Top five smart home gadgets to look out for when hunting for your new home

1. Smart security cameras

Indoor cameras are great for letting you keep an eye on your home (and your pets) when you’re out, whilst outdoor cameras are helpful for alerting you to any suspicious activity outdoors. But why not save yourself the hassle of setting up and configuring them by buying a house that already has connected cameras included as standard? Brands like Nest and Samsung have a range of indoor and outdoor cameras to suit your surveillance needs.

2. Smart heating

In this recent survey, 72% of people polled said that the smart home tech at the top of their wish lists was a smart thermostat. By simplifying your home’s central heating and letting you schedule your heating to suit your lifestyle, a smart heating controller should be high up on your hit list when choosing your new abode.

Word on the grapevine is that Cosy is a super smart thermostat that you can carry around with you from room to room.

3. Smart smoke detector

You wouldn’t move into a home that didn’t have a smoke detector, so why not move into one that has a smart smoke detector? Take this one from Birdi which will alert you (via a handy app) to the presence of smoke in your home as soon as the sensor picks it up. What’s more, the sensor can also detect carbon monoxide and test for air quality – helping give you peace of mind that all is OK on the home front whilst you’re away. Phew!

4. Smart lock

If you’re anything like Michelle here at Cosy Towers, you’re forever leaving your door key in the front door/in the gym changing rooms/on your desk. Well thanks to some of the super smart locks currently on the market, never again will you accidentally lock yourself out of the house – or have to cut spare keys. The app-activated August Smart Lock, for example, automatically unlocks your door as you approach and locks it behind you again as you leave. This is especially handy to have if you often have guests over to stay or you’re purchasing a buy-to-let property.

Image credit: August Home

5. Smart lighting

How about some smart lighting for your new smart home? Smart lighting like Philips Hue is ideal for if you’re often away as you can schedule the lights (you can take your pick from a multitude of different colours) to turn on and off whenever you want.

That said, if you’re lucky enough to hit upon a house that already has a Cosy smart thermostat installed, chances are there’ll also be a connected Active Smart Plug. By connecting a Smart Plug to your Cosy system via the Welcome Home feature you can schedule your lamp (or any other appliance, for that matter!) to come on when your heating does. Easy peasy!

Now it’s over to you! What smart home tech would be high up on your hit list when hunting for a new home? Pop your comments in the box below. We look forward to hearing from you.