This post is sponsored by Samsung.
This time of year is no joke. So much running around and things to do. Not gonna lie, you guys, I've been STRESSED! As I always do when things get overwhelming, though, I've taken a nice big step backwards and looked for inefficiencies that I can rectify. Where am I spinning my wheels? What minor, aggravating tasks are eating away at my day? I realized that we've become heavily reliant on tech as a family, but we were missing the piece that helps bring everything together and minimize friction.
We've had mesh Wi-Fi routers to provide Wi-Fi coverage throughout our home before, and I'm a total fan. They basically ping your signal from your router to various points in your house so you have a strong signal no matter what corner you wind up in. I was updating my home office recently and figured that now is a good time to upgrade our Wi-Fi situation with the Samsung Connect Home.
This Wi-Fi mesh router acts not only as an internet amplifier, but also as a SmartThings Hub. You plug one into your modem and – with the bigger packages for larger homes – plug others in throughout the house to amplify your signal even further.
And when you sync it up to The Samsung Connect App on your phone, you can take control of numerous smart home products throughout your property. We plugged one hub into the kitchen and then another into my office to reach both extreme ends of the house.
A quick assessment of my office space while I was plugging this in made one thing clear. Whatever these fleeting seasons may bring, my life is ALL about family. Even the space in which I do my super-serious marketing manager endeavors is riddled with blocks, binkies and light-up toothbrushes. I need to do whatever delegation and management I possibly can to always keep those things first. To me, that's what tech is all about. That's the entire point of something to control your smart home like this. It's not about us adapting to fit a certain tech offering. It's about the products adapting to fit us. After trying several solutions, Connect Home is the first that I can confidently say seems to have gotten that right.
With secure, stable internet reaching every corner of our property, my boys can run in and out of the house and combine the very best of outdoor play with the best streaming educational content that any handheld device can provide.
I can press a couple buttons and print off sheets for them to color.
And I can sync up with remote-monitoring devices at my pool, an area I was never able to reach with standard office router Wi-Fi.
I no longer have to hop into THIS app and THAT website and dialogue in-person with complicated technology to get it all working. I can open up the Samsung Connect App and control everything from door locks to thermostats with a couple clicks. I can even set everything to collectively disarm/light/heat when I arrive and arm/turn off electronics when I leave.
As for the holidays, I can sync up to my Samsung television to stream the Grinchiest shows while I wrap our presents. Even if this little guy has stashed my remote somewhere in the longest, most frustrating game of hide-and-go-seek I've ever played … I'm good! I have my phone, which means I have control of the situation.
And while Nate may joke around about my “turning on the red light,” it's a little more festivity with a little less effort and it makes ALL the difference in helping me keep my priorities straight.
Because at the end of the day, every second I'm not spending messing around with technology, fiddling with temperatures, fumbling for a key or shopping for decorations? That's another second I get to spend with my family.
How does smart home tech help your family spend more time together?