two sonos play1 speaker system on a side table in a light, bright living room
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5 smart home tech gadgets that make life easier

Clever, convenient and downright handy, we round up our favourite smart house technology, fetauring gadgets that will help you save on bills and keep your home secure

two sonos play1 speaker system on a side table in a light, bright living room

Image: SONOS

From Scottish Gas and Hive’s cleverly integrated technology to SONOS’s music speaker systems, here’s the smart home gadgets you need in your life right now.

Hive Active Heating

hive active heating dial in a hallway with a hallstand table and succulent plants

Image: Hive 

With Hive Active Heating, you can save up to £130 a year and control your heating from your smartphone, tablet or laptop, plus the sleek dial is customisable and low profile enough to fit in with your home’s decor. Plus, you’ll come back to a nice warm house, without ever having to heat an empty one.

Verv

verv energy efficient smart tech app on a tablet

Image: Verv 

No more trying to work out the breakdown of your electrical bill; the Verv app helps you see how much energy you’re using, protect your home and monitor the health of your appliances. Super easy to install, you’ll be set up and savvy within 10 minutes.

SONOS Play

two sonos play1 speaker system on a side table in a light, bright living room

Image: Sonos

Producing rich, crystal clear sound, enjoy music in any or every room and manage all your music in one place with the sleek and stylish Sonos Play:1 speaker. Connect it up with Amazon Alexa to voice control or the SONOS app to stream from over 50 music services, including Spotify, Apple and Amazon Music, in any and every room.

Hive Motion Sensor

hive motion sensor on wall in a home living room

Image: Hive

Body on the beach, mind on the book. Get stuck into that novel on holiday knowing that everything’s okay at home with Hive’s Motion Sensor and app. When motion is detected, you’ll receive a notification and with Hive Actions in the app, you can set it up to turn on Hive Active Light so you’ll find your way to the bathroom without bumping into a wall.

Tile

tile app on keys on a hallway hallstand table with plant

Image: Tile 

Never lose anything again might sound too good to be true but by attaching Tile, a bluetooth tracker and pairing with the intuitive app, to everything from your keys to sports equipment, you can ring your things and locate lost items. We’re sold.

Have you any of these smart devices in your home? Tweet us @goodhomesmag or post a comment on our Facebook page.

 

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