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09.12.2019

The Best Smart Light Bulbs

I recently discovered Bulbrite’s Solana Smart LED Bulbs, and they are pretty amazing. I have tried smart lighting in the past, but it has always required wiring a new power switch or a hub. These smart bulbs require neither – it is as easy as screwing in a light bulb!

**UPDATED** Unfortunately our WiFi wasn’t strong enough for these bulbs. They worked, but I had to reset them weekly which proved to be frustrating. I was really bummed because I loved all of their features and the aesthetics of the Edison bulbs.

In my profession, lighting is important. I usually have to turn off my lights for photos because most lighting is warm. Warm lighting is nice to live in, but it is not great for color and photos.

Using the app, I switched my lights to cool…

And then back to warm…

And the switch was made in seconds with a click of a button!

Setup is easily controlled through the Bulbrite Solana app. Once the app is loaded, you simply connect each smart bulb via your wifi.

Once the bulbs are connected, they can be assigned to certain areas or groups. I have three groups:

Living Room
Kitchen
Kitchen Pendants

The grouping feature allows for control of lighting in a particular space at once.

The Bulbrite Solana Bulbs allow for programmed scene settings, schedules, and manual controls.

Scene Setting

You can set the perfect scenes for every moment in your day – everything from bright, cool lighting on a cloudy day to warm to dimmed lighting for dinner.

Schedule Setting

You can set schedules to create automated settings to control your lighting all day and never have to worry about leaving the lights on while you’re away or use the bulbs in your bedroom and schedule them to brighten in the morning.

Manual Control

If you left a light (or lights) on, you can shut it off from the app wherever you are.

I only have the bulbs in our main living area, but I can see these being especially helpful in bedrooms. You can set the perfect preset scene for reading a book in bed and receive a nice wake up in the morning as the bulbs can be scheduled to gradually brighten in the morning – just like a gentle sunrise. You will never wake up on the wrong side of the bed again with a wake up like that!

This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

You can buy Bulbrite Solana bulbs on Amazon by going >HERE.

Want to see the bulbs in action? Watch this quick video:

Where would you use the Bulbrite Solana bulbs in your home?

The Best Smart Light Bulbs is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Bulbrite. All opinions are 100% mine.

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07.11.2019

The Best Smart Lock

I recently discovered the best smart lock, and I am not sure why we waited this long to get one.

We added the Schlage Encode™ Smart WiFi Deadbolt with Camelot Trim to our side door, and it is amazing! I no longer have to worry about making sure I have a house key hidden or on me.

The kids have an easy way in if they are dropped off while we are not home, and we receive an alert as soon as they unlock the door.

The built-in WiFi allows you to lock/unlock from anywhere, plus set up guest access codes for recurring, temporary or permanent access when paired with the Schlage Home app.

We recently had some work done in our home, and the workers needed access into our home. I felt so much safer giving them their own (temporary) access code rather than handing them a house key or garage code.

The low battery indicator offers weeks of advanced warning for battery replacement – which is perfect if you receive the alert while away from home for an extended period of time.

There is a built-in alarm technology that senses potential security breaches at the lock, and I am always alerted when someone unlocks (or locks) the door.

The hardware is easy to install and requires just a screwdriver. I was thankful the battery-operated Schlage Encode™ Smart WiFi Deadbolt requires no hardwiring. You can use the smartphone-friendly, step-by-step walk through of the installation process with our Schlage Encode interactive instructions.

Watch the video on the Schlage Encode™ Smart WiFi Deadbolt here:

For the rest of the exterior doors, we used the coordinating Camelot Trim Handleset with the Andover Knob.

They are elegant and match the exterior of our home so well.

We also recently added Schlage interior door knobs to the interior of our home, and you can see those here!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Schlage. All opinions are 100% mine.

Are you new to my blog? Go HERE to see my home tour and HERE to shop for items I use in our home.

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04.12.2018

Nest Video Doorbell

This post has been sponsored by Nest. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Nest Hello Video Doorbell allows me to always know who’s knocking (or ringing)…

As a mom, monitoring our front door gives me peace of mind. We are at the stage of life where our kids are involved in a lot of sports and activities. My husband and I do a lot of dividing and conquering to get everyone where they need to be (along with help from friends dropping off and picking up). Knowing who is coming and going is helpful. I can engage with my kids (or guests) from anywhere using the Nest Hello doorbell and the Nest app on my phone:

The Nest Hello offers:

HD video
Night Vision
24/7 streaming
HDR
160 degrees field of view

The Nest Hello brings together the trusted technology of a Nest Cam with the familiar interaction of a doorbell.

Some cameras only record when they detect movement, but the Nest Cam records continuously – so I never miss a moment (and I can even look back on clips throughout the day).

Check in anytime during the day…

or night!

If the camera is stolen, everything is securely stored in the cloud. The Nest Hello comes with a two-year warranty and a theft replacement plan in the unlikely event that it is stolen.

We see when packages arrive – which is really helpful when we are out of town (and not so helpful since my husband also has the Nest app and sees how often the UPS man visits our home)!

If you are interested in a Nest Hello for your home, you need an existing wired doorbell with a transformer (16v-24v, AC 10VA) with a wired chime.

We are absolutely IN LOVE with this doorbell and would highly recommend it to anyone – especially families in our stage of life.

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11.21.2016

Wiser Air Thermostat

Today I’m sharing the Wiser Air Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat Install and Product Review. This post brought to you by Schneider Electric . The content and opinions expressed below are that of Sincerely, Sara D.

I would love to have a smart home, so I was excited when I was invited to partner with Wiser Air on their smart thermostat.

With Wiser Air Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat, it is easy to take control and make wiser choices – from the palm of your hand!

The thermostat I had before was fine, but it wasn’t smart and had nowhere near the comfort and control that Wiser Air’s thermostat offered.

Installation was much easier than I expected. I always seem to mess something up along the way, but it was a smooth and simple installation and setup!

Before beginning, make sure you turn off the power supply. I turned off the room I was working in as well as the air conditioner and furnace units.

I pulled off the old thermostat.

And took a photo to remember how to put back the wires on the new thermostat.

I removed the wires from the old system.

And took off the old mounting bracket.

I held up the new thermostat to see if I needed to do any work to the wall. The Wiser Air smart thermostat comes with a mounting plate to help hide holes or unpainted walls, but I chose to paint my wall and forgo the mounting plate.

I painted the wall so my new system would look great.

Once the paint dried, I added the new system’s mounting bracket.

Looking back at my photo, I put the wires where they were supposed to go, and it was as simple as clicking the wires in place (versus screwing them in with a tiny screwdriver).

Once everything was set, I carefully set the thermostat on the bracket and turned on the breakers for the room, a/c, and furnace units.

The touch screen walked me through all the setup, and I added the Wiser Air app to my phone.

Once everything was set up, I synced my phone and thermostat.

I absolutely love having a smart thermostat that is a touch screen and fully customizable to my family’s needs. Wiser Air’s Eco IQ™ self-learning finds the right temperature for you. Users don’t need to pick a number but just let the thermostat know if you are too hot or too cold. It optimizes comfort and savings based on user-interaction and other factors such as home thermal profile, humidity, outdoor weather, and system run times.

I have a full installation video here you can watch:

Wiser Air Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat’s Wiser Pulse is an ambient glow feature on the thermostat that lights up BLUE for cooling, YELLOW for heating, and GREEN when Eco IQ™ is saving energy. It is sleek, reliable, and intuitive. The thermostat comes in two colors (black & white), and you can purchase it on Amazon.com, HomeDepot.com, the Microsoft Store, New Egg, or BestBuy.com.

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