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Making Your Backyard a Little Smarter

Credit: Unsplash

A marriage of nature and tech in your own backyard.

I understand that one of the main reasons to have a nice backyard is to create your own comfy slice of nature. For that reason, introducing a lot of smart tech can seem somewhat antithetical. But it’s more than possible for smart tech to coexisted with natural beauty in your backyard, and if you get some extra convenience and novelty out of it, then what’s the downside?

The kind of tech you can install in your backyard depends entirely on what you plan to use your backyard for. For example, if your backyard exists for the express purpose of housing your personal garden, technology can aid in all sorts of ways. You can install a smart sprinkler system that can be activated, monitored, and controlled through your phone. You could install some covert cameras to keep an eye out for nighttime pests. You could even stick a plant tracker in your soil that’ll give you live updates on how your plants are growing and if the soil is lacking something. And if the lawn starts getting unruly, you can deploy a robotic lawnmower to keep things in check.

If your backyard exists more for party-throwing purposes, you can install a variety of gimmicks to keep the atmosphere fun and festive while preserving the outdoor vibe. If you’re a barbecuing fan, you can get a smart grill or smart smoker you can control with your phone for optimal grilling time (and less hands-on time). If entertainment’s the name of the game, you can install a weather-proof TV and smart speakers to play a movie or music.

Smart tech only permeates as much of your home as you want it to. If you want every last thing in your backyard to connect to your phone, that’s fine. If you just want a remote sprinkler and nothing else, that’s fine too.