How smart home devices help monitor and mitigate indoor air quality | MultiBriefs.com

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There are a significant number of connected, Internet of Things-powered devices that incorporate some sort of indoor air quality (IAQ) monitoring that can help mitigate indoor air pollution. From standalone IAQ monitors and devices that do double duty as security systems to smart HVAC systems that filter the air when dangerous levels occur, consumers can now easily monitor the health of their homes and businesses. For more read the full post here.

The Best Smart Sprinkler Controller - Wirecutter | A New York Times Company

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After spending two months with six smart irrigation controllers in a sunny South Carolina yard, we’re confident the Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller (Generation 2) is the best choice for most people with an in-ground sprinkler system. Any smart controller will save you water and money compared with a simple timer, but the Rachio is the best of the ones we tested.

Read the full guide here.

How smart home technologies can help with senior living - McKnight Senior Living

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Connected technology in the home is a fast-growing area, providing inhabitants with enhanced conveniences, improved security and increased comfort. Known as “smart home tech,” everyday devices such as door locks, smoke alarms and thermostats use a connection to the internet, software programs and machine learning to provide added functionality and remote control.

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Pros & Cons Of Living With Smart Lighting - The Green Living Guide

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A few years ago, I moved into a new home and installed smart LED lighting throughout as part of an extensive remodel. In this post, I will share with you my personal experience living with smart lighting — including the benefits and the problems that I’ve encountered along the way.

Read the full article here.

 

5 Ways to Help Your Smart Home Heat and Cool More Efficiently - MOTHER EARTH NEWS

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I recently wrote about how smart home technology can help your home save energy. Chief among these energy-saving tips was installing a smart thermostat. A Wi-Fi-connected programmable thermostat can save you as much as 30 percent on your HVAC’s energy use. However, the potential to save money on your heating and cooling doesn’t end there. One of the biggest benefits of smart devices and the Internet of Things is the potential for integration. When these devices work together, you can create a smart home that actively and intelligently works to help you save energy.

Read the full post here. 

How Smart-Home Technology Can Help During a Natural Disaster | The Wirecutter

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When I talk to nontechie friends about my smart home, the reaction is usually a polite, bewildered smile. Occasionally, however, something catches their attention, because it relates to a personal need. Whether that’s getting a Wi-Fi camera for checking in on elderly parents, or painlessly dismissing an annoying false smoke alarm with a swipe of a finger, the appeal of the smart home for most people lies in individual situations. While smart things make life more convenient every day, I recently learned the hard way that coping with a natural disaster can be one of the most effective uses of smart-home technology.

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The Best Smart Smoke Alarm | The Wirecutter

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It’s hard to overstate the importance of having functioning, reliable smoke detectors in your home. From 2007 through 2011, almost a quarter of all home fire-related deaths in the US occurred in homes with nonworking smoke alarms. While any functioning smoke alarm will alert you to problems if you’re at home, a smart alarm can alert you anywhere your smartphone has an Internet connection. For our tests, a former firefighter installed every currently available smart smoke alarm in her own home, both hardwired versions and battery-powered models, to find the best one for keeping you informed about your house’s status, whether you’re home or away. After mounting them to ceilings and walls, blowing smoke at them, fiddling with their batteries and accompanying apps, and generally pushing their buttons, we found that the second-generation Nest Protect smoke and carbon monoxide alarm is the best smart smoke alarm.

Read the full article here.

Round-Up: 9 Best Educational Apps for Your Kids - Modern Parents Messy Kids

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Image Credit: © Stephanie | Smart Kid and the Smart Phone | CC by 2.0

Screen time is a hot-button issue for today’s parents, but one thing we can all agree on is that however long our kids are glued to a screen for, we’d rather that time be spent learning something.

My son is eight, just a year younger than the iPhone, and my daughter is five, a year younger than the iPad. As a tech journalist, I’m an early adopter, so both my children have been exposed to these shiny, addictive devices from a young age.

Over the last few years I’ve spent a lot of time and effort investigating and playing with dozens of “educational” apps to find the ones that best strike that precarious balance between educational and fun. Here is a round-up of my favorite kid-tested and kid approved apps/websites for children under 10.

Read the full post here. 

 

The Smart Kitchen: The Next Big Hope for the Internet of Things - TriplePundit.com

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The Internet of Things is a boon for businesses striving to be more sustainable, but at-home IOT is exhibiting worrying signs of stalling. Industry analyst Jan Dawson summed up many people’s concerns when he said the smart home market seems perennially stuck in the early-adopter phase.

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American Consumers Are Taking Control Of Their Power Use - for PSFK.com

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The American consumer is leading the march toward energy efficiency in this country. They’re embracing government-sponsored programs such as Energy Star and technological advances like the Internet of Things (IoT) and solar panels to reduce their annual energy usage and put money back into their pockets.

Read the whole article here. 

How Technology is Transforming the Way We Store Food - allconnect.com

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At about five years old, I remember standing in my grandmother’s kitchen in Gainesville, Florida, and her telling me to put the juice in the ice box. “Ice box?” I thought. “What on earth is that?” The ice box—quite literally a box or cabinet with a block of ice to keep food cold—was a part of my grandmother’s childhood.

Read the rest of this post here. 

How to Buy a Better Light Bulb - CleanTechies

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It might be time to retire that old joke “How many (fill-in-stereotype-to-be-mocked-here) does it take to screw in a light bulb?” Because light bulbs have got a whole lot more complicated in recent years. These days, it requires substantial acumen to buy the right bulb, especially if you are looking to buy the most energy-efficient model.

The battle for eco-friendly supremacy between Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) and Compact Fluorescents (CFLs) bulbs is largely over (plummeting prices and expanding models have given the more energy-efficient, longer-lasting LEDs the clear edge over CFLs, which still contain mercury). The result of the revolution however, is that navigating the light bulb aisle at the hardware store can be something of an overwhelming experience.

Read the full article here.

Use Smart Tech to Make Your Small Business Sustainable - for TriplePundit.com

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Looking to give your small business a leg up, and at the same time, make it more sustainable? Cutting the environmental impact of your business not only helps the planet, but it can also positively affect your bottom line, both through a reduction in consumption of expensive fossil fuels and by streamlining your workflow. Here’s a look at some of the energy-saving, Internet-connected technology you can use in your office to create a smarter, more sustainable workspace.

Read more here.

Harness the Power of the Internet to Conserve Water in Your 'Smart' Garden - for MOTHER EARTH NEWS

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How many times have you seen someone’s sprinklers on during a rain storm? Or even worse, arrived home to find yours going while it’s pouring? I think you’ll agree that it’s a truly painful-to-watch waste of Mother Earth’s most precious natural resource. With today’s climate issues, where some parts of the country are living through significant droughts, it’s even more imperative that we be mindful of our water use.

Read more here.

The Best Smart Thermostat | The Wirecutter

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We spent more than a month trying five popular smart thermostats—testing the hardware, their accompanying mobile apps, and their integrations with various smart-home systems—and the third-generation Nest remains our pick. Five years after the Nest’s debut, a handful of bona fide competitors approach it in style and functionality, but the Nest Learning Thermostat is still the leader, despite the company’s recent upheavals. 

Read the full review here.

Smoke Alarms: The Smartest Smart Home Product You Can Buy - For TechZulu

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Ask any firefighter to name the most important thing a person can do to prevent their house from burning to the ground, and he or she will tell you, “Install smoke alarms.”

As the wife of a firefighter and a former volunteer firefighter, I strongly concur. However, as a mother and somewhat erratic chef, I know how annoying those little plastic boxes can be. From false alarms caused by burning the toast to annoying low-battery chirps that wake up sleeping babies, I can empathize with homeowners who leave a smoke alarm dangling from the ceiling after a run-in with a broom....

Read more here.

5 Ways Smart Home Tech Can Keep Your Kids Safe | Parenting Squad

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Home security once felt like a boring, expensive concept — call up a legacy security company, hand over a pile of cash, and then forget about it until disaster strikes (or your daughter sneaks in through the back window and sets it off at 2 a.m.).

Before you had kids, home security was probably one of those things you thought you should have, but never got around setting up. But once you have a family, that parental urge to fiercely protect your young finally drives you to open your wallet.

Read more here