The internet has revolutionized the way our homes and workspaces operate. Thanks to the automation of home devices, such as smart thermostats and Wi-Fi enabled appliances like robot vacuum cleaners; technology is transforming the way people interact with the most mundane household items. Even offices are taking advantage of the ever-expanding line of smart home appliances, with more and more offices calling themselves “smart offices.”

A smart office is a workplace powered by technology, and the goal of a smart office is to incentivize employees to work more efficiently and, of course, work smarter. Sensors, beacons, and mobile apps help employees perform their job duties better and faster; this, in turn, gives employees more time and mental capacity to take their tasks to the next level. Think about it: employees used to have to stand up and walk across the room to clock in and clock out. 

Now, an employee can clock in and clock out from the comfort of their desk by using a mobile app. The simple act of clocking into work saves employees a few minutes of their time, and although this doesn’t sound like much, a few minutes can be the difference between meeting deadlines or falling behind. 

Furthermore, employees who work in a smart office have better communication as opposed to people who work in a traditional office. Sensors can notify you if a particular conference room is booked and tell you how long it’ll be occupied. Employees no longer waste time walking up and down flights of stairs only to find out the conference room is already in use. 

Best of all, employees can be in constant contact with each other through messaging systems and chat rooms. The accessibility of online messaging makes cubicle life feel less isolated. Smart technology promotes productivity, is fun to use, and keeps office employees satisfied. All of these benefits increase your business’s bottom line. Here are some reasons to consider turning your regular office into a smart office. 

You take pride in inviting your friends over to your house on the weekends, and your home is now hailed as the hang out spot among your friend circle. The living room bustles with sounds coming from your television when your friends get together. However, you can’t help but feel like something is missing from these gatherings—could it be that your entertainment center is too dated? If you’re still not using a flat-screen television or you don’t own a set of speakers yet, then it’s time for an upgrade. 

Don’t let your archaic entertainment center be the reason why your friends stop coming over. There are several ways to give your entertainment center a boost, such as investing in a new television with superior viewing angles and speakers to enhance music. Ultimate entertainment centers are comprised of modern, smart electronics and should look organized and elegant. 

Choosing the Right Flat Screen TV

Looking at flat-screen televisions can be intimidating, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the terminology and latest specs. Selecting the right TV for you depends on how frequent you’ll be watching shows and your personal needs. Start by considering who will be using this TV. Will it be just you? Do you have a spouse or children who take turns watching TV? By answering these questions, you’ll determine if it’s necessary to go for a TV with streaming capabilities and Wi-Fi connectivity. This will also help you decide which screen size to go with. To determine the best television size, consider your room’s dimensions, planned audience seating size, and your room’s arrangement. 

Next, you’ll need to determine your cost range. Costs of televisions vary greatly based on their features, technology, and picture performance. The saying “you get what you pay for” reigns true when purchasing a television; at the same time, don’t feel pressured to invest in a 4K resolution TV if you’re not hosting extravagant parties every weekend and are looking for simplicity. There’s now a wide range of technology that can enhance picture quality such as 4K resolution, High Dynamic Range (HDR), processing type, expanded colors, and even the way an LED is backlit. 

You take pride in inviting your friends over to your house on the weekends, and your home is now hailed as the hang out spot among your friend circle. The living room bustles with sounds coming from your television when your friends get together. However, you can’t help but feel like something is missing from these gatherings—could it be that your entertainment center is too dated? If you’re still not using a flat-screen television or you don’t own a set of speakers yet, then it’s time for an upgrade. 

You know about smart homes, and you’re most likely living in one. Have you ever pictured your office benefiting from smart home technology? What started off as a futuristic concept is now an attainable reality that you and your employees can take advantage of. From 2015-2017, the number of smart homes increased from 17 million to 29 million, according to data from McKinsey Quarterly. That growth is only projected to keep increasing, with experts predicting that the smart home market will surpass $158 billion by the year 2022. It’s no longer just homeowners who are making use of smart home automation, now you can also use smart home technology at your company’s office. 

 When you upgrade your office to smart home technology, you’ll not only be modernizing your office to new, smaller appliances that are more eye-catching, but you’ll be able to monitor your systems around the clock. This will dramatically increase the efficiency in your office. You might hold some understandable reservations about implementing smart home technology into your office, such as worrying if your employees will be confused about smart technology usage. However, programmable ecosystems should set your mind at ease, since connected smart home devices learn how people live and know how to adjust to their comfort accordingly. In a business setting, these smart home devices can automatically optimize an office’s environment by learning the times your office is most occupied, as well as by helping your employees be the most productive they can be. 

Connected smart devices will help your company cut back on inefficient operations. All you have to do is take advantage of the wide selection of smart home technology and tailor it to your office; this will turn your space into a more valuable, strategic asset. 

Increase Energy Efficiency 

One of the most important smart home advantages that can be applied to your office is learning to automate your environmental control. The market for smart thermostats, which includes both residential and commercial, is expected to grow by more than 20% within the next five years. Having the privilege to automatically monitor your office’s energy usage to adjust your space’s temperature, lighting, and water usage goes a long way toward reducing wasteful energy consumption. The emergence of smart home thermostats gives companies the opportunity to boost their efficiency, and smart home thermostats can lower your office’s electric bills by roughly 25%. A smart home thermostat will reduce heating and cooling to a minimum when employees aren’t present in the office, but the smart thermostat will also optimize these temperatures when people are in the building. It’s no secret that smart thermostats provide one of the most immediate returns on investment. 

Enlist a Virtual Assistant

Have you ever needed an extra hand at the office? You’re already busy enough running your company and ensuring that your employees are working at their peak performance. Take some of that weight off your shoulders by making use of a virtual assistant that ties all of your smart devices together into a cohesive office. 27% of people in the United States currently own a virtual assistant. These consumers primarily use a virtual assistant to connect with and command apps instead of picking up their phones to manually do it. Using your phone is becoming the old-fashioned way of commanding apps. Imagine using your personal virtual assistant to quickly skim through emails, schedule meetings, and receive important information within a matter of seconds. Ask your virtual assistant what the weather is like outside, or you can ask about what last quarter’s revenue looked like. Although Artificial Intelligence still needs further development to fully emulate human-to-human dialogue, the prospect of an AI robot that you can hold a full conversation with is only a few years away.

You know about smart homes, and you’re most likely living in one. Have you ever pictured your office benefiting from smart home technology? What started off as a futuristic concept is now an attainable reality that you and your employees can take advantage of. From 2015-2017, the number of smart homes increased from 17 million to 29 million, according to data from McKinsey Quarterly. That growth is only projected to keep increasing, with experts predicting that the smart home market will surpass $158 billion by the year 2022. It’s no longer just homeowners who are making use of smart home automation, now you can also use smart home technology at your company’s office.

Smart technology is no longer limited to your phone—it’s everywhere. The latest home trends all incorporate smart home technology, which is designed to make your day-to-day life fun and easy to navigate. Smart homes aren’t necessarily new, they have existed since the 1920s. The first smart home technology that was developed are the appliances that are staples to our homes today. Smart home technology came to be with the advent of the vacuum cleaner. The next two decades introduced the television, washer, and dryer. Although we no longer perceive these appliances as “smart,” they were innovative during this time period. Now, these are items that your home can’t do without. 

Similarly, smart home technology is now an advancement that your home can’t do without. The idea of a futuristic home was once a concept that only existed in science fiction. Now, smart houses are a tangible reality. 28% of all houses will transition to smart homes by the year 2021, according to the media research group, Kagan. 

You don’t need the entirety of your home to be fully self-automated, but there are a few parts of your home that can easily be upgraded to smart home technology. You don’t need to live in a mansion to reap the benefits of smart home technology. Not only are smart homes an intelligent experience, but they are also a personal one. Why would you willingly stand up to do simple tasks, when they can now be done through your phone? Phones and tablets are the brains of your smart home, as several tasks can be performed now by using apps. The truth is, manually doing chores is becoming an artifact of the past. Smart home technology improves your daily routine.

Smart Home Light Bulbs

Have you ever been comfortably sitting on your couch, enjoying your favorite show when suddenly you realize that you forgot to turn off your lights? It’s annoying. Lucky for you, by switching to smart home lighting, you won’t ever have to go through that undesirable experience again. Upgrading your house’s lights should be the first step in your smart home journey. Not only is it the easiest step, but it is also one of the most affordable changes you can make. Simply by changing your dated LED lights to smart light bulbs, you will experience a shift in the environment. Smart light bulbs can be controlled using an application on your phone or tablet or through your computer. 

You can program your lights to turn on and off at a certain time. You can even program your smart lights to start dimming at a certain hour, no dimmer switch required. One of the best parts about upgrading to smart light bulbs is the accessible price range. If you’re not too concerned about looks and are looking for a bulb that is both functional and cheap, a white smart lightbulb will suffice. If you want a pop of color in your home, you can also upgrade to color-changing smart light bulbs. Color-changing smart light bulbs are fun and customizable. Right out of the box, most color-changing smart light bulbs can be adjusted to mimic the sunrise and sunset. You can set your light to any color of the rainbow; you can even replicate a rainbow. You can streamline your color-changing light bulbs with your everyday tasks. You can make your light bulb turn green whenever you receive an email. Do you find it difficult to wake up? When your alarm goes off in the morning, you can set up your color-changing smart light bulb to flash red while your alarm blares. Your smart light bulbs will change the mood of your atmosphere with no effort.