Must-Have Smart Home Devices for Your Modern Condo

Gone are the days of coming home to a dark house, fumbling and tripping over shoes, kid’s toys, and whatever else is between you and the light switch. Or worse, wasting energy by leaving the lights on while you’re away.

Thanks to internet-connected devices from lightbulbs to doorbells, vacuums, speakers, and more, a smart home makes life not only easier, but more eco-friendly too. What is a smart home, you ask? A smart home is one that makes the most of smart home devices that allow you to control most — if not all — aspects of your home remotely.

Not only do things like smart lights that adapt to the ambiance you want with the tap of an app make for fun and impressive party tricks, there are plenty of other benefits to a smart home. From timing lights and heat to come on when you’re leaving work to saving money with energy efficiency thanks to smart electronics, a smart home is simply better.

If you’ve been wondering how to make your condo a smart home, here are some of the best smart home devices to start with.

The best smart home devices for modern condo owners

The thing about smart homes is that there’s no hard and fast definition. There’s not a certain type of device that, if you have it, means that you have a smart home. But that doesn’t mean the options are limited.

There are all kinds of smart devices to choose from. Peruse this list for some of the best smart electronics and other devices that will boost your modern living experience the moment you plug them in.

1. Robotic vacuum From Roombas to Jetbot Mops and much in between, you can forget about vacuuming, mopping, and floor cleaning in general with a smart vacuum. They use sensors to get around and track their own progress so you can set it and forget it.

2. Video doorbell Even in a condo it doesn’t hurt to know who’s knocking at your door, whether you’re there or not. SimpliSafe, Ring, and Toucan are all excellent options.

3. Smart thermostat A smart thermostat is one of the best ways to save money. You can program a smart thermostat to keep a specific schedule as well as control it remotely while on the go to make sure you’re spending money on heating and cooling only when you need it. Nest and ecobee are popular choices.

4. Smart lock Hate having to remember your keys all the time? Then a smart lock will be your best friend. Thanks to their WiFi and Bluetooth capabilities, you can unlock your condo with a code or a touch on your smartphone and never think about physical keys again. August, Schlage, and Yale all make smart lock products.

5. Smart speaker Not only do smart speakers play music, set alarms, browse the internet and more with nothing but a verbal command, they sound better than their analog predecessors, too. The Amazon Echo, the Google Nest Mini, and Bose’s Smart Speaker are all excellent smart speakers for condo owners.

6. Smart lights From different settings based on the ambiance you’re going for to timers that make sure your condo is lit when you come home, the Phillips Hue, Wyze Bulb Color, and Kasa’s Smart Lighting will deliver everything you need.

7. Smart home security system Even though security isn’t usually a top concern in a condo building, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. SimpliSafe, Frontpoint, and Cove all offer excellent choices for smart security systems that are designed for more than just single family homes.

8. Smart plug If you have electronics and devices that you adore but aren’t smart, you’re in luck. A smart plug is essentially an intermediary that transforms anything you plug into it into a smart device. Start with the Kasa Smart Plug, the Wyze Plug, or the Wemo Smart Plug.

The last thing to consider about smart condo devices is where to put them. Find your next loft or luxury condo home to outfit with smart devices today!