Technology Smart Ideas for Smart Technology at Home 8/3/2022 | By Daniel Bortz If you’ve created your own smart home entertainment center, don’t stop there. Today, smart technology at home does so much more than amuse. You can also smarten up less-entertaining areas: the kitchen, laundry room and basement. Here’s how. Smart technology at home Kitchen From storing and cooking to cleaning, the kitchen provides plenty of choices for using smart technology at home. The Samsung Family Hub 26.5-cubic-foot French Door Refrigerator ($2,800) has a lot of bells and whistles. With Amazon’s Alexa built in, this Wi-Fi-connected model features a touchscreen display that allows you to stream music and TV shows. It also has a camera that lets you see the inside of your fridge, so you can check its contents via a mobile app while you’re grocery shopping. It even recommends recipes based on the ingredients that you have. Equipped with special jets that clean hard-to-reach interiors of water bottles, vases and more, the 24-Inch GE Profile Dishwasher ($1,449) connects to a mobile app, which lets you monitor the cycle status, check rinse-aid levels, and reorder detergent. If you don’t mind a bit of a splurge, replace your ordinary kitchen faucet with the Moen 7864EVBL Sleek Smart Touchless Kitchen Faucet ($519), and you’ll be able to turn on your faucet in four ways: by voice, by motion sensor, through an app, or manually. It even follows voice commands for temperature and measurements – by saying, for instance, “Alexa, ask Moen to dispense one cup of hot water.” The Breville Smart Oven Air Convection BOV900BSSUSC ($400) is a tricked-out smart oven with more than a dozen cooking functions, including an air-frying mode, a dehydrate option and a super-convection setting that reduces cooking time by up to 30%. Its Element iQ System uses algorithms to steer power to where and when it’s needed, delivering precise cooking temperatures in the right places. Related: Cool technology for seniors Laundry Room With the Samsung WF45R6300AW and DVE45R6300W ($1,099 each), you get a stackable washer and dryer with the latest smart technology at home for a reasonable price, says Kimberly Holland, who tested the product for The Spruce. The Wi-Fi-enabled washer allows you to use your phone to control wash cycles and get end-of-cycle alerts. The dryer offers the same options for drying cycles, and it has multi-steam technology that smooths away wrinkles. Basement Not all smart technology at home is simply for fun or convenience. Some technology options provide safety and security, too – including out-of-sight areas of the house, like the basement. Mold can cause a variety of health problems, such as stuffy nose, wheezing, and red skin – and sometimes more severe reactions. But not all mold infestations are easy to detect, because some mold has no odor. The Airthings Wave Mini ($80) can help spot warning signs of mold by monitoring a room’s humidity and air quality. It’s best placed on an external wall, near the floor. A water-leak sensor can help prevent water damage by alerting you the moment that water is detected. The Proteus Aquo ($99) sends alerts by email or text message. It’s easy to install – you simply plug the sensor into a wall outlet and connect it to your home’s Wi-Fi network. © 2022 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. As an Amazon Associate, Seniors Guide may earn from qualifying purchases of linked books and other products. Read More Daniel Bortz Daniel Bortz is a contributing writer at Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine. For more on this and similar money topics, visit Kiplinger.com.