Get the most from your services with tips on the best content CityWest has to offer and tech tips from our local staff.
The modern smart home has brought an abundance of new technologies into our lives. It began with lightbulbs, security systems, locks, and virtual assistants. This year the smart device market has added some interesting products. In this blog we'll discuss some of the more creative smart-enabled devices to look for.
Air Conditioner
Most of us use a schedule for our heating and cooling needs. Now, we can get much more technical. WiFi-enabled air conditioning units can be controlled with your phone or voice, with support from Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri.
The GE model even uses your phone's location services to cool down rooms in your home before you arrive. It might seem excessive to have all these features in a box that makes rooms cold, but it definitely will help keep optimal temperatures for the 2 warm weeks we receive throughout the year.
Sous Vide
Sous vide cooking is one of the emerging trends in the cooking world. It involves placing food sealed in plastic into water heated to a precise temperature for a specified amount of time. The benefit to sous vide cooking is that meals are cooked evenly, perfectly, and without losing moisture.
Devices like the Anova Precision cooker can be attached to any pot to control the water temperature from just about anywhere. This particular sous vide cooker is now WiFi enabled, so you can control the cooking process from your phone. You can set everything up the same with a regular sous vide device, but the WiFi ability allows you to track everything from your mobile device. Worthwhile? Probably not, unless you really need your cooking timer integrated with your phone.
Traeger Grills
Another cooking method that has adopted WiFi connectivity is backyard grilling. Traeger has added an app that lets you control their grill's temperature, monitor your food, and browse recipes.
The Ironwood 650 & 885 can be used for barbecuing, roasting, and smoking. All Traeger products come with a hefty price tag, and these grills are no exception. There does seem to be more value in a WiFi enabled grill as temperature control is more difficult than sous vide. Also, if you're buying a Traeger Grill, cost isn't an issue.
I looked for other, more affordable barbeque options that are WiFi-enabled, but was unable to find anything else readily available on the market. There are, however, smart barbeque accessories available like thermometers and an automatic grill cleaning robot (yes you read that last part correctly).
Sleep Number 360 Smart Bed_w_phone_highres.jpg?sfvrsn=4f09c280_1 "360_bed_(white_background)_w_phone_highres")
Like the Traeger grills, I looked for another "smart bed," and was able to find anything that compares to the Sleep Number 360 Smart Bed. This device comes with biometric sensors to help you sleep more comfortably. The bed senses your movements and automatically adjusts firmness and support. And of course, there's an app, so you can track your sleep trends, health metrics, and gain insight on how you can sleep better.
Like the other items mentioned in this blog, this is a bigger investment, but if you find yourself constantly chasing a good night's sleep, it might be worth the cost.
The age of the smart home has brought many unique and useful (automatic grill cleaning robots not included) devices into our homes. But with more WiFi-enabled devices entering our homes, more demand is put on your home wireless network.
Luckily, Internet providers are quickly adapting to provide products and services to support the modern smart home. At CityWest we have launched WiFi Enhancers to strengthen your wireless signal throughout you home and beyond. All to provide you with a better home experience. Click here to learn more.