Back to the Future; I, Robot; Blade Runner… these movies made us think of a time in the not-so-distant future when cars would fly, robots would come to life, and artificial intelligence was would be a reality.

Well, folks, the future is now. In this day and age are homes are “smart”. We control everything from the home’s temperature, lighting, door locks, and even pet/baby monitors from the palm of our hands (aka our smartphones).

Here are the gadgets you can get with the click of a button (and easy Cash Back).

Smart Clocks – Lenovo

We all know too much screen time before bed isn’t good for us. Enter the Lenovo Smart Clock. It comes with Google Assistant and was created to help us reduce screen-time before bed, which actually makes you sleep better. Not only that, it can be linked to your smart home and thanks to its Google Assistant, it can do much more than just tell you the time – it can dictate the  weather and news, review your calendar, play simple guessing games with you and the list goes on…

Smart Lighting – Home Depot

Philips Hue lightbulbs are quite unique because they allow you total control over the colour and quality of your lights. With a few taps on your smartphone you can turn up the brightness to replicate sunlight or create a party experience with bulbs of different colours – over 16 million for you to choose from! The starter kit included four smart bulbs and a bridge to sync up the lights, Wi-Fi and app. 

Bluetooth Tracker – Walmart

If you’ve ever lost anything (ahem!) then you know nothing is more stressful. Tile allows you to find anything and everything – keys, phone, wallet, etc. The small fob attaches to almost anything and, when lost, chimes when activated by its corresponded app. It’s truly a lifesaver.

Voice Assistants/Assistance – Amazon

They may be called assistants but what they’re really doing is providing you with assistance; whether you opt for Google Home or Amazon Echo and Alexa. Quick tip: if you’re looking for full home connectivity (i.e. in multiple rooms), then you need Amazon Alexa, but if you just want to use the speaker system in your office (for instance), then the Echo will suffice.

Smart Thermostats – Best Buy

The Nest or Echo thermostats allow you to update your home’s temperature at the touch of a button (on the app) from anywhere in the world. So, if you’re travelling and want to save on energy, you can switch the settings remotely. Quick tip: your utility company likely has a discount coupon on their website to help you save on certain smart thermostats. Be sure to check it out to earn extra savings (on top of your Cash Back).

Smart Vacuum – Dyson

Dyson 360 Heurist is probably one of the coolest robot vacuums around, especially for those of us who hate to vacuum. This system has the traditional Dyson suction but with an ‘intelligent vision system’ which allows it to navigate your home, build a map of the layout and know where it is at all times.

Smart Scales – Withings

Withings (literally) invented smart scales, so you know you’re in the right place. What does a smart scale do, you might wonder? Well, not only does it measure your weight, it calculates your BMI (Body mass index), heart rate and full body composition (bone and muscle mass, body fat percentage, hydration).

The best part about most of this smart tech? You can synch up most* (if not all) of it together to operate your home as smoothly and efficiently as possible!

No matter what electronics you bring home, always go through reviews and comparison-shop, ensure there is a solid guarantee and warrantee included for product returns or exchanges.

*you should speak to a tech specialist to ensure that all the smart systems you buy can communicate with each other