Smart Homes Are Getting Smarter With Advanced Bluetooth

I have been hearing about the possibility of smart homes since I was a little girl at the World’s Fair in 1964. The exhibit was eventually moved to the Disney Parks and became the Carousel of Progress. Some technologies from the exhibit have existed for a while now, such as video phones. And, we have been able to control a household object here or there, but until recently, you could not have a smart home without spending thousands of dollars. However, with newer, more powerful Bluetooth, new inexpensive smart home technologies are being created for the average home.

I attended a Bluetooth conference recently and was amazed by how far Bluetooth has come as well as the products being created with it. While wearable technology is still very big, and there will always be Bluetooth speakers and other gadgets, smart home technology seemed to be leading the show this year. It is all very new and most of the products are on pre-order.

Here are some of the companies that are creating smart home technology:

Avi-on

Avi-on makes only lighting products right now, but it does some amazing things with them. Have you ever wanted a light switch in different spot but didn’t want to deal with finding an electrician and then paying to move it. Avi-on has a wireless light switch that you can just stick on a wall, wherever you want, and it works. It can then be paired with an Avi-on lightbulb or plug in no time. You can then use either your Avi-on app or your conveniently placed wireless light switch, to control your light. It also works as a dimmer.

The light switches, light bulbs and plugs are sold in kits and are discounted now, while on pre-order. Check out the products and see what you think.

The Avi-on lightswitch

Ninja Sphere

The Ninja Sphere creates a fully functioning smart house. From the website: “Your Ninja Sphere will let you know when appliances have been left on, when you are about to leave your keys at home and when things look suspicious. And best yet, it will learn patterns over time, ensuring you will only get notified with things that matter.” And you can control your home from either your smartphone app or the sphere, which is a nice looking object that you can place on a coffee table or anywhere.

When using the sphere, you can use or touch or gestures. You will receive notifications on the sphere and also on the app, so that you will never miss them. You can both monitor and control your house remotely. And if you want to set a mood, you can even pre-set the controls for the lighting and music to come on at a set time. Many other third party Bluetooth devices will work with your Ninja Sphere.

oort

oort has 4 smart home products:

1. oort LED – A smart light bulb with millions of colors to choose from and change when you want. Control it from a smartphone and it can be set automatically weeks ahead of time. Lasts for 40,000 hours.

2. oort SmartSocket – You can control anything plugged into these sockets with your oort app. No more worrying about leaving an appliance on. It also measures power consumption and reports on potential overloads. Schedule appliances in advance, such as your coffee maker for the next morning.

The Oort Smart Socket

3. oort SmartFinder – Attach this small little square to items you tend to misplace, and next time you lose an item that has the square on it, your smartphone will find it. It has a little hole to make it easy to keep on a key ring.

4. oort SmartHub – The SmartHub connects all of your other oort devices and allows you to do more with them.

Are you ready for a smart home? I have the Nest carbon Monoxide detector, but that is all. I am looking forward to making my house smarter but I’m not sure if I should just start with light bulbs or go completely Smart Home!