Home Trends 2022: Top Smart Home Devices
It used to be that high-tech homes were a thing of sci-fi films and futuristic television series. Then, with Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity, gadgets for the home became a realistic option. Today, it’s even more affordable to install smart home tech. This round-up of top smart home devices for 2022 can help you find the right fit for your needs.
Before we give you a glimpse of some of the top smart home devices you may want for your home, let’s quickly go over smart home IoT. This trend refers to the automation of devices in your home to electronically control them using Internet-connected apps. Options abound from setting alarms remotely, starting your oven from your phone, and setting lighting and heating from your connected device.
Even despite the supply chain shortfalls that the world is experiencing, IoT Analytics “expects the global number of connected IoT devices to grow 9%, to 12.3 billion active endpoints. By 2025, there will likely be more than 27 billion IoT connections.” Of course, that’s not all smart home devices. Not even close. But, with ongoing advances in this technology, you can transform your ordinary (or not so ordinary, if it’s built by us) house into a smart home. You’ll want to keep an eye out for some of these top smart home devices.
Smart home security cameras and smart doorbells help you see what’s happening at your home without you having to be onsite or open the door. These affordable electronics can often be self-installed easily too. These cameras and doorbells begin broadcasting when motion is detected. You can set alerts to get notified if something happens. Or, if you miss something, you can review the footage later.
Smart locks are a newer innovation. Apple got there first with its near-field communication (NFC) HomeKey in 2021. Now other lock makers are entering the field. Schlage has introduced its Encode Plus Wi-Fi deadbolt offering a keypad, traditional lock, and an NFC receiver for Home Key compatibility. Masonite also has its new PWR smart door which integrates a Yale smart lock and Ring video doorbell, plus motion sensors and lights. There are also plenty of contenders to take on Ring’s doorbell dominance.
Smart thermostats were one of the first gadgets to be widely adopted in homes. They let you not only program schedules but also adjust the temperature remotely anywhere your phone has a Wi-Fi or cellular connection. There are also voice-operated options.
Or you might control the temperature in one area with the Frigidaire Gallery Inverter Quiet Temp Smart Room Air Conditioner window unit. It can be voice-controlled by Alexa or Google Assistant or via your mobile phone app.
Still cold but tired of having to draw your own bath? That’s so old school. Kohler has launched a smart bathtub that fills itself in response to your voice commands. Put that in alongside your Numi toilet, which connects to Amazon’s Alexa, to let you “enjoy your preferred temperature, cleansing pressure, and ambiance, every time you use the bathroom.”
In the kitchen, if you’ve yet to join the Instant Pot community, you can purchase a Smart Wifi one that lets you cook, schedule, adjust, and monitor the meal’s progress from the app. Or you might try a smart toaster with an image-based touchscreen or an Alexa-connected microwave.
For a full-on Wow factor, Samsung’s WiFi-connected Family Hub refrigerator lets you keep a grocery list on the fridge (literally) and even shop for groceries and find recipes. At the same time, you can control other smart devices in your home, stream your favorite apps on the massive touchscreen, and even call an Uber (to go out to eat when the fridge is empty).
Surely the manufacturers of these top smart home devices see them as more than fun additions to the home. Yet, it is entertaining to be able to change the color of the lights in a room to suit your mood. The Philips Hue smart lights, which can be hooked up to voice assistants if you buy the Hub, are also a great alternative to the stick-on LED lights that are so popular with teens today.
It’s also more fun to have a smart home device do the vacuuming and even mopping for you, without you having to clean the gadget anymore. Ecovacs is offering the Deebot X1 Omni and Roborock is delivering the S7 MaxV Ultra. Both empty themselves and clean and dry their own mops.
Want to take advantage of technology while shopping for homes? Take a virtual walk-through of some of our homes. We can help you find a forever home and hook you up with smart home installation teams to see your smart home devices up and running when you move in.
