Consumer: smart homes of the future

When it comes to technology, things happen fast. So what can we expect in next few years? At Harvey Norman’s Home of the Future show, getting connected is the way forward and there are some exciting technological advancements in store.

Bosch Home Connect Fridge

How many times have you arrived home and put on the kettle for a nice cuppa only to realise the milk is gone? With the new Bosch and Samsung Home Connect fridges, it never has to happen again. Both are set to launch fridges complete with cameras.

Kayne Simons, national technology trainer with Harvey Norman says: “At the moment, these fridges are quite novel but we expect them to become commonplace in the next few years.”

All you have to do is tap an app on your phone and take a picture of exactly what’s in your fridge at that moment in time.

“Via the app, you can change the history of the camera so if you look at it at 7pm and find all the milk is gone, you can scroll back to 4pm to see who was raiding the fridge. There will also be sensors where you place the milk and it will let you know if the carton is half-full or empty. In the future, you will also be able to scan items as you put them into the fridge so when you come home in the evening, it can give you suggested recipes based on the items in there. Sounds unreal, but this is where the technology is going.”

How much are these smart fridges going to set you back?

“With the connected products, it’s usually an add-on feature to their top-of-the-line model so you are getting the best cooling technology out there. The Bosch Home Connect Fridge is coming in at €1,199. A similar model without the smart technology would cost about €899.”

The Samsung model is a much bigger American style side-by-side fridge and that will cost about €6,000.

Samsung Smart Add Wash

Samsung already makes pretty cool washing machines, and one of the features that we love is AddWash”. How many times have you loaded the machine and turned it on only to realise you forgot the jumper you wanted to wear tomorrow? Instead of turning off the machine, waiting for the door to open and start all over again, the AddWash machine has a little trap door so you can add that extra forgotten item. Genius, right?

And there’s a smart feature on the app that also aims to make life a bit easier. Kayne says: “You don’t need to be messing around with the small digital screen on the machine any more. Sitting on the couch, you can use the user-friendly app to answer some short questions such as: what are you putting on? Is it a mixed wash? Are they lightly soiled or heavily soiled? When would you like to start the machine, now or later? The machine selects the most appropriate and economical cycle so you can stop worrying about shrinking the clothes in a wash that is too hot.”

Price wise, the Samsung Smart AddWash costs €1,049, which is about €150 more than the same machine without the smart add-on.

Nespresso Prodigio Connected Coffee Machine

How does this sound: you wake in the morning, press a button on your phone to start brewing your coffee, hop into the shower and when you arrive in the kitchen, your cuppa is waiting for you. As long as you set up your capsule and cup the night before, this is now possible with the Nespresso Prodigio Connected Coffee Machine.

Kayne says: “The other add-on that people are loving is the fact that the app will order your capsules for you. It will calculate how many capsules you have used and when you are running low, it will send you a push notification on your phone asking if you want to order some more. It will also let you know when your machine needs to go through a cleaning cycle. You literally don’t need to ever be without coffee.”

Expect to pay €199 for one without a frother and €249 for a machine with a frother. Similar models without the smart add-on feature retail for about €50 less than this.

Nest Learning Thermostat

When it comes to utility bills, heating costs can really pile up the euros. So the Nest Learning Thermostat is an investment that will pay for itself within 12 months and will be saving for you for years to come. Most heating systems have an on/off button but this connected thermostat adjusts the heat in your house so it’s just right for you.

Kayne says: “Through use, it builds up a database of your preferences, recording the temperature you like your house at best. Say that is 18 degrees. It will start to recognise that you come home at 6pm. However, it’s 5pm now and it’s 10 degrees. It takes an hour to bring the house from 10 degrees to 18, so it will turn the heating on so it is just right for you when you get home. Similarly, if it’s too hot, it will shut your heating off.”

Connected to your boiler, there is a simple online wizard on www.nest.com where you go through questions to see if this is suitable for your house. It starts at €219 but you will need to get a professional to install it, which should cost about €120.

Nest Cam Security Camera

Another great invention from those clever clogs in Nest is their Nest Cam Security Camera. Not only can you set it up inside your house in the case of intruders, you will also be able to use it in outhouses on the farm, provided it has a safe power point and a WiFi signal.

Kayne says: “It’s not just a camera, it can detect movement and will alert you. There is also a microphone so you can hear what is happening and even a speaker so you can talk through it. And it’s not just used in case of intruders. We’ve heard of customers installing them in the house and talking to the dog, telling him to get off the furniture.

“There is also a subscription-based service which does automatic recordings so if you are concerned about crime, you will record it constantly and then you can export the video to the guards.”

The Nest Cam Security Camera costs €199.