What Home Automation Systems Can You Buy Now?
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - Locking the door, turning on the washer and dryer, pulling the shades -- all are rather menial sounding household tasks. And they're all tasks that, these days, can be completed from miles away.
There are a wide array of systems using phone apps that help you manage your home, even when you're away from it. But with an exploding market and a $1,000 price range, we took a look at which ones are worth their cost.
The average 25- to 54-year-old American spends 8.7 hours a day at work and 7.7 hours sleeping, Leaving little time to tend to the home front.
Shawn Jones of Maple Grove knows the time crunch well.
"The house is never quiet," he said.
Like most working parents, this Maple Grove dad's life moves fast.
"Wake up in the morning, grab my phone, turn on the music in the bathroom while I'm getting ready," he said.
It turns out his phone and his iPad control a lot more than the overhead speakers, and his thing for gadgets isn't just personal, it's professional.
"There might be problems clients have, and I want to make sure I can solve them at home," he said.
Jones owns Cool Home Technology and helps outfit homes around the Twin Cities with practical app-controlled gadgets.
One of his best sellers is a system called Sonos.
"Having access to everything you want to do, whether it's turn on the TV, listen to music, change your lighting, turn the fan on," he said.
Most of those tasks can be performed by a corresponding app on his phone.
This Sonos system runs about $199, and speakers can be built into the rooms for music for a thousand extra per room, a cost that could possibly pay for itself.
Local broker Andy Prasky said when selling a house, technology is key.
"When you're selling your house, if you can create an environment like, 'You're having a dinner party, you have the music on, the lights on,' then it's very inviting," he said.
So now that you know the value of apps, here are some may not know exist.
The Chamberlain my-Q garage control is $129 total and works with most existing systems. It allows you to open and close your garage door from anywhere with a click of the cell phone app.
If you prefer to enter through the front door, check out the Kevo. You can use your phone to unlock the door, so that it opens with a touch. You can give kids or house sitters a fob, so they can open the door by touch, too. The whole system is $219.
The Nest allows you to change room temps while away. "It's a good money saver," Jones says. It's $249 total.
And one of the cheapest buys we found, Cloud Baby Monitor is an app that can turn an old camera into a home surveillance system for $6.99.
"It sounds like we're getting kinda lazy, but that's where things are gravitating towards," Jones said.
You may be thinking this sounds complicated, but Jones said he has clients in their 90s who easily navigate these systems.
Here are a couple other apps and systems:
Gadget to keep tabs on fire detectors while away
