Nest Protect
Most people are familiar with the Nest thermostat, that smart device to control your home's temperature and reduce energy costs, but the Nest Protect could save more than dollars off your utility bill — it could save your life.
The Protect is the next evolution in the same old smoke detector which, let's be honest, hasn't changed much in the last 50 years. The smart detector picks up both smoke and carbon monoxide and sends alerts to your phones, whether you're home or away, to let you know something is wrong. The Nest Protect also carries other nifty features like differentiating steam and smoke and knowing not to bug your about a low battery at two in the morning.
Goal Zero Yeti Generator
Speaking of technology from the past, most people don't need gas-powered generators in 2017. They're obnoxiously loud, can't be used indoors and you must have gasoline on-hand for them to be any use. Goal Zero solar-powered generators are the backup power source of the 21st century.
These battery-powered and very portable generators connect to solar panels to recharge or can power up right from your wall outlet. They offer tons of output options to charge all your devices and are used from everything from tailgating to a power outage. There's no hiding the fact that these generators aren't cheap, but they're sold at major outdoor retailers such as Cabela's.
Logitech Harmony Elite
The list of electronic devices in the home is growing rapidly — TV, streaming box, cable, surround sound, Amazon Echo, Google Home, Sonos speaker systems, even that Nest Protect mentioned above. Many of them come with their own remotes and managing all those clickers can be a huge pain in the subwoofer.
That's why Logitech, which is been making the best universal remotes for years, has the perfect solution in the Harmony Elite. It connects seamlessly to 270,000 entertainment and smart devices to create one remote to rule them all. This makes controlling your devices more convenient and cleans up your living room look.
Smart Lock
Runners will love this one. Never sure what to do with your keys when you hit the pavement? Now you can leave them inside and lock the door at the same time. The August Smart Lock goes over your door's dead bolt lock and uses Wi-Fi to connect to your smartphone to lock and unlock.
Ever leave the house and you're not sure if the door is locked or not? August will tell you via your smartphone. You can give lock access to friends and family with the app and even set the door to auto-lock when you leave for the day.
Written by Realty Times Staff
Nancy M. Alexander - Stone Harbor and Avalon NJ Real Estate NancyAlexander.com
