In the future, just about every home will be smart.
The number of households that are purchasing smart home devices has been increasing over the past several years as more options become available in the market. Analysts expect that the number of households that will own at least one smart home product will reach 40% in the United States. By 2025, 57.2% of all households will have appliances that can connect to the internet and share information with each other.
Despite the concerns over privacy, more people are introducing smart home devices into their lives. The promise of ease and comfort these new technologies bring is enough to convince consumers, especially younger generations, to dip their toes into the Internet of Things (IoT).
More household appliances are becoming smarter, including tools and pieces of equipment used in gardening. There are already a number of smart home devices developed for outdoor use.
Creating a smart garden is an exciting project for homeowners who have recently acquired house and land packages but have no idea what to do with the empty backyard or front lawn. Here are some gadgets that are worth the money.
Smart Soil Sensor
Not all types of soil are the same. The quality of the soil in your property will determine whether the seeds you plant will grow and bear fruits/flowers or die after a few days. This is where a smart soil sensor can help.
These devices determine the nutrition and moisture content of the soil in your garden. These metrics are important because it informs you, the gardener, whether you need to add more fertiliser or water to your garden. There are also soil sensors that can collect additional information such as ambient temperature, humidity, light, and other factors that will affect plant growth.
It all sounds too complicated, but it would actually help beginners. Plants show signs of distress, but the cause is not usually obvious, especially to the untrained eye. The smart soil sensor will identify what exactly is the problem, or prevent a problem from arising, to ensure that the plant thrives.
Moreover, your smart soil sensor can work together with a connected sprinkler so that your plants do not get parched. As soon as it notices that the level of moisture has dropped, it can water the plants.
Robotic Lawn Mowers
The Roomba, launched in the early aughts, has become a beloved household item. It is a convenient product because it can automatically clean the floors on schedule and without your aid.
You can get a similar helper for your lawn. A robotic lawn mower is an outdoor Roomba. It tends to your garden. It keeps the grass nice and tidy. The best part is, you do not have to do anything. You can sit on your porch and watch the little device go around the property on its own.
They are quieter, too, compared to ordinary lawnmowers. You would not wake up the entire neighbourhood whenever you have to manage the vegetation within your property.
They can be pretty expensive, but most come with more features that will make your life easier. Some have anti-theft sensors, or can detect whenever it starts raining while it works. However, they are well worth the money if you want a well-manicured lawn but without putting in all the work required for it.
Smart Outdoor Lights
Smart bulbs are some of the easiest IoT products to integrate into an existing home. Having them is quite convenient, too, because you can control the brightness, hue, and turn it on and off through a smartphone app. You can also instruct Google Assistant or Amazon’s Alexa to control the light through voice commands.
For outdoors, smart bulbs work as well. Philips Hue has waterproof options that you can use to light up your driveway or highlight your garden during the night. There are single bulbs, spotlights, wall-mounted lights, and even light strips.
LED floodlights that have motion sensors can increase the security of your home during night-time. Floodlights can deter burglars from targeting your home knowing that they can be caught, even when everyone is asleep.
Smart Weather Stations
If you are truly serious about gardening, smart weather stations will become a valuable asset. These devices are optional, but they play an important role in keeping your plants alive, especially as climate change continues to modify local weather.
A weather station can collect information about temperature, rainfall, sunshine, wind, humidity, and other environmental factors.
Expect to see more smart home devices arriving in the market as consumers start to adopt the technology.