Mornings can be tough—especially when you’re a college student who’s trying to get out of bed in the morning and make it to their morning classes. But this semester, you can use smart home technology to make your mornings in your apartment a little bit more pleasant—and help you get to class on time.
Z-Wave is a wireless technology that’s found in thousands of popular smart home products, enabling devices like locks, lights, thermostats, and more to talk to one another and form the backbone of your smart home – all accessible via a mobile app on your phone.
Here are five ways to simplify your college morning routine with smart home tech, powered by Z-Wave:
Set your lights to turn on with your alarm clock
Alarm clocks are the worst part about mornings, and sometimes it can seem that no matter how loud you set your alarm, it’s still hard to get out of bed.
To help make your alarm more effective, use smart lights to create a “Good Morning” scene. Schedule the lights in your bedroom to automatically turn on every morning about five minutes after your alarm sounds. This way, if a loud, beeping alarm clock can’t get you out of bed, maybe a bright, well-lit room will!
You can put smart bulbs in a traditional bedside lamp, or you can inject some fun into your mornings with the Aeotec Z-Wave LED Strip for Brightening and Atmosphere that can light up in 16 million different colors.
That ought to get you out of bed in the morning!
Let your thermostat adjust itself while you’re sleeping
Even if you’re wide awake, on a brisk, fall morning, it’s hard to bring yourself to get out of bed when the air is cold, and your blanket is so warm and inviting. Luckily, a smart thermostat can help you get moving on a chilly morning.
As a part of your “Good Morning” scene, set your smart thermostat to automatically increase the temperature about 30 minutes before your alarm goes off, so your room is warm by the time you wake up and you’re ready to start the day.
To make your routine even easier, try the American Standard GOLD 824 Nexia Control Hub & Thermostat, which doubles as a smart hub and smart thermostat so you get two devices in one.
Tell your coffee machine to start brewing by itself
No matter how well you sleep the night before, a lot of people need a cup of coffee to help get them going in the morning. Kickstart your mornings by telling your coffee machine to start brewing all on its own.
It’s simple. Using a smart plug, you can turn any regular, connected device with an on/off switch into a smart device—including your coffee maker. Just plug your coffee pot into a smart plug, like the Aeotec Z-Wave Plus Plug-In Outlet Module. Then, you can program the smart switch to turn on every morning at, say, 9:00 a.m. and start brewing your coffee.
That’ll help you get to class on time!
Never worry about forgetting your keys
Your smart lights, smart thermostat, and “smart” coffee machine will definitely help you get moving and out the door faster on your way to class. To further simplify your college morning routine, install a smart lock on your front door, so you never have to worry about forgetting your keys while you head to campus in the morning.
A smart lock, like the Yale Assure Lock YYRD226 Touchscreen with Z-Wave, replaces old-school turnkeys with a sleek, touchscreen keypad that’s easy to install (and uninstall when you move out at the end of the year!). The tamper-resistant lock not only safeguards your place, but also gives you the power to go keyless.
Not sure if you remembered to lock up before you headed to campus this morning? Just log in with the app on your phone to check the status of your lock—and lock it remotely if you need to. Not able to change your lock? A smart camera can be installed in an apartment or dorm room for monitoring while you’re away.
Are you always late to class in the morning? This semester, streamline your morning routine with smart home tech, so you can make it to class on time, stress-free.
For more ways to bring smart devices into your college morning routine, find smart lights, smart locks, and other smart accessories at Z-Wave.com, the resource for all things Z-Wave smart home.
