Breathe more life into your outdoor living space with these upgraded tech tips from GoNetspeed
Get your home summer-ready
Summer. The very word sparks excitement at the thought of warm weather and longer days. With the kids back home and the sun shining, you’ll take any excuse to spend more time outside. But if getting your outdoor sanctuary ready for summer fun sounds more exhausting than exhilarating, we’ve compiled some helpful tips to get the most out of the space—and your freakishly fast GoNetspeed fiber internet.
Movie night, al fresco
Ready to recreate the drive-in movie experience right in your backyard? All you need is a screen, a projector, and great internet (check). This inflatable screen can be set up in two minutes or less and boasts 20ft of viewable screen area, and our pick for a projector is this Smart TV model from LG which allows you to make the most out of your streaming subscription services and can last up to 2 ½ hours before needing to be plugged in.
Turn up the heat without feeling the burn
Spend more time catching up with friends and family and less time hovering over the burgers by using a smart thermometer. A WiFi-enabled probe thermometer that sticks to the side of your existing grill can alert you when food has reached your desired level of doneness. Or if you want to become a true master of your grill, this all-in-one model from Traeger can be remotely monitored and controlled via app or through a smart assistant like Alexa.
Light the way to brighter days (and nights)
From flood lights to strings of Edison bulbs, leveling up your outdoor lighting game is an easy way to boost to your safety as well as help you set the mood for get-togethers on the lawn. Some smart lighting options, like those from Hue and Ring, are app-controlled and Alexa-enabled, meaning they can easily become part of your smart home ecosystem. Other brands offer third party add-ons that can give you this ease of use, too, like the Smart LEDs from Sengled.
Give Mother Nature a helping hand
If your green thumb has taken a turn for the dark side, it might be time to get back in the zone with a smart sprinkler system. These devices range in intelligence from the more basic set-and-forget to internet-enabled models that connect to the Internet and use up-to-date weather information to adjust accordingly. No matter the size of your green space—or your budget—today’s tech offerings have you and your yard covered. For maximum intelligence, try the Rachio 3 which supports eight or 16 zones (and a 12-zone version exclusive to Costco). It’s also voice-controlled through Alexa, Google, and HomeKit.
Put the “rad” back in radio
Ok, so maybe people don’t say “rad” anymore, but that doesn’t mean your outdoor audio can’t benefit from an upgrade. Weatherproof, Bluetooth-equipped, and voice-controlled, outdoor audio has come a long way. Choosing the right outdoor audio solution might seem like a Herculean task, especially if you’re trying to push as much functionality out of it as possible. A particularly “rad” option would be the Sonos Move, a portable, waterproof speaker that can pull double duty as a sound system for your outdoor entertainment area and a voice-enabled smart assistant to control all your other gadgets. Whatever you choose, look for options that work with Alexa or Google, have a long battery life and interact with the rest of your smart devices.
However you choose to breathe a little extra life into your outdoor living space this summer, we hope these suggestions were helpful. Now go enjoy your backyard oasis!