Home automation has seen a large advance in the past few years when it comes to companies and the technology they’re providing for consumers. It has gone from having remote access to your home’s lighting, heating and alarm systems to having the ability to customize virtually every aspect of your house inside and out. Companies like Samsung, Sony, Apple, LG and so many more are investing an increasing amount of money in the world of home automation. Their goal? Make your home as functional and productive as a well-oiled machine.

The appliances

One app to rule them all
Take SmartThings, for example. A company centered on the idea of controlling and monitoring your home from one simple app. At this year’s CES conference, they revealed an updated version of their already existing SmartThings Hub for the home. This new Hub is smaller, has more powerful processors, supports Bluetooth, has an increased battery life and also provides more cellular back-up options. But the biggest tweak of all? Homeowners are able to integrate more third-party brands into the network than ever before. It being so compatible, consumers can connect any smart device they have in the house to the Hub in order to access their whole home network from the free SmartThings app.

Multi-functional refrigerators
The ChillHub refrigerator, on the other hand, is a completely revolutionary smart appliance sure to change the way we interact with our fridge from now on. Created by FirstBuild, a tech-child of General Electric and Local Motors, this refrigerator looks and has all the basic functions of a regular refrigerator but the adventure with this appliance kicks off from there. It boasts two USB stations that have four ports each which are connected to a mini computer that taps into the local Wi-Fi. This enables the accessories, ones in which homeowners must purchase separately, to connect to the fridge and be controlled by the consumer through the iOS app provided. An accessory such as the 3D printed scale called Milky Weigh that – you guessed it – weighs your milk and tells you how much you have left in case you want to pick some up on your way home from work.

Other accessories include auto-fill water pitchers, food scales, voice control capabilities, sensors and deodorizers depending on what you feel is most important to control from a remote location. This revolutionary fridge comes in black, white or stainless steel and has 27.7 cubic feet worth of storage space. Not bad for a fridge whose main premise is to provide full access to its contents without anyone having to physically be there. The ChillHub opens the door to the hundreds of customizable features and functions a refrigerator – one of the most common household appliances – can do for us.

Washing and drying done smart
Another commonly used household appliance set, the washer and dryer, is seeing an upgrade as well. The LG Twin Wash system, revealed last year, can do two loads of washing at the same time. It has a separate drawer that fits under any LG front load washer for the smaller, more delicate loads you may not necessarily need to put in a washing tub of its own. The only question that remains with this double load washer is how they expect consumers to dry two loads of their laundry in the dryer that only supports one load at a time.

Other than the Twin Wash system, LG has also introduced the EcoHybrid Dryer which recycles heat for energy efficiency, the TurnSteam which sprays steam directly onto clothes for faster cycles and less wrinkled clothing and the ThinQ app which lets homeowners control cycle programming from their phones. Since each machine has Wi-Fi capability, it connects to phones easily and effortlessly, enabling you to set specific cycle times and relay the information through tapping your phone onto the machine due to its near-field communication technology.

The world of smart home technology is only now diversifying and grounding itself as the future of our everyday lives as companies work harder and harder to making these technologies affordable and commonplace. The ChillHub, LG Twin Washer and SmartThings Hub may be eco-friendly but at this point in the market, it is not budget-friendly as of yet. So, before you dive into the revamping of your home from traditional to customized and smart, ask yourself what is most important for you to have access to while you’re on vacation or at work. Passionate about cooking or eating healthy? Then the ChillHub and its multitude of accessories might be the answer for you. Concerned about the safety of your home and your loved ones? The compatibility with third-party devices and the ease at which you can monitor your home would make the SmartThings Hub a great candidate for you. Just remember to ask questions, do your research and invest in what will be the most well-used smart home accessory for you and your loved ones.

Questions about how to integrate smart appliances into your home? Contact me at (416) 490 – 8093 or @SignatureMark!