According to a recent survey, three out of five people over 65 own a smartphone and two out of five have a tablet.

However, if you’re not sure what the difference is between a Fitbit and a Fire Stick, don’t worry… you’re not alone.

There are now so many devices on the market, it can be hard to know where to begin. If you’re looking for the best tech for your home, we’ve put together this guide to make choosing the right device as easy as possible.

A fitness device

While it’s the dream to sit in front of the TV all day eating cakes and sweets, it’s more important than ever to go out and exercise. The NHS recommends that adults over the age of 65 do light physical activity every day to stay healthy and reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.

A fitness device like a Fitbit or Garmin can help you track the number of steps you take and see if you need to do any more exercise for the day. Some models even monitor your heart rate and the flights of stairs you climb.

Worn on your wrist like a watch, a fitness device uses Bluetooth, meaning it automatically syncs with your mobile phone. All you need to do is make sure your Bluetooth is on, and when your phone or tablet is nearby, you’ll be able to view your stats.

A smart speaker

The problem with tech is it seems to be getting smaller and smaller. If you’ve ever tried to tap out a text or squint to read an email, you’ll know precisely what we mean! If this is the case, a smart speaker that you can talk to is perfect for your home.

A smart speaker is the next best thing to having your own personal assistant. Just connect it to your Wi-Fi (or ask a friendly grandkid to do it for you), and you’re ready to go!

With a smart speaker like Amazon Echo or Google Nest, you can play your favourite music, see what the weather will be like and even reorder your favourite foods. Best of all, if you hook it up to your phone, you can use your smart speaker to call people hands-free.

A Bluetooth tracker

As much as we hate to admit it, we tend to get more forgetful as we get older. A remote control in the fridge? That’s always been there… hasn’t it?

If you can never remember where you’ve put things, a Bluetooth tracker is a must. This little tile sticks to any item, from your car keys to your cat’s collar. If the item goes missing, you can use your phone, tablet or computer to find out where it is.

There are a couple of Bluetooth trackers currently available, including Tile and Air Tag.

A smart doorbell

Whether you’re waiting for your parcels to arrive or want to keep an eye on who accesses your property, smart doorbells are definitely on-trend. One out of every four homes has now said goodbye to the traditional door knocker in exchange for smart technology.

With a smart doorbell, you can see who is there and talk to them without answering the door, making it a great option if you live in a flat or retirement village. You can even store the footage and come back to it later if you need to.

Smart doorbells like Ring and Nest can either be battery-powered or hard-wired. Battery-powered ones are typically cheaper and easier to install, but hard-wired ones come with more functionality.

A smart lightbulb

Imagine the scene. You’re tucked up warm in bed when all of a sudden… nature calls.

It can be tricky to get to the bathroom when it’s dark in the middle of the night, which is where a smart lightbulb comes in handy!

A smart lightbulb like Kasa or Hue plugs neatly into any light fixture, with a hub that interacts with your Wi-Fi. You can then turn the bulbs on and off using an app on your phone or voice if you have a smart speaker.

Whether you want to switch off everything at once before turning in for the evening or dim the lights for a romantic night, the possibilities are endless! 

Power up your home with Fibre Heroes

When you’ve got a lot of smart devices in your home, you need broadband that can keep up.

With full fibre broadband from Fibre Heroes, you get a speedy 1000 megabits per second (Mbps), compared to the UK average of 50.4Mbps. That’s a lot of extra smart lightbulbs.

This means you can stay connected, no matter what tech you’re using.

Check out our speed test and see how your current broadband compares.