Smart technology is becoming more and more a part of homes today. It’s not just your phone that’s smart. You may already have a smart thermostat that adjusts the temperature when you’re away at work to save energy or a smart refrigerator that contains a self-filling water pitcher. But often, the garage is the room that gets left out of the technological upgrades. However, there are items on the market that can help you upgrade your current garage into a smart garage.
Smart Lighting
If your garage lighting consists of a bare bulb in the middle of the ceiling, you’re due for an upgrade anyway. Improving your garage lighting can also improve your ability to work and find things in your garage.
And as long as you’re improving your garage lighting situation, why not upgrade to smart lighting? Choose LED bulbs with motion sensors that will turn on automatically when they sense movement or choose lights that you can turn on, turn off, or dim from your smartphone.
Smart Storage
Providing storage space is one of the more important functions that your garage performs. It can be difficult to store everything you need while keeping your garage clean and organized. One thing that can help is using ceiling storage – you can store things like bikes overhead to keep them safe, off the floor, and out of the way.
Smart storage options, like a Bluetooth-connected winch, can make overhead storage even easier. Mount the winch on the ceiling, then operate it from your smartphone or another Bluetooth-enabled device. Ordinarily, storing your bike overhead on a chain or hook might make it a hassle to put it up or take it down. But the smart features take the hassle out of it.
Smart Garage Door
Your garage door is one of the most important features of your garage, so it’s no surprise that there are a number of smart upgrades that you can make to it.
Have you ever left for work, only to be plagued by the nagging feeling that you forgot to shut your garage door? What do you do: go back to check, or worry about it all day? With a smart garage door, there’s no need for either – you can check online to see whether or not the door is open and close it remotely if it is.
The ability to open and close the door remotely has even more useful applications. Want to make sure that your next package delivery isn’t left out in the rain? You can open the door for the delivery person to leave it inside your garage, then close it again. Did your teenager forget their house keys? Open the garage door from work to let them in.
Some smart garage door openers even pair with voice devices, like Amazon’s Echo, which means that when you’re home, you can activate your garage door with just the sound of your voice. If you’ve ever lost your garage door opener, you can understand the value of being able to operate the garage door with your internet-enabled device or just your voice.
Upgrading your garage can make your space more functional and make your life more convenient. For more good ideas about how you can improve your garage, contact us to schedule your free design consultation
