layout, consisting of control sticks and buttons. While the appearance of some controllers can differ in shape and size, the fundamental controls are the same. For the sake of simplicity, today we’ll talk about the modes commonly found on consumer drones like the Mavic, Phantom, and Spark.

Pushing the left joystick up causes the drone to fly up while pushing the joystick down causes the drone to descend. Alternatively, pushing this joystick to the left and right rotates the drone to the left and right, respectively.

The right stick controls the drone’s heading or movement. Pushing the right joystick up, down, left, and right causes the drone to move forward, backward, left, and right, respectively.

You will most likely also have several buttons that allow you to control the camera. These controls can take photos, record video, tilt or pan the camera, as well as give you access to menus. It can help to learn what each button does before flying.

The drone control layout is quite intuitive and easy to operate. Just be sure to remember which side of the drone is the front, so that you can remember which way is forward and backward. For added safety, keep your drone in GPS mode while flying; so that it hovers and maintains its position if the input to the control sticks is ceased.

Pre-Flight Checklist

• Check the physical condition of the drone. Look for signs of wear, or cracks in the propellers;
• Check the rules and regulations for the area you plan to fly in;
• Check that your batteries are charged and have adequate power for flight;
• Check that your controller and drone are properly connected;
• Pay attention to the weather conditions;
• Check that the immediate area around your drone to determine if it’s clear to take off and land;
• Check your camera settings. Being able to see what your drone sees makes for safer flight;
• Be sure there’s a memory card in your drone if you plan to take pictures or video;
• Announce to anyone close to the drone that you are about to take off;
• Monitor the drone settings as you fly.

Today’s technology makes our lives so much easier. One of the things it can now help you with is run your home. Apple has created HomeKit to help you make your house a smart home. Apple developed HomeKit to connect to intelligent products to iPhones and iPads so that you can control all of them with just a tap or a voice command to Siri.

Just by downloading the free app, you can control almost anything in your home that’s a smart device. But what are the products you need in your home? Buying everything will be a waste of money. Some products are just not okay with your budget. We’ve narrowed it down for you. Here are Apple HomeKit’s best products for 2020.

4 Of The Best Apple HomeKit Products Of 2020

Ecobee3 Lite

There are a lot of options if you want a good quality smart thermostat. At just $169 to $190, you can get the Ecobee3 Lite. The temperature sensors and the ability to be controlled by Siri will be worth the money.

Comparing it to the newest Ecobee smart thermostat, the Ecobee3 Lite is not only cheaper but works just as well with Apple HomeKit. The only difference the Ecobee4 has, besides the $250 price, is the Alexa speaker built in it.

Philips Hue White LED Starter Kit

If you want smart white bulbs that are dimmable and yellowy, the Philips Hue White LED Starter Kit is for you. This smart bulb kit comes with two Hue White bulbs and the Hue Bridge. At just $70, you can get a smart LED set that has many cool and useful features. It also goes great with almost everything, including the Apple HomeKit.

August Smart Lock Pro

Security is always crucial in every home. You can now ditch you’re worrying when you’re out of the house. The August Smart Lock Pro is the best smart lock when it comes to HomeKit connections.

It doesn’t even end with HomeKit. This smart lock is compatible with Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, IFTTT, Nest, and optional Z-Wave support.

You can get the lock, the open/close door sensor, and the necessary plug-in WiFi hub for $169.

Logitech Circle 2

Another way to ensure security in your homes is with cameras. The Logitech Circle 2 can be set up inside or outside your home. With night vision, two-way audio, and motion sensors, it can catch even the smallest movement.

It does come wired so that it will need an outlet. This can prove to be a good thing. You won’t need to worry about when batteries will die. It will always be on as long as it’s plugged in. After you set the cameras up, you can view the feed right on your Home app.

All this costs $180. If you do want to up your camera game, Logitech does have an assortment of mounting accessories. You can also extend backlog of clips from the free 24 hours to 14 or 31 days for only $4 or $10 monthly.