Upgrading your home doesn’t mean that you need to buy the latest and greatest device on the market. While it may be cool to splurge on a fancy new purchase, like a new TV, most of your purchases for your home aren’t going to be as sexy. I am always thinking about the reality as a homeowner of buying something and thinking about how a large chunk of money just went out the window for one of the least exciting purchases you’ve ever made, like a hot water heater or a fence.
If you’re adding some new tech to your home, it also doesn’t have to be the most over-the-top gadget you’ve added. Many times, a perfect low-tech gadget will do the job that you need done just fine. Just thinking it through will help you decide what kind of device you might need and help you conclude that the affordable option might be best.
Smart bulbs solve your lighting problems
Have the lights turned on when you need
Smart bulbs use up almost no power at all in your home, but can actually make it an easier place to live. They can be automated, giving you a better way of going around your home or at least making it look like other people are in your home.
I really love my Wi-Fi smart bulbs because they connect to my Amazon Echo speakers, and I can turn them on with voice commands. Being able to tell Alexa to turn on the bedroom lights as I’m walking up the stairs while carrying a bunch of things is extremely helpful and something that happens almost every day.
Smart bulbs are a quick and easy swap that won’t cause a major hassle in your home. The toughest thing that can happen when you’re installing new smart bulbs is that the setup takes some time. If you’re using a Wi-Fi bulb, this is entirely possible, as the room you’re in might be a bit far from the router, making it more difficult to manually set up the bulb. While the Wi-Fi bulb won’t use a lot of bandwidth, setting it up can still be a difficult task to manage sometimes.
If that’s the case, you can look for Bluetooth bulbs that can potentially be set up more easily. Once you’ve set up your smart bulbs, there is likely an app from the manufacturer that you can use to control them from your phone. From here, you can set up automations, change the brightness from 0% to 100%, or even change the color for some.
- Brand
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Philips
- Protocol
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Zigbee
- Hub Required
-
Yes, for access to full range of features
- Music Reactive
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Yes
- Multicolor Capable
-
Yes
- Color Range
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16 million
The Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance A19 Smart Bulb can change colors and set into your home ecosystem easily.
An air pump can save you from disaster
Pump up your tires when you need
If you’re doing some yard work or just driving in your car, you could potentially need something to pump up your tires. If you’re driving, it’s obviously a more difficult situation than if you’re pushing a lawnmower or a snowblower.
That’s why something like a tire inflator is a smart investment. This might not look like much, but it can fit in your car’s glove compartment or in your garage easily. It is an electric air compressor, letting you fill up your tires before they fully deflate.
It can pump up to 120 PSI, filling your tires in just seconds. The compact design makes it easy to store, and these kinds of devices can work on balls, cars, motorcycles, and bicycles.
Portable air compressors usually have an auto shut-off, so you can set what you want it to inflate your tire to, and it will shut off once it reaches that level. They typically come with different attachments, allowing you to pump up all kinds of items. Other than a battery, this doesn’t have a ton of technological advancements. It’s just a smart product to have.
A sunrise alarm clock can get you up gently
It’s been a great addition to my home
Do you hate waking up? If so, it can be difficult to get up and meet the day. Some people go so far as adding a vibration tool under their mattress, so it violently shakes you awake.
If that’s not your idea of a fun way to wake up, you can consider a sunrise alarm clock. It’s a gentler way to wake up, playing softer tones that build to an eventual alarm. The Loftie Alarm Clock is a good example of one of these, as it can be an alarm clock and a sound machine all in one.
The Loftie and other sunrise alarm clocks can recognize the time and help you wake up by gradually turning on a light and making it brighter as time passes. The alarm will also start slowly and quietly and pick up the longer it isn’t shut off.
A two-phase alarm system also lets you adjust it for sound, intensity, and more. Plus, this is also a Bluetooth speaker, adding to its versatility in your room. An alarm clock can be such a basic item, and some people use their phone’s alarm clock apps for that purpose anyway.
But if you’re considering an alarm clock that you need to physically shut off in the morning, a sunrise alarm clock like the one from Loftie makes a lot of sense.
- Brand
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Loftie
- Battery
-
Yes
- Weight
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1.5lb
- Dimensions
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2.75 x 6 x 2.75 inches
- Power Supply
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Corded Electric
- Programmable Buttons
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No
The Loftie Smart Alarm Clock is a Bluetooth speaker, sound machine, and alarm clock all in one. This device can gradually wake you up with soft tones that turn louder.
A tracking device can keep an eye on your belongings
Search for them with your phone
Don’t ever lose the keys, wallet, and pets again. You can pay for replacements of your lost items that you keep misplacing or expensive GPS collars for your dog or cat. But why not put a tracking device like an AirTag on them?
Using trackers like the Pebblebee Clip or an Apple AirTag can save you the headache of searching for and replacing or buying something expensive. These stay on your items and are easily tracked via your phone.
You can either use a designated app for the tracker or, in the case of Apple, use the Find My app. These will give you the most recent location of the items, helping you locate them wherever they are.
AirTags work best with Apple devices. You won’t be able to get the most out of them with an Android.
Many of these pocket-sized accessories will play some kind of chirp or sound to help users locate them if they are near. I’ve had to use the chirp before when I dropped my keys under the driver’s seat and couldn’t spot where they were.
These small trackers can be placed on or in many devices, making them a low-tech smart investment. If you want one for your wallet, there are some that look like a card, making them easy to slide into your card slot.
- Brand
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Apple
- Material
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Plastic, Metal
- Connectivity
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Bluetooth LE and UWB
- Battery
-
1 year
- Range
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100m
- Water Resistance
-
IP67
The Apple AirTag is a GPS tracker that helps you find lost items. You can buy them individually or in packs.
Don’t invest in highly priced options always
There are plenty of good devices that are low-tech. You can add them to your smart home or regular home, and they won’t wow you with their features and capabilities. But they will be impressed by how well they work. In some cases, they have versatility. Others just handle one task. Regardless, the idea of low-tech gadgets shouldn’t scare anyone.
