Fancy living where you can just use your voice to control your lights and air conditioner? You can now do so — easily! Just gear up your apartment with these gadgets and enjoy living in the future!

GOOGLE HOME & GOOGLE HOME MINI

The key to a smart home lies in these voice assistant speakers, which are activated with a simple voice command: “Hey, Google.” They then listen for instructions, which can include turning on all the lights in the home, or generating white noise to help you fall asleep. The system can help you search for information — for example, the upcoming weather, or even your schedule for the day. Setting up is as simple as turning it on and following the instructions.

The larger Google Home features great sound quality and is perfect for use in the bedroom or living room. The sound quality of the smaller Google Home Mini won’t be good enough for audiophiles, but you can always link it to a Bluetooth speaker.

PHILIPS HUE

These smart LED bulbs from Philips Hue have Wi-Fi capability. Simply plug them into the socket, connect the Hue bridge to your router, turn on the Hue app, and you’re all ready to go. The bulbs are compatible with the Google Home system for hands-free voice-activated light control: on, off, dim, change colours, and change modes (choose Disco for when you need to party!)

You’ll want to get a starter pack, which typically comes with two or three bulbs, and the bridge mentioned above, which talks to your home network. There’s also a motion sensor, which turns on the lights for when you need to visit the loo at night.

Apple users who want in on the smart home action need not worry: the Hue lights also work with Siri on your iPhone — just download the Hue app from the App Store to set it up.

AMBI CLIMATE

Jazz up your aircon with the Ambi Climate, a smart remote control that works with almost every aircon and lets you automatically turn on cooling at desired times, such as when you’re about to reach home, or from your phone as you laze on the couch.

Built-in artificial intelligence (AI) auto-adjusts the temperature to your preferred comfort level — it learns when you tell it when the room is too cold or too hot, and soon figures out just what you like.

By not overcooling the room, Ambi Climate helps you save energy — and money. The AI will control the temperature so that you don’t turn into a popsicle by morning. If you have Google Home, you can even customise voice commands using the ‘If This Then That’ app.