July 18, 2019

How I made our home “Smarter” thanks to Best Buy!

This post is in partnership with Best Buy Canada and contains affiliate links. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

We are nestling right into our new home, so when Best Buy Canada offered me the opportunity to make it “smarter” I said YES! We decided to try out a Smart Doorbell, Smart Lock, Google Nest Hub, and a Click & Grow Garden!

The Google Nest Hello Wi-Fi Video Doorbell is officially my favourite NEW smart home feature. Incredibly, I’ll never miss a package again, and with two-way audio we can speak to visitors at the door, even if we’re not home! I love that I can remotely view our front door while out for a walk, grocery shopping, having coffee with a friend, or even away travelling! With high quality video, a motion detector, and cloud recording, our smart doorbell just makes me feel safer!

We utilized the help of The Geek Squad (Best Buy’s amazing in-home tech support) to help install our Nest Lock and Video Doorbell. When dealing with home safety and security, (as well as wiring), I wanted to make sure it was done correctly! Also, as a busy mama of two, with a full-time working husband, we simply didn’t have the time to do this ourselves. I highly recommend the Geek Squad. These guys were friendly, knowledgeable, and I wouldn’t hesitate to use their services again!

The Nest x Yale Wi-Fi Smart Lock works seamlessly with our Smart Doorbell. We downloaded the Nest App on our phones and we get an alert when someone approaches our front door. We can speak to the person as they arrive, asking them to leave the package on the porch, or we can choose whether or not to open the door. This has been perfect for when grandma visits, and for when I’m busy feeding baby. Who needs any unexpected interruptions. I can lock and un-lock the door from my phone, and give safe & keyless entry to family and visitors! It’s hassle free!

The Google Nest Hub is good for so many things and we’ve been loving it! It’s basically a live assistant. We placed the hub on our kitchen counter and use voice-control with our compatible devices (like Nest). We simply ask it questions saying “Hey Google” and receive visual answers, such as the weather forecast or the traffic report. We’ve also been using it as a door chime as it works with our Nest doorbell. When someone is at the door, our Google Nest Hub speaks up and says “Someone is at the door”. I’m also enjoying the fact that it will play my Spotify playlists and show recipes while I’m in the kitchen! Love Love Love this smart device!

My husband’s favourite new smart home device has definitely been the Click and Grow Smart Garden! It’s been so much fun to watch and enjoy! This smart planter ensures the plants have the right amount of water, light, and nutrients for optimum growth. There is also a smart home app that works with the planter to give tips and tricks. For someone like me, who finds it hard to keep a succulent alive, this Grow Garden has been amazing. There are built in sensors that provide exactly what the plants need to thrive, and I don’t have to remember to water it!Over the last couple of months, we’ve transitioned most of our herbs and veggies out to the garden and they have continued to grow in abundance. This is the perfect assistant to those who live in an apartment or don’t have an outside area, or those in a house who want the help to grow from seed and then transplant later on once large enough! We love our fresh basil, our green lettuce (that’s grown so large and provided us with many salads), and our little tomatoes have started to turn red as well!

Thanks again to Best Buy Canada for helping to make our home “Smarter”. All of this has not only made life a little easier, but provided piece of mind!