Creating A Connected Home For New Year #Giveaway #BringTheSleigh

Disclosure: This post is Sponsored.  See Rafflecopter at bottom of this post for GIVEAWAY details to win $100 Gift card at Sears!

When planning for holiday gifts, it is also a great idea to consider New Year’s goals.  For years I have been writing about technology, reviewing and testing out the latest business and lifestyle devices. But when it came to my own house, I never had time to implement a full suite of connected solutions. We decided that starting in the New Year we would make a plan to update our home with smart technology. I recently wrote about the new Sears Connected Solutions “store within a store”, and shared photos from my visit to the San Bruno, CA location (click here to view post on Sears Connected Solutions). The trained experts at the store helped us learn about smart home automation technology options, so much so that we left with a long wish list.  We enjoyed seeing such a large selection of products to choose from, organized in different categories such as wearables, media streaming devices, smart sports , wireless speakers, smart toys/games,  electronics and networking and more..

The Sears Connected Solutions site also provided us with more information on smart home automation. The first item on that list was installing smart lighting. The Belkin WeMo LED Lighting Starter Kit  seemed like a great place to start because we also wanted to try the Crock-pot 6 Qt. Smart Slow Cooker with WeMo. We ordered the WeMo LED Lighting Starter kit from the Sears Connected Solutions Store online and when it arrived we got started! Smart Home Automation here we come… I have this vision of being at the office and at the same time managing my house remotely instead of asking my teen and other family members do things such as turn down the slow cooker (and hoping they remember!).

Steps To Install The WeMo LED Lighting Kit

Step 1: We installed the lights bulbs.

Step 2: We plugged in the WeMo Link (put into a central location).

Step 3:  We downloaded the App and paired with the WeMo Lights.

To pair the app with the WeMo lights, they need to be turned on and the WeMo link needs to be active.

Step 4:  We were able to control the lights with my smartphone! 

The whole family had fun turning on and off the lights.. But I was most excited about not worrying again about walking into a dark house because we can remotely control lights from anywhere, using our Wi-Fi network and mobile internet. Best yet, I read the manufacturers info and found out that WeMo Smart LED Bulbs only consume 10 watts of energy, produce very little heat and have a life expectancy of up to 23 years (based on 3 hours of use daily). I can group lights and even set a daily schedule to save even more energy!

Setting up the smart lighting was so easy and quick, I can’t wait to try more connected solutions in our home.   There are so many options including:

Health and Fitness: Fitbit Flex Black – Wireless Activity + Sleep Wristband, Fitbit Aria Black – Wi-fi Smart Scale

Household Management: Ring Video Doorbell – Satin Nickel, Belkin NetCam HD+ WiFi Camera w/ Glass Lens and Night Vision, Belkin WeMo Insight Switch, Crock-pot 6 Qt. Smart Slow Cooker with WeMo,  Honeywell Lyric™ Thermostat, Philips Hue A19 Starter Kit

Home Entertainment: smart TVs, wireless soundbars, streaming media players and Smart Network 3D Blu Ray players.

If you live (or are visiting) the San Francisco Bay Area, check out the San Bruno Sears Connected Solutions store  or their other stores with Connected Solutions. And visit the Sears virtual Connected Solutions online. Follow the conversation @Sears  #BringTheSleigh.

GIVEAWAY:

What smart home solutions are you considering for your home? Share your wish list and be entered to win $100 gift card at Sears!

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