Category Archives: Smart Homes

High-Tech Smart Kitchens

While there’s no shortage of high-tech smart kitchens and technology options, dealers and designers report that their clients have mixed reactions to incorporating smart kitchen technology. Homeowners have expressed reservations about their own comfort with today’s hi-tech kitchen options, as reported by a KBDN survey.

Studies have shown that 81% of Americans have a smart phone and consumers average nearly 2-1/2 hours a day on social media, while many have been slower to embrace new technology in their kitchens.

CAD Pro has helped thousands of homeowners, professional designers, builders and contractors plan and design all types of floor plan designs. CAD Pro is used by NARI professional remodelers and contractors and the NRCA roofing contractors. CAD Pro is also used by NHBA home builders and contractors, the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA). as well as the (NALP) National Association of Landscape Professionals.

Design High-Tech Smart Kitchens

Designing High-Tech Smart Kitchens

Incorporating High-Tech Smart Kitchens

Connected appliances and products that showcase the latest tech advancements may be hot commodities on the floor at the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show, but dealers and designers often report less enthusiasm among their client base. This leads to questions about whether the technology being offered for high-tech smart kitchens is meeting the actual needs and desires of today’s consumers, as well as what concerns may be holding them back from fully incorporating smart kitchen technology with today’s connected products.

Additionally, dealers’ and designers’ attitudes toward technology may be coloring the picture. In a recent homeowner survey looking at bath technology trends which was conducted by the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) in conjunction with the Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association (CEDIA) – the majority of homeowners said they believed technology was “essential” in the master bath, even as the majority of bath dealers and designers said it was not. This begs the question: Is the design industry truly leading the charge when it comes to high-tech smart kitchens in the home, or is the industry following a few paces behind?

To better understand the answer to this, Kitchen & Bath Design News recently polled more than 130 kitchen and bath dealers and designers to find out more about their clients’ interest in today’s technology, the features they value most as well as their concerns about incorporating smart kitchen technology. Additionally, respondents were asked to rate their own comfort with technology and use of home tech products, since kitchen and bath professionals are so often involved in making key decisions as far as what and how much technology will be incorporated into their clients’ kitchen projects.

Driving the Hi-Tech Market
Incorporating smart kitchen technology into a kitchen project is usually a joint decision, according to those polled. Indeed, when asked who drives the initial interest in tech products, survey respondents said their clients did so (32.5%) more than they did (23.3%), though most of the time, it was a joint decision (44.2%).

The primary reason for high-tech smart kitchens was overwhelmingly seen as convenience, which was cited as the most important benefit by 56.9% of those polled (see Graph 2). This was followed by speed/time savings (15.4%), safety/home security (13.9%), remote access (6.9%) and improved cooking performance (6.9%).

The vast majority of homeowners are “very interested” or “somewhat interested” in smart kitchen technology according to dealers and designers polled, with less than a quarter saying their clients are “not very interested” or “not at all interested”.

When asked to talk about what most excites them and their clients about today’s high-tech smart kitchens, the answers ranged from the ability to use smart appliances to improve kitchen processes (i.e. detecting spoiled food, refrigerator doors left open, cooktop or oven not turned off), to being able to monitor family members from a distance (i.e. a senior with mobility or cognitive issues or children coming home to an empty house).

Others expressed excitement that kitchen technology is evolving from “a bunch of independent gadgets” to a “truly integrated smart home where everything works together to make life run more smoothly.”

One respondent cited “instant access to recipes and the ability to create shopping lists, have food delivered fresh from these lists and get more accurate cook times” as tech features that are enticing consumers today.

Another noted, “As far as excitement goes, the cleanliness, time savings and guessing factor have all been addressed in some way, shape or form when incorporating smart kitchen technology. Faucets that are touch-less for cleanliness or the option to specify an amount to fill by [spoken] word definitely add value and a time savings factor.”

Hi-Tech Consumer Concerns
While technology is slowly but surely gaining ground in the kitchen, consumers continue to voice some concerns, according to those surveyed. One of the biggest concerns among these is the worry that incorporating connected appliances will shorten the lifespan of the product due to how quickly technology becomes dated, as well as potential repair costs. In fact, of those polled, more than three quarters (76.2%) said their clients were either “very worried” (30.8%) or “somewhat worried” (45.4%) about this (see Graph 4). By contrast, only 22.3% said their clients were “not very worried” and a mere 1.5% said they were not worried at all about high-tech smart kitchens.

Privacy concerns also were cited by designers as a concern related to incorporating smart kitchen technology, with more than six in 10 saying their clients were very or somewhat worried about the impact technology in their home could have on privacy issues. Nearly a fifth (19.2%) said their clients were “very worried” about privacy issues as they relate to technology in their homes, while 44.6% said their clients were “somewhat worried.” Another 30% said their customers were “not very worried” and 6.2% said their customers were “not at all worried.”

Designers themselves, however, seemed quite concerned with this, with many expressing the belief that the dangers of privacy loss might be far beyond what their clients realize.

“It’s really not safe at all,” one stated. “We’ve been anesthetized by that truth, but there is no privacy, and the more tech you have in your home, the greater the danger.”

Another noted, when it comes to high-tech smart kitchens, I’m seeing more concerns than excitement right now. Those range from privacy issues to dangers presented by hackers. It’s common knowledge that companies eavesdrop on users to gain information on how to target advertising. However, the companies can be hacked, and malfunctions can occur. There’s also the possibility of neighbors accidentally receiving information without a homeowner’s knowledge. The designer went on to recall an incident where the family’s baby monitor picked up the neighbor’s conversation from a kitchen 100 feet away.

Other professional designers’ question whether the available technology meets their clients’ actual needs. As one stated, “Since my clients who can afford a kitchen renovation are usually in their 40s, 50s or 60s, technology isn’t as important to them. They may be impressed with incorporating smart kitchen technology and what can be done, especially when looking at appliances, but they aren’t really using it. Part of it is the thought that technology changes so rapidly that paying a premium for something that might be obsolete in a year doesn’t interest them. And many of my clients find available technology irrelevant. They don’t want to start the oven from their phone when they’re away from home. They want functionality and beauty, not bells and whistles.”

Another designer believes that clients’ biggest concerns are “reliability and the higher cost, knowing that improvements are happening all the time and tech become obsolete fast.”

Hi-Tech Kitchen Designers
While industry pros admit that high-tech smart kitchens don’t have all the answers for consumers’ concerns about kitchen technology, most will agree that knowledge and expertise are critical in educating clients and helping to guide them to the best decisions for their projects.

Yet that can present challenges when many design pros lack first-hand experience themselves. In fact, when asked to rate their comfort level with home technology, barely a quarter felt they were “very comfortable,” while another 44.6% said they were only “somewhat comfortable.” Nearly a third said they were “not very comfortable” (19.2%) or “not at all comfortable” (10%) with today’s home technology.

Likewise, when it comes to smart speaker home devices like Amazon Echo, Google Home, etc., which are often an essential component to today’s integrated homes, only a third of dealers and designers polled actually own and use these devices in their own homes. More than half (56.9%) said it’s not something they “want or need right now,” while another 9.2% said they didn’t have or use such a device but planned to in the future.

Some design professionals, recognizing that the fast-changing nature of incorporating smart kitchen technology or smart home technology might require a little help to keep up with, are partnering with technology experts or integrators on kitchen projects that incorporate advanced technology. However, barely a quarter of those surveyed (26.4%) are currently doing so, though another 43.4% reported that they are looking into this for the future.

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Cad Pro is an affordable and easy alternative to other more expensive home design software programs. Cad Pro is great for creating innovative smart home designs, custom home plans, building plans, office plans, construction details, and much more.

CAD Pro allows anyone to share their ideas for high-tech smart kitchens and plans with clients, colleagues or professional remodeling contractors using Dropbox®, Google Drive™, OneDrive®, and SharePoint®. Export files to Microsoft Word®, Excel®, and PowerPoint® with a single click.

Best Smart Home Products

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Proven Home Security Ideas

Is your home as safe as you think? We all like to adapt a “it won’t happen to me” mentality, but the reality isn’t always that secure and if you follow these safer home concepts, they will offer a great deal of peace of mind for you and your family. For instance, there are an average of 3.7 million burglaries each year according to the Bureau of Justice. This means home invasions and intrusions happen just about everywhere, no matter how safe you think your home is. Here are 6 great ideas for proven home security ideas that will you let go of some of that stress.

Proven Home Security Ideas

Proven Home Security Ideas and Apps

6 Proven Home Security Ideas

ONEUnderstand How Criminals Think
When considering safer home concepts, we all have a big misunderstanding of how criminals think and work. We can blame Hollywood for this. In the action movies criminals, all think and act a certain way. They’re always dressed in black, they look suspicious, and they act out their crimes under the cover of darkness.

Proven home security ideas have revealed that in reality, home invasions don’t always look like this. Criminals often dress in street clothes, sometimes even posing as service workers. They usually scope out the area of the crime before the actual invasion, and they almost always act during the daytime. That’s right, they invade homes in the daylight. Why’s this? Because they know most people are away during the day and there will be fewer people to spot them. With over 4,500 home burglaries a day in the United States, that’s a lot to keep an eye on.

TWO – Invest in an Alarm System
One of the best proven home security ideas is an alarm system, they are literal lifesavers. An alarm system shows criminals you take your safety seriously, and it will deter anyone who might be looking for an easy target. Even better, these systems have advanced features that help you monitor your home even when you’re away. This is a peace of mind we all need. Read this blog article from Alarm Grid for more information about alarm systems and how it will apply to safer home concepts.

THREE – Be Careful on Social Media
Social media is a great way to communicate with loved ones, but it can also be a dangerous place if you aren’t careful. Do you like to post when you’re on vacation or away from home? What about your new fancy purchases? Posting these things might seem like harmless fun, but you’re actually alerting criminals that your home is empty and that there are expensive belongings waiting to be grabbed.

FOUR – Light Your Home
One of the easiest of the proven home security ideas is lighting. Lighting will go a long way to protect your home. Not only should your home be well lit when you’re away and at night to alert criminals that you’re home, but you should also install lights in your yard. Why’s that? Once again, it comes down to making yourself a difficult target. If criminals can’t get close to your home without being spotted, they’ll move on.

FIVE – Watch Your Trash
Do you throw away boxes and other items without a second thought? You should probably take a closer look at your trash before you throw it away. When you throw away boxes for expensive devices or equipment, you’re letting criminals know there’s something in your home worth taking. Instead, destroy these boxes or take them directly to a recycling facility.

SIX – Talk to Your Neighbors
It’s easy to feel like you’re in this alone, but your neighbors probably have all the same fears you have about intruders. Talking to your neighbors and looking out for each other is the best of the proven home security ideas. It’s a great way to protect your own home and make your community a safer place.

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Final Thoughts for Safer Home Concepts

A small bit of know-how will go a long way to keeping your home and family safe. We would also like to suggest some of the top rated home security apps and products that are proven home security ideas for you and your family.

Safer Home Concepts

Safer Home Concepts and Apps

Popular Home Security Apps

Our team has put together some links of popular home security products for your review.

Design Your Own Home Security Plans

CAD Pro has helped thousands of real estate agents, remodeling professionals, builders and contractors plan and design all types of home design ideas and projects. CAD Pro is used by NARI professional remodelers and contractors. CAD Pro is also used by NHBA home builders and contractors.

CAD Pro allows you to share your ideas and plans with clients, colleagues or professional contractors using Dropbox®, Google Drive™, OneDrive®, and SharePoint®. Export files to Microsoft Word®, Excel®, and PowerPoint® with a single click.

Cad Pro is an affordable and easy alternative to other more expensive home design and remodeling software programs. Cad Pro is great for creating custom home plans, building plans, office plans, construction details, and much more.

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Popular Home Design Apps

Instagram and Pinterest have long been go-to places for homeowners to search for design inspirations for their homes. Now, several more popular home design apps for smartphones or tablets have emerged that allow homeowners to search for, find, and purchase products directly and design their spaces. The home design apps market and your smart phone has created a pocket-sized interior designer that’s portable. These apps are setting out to simplify processes for homeowners and disrupt the market in the process.

Popular Home Design Apps

New and Popular Home Design Apps

Four Popular Home Design Apps

Havenly
Havenly is one of the new popular home design apps that allows users to design rooms from their phones with the help of a professional interior designer. Users and designers are matched up through a quick quiz, so everyone is on the same page that the room is going for a mod look and not rustic farm fresh. This product has really accelerated the home design apps market for interior design.

Hutch
Using 3D technology, Hutch allows you to shop and drop to-scale images of that bed frame you’re on the fence about into a picture of your space. This way you can dress up your room without committing to a particular product before seeing it in your space.

Chairish
Charish is one of the popular home design apps that allows those of us looking for the most noteworthy pieces, the kind that will be forever cherished in your space and to browse through the most stocked digital marketplace. From chairs to rugs, you’ll stumble upon all the sorts of pieces that make a house a home. You can even see what’s available in your local area for pick up instead of having that antique French chair shipped.

BrightNest
BrightNest is new to the home design apps market and is an app that helps you prioritize what needs to get done while also dishing out interior design inspiration. Need to paint your walls? Hang up floating shelves? BrightNest can help remind you of all these things before you fluff the pillows.

Popular Home Design Apps and Home Design Software
As we stated earlier in this article Instagram and Pinterest have long been go-to places for homeowners. But sometimes it’s necessary to have a software program that provides precision. CAD Pro has helped thousands of homeowners, remodeling professionals, builders and contractors plan and design all types of home design ideas and projects. CAD Pro is used by NARI professional remodelers and contractors. CAD Pro is also used by NHBA home builders and contractors.

CAD Pro allows you to share your popular home design apps and plans with clients, colleagues or professional remodeling contractors using Dropbox®, Google Drive™, OneDrive®, and SharePoint®. Export files to Microsoft Word®, Excel®, and PowerPoint® with a single click.

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CAD Pro has helped thousands of homeowners, professional designers, builders and contractors plan and integrate all types of smart home design apps for home designs. CAD Pro is used by NARI professional remodelers and contractors and the NRCA roofing contractors. CAD Pro is also used by NHBA home builders and contractors as well as the National Association of Landscape professionals.

Voice Controlled Smart Locks

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Smart Home Technologies Improving Senior Care

Smart Home Technologies Improving Senior Care – A pilot program at Masonic Homes of California tests how sensors, mobile devices and software can impact the quality of care for seniors.

In 2014, 46.2 million Americans, or 14.5 percent of the population, were 65 or older, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. By 2040, that number is projected to grow to 21.7 percent.

In partnership with CDW Healthcare, Masonic Homes of California has launched a smart home technologies pilot program to demonstrate the potential impact of technology on senior care. MHC operates several senior care communities that range from independent and assisted living to dementia and hospice care.

MHC created technology-enabled residential units in its Union City and Covina locations to assess how the combination of sensors, mobile devices, and software can meet the diverse needs of seniors and their families, whether they live at an MHC facility or not.

Smart Home Technologies Improving Senior Care, include:

  • Environmental controls and sensors: These include remotely programmable thermostats and temperature/humidity sensors in multiple locations throughout residents’ apartments. These devices keep the living space comfortable while controlling utility costs. Sensors also improve safety by detecting windows left open or high humidity, factors that may increase the risk of a fall on an overly damp floor.
  • Visual doorbell: Doorbells in MHC pilot units are linked to apartment lighting so that selected lights can flash when a visitor rings the doorbell, providing a visual alert for a resident who is hard of hearing. A camera and microphone at the door let residents launch video chats with an arriving visitor from their smartphone or tablet, even when residents are away from home. This capability enhances both security and social connectedness.
  • Bed sensors: Sensors embedded in residents’ mattresses or in a “smart mat” added to their bedding can track respiration rate, heart rate, sleep duration, motion during sleep, and the number of times a resident gets in and out of bed during the night.
  • Digital medication dispensers: These devices help seniors manage their often complex medication regimens, alerting them if they forget to take a pill at the appropriate time. Devices hold a 90-day supply of up to 15 medications, alerting both users and caregivers via text and email when it’s time to reorder. Authorized users can also change or discontinue dosages from a browser or mobile app.
  • Additional sensors: MHC is also experimenting with sensors on stoves, in refrigerator doors, under sinks and elsewhere to track resident activity and help prevent accidents. Caregivers can also monitor a resident’s presence in his or her apartment using a key fob or smartphone.

In the future, smart home technologies and these types of sensors can be integrated with personal health monitors — digital scales, blood pressure monitors, blood glucose monitors and wearables such as Fitbit — that can transmit wireless data and generate the insight caregivers need to provide more attentive care.

smart home technologies

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Cad Pro is an affordable and easy alternative to other more expensive design software programs. Cad Pro is great for creating kitchen design plans, innovative smart home designs, custom home plans, building plans, office plans, construction details, deck plans and much more.

CAD Pro allows anyone to share their ideas and plans with clients, colleagues or professional remodeling contractors using Dropbox®, Google Drive™, OneDrive®, and SharePoint®. Export files to Microsoft Word®, Excel®, and PowerPoint® with a single click.

CAD Pro has helped thousands of homeowners, professional designers, builders and contractors plan and design all types of floor plan designs. CAD Pro is used by NARI professional remodelers and contractors and the NRCA roofing contractors. CAD Pro is also used by NHBA home builders and contractors, the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA). as well as the (NALP) National Association of Landscape Professionals.

Wi-Fi Smart Home Technology

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