Make life easier by adding smart switches and outlets to your home

Smart home technology used to be a novelty. Now, it’s a crucial part of everyday life for millions of homeowners. Smart technology doesn’t just make your life easier—it allows you to do more with your time in the day. In this article, we’ll review two types of smart home tech—smart switches and outlets—that are revolutionizing how people live at home.

If you’re ready to make the switch to a smarter home, Wagner is ready to help. Our electricians can help with both electric circuit installation and installing your new smart switches and outlets. Just give us a call to get started!

What are smart switches and outlets?

Considering making your home just a little smarter? Smart switches and smart outlets are the right place to start. Here’s what you need to know about both.

Smart Switches

Take a minute to look around your home. In every room, there are multiple light and fan switches. The idea behind smart switches is simple: taking those simple switches and upgrading them to smart-enabled switches that still turn things on-and-off, but can be controlled through either your smartphone or voice activation.

By removing your existing switches and replacing them with smart switches, you’ll be adding a lot of functionality to your home. We’ll discuss some of the potential uses of smart switches in the sections below, but most homeowners find this to be one of the most practical uses of smart technology.

Smart Outlets

Just like switches, there are outlets throughout your home. Your kitchen alone probably has several outlets. The concept here is similar: take those limited outlets and make them something more. By having our electricians install a smart outlet, you gain the ability to control power to that outlet from your phone or voice-activated device. The possibilities here are nearly endless.

There are two main approaches to smart outlet technology. There’s an outlet replacement, which replaces the entire outlet cover with a specialized smart outlet. Alternatively, there’s smart plugs. These devices plug into your existing outlet and offer similar functionality.

Smart plugs have several downsides. First, they’re a bit clunky compared to the smart outlet approach. That might not matter in open spaces, but it certainly does if you’re trying to squeeze a smart plug behind a TV stand, nightstand, or bed. Second, they only control one of the outlet’s two plugs at a time. This means you’ll need two smart plugs for each outlet—each controlled separately.

If you’re interested in integrating smart technology into your home, you should really just go with smart outlets instead. It’s a more seamless and integrated solution. Talk to our electricians here at Wagner about installing smart outlets in your home.

Why install smart switches and outlets?

As it turns out, you have a lot to gain by making your home smarter. In the sections below, we’ll run through several of the main benefits of installing smart switches and outlets and provide some real-world examples of how homeowners are using this technology to make their lives easier and their home more integrated.

Every homeowner uses smart home technology differently. You might find a completely new way of using your new smart switches and outlets. In our opinion, that’s part of the fun of being a homeowner—embrace it!

Voice Activation

A lot of homeowners scoff at voice-activated smart home technology—until they try it for themselves. You’ll soon realize just how freeing it is to, well, free up your hands!

Take your living room light switch, for instance. You might be thinking, “How hard is it to just press the light switch?” Well, if it’s completely dark in your home and the light switch is on the other side of the living room, you might find that getting to it is actually extremely inconvenient—and painful, when you stub your toe on the coffee table for what feels like the twentieth time.

Here are some other innovative uses of voice-activated technology, made possible with smart switches or lightbulbs:

Setting a new morning routine: Most of us have trouble getting out of bed in the morning. Knowing that your favorite coffee or tea is waiting for you makes it a little easier. Plug your coffee pot or electric tea kettle into a smart switch, and then either set it to turn on with your alarm in the morning, or at your voice command.

Caring for a baby: New parents love voice-activated technology because, inevitably, they’re almost always carrying a child in their arms. With voice-activated smart switches, you can get that bottle warmer going—no hands required. Or, you can turn on that playlist of lullabies without ever putting the little one down.

No need to get up: Adjust your lights, floor fans, space heaters, and more without ever having to get up. Smart switches enable you to be even lazier on your days off from work. In our book, there’s nothing better!

Remote Control

By adding smart technology to your home, you gain the ability to control your home’s lights, appliances, and more from anywhere you and your phone are. Many homeowners use smart switches to turn on-and-off their lights while they’re away on extended travel, helping ward off would-be burglars. Or, you can use them to activate your garage door for a dog sitter who just pulled into the driveway.

With smart switches and outlets, the potential uses are really limited to your imagination.

Conserving Electricity

Having smart switches throughout your home allows you to put your home’s lights on an automatic timer. This might seem like a small win, but just making this one switch can end up saving you a lot of electricity—especially during the holidays, when most homeowners also have string lights around their property.

If you’ve been shopping for smart technology, you’ve no doubt seen “smart bulbs” for sale. These light bulbs have smart technology built right into them. There’s just one problem: when the light bulb burns out, you lose its “smart” capability, too. You then have to replace it with a pricey bulb.

The better long-term bet is to install smart switches, which offer the same functionality, but will never need to be replaced.

Have our team install your new smart outlets and switches

Our Albuquerque electricians are second to none. You can count on our experienced, expert electricians to help you with any and every electrical installation project. This includes installing new smart outlets and switches in your home.

Whether you’re just looking to replace one or two switches, or you’re ready to give your house a smart home makeover, our electricians are ready to help. Contact us today to get started!

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