The Best Gadgets to Kick Off Your Smart Home

It’s 2018. Everything is “smart” these days, including — more and more — our homes. There are a ton of gadgets out there to turn your house into a smart home. But, which gadgets are worth the money and, frankly, are useful? We’re going to take a look at some of the best smart home gadgets available on the market today.

Best Smart Home Gadgets – Thermostats

When most people think about smart homes these days, they think of thermostats. And, the first thermostat that comes to mind is Nest. But there are other thermostats these days that not only stack up to Nest, but in many eyes beat it. The Ecobee4 thermostat’s capabilities are the best in this category. The touchscreen display is fast and responsive, and unlike the Nest thermostats, Ecobee4 relies on a remote sensor to adjust temperature. This sensor can also detect whether or not someone is home, making temperature adjustments easier. It also integrates with several home platforms, such as Amazon Alexa, Apple Homekit and Samsung SmartThings. However, if you are looking for something that is CLOSE the functions of the Ecobee4 but looks much better, Nest gets the win for sure. And when the Nest thermostat’s capabilities are paired with the awesome energy efficiency of a David Weekley home, the results are mind boggling.

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Voice control platforms

Voice control platforms are all the rage right now, especially with Amazon’s ad campaign advertising Alexa. While there are many to choose from, Amazon and Google take home the prizes here. Echo by Amazon has Alexa, the voice in those fantastic commercials mentioned above. Google Home is also a solid choice, with the ability to sync multiple google accounts. It can even differentiate between different users’ voices to get the right information to the right user. That’s amazing, and also a little scary … However, Amazon’s Echo is by far the correct choice in this category. It has more features, gives you access to play popular music streaming services, and overall just simply has more capabilities. Consider trying out the Echo if you are trying to turn your home “smart.”

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Security and safety

Everyone wants to be safe. That’s even more true when you have kids and a family to look after. There are many ways to accomplish this with gadgets. There are the two we like the best. First, Ring doorbells are amazing. There are two options, one hard-wired and one that has a rechargeable battery. The nice thing about this product is the video you get. Simply sync the device to your smartphone and any time someone presses the doorbell, the video stream comes to your phone so you can see who it is. It also has an option for motion sensing, so when someone is close you can get the video feed as well. The doorbell also has audio, so you can tell someone to just leave the package on the step, come back later and so on. It’s definitely a must-get.

We mentioned the Nest Thermostat earlier, but that’s not the only product they make. One of their best products is Nest Protect. This nifty device monitors smoke and carbon monoxide and can sync with your phone. It can give you voice alerts when it senses and issues as well. One of the really neat features it has, is that it will test its own batteries. Meaning, no more chirping and annoyances at 2 am. When it senses its batteries are getting low, it will let you know.

Alternatively, Blackstone at Vistancia residents who choose Toll Brothers as a home builder have exclusive access to a proprietary advanced home monitoring system — just one of the exciting luxury home options Toll Brothers gives their customers.

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Vacuums

Vacuums are not sexy. They don’t scream SMART HOME. But, in all reality, they have come a long way. Most people, if they know much about robot vacuums, think of Roomba. They were the first and they have the brand recognition. They’re also GREAT. However, there is another kid on the block now; Neato. Neato has been around a few years and every time there release a new model it just gets better. Their new Neato Botvac Connected is amazing. But, Roomba’s new 980 model is as well. Both of these vacuums have the ability to set it and forget it. You simply schedule the vacuums to start at a certain time and they do. Both also are self-aware, meaning they “learn” your home. They can maneuver around obstacles as needed, and charge themselves as well.

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Can you already envision yourself living in a new smart home at Blackstone at Vistancia? Bring your vision one step further by browsing floor plans right now. Whether you choose a move-in ready option or opt to build a completely custom home from scratch, you can rest assured that your new, modern Blackstone at Vistancia home easily has the potential to be a state of the art smart home with all of the awesome technology now available to homeowners.