Believe it or not – and without making anyone feel old! – we’re currently living in the future of Back To The Future. Yes, we’re still waiting for flying cars and Hoverboards to be invented (any day now, right?), but many of the high-tech gadgets the 1985 movie imagined have in fact become a reality today.
From a house alarm that can be activated from a cellphone, a light bulb that can be turned on and off from anywhere in the world and, even, a coffee machine that allows you to make coffee without leaving your bed! So, move aside Marty McFly and Doc Brown – we’ve got the coolest, smartest devices that will make your home of today feel like the future of yesterday.
A light bulb moment
Behold the light bulb that is literally light years ahead. The smart Aeon LED Bulb not only allows you to choose from 16 million different perfect shades of light (because we know that the right kind of light can create the right kind of mood), but you can also control it, dim it, brighten it or switch it off directly from your phone anywhere in the world (no longer do you need to worry about finding a house-sitter when you go away). How does it work? Much like a modem for your ADSL line, the Aeon LED Bulb connects to a device called Z-Wave, which acts as the gateway for remote and phone control. In addition, this little nifty bulb is super economical too – even if you had to leave it on for eight hours every day, it’s set to last nearly 45 years! Available from Zasmarthomes.co.za.
Lock and (no) key
Ever got to work or, worse, your holiday destination, and wondered if you really locked your front door? Perhaps you’re notorious for locking your keys in the house or for losing them (in your handbag, anyone?). Or maybe you’re worried that you’re starting to sound like a locksmith with the amount of keys you have on your chain… Whatever it might be, the Danalock is the smart answer to all your key woes. Using the Z-Wave device mentioned above and Bluetooth technology, this nifty mechanism allows you to control the locks on your doors from anywhere in the world via an app on your smart phone or the Internet on your laptop. Also available from Zasmarthomes.co.za.
Caffiene fix fixed
Great Scott! We’d imagine that this is something that Doc Brown in Back To The Future would’ve dreamt up himself. The Smarter Coffee machine allows you to brew your perfect cup remotely from anywhere in your home (uhm, from the comfort of your bed…) via the Smarter Coffee app. In addition it also allows you to adjust the strength of your coffee (no shut eye? No more problem) as well as how many cups you want to brew. Waking up has never been so appealing! Available from Amazon.co.uk.
The all-in-one
Sometimes less is just more, especially in the case of The Canary all-in-one security system. Think: high-definition camera (which also captures night vision), microphone, motion detector and, even, a temperature and air monitor! By connecting to a network via Wi-Fi, this device allows you to receive notifications of any unwarranted movement in your house. From here you can check into your home via a video feed on your phone or laptop and siren an alarm in the case of intruders. More so, the information provided by the temperature and air monitor can help you understand how your home is affecting your health and help you improve it to live optimally. Also available fromAmazon.co.uk.
Rolling doors
Meet the Chamberlain Whisper Drive Garage Door Opener – literally the best thing since… electrical garage doors were invented (and you thought it couldn’t get better…). Why? Well, it works with built-in Wi-Fi, allowing you to monitor your garage directly from your smartphone. It also has a timer-to-close feature that will automatically close the door after a set time as well as a motion detector that activates lights automatically when it detects movement. Furthermore, its anti-burglary feature changes access codes after every remote control use for absolute safety and peace of mind. Lastly, its battery backup will allow for 20 open-and-close cycles during a 24-hour power cut (take that Loadshedding!). Another item available from Amazon.com.
Green fingers
Say hello to the future of gardening with the OpenSprinkler AC. This nifty irrigation device allows you to time and control remotely via the Internet, your smartphone or your tablet to when and how often you water your garden. Its real-time weather-based monitoring system, however, is what that makes it really smart: by detecting what the weather is doing in reality, it’ll adjust the watering time accordingly. Available from Opensprinkler.co.za.
Are you using a high-tech gadget or smart device that’s not mentioned here? Please let us know in the comment box below as we would love to give it a try!
