How to turn your a rental apartment into a smart apartment?
Many people wonder how they can turn their apartment into a smart place. Even if America is a country of homeowners, more US citizens are still renting.
Though you don’t own your own home, you can still think about how to turn it into a smart place. In fact a rental apartment can also be smartened. All one needs to do is a little judicious planning and research before making any change and go about home automation.
Things not to do while trying to smarten a rental apartment
Because the place is not your property, there are a few obvious limits when it comes to smartening it up.
The limits can be things that your landlord would not want you to change. Therefore, rewiring for smart lighting, installing a new thermostat, or changing the locks would be out of the question. Nonetheless, you can overcome these obstacles by being a little creative.
Hardwired security cameras are not a good choice. You will not have to tighten yourself into a long-term contract that could last a long time and sometimes beyond your lease. Therefore, opt for an inexpensive installation, if you do not intend to stay for long. You have many other options.
So, what should you do? If you admit that physical changes are out of the question and installing a system to another user is not practical.
12 Tips to Turn Your Apartment into A Smart Place
We will immediately automate your place with the necessary choice of smart outlets of sale before moving on to the entire house…
12 Ways To Make Your Apartment A Smart Home
We’ll jump straight into automating your rental the easy way with the obvious choice of smart outlets before moving on throughout the whole house…
1) Smart Sockets: simple plug and use
Without making any permanent changes, smart plugging remains the most important and fundamental method of automation.
Inexpensive and very simple to use and configure, you may be able to move easily to your place with a smart plug.
For those who own rentals, the WiFi Smart Plug iDevices is an excellent choice but what makes it so excellent?
This is because you do not need a third-party hub in your house; and this is very good news for those who think about saving money.
With an elegant design, the side-facing grip makes it easy to slide into your favorite devices. Like all other smart cards, just connect any device that needs to be turned on or off. You can take care of your electronic devices such as lamps, fans or your coffee maker, remotely. In addition, you can insert several devices into each jack. Besides, this smart plug can be controlled with voice with either Alexa or Siri as you can also from your smart phone use the intuitive iDevices connected app to take care of it.
This outlet has other additional benefits which are the free energy monitoring reports. If your electricity bills elude you from time to time, this is an intelligent touch to control your electricity consumption.
The automation of your house as a tenant is convenient thanks to a LED night light.
You can even be creative using these smart outlets. This can be done by configuring an IFTTT program (If this, Then That), you can turn on a fan that will start when an air quality monitor reveals an increasing amount of dust. You can also be sure that a smart plug connected to your home theater will turn off when you leave your house. Some devices will remain idle, but at least they will be off.
2) Smart Lighting for Renters
If you want to get rid of the switches and cabling, try to improve the lighting of your location by smartening it.
If you want simple smart LED bulbs ideal for temporary accommodation, Philips Hue will be your choice. Try to control these white or colored lights by using voice commands or via the application on your smart phone or using a wireless remote control. The way you control them will depend on your configuration and your readiness to invest in a hub.
You can check out at Philips Hue Starter Kits for a look at these bulbs.
The Nanoleaf Light Panels Starter Kit is another option you can adopt. You will have mounting pads that will allow you to repair these attractive LED light panels without any problem.
You will also be able to benefit from all the main voice assistants (Alexa, Siri and Google Assistant) or IFTTT for an extensive automation just by using the application. The installation is very simple.
3) The simple way is Smart Locks
You may think that smart locks are inaccessible to tenants. You can be right.
But it may be that your landlord does not want to change the locks too much. August Smart Lock Pro still has a solution to this problem.
The procedure is very simple; you can simply slide a smart lock in the door of your house without adding anything: no worries, no adjustment. You can always remove it when you so desire. And most importantly, you will not need any tools or keys.
Despite the need for a hub, the Connect Bridge is integrated with this model.
Once you’re up and running, you’ll be able to receive other family members, friends, service personnel, and anyone who can access your location without worrying about the keys.
For this, DoorSense and automatic locking contribute to bringing a new and intelligent security touch to your location. The Smart Lock Pro is solid and compatible with any type of door, offering Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity. Z-Wave and HomeKit are also a big help. The voice control applies to Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant. From now on, all the bases are protected.
4) Smart Speakers can be a Hub
The smart speaker market is absolutely overloaded, but most of the favorites remain the Amazon Echo series and the Google Home device trio.
If you feel that you cannot be automated because you live in a rental house, you may not think you need a bridge. Even though Samsung’s SmartThings hub and Wink 2 hub are good deals, you can still buy a smart speaker for a reason.
If you cannot do without Alexa, you have the choice between so many devices. Our general recommendation for tenants goes to the second generation Echo Plus.
You will get much better sound quality than many smart speakers, which will give you a good start. The Dolby sound environment is multi dimensional and the low and high frequencies come out clearly and without bad effects even at higher volumes.
Echo Plus is a dominant force in the compact form. You can organize your day and stream your favorite tunes and voice commands at your locks, lights or sensors.
Home Max is the pearl in an impressive field primarily for Google Assistant fans. With a pair of 4 ½-inch woofers and a Smart Sound you can maximize the sound in the room you will be haunted by the sound of this compact and powerful package.
Google Home Hub makes available to those who prefer a smart display with all that the wizard can offer, combined with a net screen of 7 inches.
5) Home Theater: boost in Style
There is always intelligent entertainment in a rental home for those who have forgotten the wiring and its system. In fact several choices exist.
The main choice might be Google Chromecast. If you choose the base model or Chromecast Ultra, you can begin your streaming in style using the HDMI port on your own TV. If you’re still wondering what you can do with this dynamic streaming, you can just have a look at 20 ways to get the most out of Google Chromecast.
A soundbar is may be a smart investment that can easily be shifted to your new rental location. But they’re not particularly inexpensive. The Sonos soundbars make a wonderful long-term investment, though. You can also work up your view with deep, rich audio.
On the other hand, because the Samsung Smart TV range remains broad, deep and up to 75 inches, we’d recommend you to consider the pocket-friendly 40-inch Smart LED for your rental location. You’ll gain space because it’s portable enough to move to your new rental place easily.
6) Security Cameras: Wireless
There’s a wide range of choice if you are looking for wireless security cameras.
However, if you live with other people and sharing the same space, indoor security cameras can cause problems. You need to make sure you consider privacy of other people before you get committed to anything that might generate troubles. You’d better be careful about installing cameras that record activity in shared spaces in the meantime.
The Nest Cam cameras exist in two versions: indoor and outdoor. They both of them offer true wireless convenience and a good way of security. They don’t need a hub or any kind of wiring; and you can easily take these cameras with you when you move to another place.
Even when you’re away, you can stay connected because phone alerts come through in-app on your smart phone that records video footage and store it. As you can also customize alerts because there’s an integrated speaker and mic that allows you to intervene and get rid of any unwanted intruder.
7) Doorbells Wireless Video
Since the bulk of doorbells need hardwiring, they don’t make the most renter-friendly approach to smartening up your entry system.
Generally, doorbells always need hardwiring; they don’t seem efficient for apartment tenants to smarten up their entry systems.
To avoid this kind of issues, the security specialist Ring offers the Video Doorbell 2 powered by a quick-release with a rechargeable battery. A hardwired version is also available but the wireless model is most convenient for house tenants.
Stay tuned to what’s happening at home with alerts sent to your smart phone, and communicate with a two-way audio and 1080p video.
You can stay connected 24/7 thanks to the intelligent motion sensors that are easy to adjust and provide superb night vision. The field of view is covers 160 degrees, allowing you to virtually eliminate any blind spots.
The battery may last up to 6 months before recharging it, besides its form which is slender with interchangeable faceplates.
In addition to its exceptional features, it is also the least expensive video doorbell in the Ring range. Therefore, it is the best for you!
8) Air Conditioners: Smart and Portable
A bad news is that many rental units don’t come with AC installed.
So, how can you solve this problem without needing to make structural changes or just leave your air conditioner in your former house when you move to another?
Luckily, there’s an interesting solution in the form of the Frigidaire Smart Air Conditioner.
It is easy to use all you need is just to pop the 16 x 18-½ x 13-½ inch unit in the window and you’ll be get an energy-efficient AC rated at 8000 BTU. It is enough to cool and dehumidify a 350 square foot room.
The app works on both Android and iOS; you can control the Frigidaire in-app over WiFi or using Alexa supposing you have an Echo device at home.
Eventually, if you’re searching for cooling down your rental location without wasting your security deposit or your AC when you move to another place, the Frigidaire conditioner is the most convenient.
9) The App of the Smart Kitchen Scale
If you do not think that adding one of Samsung’s powerful smart touch screen refrigerators to your rental home, why don’t opt for smart scales then?
The Wireless Perfect Bake Pro will help you have fun and simplify your cooking habits and give you more interest in cooking.
Automatic scales will troubleshoot all your problems. You’ll see a virtual bowl filling up on the screen in the app and we’ll tell you when to stop filling it. Cleaning will be reduced just by pouring directly into your bowls.
Several suggestions for smart recipes can be obtained. All you have to do is take the ingredients you own and you’ll be provided with instant advice on what to do with them. There are more than 300 recipes included and you can also add your own for an authentic touch.
The Bluetooth balance is also another feature of precision and accuracy in weighing.
This smart little scale is a convenient associate of the tenant in the kitchen. It comes in an economical package that combines the best of smart home innovation and total convenience.
10) Water Leak Detectors are Wireless too
If you wish to keep your rental home protected against the potential carnage of an unchecked water leak, the Honeywell Lyric Water Leak and Freeze Detector will be the smartest investment you can make and benefit from in 2019.
Water leaks usually cause enormous damage in your place distorting your prized possessions and also your precious smart home electronic and smart supplies.
There’s no installation needed for this pair of battery-operated sensors. You simply attach them to a cable you pop in leak-prone areas. It can be put by the washing machine or sink, the bathtub or the dishwasher.
An alarm is always sounded on your smart phone enabling you to spring into action when the sensors detect any moisture. Temperature, humidity, and leak measurement are all taken into consideration.
You won’t be required to invest extra on a hub. They’re connected directly to your home WiFi network.
11) Smart vacuums
A robotic vacuum cleaner is a plus in your home rental, it is autonomous and intelligent.
The iRobot Roomba range includes a number of high-performances.
The Neato Robotics Botvac D7 is the best choice for you if you are asking more of a maid with a smoother budget.
Not like many robot vacuums, the D7 is wonderful on carpets and also on hard floors. It contains an oversized brush with an elegant D-shaped design that combines to give a very good deep cleaning.
LaserSmart navigation and intelligent mapping solve all your problems and keep your house clean hands-free.
You’ll also be able to make voice commands in the spirit of the best smart devices such as Alexa or Google Assistant.
12) Showerheads are Smart
Without performing any physical changes in your bathroom, you can beautify it by trying the PowerSpa LED Showerhead.
Easy to use, just connect this showerhead to any regular overhead shower arm in a little time and it doesn’t require any tools.
You can also ornament a shower time with 7 LED colored lights that are powered by running water with no batteries needed. The colors keep on rotating automatically every few seconds.
The added smarts exist in the shape of oxygen injected into the water flow to optimize water pressure. There are different jets to choose from: rain, massage, a rain/massage mix or a water-conservation mode etc.
If you decide to move to another place all you have to do is just detach your showerhead and you are ready to go.
Finally,
After all these recommendations, we hope you’ve become familiar and aware of some inspiring tips for you to use in your rental place. We also hope to inspire you to ornament your place with smart devices that can combine the useful with the pleasant. Pop by whenever you can in the future as we’ve got plenty of other smart home news and smart home devices and news for you.
