Last week, I attended the Future Shop Smart Home event. Technology is ingrained into our daily lives, with smartphones, and tablets, but the event showcased how home design is the next frontier for integrating smart technology.
Upon entering the apartment, a demo for a smart lock, the Weiser Kevo opened the condo. You use your cellphone’s bluetooth to open the door by placing the phone near the lock. This allows you to share a “key” with friends or your contractor. I like the idea, but I’m a little bit paranoid about a malfunction. However, the app allows you to cancel the key pass at anytime by logging in from your computer. If you lose keys all the time, or maybe for a show home, this would be perfect. Parents can also see when the door was locked and unlocked in a log, which is bad news for anyone trying to sneak around.
In the entrance foyer was the Nest learning thermostat. I’ve always been intrigued by this product and after seeing it at work, I’d love to have it in my own home. It keeps note of your heat preferences and adjusts accordingly. If you are out for a long time during the day, you can use it to turn down the heat, and start warming it up an hour before you come. In our harsh climate, this is a great way to save money without the hassle. I also love the simple, clean design aesthetic.
At the centre of the living room, I fell in love with Philips Hue lights. Not only are the colours pretty, you can control the exact hue with an app, like selecting a swatch in Photoshop. I made them into pretty shades of mint and lavender (my favourite colours), and love the potential for creating mood lighting for entertaining. Red, white and green for Cinco de Mayo, or pink and blue for a baby shower.
Another smart door system was Chamberlain’s MyQ Garage door opener. The system connects to any garage door opener (within the past 15 years or so), and allows you to open the door with your smartphone. It also has a log you can view on your smartphone or account, so you can check if you left the garage door open. Not that important if you live in the city, but for up north or the cottage, you don’t have to drive back in paranoia, worried that bears are ripping into your garage. I won this product in a giveaway, and I’ve already gifted it to my parents to install at our cottage for the oil delivery man and keeping tabs on our cottage while we’re away.
Upstairs in the loft was the D-Link Dual Band Wi-Fi Range extender, giving you extra range throughout your home (or back patio!). In the nursery, a baby monitor, also by D-Link, had high definition monitoring that can be accessed on your smartphone or tablet. This product is ideal for moms, or it might give you the answers to the question: “What does my dog do all day?”
I enjoyed seeing the new products, especially in comparison to my home’s archaic intercom system drilled into our walls. I loved how all of these products were flexible and didn’t require hardwire installation, meaning you can take them with you when you move, or when technology inevitably evolves.
To the event, I wore a very appropriate Mori printed silk shirt from Club Monaco, featuring house layout plans. I paired it with a blue crochet lace mini from Forever 21, a Michael Kors Selma bag and Salvatore Ferragamo Vara bow flats.
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