Technology that'll make home life easier

Despite some well-publicised challenges, technology can be hugely beneficial around the home. Putting aside the regular media coverage of hacked baby monitors and compromised online data, there are many ways to use apps or devices to simplify daily life and even optimise your family’s safety.

Home security

This is one area where modern technology has undoubtedly improved our lives. Smart doorbells are great for dealing with deliveries while you’re out, as well as keeping an eye on the garden or monitoring suspicious activity on the street. Most offer two-way audio functionality, too. Motion-sensitive indoor camera systems pipe live streams to your phone, letting you check whether anyone has stopped by recently and what pets are up to. Speaking of pets, collars with magnetic tags let your animals (and only yours) through smart door flaps.

Home entertainment

We’re all used to TVs which record programmes by now, but today’s technology is advancing at pace. Take Sky Glass, which offers the full suite of Sky content in stylish TV units without needing a satellite dish. Modern smart speakers can do far more than store shopping lists – they’ll stream music, act as output devices for smartphones, and even broadcast messages in specific rooms. Why shout “your tea’s ready” to a teenager when you can instruct the Alexa in their bedroom to relay the message instead?

Range extenders

Connected smart speakers ensure one can pass on messages to another, and wireless broadband routers may be linked in similar fashion. These satellite routers act as range extenders, ensuring WiFi signals reach every corner of even the largest home (or garden). This minimises the frustrations of signal dropouts or slow connectivity, which may hinder anything from online gaming to video calls. Powerline adaptors join computers, TVs or other large devices to your WiFi router via plug sockets, without any interference or loss of speed.

Planning and management apps

Google Calendar and the Family Wall app let several people add entries to a digital planner, avoiding scheduling conflicts and ensuring everyone knows what family members are planning to do. Banking apps give you smartphone control over your finances, and households with electric vehicles may be able to use an app to remotely defrost or preheat their car on cold mornings. Trello boards help to streamline planning events like a holiday or house move, ensuring every task is completed on schedule – and nothing is overlooked.

Household chores

A wealth of hardware exists to simplify daily tasks and chores. Tracking devices like Apple AirTags locate anything from lost car keys to school bags, since children don’t always bother to look after their belongings. Many washing machines and dishwashers are now capable of adjusting cycles according to each unique load, ensuring everything is perfectly washed. Some robotic vacuum cleaners mop once they’ve hoovered hard surfaces, and even low-cost fans extract dust and allergens like pollen or dander from the air.

Heating and lighting

Gone are the days when you had to rely on bulky lamp timer plugs to illuminate your hallway. Remote app-controlled home lighting is adjustable from outside the home, creating the illusion of occupancy and ensuring you never arrive at a dark house. Lighting can be mood-based, motion-sensitive and infinitely adjustable using your phone. Smart heating apps boost your property’s temperature on your way home or warm up a smart oven ready for your return; you’ll never have to speculate about whether or not you turned the oven off again…

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