Smart Home Features

It’s a brave new world in the luxury home market. Historically, the measure of a home was dependent on a few things. Location, of course, as well as available amenities, features and fixtures, and the overall design aesthetic of the home-in-question. 

As our lives become ever-more intertwined with digital solutions, it follows that our living spaces would adapt to our reality. Hence, the rise of smart home technology and the IoT, or Internet of Things. Internet-connected devices promise to dramatically alter how we live, work, and play in our homes, making life simpler and more efficient, and shaping spaces to our needs rather than having us adapt to our surroundings. 

Common smart home features include door locks, Ring digital doorbells, automated garage doors, computerized sound control, home security solutions, smart speakers and intercoms, and many other digitally-upgraded systems. Let’s take a closer look at some of the ways people are using smart home features in their luxury home builds:

Smart Garage Door Openers 

There are few things more tedious than coming home after a long day at work, trying to pull into your garage, and having to sit and wait while your ancient garage doors open. Or getting TO work and remembering you left the doors to your garage wide-open- leaving your home exposed to the world. Internet-connected smart garage door openers can help you to remove that problem from your life- simply log in to the app and close your door remotely. It can also help improve your home’s security- you can set it to alert you any time your garage door opens or closes.

Front Door Locks

Speaking of security- IoT-connected front door locks can ensure you never have to worry about whether you locked the front door on the way out. These locks are not limited to front doors, you can have them installed on the backyard, patio, and garage access doors as well. Additionally, they aren’t just used to keep people out! You can let in anyone from a delivery person to your grandma- all with the convenience of pushing a button on an app. 

Ring Doorbells

Ring is a manufacturer of home security products that use outdoor motion-detecting cameras connected to the cloud. One of these products is the eponymous Ring doorbell. This doorbell automatically activates a camera when detecting motion near the door in question, or when someone presses the doorbell- depending on the settings you choose. This allows homeowners to screen visitors before they open the door- improving security and allowing you to access the doorbell even when you’re not home. 

Smart Thermostat

Smart thermostats regulate the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning in your home using digital sensors and interfaces. They can be controlled with phones, smart speakers, tablets, or other IoT devices. Smart thermostats give you the ability to plan your desired temp settings in advance, often in conjunction with a larger home automation system. Popular options for smart home thermostats include Nest and Ecobee, although there are many different manufacturers with products on the market. 

Lighting Control

If you have kids or even a few forgetful adults around, you know the pain of lights being left on, burning energy- and taking your electricity bills to soaring new heights. While modern LEDs mitigate this problem somewhat due to dramatically increased efficiency, a penny saved is a penny earned, and IoT-enabled home lighting controls can help you monitor and reduce your electricity usage- without having to get out of bed at 3 am to turn off a forgotten kitchen or living room light.

Sound Control, Smart Speakers, and Intercoms

We’ve dealt with how your house looks (lighting), how your luxury home feels (HVAC), now we’re on to how it sounds. Whether we’re talking about smart speakers in your shower that help you start the day with Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” or telling your kids to get into the car via an app-connected intercom system- the IoT can have a tremendously positive effect on the way you live. 

Home Security

This is a big one. Home security is a priority for everyone- but it is especially important to luxury homeowners who may have a large, prominent property- high-end homes are often targets for criminals. Traditional home security firms like Brinks Home Security or ADT have increasingly faced challenges from upstart IoT firms that offer many of the same benefits of a monitored system at a fraction of the cost. AI-driven technology solutions can identify visitors- unwanted or otherwise- and send alerts to homeowners whenever sensors or cameras are set off. Additionally, some IoT-enabled home security systems can even contact emergency assistance or alert neighbors to threats with uploaded footage or other forms of media.

Automatic Shades

While automatic, or motorized shades have been around for a while, they’re finally coming into their own as a result of the recent marriage of old-school technology and the digital world. Rather than being tethered to pressing a button or perhaps using a physical remote to control your blinds, you can use internet-connected systems to remotely control your blinds from anywhere, or even set a specific time of day for them to open- like waking you up bright and early, or closing when you’re about to fall asleep. 

Smart Glass

Smart glass, also known as switchable glass, is glazing or glass which has altered light transmission properties which are switched on when heat, voltage, or light is applied to the glass. Typically, most smart glass for home use changes from translucent to transparent at the flicker of a switch or press of a button. It is often used in bathrooms to provide an extra layer of privacy, but it can be used in any other glass application, such as patio doors, tables, front doors, etc. 

Wifi Steam Shower

Ever wake up on a cold day and dread the time you spend freezing while waiting for the shower to heat up? Well never fear, wifi steam showers are here! Set your wifi-enabled shower to start up at the same time as your alarm and you’ll never worry about a cold shower again. Additionally, you can download various apps like Apple Music and Spotify and play those in the shower- a huge win for those of you who need to kickstart your day with a little heavy metal- or classical- the choice if yours. 

Smart Refrigerator

Most of us (well, those of us 30+) remember the days when a “smart refrigerator” sounded like something out of science fiction. Well, they’ve become a reality- and an appliance that is de rigueur for a well-appointed home. Smart refrigerators serve a number of purposes. They can help you monitor, track, and improve your eating habits. Additionally, they can help you identify when you need to replace an item- like milk that is about to go bad. Some models can automatically send out orders, or they have cameras that you can access while out at the grocery store to check what you have in stock. It really is a brave new world, huh?

Found the perfect lot? Already own land? Call us today to schedule your free feasibility estimate! Know your total project cost before you commit to any decisions. We pride ourselves on a customer-oriented experience, always putting your needs first. You can reach the Thomas Sattler Homes Sales Team at <a href=”tel:7204493562″>Call (720)449-3562</a> or online at ThomasSattlerHomes.com.