Gizmo Guru Carley Knobloch Wants You to Smarten Up Your Home

“Smart Home” host Carley Knobloch is no slouch when it comes to smart home technology. She makes a convincing case as to how this tech both benefits your home and saves money in the process.

Does have technology you running for the hills? Carley Knobloch, blogger and TV personality, is no stranger to skeptics, and she’s here to highlight some simple tricks that’ll hook even the most tech-challenged among us. Whether appearing on “The Today Show,” HGTV’s “Smart Home” or CNN, a big part of Knobloch’s mission is conveying to consumers that home technology is for everyone — regardless of income. “I'm always surprised — because I guess I'm so inside the industry — that people think that smart home systems are for wealthy people, that you need to shell out a lot of money,” the TV personality shares. “You can start a smart home system by buying one product for under $200 or $100.” Even home security can be achieved without massive cost and complicated installation. One example Knobloch offers: peeland-stick door and window sensors that connect to a central hub. Since they can be removed and reused, they’re a perfect solution for renters who can’t permanently install a home security system. Another easy-to-use, high-tech home security tool Knobloch loves is the smart lock. “Based on different combinations that I can set for different members of my family, I can be away from the home and know that a child just arrived or a child is just leaving,” she explains, “and get alerts specifically about the different people that are coming and going, like the dog walker or the housekeeper.” The mother of two focuses on health and safety inside the home with a Molekule air purifier, which rids “Everybody's the air of always micro-pollutants. very focused on air pollution outside the home,” she points out, “but actually sometimes your home can be more toxic than the outdoors.” With a simple companion app, Knobloch can consistently monitor air quality. In this example and many more, apps devices, you’ll present almost way and, to Knobloch always a operate handy need (and points and one handheld) track out, for initial But apps setup can of smart also home limit, tech. rather than ease access to, devices around the home. That’s why the gizmo guru is so excited about the increasing availability of voice control, which she says “democratizes” the smart home. An app is great for the one or two family members who have it installed, she argues, but “it makes it harder for the rest of the family, especially young children or visitors or grandparents to turn off the lights,” for example. “With voice control, anyone can just shout out a command.” But let’s say your smart home tech doesn’t have voice control, or you just noticed that a new model of some device hit the market. Does that mean you’ll need to swap out those possibly pricey recent purchases — and drop even more money — for the latest and greatest? Knobloch says that’s not a huge concern. she says. “They're “[Smart always home innovating,” tech] is always going to be advancing. It doesn't mean that your old things will stop working.” Recently, her family wanted to add a couple of speakers to an existing Sonos system and wondered if they needed to replace the whole lot. “No,” the company assured her. “Our hardware, if it's still working, is the same hardware, for the most part, that we've had since day one. We've just been increasing the capabilities with software and firmware updates.” Many product lines are going modular, meaning it’s more about adding as your budget grows, rather than replacing. “I see the trend as adding different pieces to the system,” she says. “I think people can invest relatively comfortably in this stuff. Is [a smart thermostat] going to become more outdated faster than a dumb thermostat? Probably. But it's also going to save you money in the process.” If Knobloch could recommend one device that’s not only underrated, but could potentially save you thousands, it’s a leak detector. “They're so inexpensive,” she notes. “You can put them under any hot water heater, laundry system or sink.” These small but mighty gadgets are a solid piece of evidence in Knobloch’s case that building a smart home isn’t a self-indulgent, superfluous pursuit for people who don’t want to get off the couch to turn off a light. On the contrary, the right devices get your home working for you, saving you money, time and worry. “If one of your pipes burst,” she says, “you'll end up with all of your childhood memories floating in a soup or damage to your basement. There's so many thousands of dollars of damage that can be avoided just by putting one of those dinky little leak detectors in one of those places and avoiding that whole thing.”