With smart technology almost running every aspect of our lives today, it is no surprise that even our homes are automated. Though the automation has not really been embraced by everyone, it is popular none the less. It has been said that smart homes are safer than traditional homes but with the growing rate of cyber crimes, that remains to be proven. This article looks at various tools and appliances and their pros and cons.
While it is a good thing to rely on smart technology, it is important to remember that it is not possible to have all your tools and appliances as smart. Case in point is the hood range. The smart version is still a work in progress and as such, the best under cabinet range hood is still analogue. This does not mean that it is any less effective, there are several reviews that have been done on so many brands that are available in the market.
Smart Refrigerators
Refrigerators have gotten so smart that some even help you do your grocery shopping and alert you when you are running low on some important commodity.
Some of the pros are:
1. Easy to control on the tablet
2. Some allow you to take pictures of the contents of the fridge to let you know when you need to refill on something.
3. Some come with speakers and allow you to listen to music
Cons
1. Can be quite expensive to maintain and repair
2. They are easy to hack into and can compromise your personal information. It can even be infected with a virus
3. After a year or two, the features become obsolete as newer models keep coming out.
Smart Washers and Dryers
Washers and dryers have made the laundry experience so much better but it could also get tedious when you have to manually operate it. With smart washers being fairly new in the market, they are still a work in progress but they’re still offering a much needed reprieve to the users.
Pros
1. It can be controlled from anywhere once it is linked to the control hub.
2. They are highly efficient on water and power
3. Can be linked to your phone through the app to allow you to do anything you want with the clothes including cycling twice and being notified when your cycle is complete.
Cons
1. Being fairly new in the market means that their systems have not been configured to excellence and as such there may be glitches experienced with their operations.
2. It may be hard to get software updates after a year and eventually one may end up paying for the updates.
Smart Dishwashers
Pros
1. Some brands allow you to connect wirelessly via their WiFi app that allows you to be alerted in case of malfunction.
2. You can easily monitor the cycle and even tell how much time is left
3. They conserve on water and power usage and some brands are very quiet.
Cons
1. They are very expensive to buy
2. Their repairs and parts are very expensive. This generally means that their maintenance is quite costly.
These pros and cons are not meant to discourage anyone looking to buy into the smart home technology. Whether smart or analogue, what matters most is having appliances that work for you and are cost effective for you.
