Customize your smart home to your lifestyle
(NC) The way we live today has evolved and so have our homes. And interior design should not only reflect your personality, but also mirror your everyday lifestyle. “Smart homes have gone far beyond simply helping us control lighting or connect with our appliances,” says Tina Holmes, festival manager for HomeFest, a new festival in Ontario. “Smart technology now allows us the opportunity to pair our home with our lifestyle, creating an environment that is aligned to our individual needs. You can set a schedule, preferences and comfort level to you and all at the touch of a button or verbal command. But first make sure you ask the right questions.” For example, do you want smart home technology for fun or function? Do you want smart home features to enhance safety, help you save money or save time? Entertainment. If you said fun, consider a personal assistant like Amazon Alexa. It can help queue up songs, TV shows, and can even control lights and other systems in your home. Combine it with other smart home tech like smart lighting, streaming gadgets like a Chromecast and the new Apple HomePod, and you’ll have the ability to play music through Bluetooth speakers, provide useful information like sports scores and even control your TV with just your voice. Now that’s an instant party. Functionality. If functionality is what you crave, automated devices, such as blinds to help make morning routines easier, may be what are needed. If you find yourself struggling with multiple hands-free tools, introducing a unified control such as a Control4 system can help tie your smart devices together, making your home even more convenient and functional. Safety. Have a growing family? Smart home tech helps with safety, thanks to the variety of sensors and inter-device communication available. Smart smoke and carbon monoxide alarms work together to pinpoint exactly which room the danger is in and report back to you. Smart locks allow you to lock your door remotely, even granting and revoking access to guests without making duplicate keys. Time-saving. Finally, if time is money to you, consider hands-free devices to meet your high-demand, fast-paced lifestyle needs. A smart thermostat like Nest helps save money by getting your home’s climate dialed-in automatically. A smart sprinkler system like Skydrop will water the lawn spontaneously according to the weather and time of day, and Wi-Fi connected smart plugs like Wemo can show you which devices are using the most energy. Always in the kitchen? Schedule baking times and preheat your oven on the drive home with a smart oven. Find more information on how you can customize smart home to your lifestyle at the first-ever HomeFest on November 2 to 4, 2018 at the International Centre, Mississauga.