How to turn your living room into a smart one

Your den is your shelter, your place of refuge after a long day. You light a fire, crack open an adult beverage, cuddle under a blanket, and watch the latest episode of The Last of Us. But who wants to keep getting up to adjust the temperature? And what happens when you can't find the remote?

With a smart living room, those inconveniences disappear. You just need to have the right devices. Confused about where to start? We've got you covered with our favorite smart living room ideas.

At Asurion, we take care of you and your tech, from fixing and protecting your favorite devices to teaching you how to get the most out of your smart home.

Here are some must-have gadgets to set up in your smart living room.

1. Say hello with a smart home assistant

Choosing your smart home hub and assistant might be the toughest decision you'll make—aside from what to order for dinner. These devices help you connect to your smart home tech and control everything, from your lights to your curtains, with your voice or an app on your phone. Plus they often come with a high quality speaker, and some models include a touchscreen.

2. Use your phone as a smart remote control

Losing your smart TV's tiny remote in the couch or washing machine can be crushing. But there's an easy workaround. Amazon™ Fire TV™ has long let you use the app on your phone as a remote. Now, Google Chromecast® lets you do the same. All you need is the Google Home® app and a compatible smart TV.

3. Let there be (smart) lights

Smart bulbs let you light up or dim your living room with the touch of an app or a quick voice command. They're also a quick, easy, and inexpensive way to avoid stubbing your toe on the coffee table at night while you go searching for the light switch.

4. Keep your living room clean with a robot vacuum

Whether you have pets or kids—or both—robot vacuums are clutch. Samsung® and iRobot® make devices that handle vacuuming and light mopping for you. Incredible, right? Some models are even capable of emptying themselves, so you can get back to what's important—like feeding the kids (or playing games on Steam®).

5. Make your smart home seamless with a smart entertainment system

The smart living room technology that's the easiest to add to your life is a smart speaker or home entertainment system.

Some speakers come with voice assistants built in. Sonos® speakers, are geared toward creating the perfect home theater experience for your latest TV binge and for pairing with other smart devices.

The Apple® HomePod® lets you connect multiple HomePod speakers to the same TV or phone to create surround sound. And they include a few features meant specifically for other Apple devices, like supporting Siri and being able to hand off music or a podcast from your phone to your speaker with a tap.

If being able to tie your smart speakers to your other smart devices is important, check out the Amazon Echo Studio® or Google Nest Audio®. These speakers let you use voice commands to turn them on and add them to rooms—or speaker groups—you've already set up with either Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. Just be sure to choose the smart speaker that's compatible with your smart hub.

6. Stay cool with smart fans, curtains, and thermostats

Forgot to turn off the air conditioner before leaving for work? Getting too hot but don't want to get off the couch? Gadgets such as smart thermostats keep your den at the perfect temperature all with the touch of an app on your phone or a simple voice command. An added bonus: they can even lower your electric bill. Another way to keep your living room cool—and reduce your electric bill—is with smart curtains and shades. Everyone loves the idea of floor to ceiling windows, but who likes having to manually open and close the curtains to avoid the heat or the glare on the TV screen. Pair them with your smart assistant, and you can use your phone to open and close them instead.

7. Keep an eye on your pets with smart cameras, feeders, and more

If you're worried about your furry friends when you're away, smart tech can help. Ever wonder what your pet is up to while you're at work? With the Eufy Pet Camera, you can be a part of their day. Worried about their eating habits and how often they go to the bathroom? Monitor your pet's diet with a smart feeder and water fountain, install a smart pet door you can control from your phone, or invest in a smart litter box that alerts you when your cat's, er, restroom, is full.

8. Use your voice to start the fire

With a smart fireplace, a smart hub, and the right set up, you can get a fire started and create the perfect ambiance using your voice or an app. Stop looking for dry logs or the gas key, and pick up your phone instead.

9. Plug in with a smart table

Say goodbye to the seemingly endless fight over who gets to connect their phone to the good outlet next to the couch. Smart tables like Ozarke's line up, feature wireless charging and plenty of outlets and USB ports. Higher end models, like the Sobro, have built-in speakers, Bluetooth®, and even refrigerated drink drawers. Cool, right? Now, who wants a White Claw™?

Want to know more? Learn how to make setting up your smart living room even easier.