There are numerous elements that contribute to a smarthome from heating and lighting to connected speakers and cameras. It will depend on how much of your house has been transformed into a smart one as to how much you will be able to do with it, but even with just connected lighting or heating, your house is smarter than you think.

We have rounded up six things you may not have realised a smarthome is capable of. Some you might be able to do already, while others may be things you'll be able to do in the future, depending on how smart you plan on making your home.

If you sit in the camp of those that haven't fully embraced the concept of a smarthome at all yet, then prepare to get on board with the idea because some of these things are so great, you'll absolutely want your dumb house to be able to do them. 

Help look after your plants

We've all got excited at the garden centre or IKEA and bought a new plant for our house. It looks beautiful for a couple of weeks when you're taking care of it properly but give it a couple of months and the novelty wears off, along with the watering, to leave you with a wilted and sorry-looking plant.

Don't worry though, that's where Parrot Flower Power will be your new best friend. It's a sensor that assesses your plants needs and alerts your smartphone, allowing you to take the best care of them. The sensor considers sunlight, temperature, soil moisture and soil electrical conductivity so there is no excuse for that new house plant not looking healthy and fabulous a year later.

Keep an eye on pets or kids

There are several smarthome cameras available that will allow you to do all sorts of home monitoring remotely. They are brilliant for security purposes in case you are unlucky enough to have some unwanted visitors, but that isn't all a smarthome camera is good for.

They will also allow you to check up on pets or make sure the kids have come home from school. Some will even check the air quality and alert you if something isn't quite right, while others will just alert you when they detect motion so you'll know exactly what is happening in your home when you aren't in it.  

Deter unwanted visitors

Speaking of unwanted visitors, smart lighting can also play a big part when it comes to home security. Yes smart lighting means you don't need to get out of bed to turn the light off, but it also means you can turn lights on when you aren't home.

Again, there are several smart lighting systems available such as Philips Hue and Elgato Avea, and all the options offer remote control from your smartphone. It means you can be on holiday in Spain and decide to flick your lights on at 6pm, or you can set them to a schedule to make it look like you are home even when you aren't. Macaulay Culkin's job in Home Alone would have been a lot easier with smart lighting that's for sure.

Check everything is secure

A smarthome isn't always about the more expensive upgrades such as wireless speakers or new heating systems, it can also be about the simple things - like window and door sensors.

There are a number of companies that offer window and door sensors, allowing you to make sure everything is secure from your smartphone when you leave or when you go to sleep. It means you don't need to go and check each individual room and these sensors will also alert you if a door or window is opened so you'll know if someone is sneaking out in the middle of the night.

Right temperature, right time

Smart heating has all kinds of benefits, from allowing you to turn it on and off as easily as a tap on your smartphone, to delivering more convenient scheduling that will suit you and your individual needs.

One of the best things about smart heating however, is that you'll never come to a chilly house if you're clever about it. Some systems detect your location using your smartphone and make sure your home is at your desired temperature by the time you get home. Others will ensure your home is at the temperature you requested at the time you requested, rather than begin heating it at that time.

Ultimate music control for the whole family

Wireless multi-room audio systems are becoming more and more popular with numerous companies now offering options including Sony, LG, Sonos and Denon. What is good about them isn't just the ability to control your music from the sofa though.

The systems are also great for allowing you to group speakers together, enabling you to have the same music playing throughout the house at various volumes, in different rooms. You can also have different music playing on different speakers in different rooms, all of which are controlled through an app so everyone in the family is happy.