Control your home from afar with apps

TOTAL CONTROL: Your house is in your hands

Technology has a way of controlling our day-to-day life like never before, one app at a time, and now your home is no exception. The phenomenon is dubbedThe Internet of Things, and this connected network of sensors and devices only looks set to expand if the below examples are anything to go by...

MY SKY

If you have My Sky and have - heaven forbid - gone out to dinner without setting My Kitchen Rules to record, the free Sky TV app will save the day. Any smartphone can download the app, and it gives you access to SKY TV's electronic programme guide, as well as listings for every channel. Then for MY SKY customers, the app supports Remote Record, so when you are out and about, and have forgotten to record your favourite show, open the app, go to the guide and make a booking. It has been around a little while but it's a simple, helpful app functionality to have on your phone.

HEATING/AIRCON

A great example of living made more comfortable through technology; most heat pumps coming to the market now can be controlled through your smartphone or tablet, meaning you can manage it (turn it off/on, temperature up/down) during the day with an app. As the whole country feels the chill of winter, being able to have your home toasty warm on arrival is a very big plus. This kind of ability is also a winner in the power usage stakes.

For Mitsubishi Electric heat pumps you need to upgrade to get Wi-Fi capabilities (an adapter is installed into the unit) so you can choose units starting from $1,349 at Noel Leeming.

WASHING MACHINES

Nobody really wants to have a load of washing waiting to be hung out after a long day, but being able to tell your machine to start an hour before you get home is quite a handy thing to be able to do, why? No more all-day-stagnant-wet-washing to greet you of course! It is probably more of a nice-to-have rather than a have-to-have, but for a busy household it is potentially quite helpful. One or two brands also have the ability to help diagnose a problem (only with regards to its own functionality, not your own personal issues), going as far as 'speaking' to customer support.

The options are a little pricey though compared to the average cost of a washing machine - with a $3,298 price tag on the Samsung 9kg front loader at Harvey Norman and slightly more expensive, $3,499, at Noel Leeming.

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Control your home from afar with apps