4 Smart Home Upgrades for Smooth Entertaining

A smart home can be uniquely positioned to create a welcoming atmosphere for guests. Smart home capabilities provide homeowners with the ability to select from a variety of products, all of which can contribute to a fantastic source of entertainment for guests. These products range from smart lighting to smart accessories, like TVs and fridges.

When it’s time to entertain, the following products and gadgets can provide guests with an outstanding experience in your home.

[1] Lifx Smart Lighting

Smart LED lighting can be an alluring addition to your home, particularly for entertaining. Lifx offers various versions of smart lighting products, and all can be set through scene controls. Image: Lifx. — Smart LED lighting can be an alluring addition to your home, particularly for entertaining. Lifx offers various flavors of smart lighting products, and all can be set through scene controls. Image: Lifx.

Lifx bulbs are among the brightest and most versatile smart lights on the market. They also emit invisible infrared light at night, which can help the view for night vision security cameras.

The combination of striking, bright lighting, and security features make Lifx a great smart light choice. Plus, unlike other smart lights, the Lifx system does not require a hub. Instead, it connects directly to your Wi-Fi router.

Compatible with voice instruction to Google Home, an Amazon Echo smart speaker, or Apple Siri, Lifx comes with default mood lighting and capabilities to switch on and off at specific times.

Smart lights can provide a welcoming atmosphere for your guests since you can adjust the lighting for various occasions. Whether it’s bright lighting for a colleague gathering you’re hosting at home or more subdued lighting for a late-night party with friends, smart lights can set a comfortable mood. Each LED bulb ranges from $50 to $100, depending on their size.

[2] LG HF80JA Laser Smart Home Theater Projector

Your watch party for the big game can be a hit with the right projector. The LG HF80JA Laser Smart Home Theater Projector uses a laser lamp for a bright image under any conditions. Image: LG. — Your watch party for the big game can be a hit with the right projector. The LG HF80JA Laser Smart Home Theater Projector uses a laser lamp for a bright video image under myriad conditions. Image: LG.

A welcoming sight for many guests is the presence of a large, crisp-clear viewing device for the big game. Unfortunately, some large video viewing devices, whether projectors or TVs, can suffer from poor visibility during the daytime. Impress your guests with the LG P HF80JA Laser Smart Home Theater Projector instead, providing a vibrant picture during daytime and nighttime.

This tabletop projector also runs webOS, so you can access any content available online. Combine a laser technology delivering 2,000 lumens for a fantastic and bright picture with the ability to play practically anything. Your guests will assuredly be impressed. Plus, the projector has durability, with its laser lamp lasting up to an estimated 20,000 hours. It’s a perfect step in creating the ideal home theater.

This Full HD (1920 x 1080) projector retails for $1,500. If you are willing to spend a lot more, LG offers the 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) HU80KA Laser Smart Home Theater CineBeam Projector—which retails for $3000.

[3] Nativ Vita High-Resolution Music System

With open-source access for innovative apps, the Nativ Vita High-Resolution Music System can be a compelling complement to your music collection. Image: Nativ. — With open-source access for innovative apps, the Nativ Vita High-Resolution Music System can be a compelling complement to your music collection and is sure to be a hit with guests. Image: Nativ.

Music is a great addition to any get-together at home, whether it’s a subtle accompaniment in the form of background classical music or party-centric dance tunes. Regardless of your favorite genre, the Nativ Vita High-Resolution Music System equips smart homes with a central hub for all things music. You can access music from your mobile devices and a variety of internet radio stations.

The 11.6-inch touchscreen control center can also connect to your TV to play music videos. Regarding sound quality, the hub boasts impressive technology that eliminates any jitter or skipping—for example, it includes two Burr-Brown 24-bit/192kHz DSD1792A DAC (digital to analog) chips. The platform is also open source, allowing developers from around the world to build apps that make it even more intuitive.

The Nativ High-Resolution Music System lets guests easily and seamlessly see what music is playing while providing them the option to play anything they enjoy. The intuitive, touchscreen interface will make any music-loving guest comfortable. And the system supports all sorts of audio receivers, amplifiers, and speakers (including those from Sonos), plus works with Apple AirPlay, Spotify Connect, Google Cast, and other music services.

This version of the Nativ Vita system retails for $1,599.

[4] LG InstaView ThinQ Refrigerator

Boasting a large flat panel display in the door, the LG InstaView ThinQ Refrigerator brings a long list of smart features and has the Amazon Alexa assistant built in. Image: LG.

Guests are always more comfortable when opening the fridge isn’t an unpredictable adventure. The LG InstaView ThinQ refrigerator helps familiarize guests with fridge items, without requiring them to rummage through the fridge. As it is equipped with the Amazon Alexa voice assistant, guests can even ask the fridge which ingredients are in the fridge, with internal cameras providing real-time updates for the fridge inventory.

The fridge can even suggest playlists based on the meals you make, while also informing you of an item that may be approaching its expiration date. Upon seeing that feature, guests will be certain that the food you’re serving is fresh.

The LG InstaView ThinQ makes viewing and using a refrigerator easy, fun, and accessible, enabling guests to embrace the fridge’s entertainment features and any ingredients they want inside.

These smart home items all do their part in helping craft an experience that guests will find comfortable, so take your pick!

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