Wait. What's that? Can you feel it? Yes, believe it or not, it is the warm glow of the sun. You had forgotten what it felt like, right?
Ladies and gentlemen; summer is coming It's time to buy some sunscreen, clean the barbecue and book your vacation. We have months of glorious weather ahead..
Except summer isn't always that wonderful. For our current sun-starved bodies, it sounds incredible, but in mid-September, when the humidity is reaching 100% and the daily temperature rises to over 100 degrees, you'll be dreaming of Santa and snow.
Why not get some help during those dog days? Here are seven smart home gadgets that are guaranteed to help you get through the summer.
Barbecues and summer nights go hand in hand. Successfully completing your first grill of the year without getting wet is a sure sign that summer is right around the corner.
While the concept of cooking food over hot coals or flames has served humans well for thousands of years, we have finally moved on. Now you can get a smart grill.
This Lynx model is one of the best available right now. You can control it with your voice or the accompanying smartphone app, and it features temperature sensors that provide constant feedback on your food's readiness to your device.
The app itself includes predefined recipes 5 unique sites to find and share recipes for free 5 unique sites to find and share recipes for free Cooking is one of the best creative stress relieving hobbies. Whether you're a seasoned cook or a beginner, these five sites will help you take a unique approach to your recipes. Read More There's even a party mode so your guests can line up your kitchen. It's like a playlist for your dinner.
What goes perfectly with a tasty barbecue? A frozen drink, of course!
Whether your beverage of choice is a can of soda or a bottle of beer, it needs to be chilled before consumption. And what better way to ensure it's at the perfect temperature than with a smart mini fridge?
You should check out the Bud-E cooler. It has room for 78 drinks and comes with a smartphone app that lets you control the temperature. The app also alerts you when you're running low on stock and gives you a countdown to when your drinks reach the perfect serving temperature.
The only drawback? You'll have to spend all day staring at the Bud Light logo emblazoned on the side.
Let's stay outside for a moment. While we humans love the hot sun, plants aren't always so enthusiastic. Lack of water has killed many picturesque gardens over the years.
Not anymore. Smart sprinkler systems are here to help. It doesn't matter if you're not watering your bushes because of laziness, forgetfulness or because you're away from home:smart systems will never let you down.
There are many different smart sprinklers Save Money and Water With Rachio's Smart Sprinkler Controller Save Money and Water with Rachio's Smart Sprinkler Controller Smart home technology is being brought outdoors. A smart sprinkler controller like the Rachio uses Wi-Fi to keep your lawn green while saving water and money! Read More Plugs into your existing “dumb” sprinkler system and works with up to seven zones. For each zone, you can program the soil type, plant type, sprinkler type, slope, and shape.
Skydrop takes the information of the area and relates it to the weather forecast. Google Maps is all you need for real-time weather data. Google Maps is all you need for real-time weather data. Did you know that Google Maps includes real-time weather data? Here's how to make the most of it. Read more . As such, it will only manage water when needed, saving water and money.
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Ok, that's enough sun. It's time to take refuge from the heat in the sanctuary of your home. I just hope you haven't accidentally left your blinds open, any room facing south will be even warmer than outside.
If you take the risk of installing smart blinds, you will never have this problem again. Unfortunately, they are not cheap. Offering a good balance of cost and quality, Lutron Serena shades will set you back $350 per blind. You also have to shell out $150 for the hub that links all the shades to the app.
As for the blinds, you can schedule their daily opening and closing times, open/close them at any time with a tap on your phone, and control them with your voice using Siri. Using Siri With Your Smart Home Devices Using Siri With Your Smart Home Devices Controlling your smart devices with Siri makes them incredibly easy to use, but it's not easy to find commands that work with every product. Why not start by trying them? Read more . They also have geofencing, which means they can automatically open and close every time you leave or return home.
We've all heard of smart thermostats like Nest Finding the Best Smart Thermostat for your home Finding the best smart thermostat for your home Looking for a good smart thermostat for your home? Keep in mind that some are smarter than others! Take a look – one of these options may be your solution. Read More You'll want to get all of your air conditioning units up to full power.
Technically, Nest could works with some air conditioning units, but you'd need an electrical engineering degree to stand a chance. Not to mention it would void your AC warranty by messing with it.
So how can you automate your air conditioner? Are Smart Air Conditioners Really Smart? Are Smart Air Conditioners Really Smart? Now there are many smart air conditioners on the market. Should you spend your money on these? It's time to find out. Read more ? Take a look at sensibo. It's an IR blaster that works with all major AC brands. Mount the blaster on a wall near your unit, and you can control it with your smartphone.
As expected, it allows you to schedule schedules and turn your AC on/off when you're away from home. You can control the units with your voice thanks to Alexa and Google Home integration, and it also works with IFTTT. Lastly, like Lutron Serena shades, it supports geofencing.
Air conditioning consumes a lot of electricity. For a cheaper and greener solution 5 Smart Hacks to save electricity in your smart home 5 Smart Hacks to save electricity in your smart home The trick to saving electricity is to know where most of your energy is consumed. Read More
Unsurprisingly, you can now find a new kind of "smart fan." Unfortunately these are not like Sensibo or Skydrop. You cannot add smart capabilities to your existing fans. You will have to buy them as new. Consequently, they might not be suitable for someone on a tight budget.
Nonetheless, if you can afford the $550 for Haiku's cheapest model, they're a worthwhile investment. Fans can automatically activate if they detect movement, monitor temperature and adjust their speed accordingly, and even vary their speed to simulate wind.
All functions of the fan can be controlled from the smartphone app. The app will also allow you to create schedules and even alter the tint of the fan bulb if you purchased an applicable model.
Finally, let's get outside the perimeter of your property. One of the most popular summer pastimes is camping. There's nothing like pitching your tent and singing songs around a campfire while being eaten by the local mosquito population at the same time.
Aside from mosquitoes, a 21st century camper has another big problem to deal with:how to keep gadgets charged RAVPower 27000mAh Portable Charger Review RAVPower 27000mAh Portable Charger Review Today we are taking a look at the RAVPower Portable AC Capable Battery, With a huge charging capacity of 27,000mAh. Read more.
Well not yet. Thanks to the amazing Biolight Campstove, the heat from your campfire can be converted into electricity. The Campstove has a built-in 2600 mAh battery, an LED dashboard, and a USB power outlet. You just need to find the sticks to burn.!
I've introduced you to seven amazing gadgets that will help you get through the summer with little more than a light sweat. Some are expensive, some are cheap, but all will make the heat more bearable.
What gadgets can't you do without once the temperature starts to rise? What are your essential summer gadgets? As always, you can leave all your thoughts, suggestions and opinions in the comments below.
