No, Don’t Get Up: How To Hack Your Home Right From Your Seat

It’s midnight, and the light in my daughter’s room is still on. She likes having a light on as she falls asleep, but I know from past experience she’ll wake up and demand play time if it stays on overnight. I used to creep into her room to switch the light off, but she’s a light sleeper, and all too easy to wake up. Particularly when I yell because I’d just stepped painfully on some small toy she’d left on the floor (curse you, tiny bubble headed toy animals).

But I found an easy solution when I hacked my home with some Hive products. Here’s what I’ve used to make my life a million times easier as a parent of little kids.

Active Lights

To address the light issue in my daughter’s room, I used a Hive Active Light Dimmable bulb, and now I can turn the light off right from my phone. So the arches of my feet stay safe. This worked so well, I installed Active Light Cool to Warm White bulbs in all my lamps (which is many, because I despise overhead light and use lamps only). I particularly love it because if I’m unexpectedly home late, I can turn on lights to greet us when we get home, and also keep my home more secure. I also like being able to turn on the lights so my dog isn’t in the dark. I know, she probably doesn’t care, but still.

Smart Plugs

I use the Hive Active Plugs so I can turn off my hair straightener when I’m not home (something that happens all too frequently). But probably my biggest lifesaver has been the ability to use the Hive Active Plug in the kitchen—and turning my slow cooker on at just the right moment so dinner will be hot and delicious, even if I’m not home to start it on time. Here’s how you do it: simply plug in the Hive Active Plug, then log into your mobile app for a quick setup. Done and done!

Hive Camera

As a work from home parent, I tend to work when the kids nap. But the one thing that will inevitably wake them up? The doorbell. The curse of online ordering is the super fun packages that arrive. They are like catnip to my kids, and even if the box is full of stuff they don’t care about, they love opening them and playing with the boxes. So how to solve this? A Hive Camera lets me see who is coming up to the door before they ring the bell, and get to the door before they ring so the kids stay asleep. It was super easy to set up, too: just install, connect to the app, and done! I’m also going to love this feature when my kids are teens and trying to sneak in after curfew…

Thermostat

Probably the most common smart device in homes is the thermostat. I love our Hive Active Thermostat—particularly recently when a heat wave hit when we were on vacation. We’d had cool weather locally when we left, but the temp soared and I was worried about our cats. Luckily, I could easily use the app to turn up the air conditioning and cool the kitties down from several hours away. Installation was pretty simple (if you know basic electronics; really, even my husband could do it and he’s not at all handy), and connecting to the app a breeze. Plus, I think it looks ridiculously cool.

Sensors

When we moved back into the city a few years ago, one of our biggest concerns was security. Our neighborhood is nice, but the risk for break ins was higher than our suburb. So we decided to use a combination of Hive Active Lights and the Hive Window/Door and Hive Motion sensors to help keep our home safe. The bulbs allow us to turn lights on and off when we’re not home, making the house look busier. And the sensors alert us anytime anything looks suspicious. We haven’t had any break ins, and I’m grateful to Hive for keeping us all safer.

The best part of Hive? It’s a subscription based service and the plans cost between $9.99 and $24.99—perfectly affordable. The plans include varying amounts of hardware to get you started, too. It’s one of the best investments we’ve ever made. Today, we’re one step closer to living in the “home of the future.” I love being able to take care of my home wherever I am—even when I am just sitting on my couch! The connected home makes everything just so much easier. Yes, there’s an app for that!

Moms who need an extra hand around the house, we’ve got you covered! Get a Hive smart home plan, starting at $9.99 a month and make time for the things you love most.

This post is sponsored by Hive, a family of smart products that connect you to home anytime, anywhere, at the tap of an app.