Home Tech

We all like to improve our homes; something that adds comfort and value to our major investment and more and more Australian homeowners are turning to DIY due to the rising cost of labour. Of course, you start with easy projects; a cupboard or replacing a few doors, but as time passes and your skillsets develop, you will have more ambitious projects in mind. If you have access to all the tools and are looking for a new challenge, here are a few cost-effective improvements to add to your list of things to do.

1. Bathroom Makeover – The best quality tiles from Amber Tiles in Sydney and a new colour combination is all it takes to brighten up the bathroom. Replace the blind and make some bespoke shelving, while luxury vinyl is perfect for the floor, with stunning stone and timber finishes. You can source all the materials from online suppliers and with trade prices, you will save some money and might even get free delivery.
2. Loft Conversion – This might sound ambitious but turning the attic into a comfortable room is not that difficult. Of course, you must have a loft, and with a couple of skylights and extraction fans, you can clad the walls and floor with chipboard, boxing in pipes and wires. One interesting aspect is to build a set of dropdown steps that fold up when not in use. This is regarded as a major improvement and the extra room will boost the value of your home and if you are unsure, YouTube videos come to the rescue and you can watch them over and over until you’re sure of what to do. Click here for tips to make your home smart.
3. Replace the Decking – This could be a simple replacement of the hardwood decking, or it could be to add some floorspace by extending the terrace, depending on how much space you have to work with. This is a relatively simple project and with online suppliers of quality Australian hardwood, you can buy what you need at trade prices, and if want a few design ideas, Google Images is your best friend.
4. Stair Cupboard – If you have a staircase that backs onto a wall, you could box in the space underneath, making a handy storage cupboard. Carpentry skills will stand you in good stead as you come up with new projects; walk-in wardrobes and new kitchen cabinets are well within your capabilities.
5. Engineered Flooring – Rather than solid timber, engineered timber is identical but much cheaper and that solid wood floor you want in the living room is affordable if you do it yourself with engineered timber. Hire a floor polishing machine and you can really bring up a shine and if you would like to see a few ‘how to’ videos, the Internet is full of them.

Working to improve the home is a great way to spend the lockdown and all of the above projects are well within your capabilities and with online tutorials, you have the perfect teacher.

When it comes to watching livestreams, there are a number of potential devices you could watch them on. Some people, for example, watch livestreams on computers, while others may watch livestreams on their tablets. It’s definitely possible to watch livestreams on any of these devices, but phones are some of the most popular. Should you watch livestreams on your phone, especially instead of watching livestreams on other devices? Here’s what you need to know.

The Pros of a Phone for Livestreams

• Portable

The biggest benefit of a phone rather than some other device is that phones are extremely portable. Portability could be an important thing to think about if you want to watch a livestream but you won’t be at your home or your office, or if you’re suddenly interrupted in the middle of watching.

• Versatile

The versatility of a phone instead of another device is an important part of the reason why many people choose phones over livestreams. A phone can go anywhere with you, from your home to the bus to the office to the passenger seat of a car.

• Many Apps

There are millions of apps out there for just about every conceivable device. Whether your phone runs on iOS, Android, or any other platform, you can find plenty of apps available. That means it’s very common to be able to find an app for your livestream.

The Cons of a Phone for Livestreams

• Some Apps Might Be Locked By Device

Although there are many apps available across the entirety of iOS, Android, and all other platforms, some apps might only be available on certain devices and not on others. That means your ability to watch a livestream through a specific app could be limited by your choice of device.

• Mobile Options Are Often Pared Down

When you choose a mobile option, which may include either an app or a browser, you might notice that the options are fairly heavily pared down. You might not be able to do as much on the app or browser as you do on the computer version of the website.

• Smaller Screen

Of course, an obvious con of watching a livestream on your phone instead of on the computer or even a tablet is that a phone has a relatively small screen. Over the years, phone manufacturers have tried to do the best with what they have, maximizing screen space, but it’s still typically a smaller screen.

What Type of Livestreams Can You Watch on Your Phone?

The good news is that you can watch nearly endless livestreams on your phone. Do you want an educational livestream? Are you looking for an entertaining livestream? There are all sorts of livestreams out there, and it’s up to you to find the livestream you’re most interested in.

The OneClass livestream is great for all sorts of people, whether you’re looking for personal information for classes or you’re hoping to be able to help someone you’re close to. Watching the OneClass livestream on your phone is a great way to gain more information so you can do more with that information.

To read more on topics like this, check out the Home Tech category.

In today’s time, kids are super-advanced; you will certainly never find a single teen kid who doesn’t have any online presence. The times have changed and now, more than ever, and while you cannot deny their fair share of freedom, you also need to pay attention to the security of your child on social media platforms. Being hooked on to the internet, kids and teens are most often the easiest targets of cyberbullying and several types of cybercrimes.

If your daughter is on Instagram, you can easily go through the list of people she follows, the kind of content she likes as well as views, and much more.

Wondering how to see who someone recently followed on Instagram?

Well, then you must know that there are advanced mobile applications to help you track the activities of your daughter on Instagram. Tracking her activities such as viewing what pictures she is uploading, going through the comments on her pictures, checking her follow list including the list of followers, even checking her direct messages (sent or received) on Instagram will surely give you an idea of what your daughter is doing regularly on Instagram and what kind of people she is interacting with.

What you need to understand

Parents must understand that Instagram is a platform where there are many fake accounts and people share inappropriate content such as nude pictures or violent visual content and much more. So, it is very important to know what kind of people your daughter is following. If you find anything inappropriate at all then, as a responsible parent, you must persuade your child to ‘unfollow’ such accounts or even block them if needed.

Instagram allows up to five accounts on one phone. If you wish, you can switch from one account to the other easily. So, get hold of your daughter’s email address and password of the Instagram account to get direct access to her account.

Let your daughter use Instagram, let her breathe, and interact with people freely because children, too, need space. In the meantime, you just relax because tracking applications are there to look out for you and your beloved daughter.

To read more on topics like this, check out the Home Tech category.

If you love incorporating the latest technology into your home, you’ve come to the right place. Simply continue reading in order to discover a few handy tips on having a smart home.

Four tips on having a smart home:

Install smart lightbulbs in each room in your home:

Once you replace all of your outdated lightbulbs in your home with smart lightbulbs, you’ll be able to turn all of the lights in your home on and off, without getting out of your bed or off your sofa. Which is incredibly handy. As an example, if you’re snuggled up on your sofa with your family and you sponatanteously decide to watch a movie, you’ll be able to dim the lights in your lounge, without getting up off your sofa. As you’ll be able to dim your lounge lights using an app on your smart phone.

Install a smart home security system:

If you install a few smart cameras around your property, you’ll be able to check on your property and your family’s well being, even when you’re at work or on an overseas vacation. As you’ll be able to safely access your home’s security cameras from your smart phone or laptop. It’s also a smart idea to install security cameras outside your home, so that if you hear a suspicious noise outside of your home, you’ll be able to check what’s going on, from the safety of your home. As sometimes it’s not a wise idea to venture outside if you hear suspicious noises outside your home. As an added bonus, you’ll also be able to check whose knocking on your door, before you open up your door. Which you’ll find incredibly handy.

Purchase a virtual assistant such as an Amazon Echo device or a Google Home device:

If you’d love to be able to use a virtual assistant to play your favorite music tracks and to check the weather, it’s well worth investing in purchasing a virtual assistant such as an Amazon Echo device or a Google Home device. Both of which are highly rated. Both devices will also ring or message your friends and family members for you. All you’ll need to do is to give your home assistant a voice command to ring the intended recipient of your phone call and they’ll process your call for you.

Invest in a heat pump which boasts intuitive sensors:

When it comes to heating and cooling your home, you can’t go wrong investing in a heat pump which boasts intuitive sensors which will allow your heat pump to automatically adjust the temperature in your home. So that your family will be kept suitably cool or warm. If you hate having to constantly adjust your heat pump’s temperature as the temperature in your changes, you’ll love living in a home which boasts a modern heat pump, which offers state of the art, intuitive sensors.

So if you love being one of the first people you know to adopt modern technology into your home life, it’s well worth ensuring that your smart phone features all four of the fantastic tech features which are listed above.