Smart Techology: A Safer Home

It is no secret that in this day and age, we live by technology. We are almost constantly 'plugged in' in some way; whether it be on the computer at work, checking into the news on our cell phone, and always being a quick phone call away when checking in on our loved ones. One area of technology that I haven't had too much experience, though, is being able to check in within our own home. That is, until being exposed to Nucleus.

This home intercom system is a step above the traditional intercom system of years past. With a touch screen and tabletop or wall mount options, these can go in as many rooms of your house as you need. I am sure many of us remember back during our childhood, when mom would need something and would have to yell upstairs or downstairs to get our attention. In all honesty, while I am sure it was just as frustrating for my mom, it drove me crazy when she would yell for me up in my bedroom from the kitchen, and I would usually say 'what' at least three times before finally conceding and heading downstairs so I could actually hear what she needed to say.

Nucleus allows you to sync the rooms in your house, and specify where you would like to call. We set ours up as a general 'downstairs' and 'upstairs' for now. We have a loft up by the boy's bedrooms, and Jackson has started spending time up there alone occasionally. While for the most part we can trust him, it is nice to be able to check in on him. When you call another Nucleus device within your home, it automatically connects and does not need to be answered. This is so great for moms! I can check in on my boys without expecting them to pick up or press a button. Of course, if for whatever reason you don't want to be disturbed, you can set it to Privacy mode, requiring a person to answer, or 'Do not disburb', meaning no incoming calls can be made or received.

Jackson was pretty excited to 'talk to the computer'.

 

While being able to check in is great, I also anticipate wanting to see, but not necessarily wanting to be heard on one end or the other. Every Nucleus device comes with the ability to mute as well as control volume. There is also a privacy shutter that blocks the camera. I am considering putting one of these in Lincoln's room in lieu of a baby monitor, but by blocking out our device and silencing the line, we will be able to see and hear him, with nothing on our end, ensuring we won't wake him up!

You can see here that I was able to mute my line. That is Jackson's teeny head poking on from the couch upstairs. He was watching Despicable Me while I got some work done downstairs!

 

Another amazing feature with Nucleus is the ability to connect phone lines through their app. Of course, many phones have video features, but Nucleus is incredibly user friendly. We can have the app on our phone, and if we would ever want to reach home, we can call the Nucleus, and it is truly so easy to use (a simple tap of the button on the screen) and any child can answer it! Our first use in trying it out was with my brother and sister-in-law. They live in Iowa, and our phones are not compatible with one another for video chatting. Thanks to Nucleus, we were able to video chat and let my brother see the boys live for the first time! It was so much fun, and really easy to use.  

Jackson was showing off his minion. If you can't tell, Despicable Me is popular in our house this week!

Checking in with my brother! It is pretty exciting to finally have an easy option to video chat with him.

 

As a final means of staying connected, if you know another household that has Nucleus, you can connect directly to their devices as well! This means if you have loved ones across the country, or for families with an older adult who may need assistance or checking in, you can easily connect as if you are right there with them.

Setup was very easy and once you power on your device, it really walks you right through it. Every room and phone that is connected shows up on the main screen, and has an image you are able to snap to show which space it is, as well. This is great for families with kiddos that may recognize images, but do not yet know how to read.

One other great feature of Nucleus is being compatible with Amazon Alexa. While we do not currently have this technology in our home, I love the idea of being able to hook up to music and use it through our Nucleus if we would ever wish to do so.

Nucleus is available for $249 per unit, or $199 per unit if you purchase two or more. You can find it directly on their website, Lowes, Amazon, and B8ta. Nucleus is generously offering my readers $50 off any purchase that includes two or more units. You guys, this really is such a great feature to have in your home, and to help keep you connected when you aren't!

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*This post is written in collaboration with Nucleus. As always, all thoughts and opinions are solely my own.