Smart gadgets takeover your home

There were many smarthome gadgets on display at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show. Many of these will soon be appearing in our home shows, as vendors start to bring them to market.

This article is repurposed from an original source on National Geographic

The NEST thermostat, designed by the team responsible for the original iPod, has taken the market by storm, also acquiring the Dropcam home surveillance video system and integrating it into the network.

From the article:

In the near future, you may no longer need to remember to turn the oven off when the cake's done, switch on lights when you enter a room, or run the clothes dryer when electricity rates are cheapest. Your home will do it for you.

Dozens of home IQ-boosting gadgets debuted this week at the Consumer Electronics Show, which ended Friday. While some offer conveniences, such as waking you when your coffee is ready or remotely watering your plants, others have societal benefits such as helping to prevent power-grid blackouts.

These products are part of the "Internet of Things"concept, aimed at automating our lives by connecting mobile devices to appliances, lights, and just about everything-a shift that could improve efficiency if it works right, but compromise privacy if it doesn't.

They monitor behavior-via motion sensors, Bluetooth signals, or facial-recognition technology-to identify when we're home or away and make corresponding tweaks to room temperatures or lighting. They come from Kickstarter-funded startups as well as industry stalwarts such as Samsung.

Here are some of the most promising new introductions:

Whirlpool Smart Top Load. This top-loading washer/dryer pair, expected to launch this spring for between $2,500 and $3,000, syncs with the Nest thermostat to trigger a quiet mode when you're at home and delay cycles for off-peak hours when electricity costs less.

Keen Smart Home Vent. By connecting to smart thermostats, these $85 vents open or close automatically by using built-in sensors that track a room's optimal temperature.

Ecovent. For about $200 a room, this device automatically adjusts vents via its own temperature, humidity, and motion-sensing wall plug.

This story was sourced from an original piece on National Geographic.
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