The smart home app: what it does, why it helps and how to get started
Smart home products are a great way to make life run that little bit more seamlessly – and they’re all controlled through smart apps on your phone. Let’s take a closer look at how the system works.
Smart home apps are basically remote controls for all your smart home products, which you can use on your smartphone or tablet.
Each smart home brand usually has its own smart app. For example, if you have Hive Active Heating or any of our Hive smart plugs, smart lights or Hive sensors, you can control them all through our Hive app.
If you’ve got an Amazon Echo or Echo Dot then you need the Amazon Alexa app to set up your Alexa-enabled devices, listen to music, create shopping lists and all the rest.
Sonos speakers? There’s a smart home app for those too.
What are the benefits of a smart home app?
Being able to control your home through an app has a whole lot of benefits.
Control your home
Take the Hive app: a tap here and a swipe there gives you complete control of your home. For example, if you have a smart thermostat like our Hive Thermostat or Hive Thermostat Mini and you’re feeling a bit chilly in bed, open the app and turn up the temperature by scrolling your finger over the screen.
Smart apps help you get your home how you like it from wherever you are, too. For example, if you’re on the bus on the way home you can boost the heating so there’s a warm welcome waiting for you.
Gives you peace of mind
Of course, the more smart products you have, the more your smart apps can do. If you have smart lights then you can use a smart app to check the kids turned the lights out when they left for school. Or if you have smart door sensors, a quick glance at the app and you know if they’re back home safe. Great for peace of mind.
Save energy
Smart home apps also help you save energy. At a glance you can make sure that no energy is being wasted when no one’s about. No lamps or TVs left on. No heating an empty home. And that can end up saving you a lot of money too.
What’s the best smart home app for android and iOS?
There are lots of great smart home apps out there including Nest, Yonomi and the Google Home app. Plus Sonos is great for music. Like locks? Brands like August and Nuki are making smart locks that you can control via an app. You can even send friends or family ‘virtual keys’ through the app so no more hiding keys under the doormat.
But it would be remiss of us not to mention our own award-winning Hive app too. It’s one of the best smart home apps for Alexa because you can use it to unlock all sorts of ways of controlling your home with your voice.
How to use a smart home app?
It’s easy as 1,2,3:
Download the app for your specific device from your favourite app store.
Sync your devices.
Swipe and tap will your heart’s content.
Find out more about the sort of devices you can control from your smart home app at Hive.
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