Transforming your home into a smart home requires the right devices. Here's which smart home devices to gift for Christmas 2016
It's home automation that's the next frontier of technology. After smartphones and tablets, it will be the devices we use daily inside the home that will become "smart". Smart thermostats, video surveillance cameras that communicate with the smartphone, everything will be connected.
Thanks to the smart thermostat it will be possible to turn on the heaters while we are still at work While the video surveillance cameras send the images of the footage directly to the user's smartphone. With the Internet of Things and connected objects, homes come to life, literally. Sarà possibile gestire ogni singolo dispositivo da remoto ed essere sicuro che la propria abitazione e la vita dei propri cari sia sempre al sicuro. Secondo alcune ricerche internazionali nei prossimi anni il mercato della smart home raggiungerà un valore di oltre 43 miliardi e ognuno di noi avrà almeno un oggetto connesso nella propria abitazione.
E per questo motivo, quest’anno i dispositivi Internet of Things per la propria abitazione sono diventati tra i più gettonati tra i regali tecnologici di Natale 2016. Oggetti molto particolari e originali, ma che fanno felici tutti gli appassionati di tecnologia e gli early adopter. Se per Natale 2016 non sapete cosa comprare ai vostri familiari o amici, ecco una selezione con i migliori regali per la casa intelligente (per conoscere un’anticipazione potete guardare la fotogallery in apertura)
Netatmo Termostato per smartphone
Fonte foto: Amazon
Termostato Netatmo
Sarebbe bello poter trovare la casa calda dopo aver passato un’intera giornata a lavorare all’aria aperta. Grazie ai termostati intelligenti ora è possibile. Molte aziende hanno sviluppato dei dispositivi smart che possono essere controllati direttamente dallo smartphone e permettono di impostare sia l’orario di accensione del riscaldamento sia la temperatura. Uno dei migliori sul mercato è Netatmo che permette di risparmiare oltre il 30% sul consumo di energia per riscaldare l’abitazione ed è compatibile con qualsiasi tipo di caldaia (gas, nafta, legna). The thermostat was designed by archistar Philippe Starck and has a very elegant and linear style. The temperature can be directly managed remotely through the application developed specifically for smartphones and tablets. In addition, Apple users will be able to manage the device through Siri. The Netatmo thermostat is the 2016 Christmas tech gift for people who are looking for a tool to optimize energy consumption within their home. It can be purchased on the main Italian e-commerce sites at a price of about 170 euros.
Nest thermostat third generation
Nest is a U.S. company specializing in the creation of objects for home automation. Smart thermostats are one of the company's strengths and the latest one launched on the market is a great hi-tech gift idea for Christmas 2016. The third-generation Nest Thermostat features a totally revamped design compared to the previous model, with a larger display and more vibrant colors. The temperature can be set directly from the application available for smartphones and tablets, while thanks to sensors to be installed inside the house will be possible to know at all times the degrees centigrade of the various rooms. The thermostat manages the heating of the house trying to optimize consumption. The IoT device can be purchased online at a price of about 290 euros.
Plum
(Taken from YouTube)
For wine lovers, Plum is the best hi-tech gift idea for Christmas 2016. The Internet of Things device is a small wine cellar that connects to the home's Wi-Fi network and allows you to remotely control the temperature of your bottles. The wine cellar is divided into two compartments and integrates three cameras that scan the bottle label and automatically set the ideal temperature to best preserve the wine. All the information about the wine can be consulted directly on the screen of the cellar. But Plum's functionalities do not end here. Usually when a bottle of wine is opened, it is necessary to consume the liquid within a maximum of 36-48 hours, otherwise it will start oxidizing. The winery has developed a system that allows wine to be stored for up to ninety days: a small needle is used to make a hole in the cork and the bottle is pressurized with argon gas. The only problem concerns the very high price.
Nest Security Camera
Nest in addition to producing a smart thermostat, has also made a video surveillance camera that connects to the Wi-Fi network and can be controlled remotely from your smartphone. The connected device offers the possibility to monitor 24 hours a day the security of your home: if the camera notices something abnormal it will send a notification to the user. The Nest camera records video with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 and a 130-degree view. Thanks to the microphone allows you to listen to any movement in your home. Recorded footage can be saved for up to 30 days on the cloud service provided by Nest. The device can be purchased online at a price of about 230 euros.
Netgear Arlo
A Wi-Fi video surveillance camera may not be the most popular Christmas 2016 tech gift, but it's a great idea especially for those who have grandparents or elderly parents living tens of miles away. Netgear Arlo is a camera that is very easy to install and provides twenty-four hour video coverage. The user will just have to connect the IoT device with their smartphone and will be able to check whenever they want the images directly on the mobile device. The price is just under 230 euros.
Philips Hue Starter Kit Smart Lamps
(Taken from YouTube)
Philips was one of the first companies to invest in the smart bulb sector and has created Hue, a device that allows you to control the color of your lights directly from a remote location. The Starter Kit consists of a central hub and three bulbs that provide a longevity of over fifteen thousand hours. But the most interesting feature is that the bulbs can change color in a few seconds: through the application of the smartphone will be able to switch from a white light to a pink depending on the needs of the user. The bulbs can be mounted both inside and outside the home and the central hub supports up to a maximum of 50 lights. Tramite l’app è possibile impostare anche l’orario di accensione e spegnimento. Il Philips Hue Starter Kit può essere acquistato online a un prezzo di circa 180 euro.
Lavatrice Samsung Smart Wi-Fi
Anche il settore degli elettrodomestici sta iniziando a lanciare sul mercato i primi dispositivi Wi-Fi. Samsung ha lanciato una lavatrice dotata della tecnologia Smart Wi-Fi: l’utente tramite l’applicazione disponibile per Android e iOS potrà controllare il tempo residuo, mettere in pausa o impostare l’orario d’inizio di un lavaggio. Inoltre, la lavatrice della casa coreana permette di effettuare dei lavaggi con un carico fino a n massimo di 12 chilogrammi. Invece, grazie alla tecnologia Ecolavaggio permette di risparmiare sul consumo dell’energia elettrica e di abbattere i costi della bolletta. Un regalo hi-tech di Natale 2016 molto costoso, ma ideale per una smart home. The Samsung Smart Wi-Fi washing machine costs about 800 euros.
Belkin Wemo
Belkin Wemo
Belkin Wemo is a system for automating the lights of your home. The Dutch company has developed a Wi-Fi device that allows you to control the switching on and off of your smart home lights directly from the app developed for Android, iOS and Kindle. Belkin Wemo offers the ability to schedule times to turn on the lights in the home and also choose the degree of intensity of the bulbs. Belkin Wemo uses LED bulbs that give off a bright light similar to 60-watt incandescent bulbs, but use much less energy. The Starter Set with the central hub and two bulbs can be purchased online for about 80 euros.
iSmart Alarm
For a friend who fears for their family's safety, the best hi-tech gift idea is the iSmart Alarm system. The device consists of a motion sensor, two remote tags and two rod sensors that can be installed on the windows of the house. In this way, if an attacker is approaching the user's home, the system will immediately send a notification to the smartphone.iSmart Alarm can be purchased on major e-commerce sites at a price of about 150 euros.