Luxury Home Technology

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April 25, 2021

Technology advances in the last few years have led to an explosion of in-house tech upgrades that make our lives easier, more comfortable, and more luxurious. Here are some of the trends that clients can’t live without.

Smart home security

Smart home security systems have grown in popularity over the past several years due to their ability to make our lives more secure and give us peace of mind. There are quite a few areas of your home that can be made safer and more convenient with smart home security systems.

Smart doorbells

One of the more well-known smart home security improvements that can be easily installed in your home is a smart doorbell. Products like Amazon’s Ring, Google’s Nest, SimpliSafe’s Video Doorbell Pro, and many others have flooded the market due to demand. A smart doorbell makes your life easier by monitoring your front door.

Smart doorbells have a camera and a speaker and can be set to record constantly or just when they detect movement. You can track package deliveries, speak to visitors, and monitor what’s going on outside of your home without ever getting up from your chair. While these are all convenient features, smart doorbell makers also claim that they help to reduce crime in neighborhoods where they are installed.

Security camera systems

Another growing trend in smart home security is home camera installations that are connected via your wireless internet. Similar to the smart doorbells, these cameras can be accessed via your phone or computer, and let you keep track of what’s going on in your own backyard. Most home camera security systems can also be programmed to alert you when they detect movement within your property. You’ll get a notification on your phone, and be able to see what’s going on in real-time.

Smart door locks

Smart door locks have come a long way in the past few years as well. Whereas models of the past would only allow you to unlock your door using a keypad for convenience, new models offer many more features. You can unlock your door via fingerprint for additional security, you can unlock or lock your doors remotely from your phone or computer, and you can even set your locks to automatically lock at certain times of day or night.

Door and window sensors

In addition to motion-sensing cameras, your smart home security can let you know which doors and windows are open in your home. If you’re worried you left a window or door open, you now have the ability to check instantly and relieve any anxiety you may have had.

Smart kitchen technology

Technology has also taken over the kitchen.

Smart fridges

Smart fridges like the Samsung Family Hub Refrigerator let you do things that you’d never think were possible for a fridge. Smart fridges have screens on the doors that let you view the interior of your fridge without opening the door, watch TV, display calendars, and even check your connected devices like smart doorbells or security cameras. You can also lookup recipes, and plan shopping lists through the fridge and its app. If you’re running low on a certain food, your fridge will let you know!

Smart ovens

If cooking isn’t your strong-suit, worry no more. Smart ovens like the June are available and claim to help even the worst cooks produce restaurant-quality meals at the push of a button. These ovens use HD cameras and sensors to detect the items placed inside and will recommend cooking settings for you. You just need to push the button, and your meal will be perfectly cooked in a matter of minutes. .


Smart thermostats

Although centrally controlled HVAC systems have been around for quite a while now, recent advances in smart thermostats have added incredible new functionality. Smart thermostats have the ability to work with virtual assistants like Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri. Simply ask your phone or virtual assistant to raise or lower the temperature, and it will be done.

In addition to voice controls, smart thermostats can now also detect your presence and set the temperature accordingly. This technology not only makes your life easier, but will also save you money by reducing energy usage when and where it is not needed. If you’re worried about a room being too hot or cold when you enter due to this energy-saving technology, you can manually control your thermostat with your phone as well. .

Built-in wireless charging

We’re all familiar with the convenience of wireless phone charging, and new luxury home construction takes things to another level. You can now get wireless charging built into your desk, countertops, and tables, to make your life easier and more convenient. Simply put your phone down in one of these locations when you’re not using it, and you’ll keep your battery full all day without having to constantly plug and unplug your device. .

Smart lighting

While halogen lightbulbs and light switches of old got the job done, we find many of our luxury home buyers inquiring about smart lighting systems. A smart lighting system allows you to control your lights from your phone, virtual assistant, or automatically through predetermined settings. They can detect motion and light up the room as you enter. Newer lights can also cycle through various color temperature settings to fit the mood you’re in. .


Smart… laundry?

Yes, even laundry is being made intelligent. The LG ThinQ Washing Machine detects the amount of clothes you’ve placed into it, along with the types of fabric they are made of. It automatically selects the best settings for each wash and takes the hassle out of washing your clothes and linens.

If that’s not good enough, it automatically dispenses the appropriate volume and mixes of detergents and will alert you on your phone or virtual assistant when it is running low.

Smart bedroom technology

The use of technology in luxury homes is not limited to lighting, security, and thermostats. Here are a few of the technologies we’re seeing in bedrooms around Westchester and Fairfield counties.

Pillows

If you have a partner who snores, there is now a pillow available to combat this! The Motion Pillow by TenMinds uses sensors and airbags to sense when someone is snoring. When it detects snoring, it will gently reposition your head to eliminate your snoring, and your relationship with your partner will certainly improve.

Bed cooling systems

Bed cooling systems like the BedJet and Chillipad allow users to air-condition or heat their bed directly. Studies have shown that your body temperature varies by several degrees during the night when you’re sleeping, and these systems can help keep you at a desirable temperature all night long.

If you have a partner who does not share your body temperature or hot/cold preferences, there are also dual-zone modes available. The amount of customization and smart sensing technology packed into these systems is truly amazing.

Smart beds

Taking things a step further, smart beds like the Sleep Number 360 allow you to adjust more than just the temperature. If you and your partner have different mattress firmness preferences, this is the bed for you. You can adjust firmness and temperature at the press of a button on each side of the bed allowing partners with vastly different preferences to be comfortable in the same bed.

Sleep quality sensors

Tracking your sleep habit and patterns can lead to a better night’s rest and improve your level of alertness throughout the day. Sleep tracking mats like the Withings Sleep Tracking Mat let users track their sleep habits without the need to wear anything bulky, clunky, or uncomfortable on their bodies. These mats are placed under your mattress and deliver their findings to your smartphone each morning. They track quality and length of sleep, can detect snoring, and even track your heart rate to further enhance their recommendations and suggestions for better sleep quality.

Smart blinds

Having the sun wake you up in the morning is good for you, but it can be a pain to try to go to sleep with your blinds up if you live in a place with light pollution as many of us do in Westchester and Fairfield counties. Smart blinds like the Leviosa Blinds can be set to different light filtering options as well as automatically raising at a time of your choosing. You can have the best of both worlds with these blinds.

Smart shoe care systems

Samsung announces the first-of-its-kind shoe care system. For all of the shoe enthusiasts out there, this system allows users to easily take care of their valuable shoes by automatically deodorizing, dehumidifying and drying your shoes. It will help your shoes last longer, along with looking and feeling better each day.

Advanced TVs

Televisions are bulky, and take up a lot of space in a room when they are off. LG decided to solve this problem by creating the Signature OLED R series of TVs. The OLED R is a TV screen that retracts into its beautifully designed base when not in use.

It can retract entirely to give the appearance of an elegant table, or it can be used in “Line View” which gives you a quarter of the 65” screen real estate to use. This can be used to display things like pictures, music player interfaces, clocks, mood lighting/sounds, and the ThinQ dashboard. It is a sight to behold.


Smart bathroom technology

There are also quite a few new technologies that will make your bathroom experience more convenient and more luxurious.

Warming drawers for towels

If you haven’t experienced the feeling of wrapping yourself in a warm towel after stepping out of the shower, you’ve been missing out. Warming drawers are straight-forward and do what their name suggests. Simply place your towel into the warming drawers before you get into your shower, and by the time you are out, you will have a wonderfully warm towel waiting for you.

Smart showers

Smart shower systems are designed primarily to ensure your shower temperature goes to, and stays at, the exact temperature you’ve selected. Manufacturers like Kohler and Moen have begun offering smart shower systems that allow you to control temperature, outlet, water flow rate, and can even be voice-controlled. This sounds unnecessary until you give it a try. It is certainly luxurious, that’s for sure.

Smart showerheads

If a smart shower is a bit much for your sensibilities, a smart showerhead may be just what you’re looking for. Smart shower heads like the Kohler Moxie Showerhead allow you to play music in the shower without having to blast it from another room or outside of the shower itself. If you love listening to music in the shower, this is a relatively cheap upgrade that can greatly improve quality of life for you and your loved ones.

Smart mirrors

Smart mirrors for your bathroom are the new rage with our luxury home clients. These mirrors have backlighting, zoom capabilities, displays with weather/time/temperature, and even built-in TVs that disappear into the mirror face when they are off. They’re a great way to help ensure you’re spending enough time brushing your teeth!

High-tech toilets

Even toilets are getting high-tech treatment these days. There are numerous toilets on the market that will make your bathroom-going experience more convenient, sanitary, and comfortable. Toilets that don’t need you to use your hands or paper, toilets with seat warmers and LEDs, toilets that will self-clean, and motion-sensing toilets that will raise and lower the lid for you are all available for purchase today.

Where to start

If you’re a bit overwhelmed by all of your options when building or improving your luxury home, that’s understandable. Consider which of these tech-infused systems will benefit you the most, and start there. There are quite a few items on this list that can be easily added to your home after construction or renovation are completed, so don’t think you have to get it all done at once. Of course, AVMRE is here to help. Contact us.


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