4 Tech Accessories That Will Improve Your Home

Your home is your headquarters. It’s where you relax and unwind, as well as where you busy yourself with cooking, cleaning, and other chores. It’s where you sleep at night and where your family lives. And how well your home serves its many purposes will depend on a variety of factors — including technology.

Not so long ago, home technologies didn’t get much fancier than big-screen TVs and microwaves. Today, those same devices are talking to your toaster over the internet to help you post a message on Facebook. Today, we’re living in the era of the connected home.

Some of these devices are silly, of course. You don’t necessarily need a smart microwave, even if it seems kind of cool. But, in some cases, the tech accessories and devices that you choose can make a big difference. Here are a few that have our stamp of approval.

1. A network signal booster

If you’re like the vast majority of Americans, you have a cell phone. It is, in many ways, a huge improvement over your old landline. But some of us may find that our smartphones can’t do something simple that our landlines could: Allow us to place a call in our own home.

If your home is a dead zone for your wireless provider, you won’t be able to send SMS messages or place phone call reliably — unless, that is, you find some way to boost your reception. And that’s precisely why you should upgrade your home by outfitting it with a small device called a cell phone booster or wireless network booster. This device will amplify your wireless network signal, banishing that cellular dead zone from your home once and for all.

2. A smart security system

Your home is important. The people inside of it are more important still. You need to make sure that your space is protected — and, these days, technology can help you do that.

Modern security systems and monitoring services take advantage of the impressive progress that we’ve made with wireless connectivity, motion sensing, and camera resolution. Whether you work with a security system provider and monitoring service or build out your own system using smart home devices like cameras and alarms, you should be making the most of cutting-edge smart home security technology.

3. A really good Wi-Fi router

What do all of the best devices in your home have in common? They’re connected to your wireless network, which in turn connects them to the internet. Your various devices’ communications are routed through your Wi-Fi router, just as the internet’s returning information goes from your internet modem to your router and then out to your devices again.

You probably got a router from your internet service provider (ISP). You may even be paying monthly for the privilege of “renting” it. But if that router isn’t a top-notch one, it could be hurting your internet speeds. A slow router can bottleneck your internet communication, so if your internet appears to be slower than what you’re paying for, the router might be the issue.

This is one device that it really pays to upgrade. Get a great router and stop paying your ISP to rent a lousy one.

4. A media streaming platform you love

These days, you’re as likely to be watching Netflix as you are to be watching cable — in fact, many people are cutting the cable cord altogether. Cord cutting is a growing trend, and it shows no signs of slowing down. So you need a way to stream Netflix and other popular streaming devices on your biggest TV screen.

Most modern TVs can play Netflix and other mainstream streaming devices, but not all smart TV platforms are created equal, and some are a real pain to use. Upgrade your entertainment experience by choosing a popular and critically acclaimed platform like Roku, Amazon’s Fire TV, or Google’s Android TV. You’ll find these platforms on the devices of the same name or, in many cases, on board smart TVs that have licensed them.

Keep these tech accessories in mind to improve the quality of your home in optimal shape.