Pea of Sweetness

Bluetooth Technology for Health and Home

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Bluetooth technology has made a lot of things easier! Connecting no longer requires wires and opens up the door to many possibilities. I am a big fan of convenience and definitely appreciate what Bluetooth technology offers!
Beets BLU Bluetooth Products
Disclosure: I received complimentary products to facilitate my review. Regardless, all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. Please refer to my Disclosure Policy for more information.
Beets BLU offers a variety of electronics with Bluetooth Smart support. Their products use a modern communication protocol Bluetooth Smart (Bluetooth 4.0) and work directly with most smartphones (iPhone 4S and later, iPad 3 and later, Android 4.3 and later with Bluetooth 4.0).
For my review I received the Wireless Heart Rate Monitor and Wireless Key Finder.
Beets BLU Bluetooth Technology

Bluetooth Technology – Wireless Heart Rate Monitor Review

The Beets BLU Wireless Heart Rate Monitor includes the Pod and Strap. It is used simply by snapping the Pod onto the Strap. The adjustable Strap is made of an elastic material. I adjust it to a comfortable length ensuring the electrodes are against my skin. As with many heart rate monitors, it is recommended to wet the electrodes before putting it on. It is definitely helpful.
What I found most unique about this wireless heart rate monitor is that it doesn’t require its own app. I have tried a few heart rate monitors and most of them required their own app and only worked with that app. This wireless heart rate monitor is compatible with many different health and fitness apps (over 35!). The device is paired within the application.
Wireless Heart Rate Monitor
I have my wireless heart rate monitor paired with the MapMyFitness App. It was extremely easy to pair. The strap is easy to adjust and comfortable. The snaps are a little tough for me, though. It usually takes multiple attempts for me to get it snapped completely. It works well, and I never need to turn it on and off as it automatically goes into sleep mode after it loses contact with the skin. I continue using it regularly with no issues and love that I have a quick and easy option to monitor my heart rate.

Bluetooth Technology – Wireless Key Finder

I don’t know about you, but I’m always losing stuff. The Beets BLU Wireless Key Finder is helpful for more than just keys! You can track any valuables within 33 feet. You can also attach it to wallets, bags, cameras, etc. It uses the sonar function of the PagerTag app to send an alarm.
After installing the PagerTag App (which I found easily in the iOS App Store) I paired it with the wireless key finder. Pairing it actually sets up an encrypted channel between the phone and device. So only your phone will have access to it. This also makes it impossible to pair it with another smart phone, though it can be reset when needed. The app is easy to find and install, but it took me a bit of time playing around with it to figure out exactly how to use it.
Wireless Key Finder
Once I got the hang of how to use it, though, it surely does come in handy! The alarm is loud and clear. If you happen to be out of range, you can set up an out of range alarm. It has a variety of features and options. Again, it took me quite a bit of time navigating the app to get the settings I thought were best. I love that is has so many options! This is definitely a gadget that makes things much easier!

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Keep Your Home Connected with Netgear Arlo Smart Home from Best Buy

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We are a family of modern electronics including a home network on which we’ve connected many devices. To say we put a heavy strain on our network would definitely be accurate! We love the convenience of wireless devices and having a connected home, so we were definitely excited to further expand our home network while also keeping our home safer!
Disclosure: The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free. Regardless, all opinions are my own and those of my family. This post contains affiliate links.
Netgear Arlo Smart Home Security Cameras
Having a home security system is something we have talked about for quite a while. Video monitoring is something that is really appealing because it would allow us to actually see what is going on. When we thought of video monitoring, though, we couldn’t get beyond the idea that we just didn’t want to go through the hassle of setting it up. We assumed there would be a lot of wires which we couldn’t easily hide as we are currently renting a home and setting up an elaborate system just seemed so, well, permanent.
When we saw the NETGEAR – Arlo Smart Home Indoor/Outdoor Wireless High-Definition Security Cameras we were in awe. Not only do these wireless security cameras have amazing definition, but they were also easy to install. The Arlo Smart Home Indoor/Outdoor Wireless High-Definition Security Cameras, which is available only at Best Buy, includes 4 motion-activated cameras, 4 magnetic camera mounts and 7 mounting screws.
NETGEAR Arlo Smart Home Wireless Security Camera
What we appreciate most is the flexibility. We not only love that we can move cameras easily throughout the home by simply placing them on magnetic mounts we’ve placed in various rooms of the home but that it is also a security system we can take with us anywhere! When it’s time to buy a house next year, our Arlo Smart Home Security Cameras will be right there with us!
For camera placement we opted to place two cameras within the home and two cameras outside. Because only one outdoor mount is included, we had to purchase an additional mount, which was very easy to find at our local Best Buy. As I mentioned, we placed the magnetic mounts in various rooms of the house, and we can easily move the indoor cameras to different areas of the home as needed. It truly is convenient!
Netgear Arlo Smart Home Indoor/Outdoor Wireless Security Cameras
The cameras allow us to capture 720p video footage any time of the day or night. The system is easily accessed through the downloadable app. The app is available for compatible Android, Apple iOS, Amazon Kindle, Windows or Mac devices. I access it predominately from my iPhone and my husband accesses it from his Android phone. In the app we can view live feed from all four cameras as well as control motion settings. To easily toggle between motion settings, we set up motion on for the outdoor cameras under a specific name. To turn it on when we either leave the home or go to sleep, we simply select “Mode” and choose this option. Then both cameras are set to record motion until we turn it off again.
In addition to turning the motion sensors off and on, the amount of time that gets recorded once the sensor is triggered can be adjusted as well. We found anything less than 30 seconds wasn’t sufficient for our preference, so we set it to one minute. It can be set to whatever you prefer. It can even be set on a schedule!
Netgear Arlo Smart Home Wireless Security Cameras
Did I mention one of the best features is that it’s wireless? Because we have a heavy load on our network, we were thrilled to receive the Netgear Nighthawk DST Router and DST Adapter as well. This brand new router is available exclusively at Best Buy and is a solid solution for providing support for a connected home. It can support 10+ devices which can even be prioritized. It includes a DST (Dead Spot Terminator) to eliminate Wi-Fi dead zones and even includes Geek Squad Service! This service includes set up and support for one full year.
We found getting started with Geek Squad Support and setting up the router to be simple. Plus, help is available 24/7! We haven’t set up the DST adapter because we have found this router really improves our home network overall without needing additional support for dead spots! We have really been quite impressed. Of course, I do love that we have the adapter if it is ever needed. It is actually really neat! Not only can it extend your wi-fi, but it also has an Ethernet port so you can connect a wired device anywhere you have the adapter!
Overall, we are really happy with everything both the NETGEAR – Arlo Smart Home Indoor/Outdoor Wireless High-Definition Security Cameras and Netgear Nighthawk DST Router and DST Adapter have added to our home network to keep our home connected. We can now easily monitor what is going on in and around our house whether we’re in the home or out and about and enjoy the improved experience in our home network overall.