the apps and connected devices I always recommend to stay cool for a low price

Although heat waves in Spain in summer are becoming increasingly common, these days is approaching one that will leave temperature records. Situation that will shoot the thermometers despite the fact that in this 2024 we have had temperatures slightly milder than normal in the southern part of Spain and warmer in the Mediterranean part. Now, in the second half of July, we are already beginning to see areas with more than 45º in the shadewhich is close to 50 degrees in direct sunlight.

In Andalusia, for example, maximum temperatures of 43 or 44 degrees are expected.This will make it necessary to take certain measures to avoid problems, such as staying well hydrated, not going out in the central hours of the day if it is not necessary, and staying in places with adequate air conditioning.

To do this, I always recommend to resort to devices and applications that help us to cope with this heat wave thatwill presumably stay with us until Saturday. In addition, it will not be the only one of the summer, so betting on spending a little money to cool the house seems a highly recommended option.

Weather Apps

In the last few weeks we have seen a strong variation of maximum temperatures within a few days, changing almost 10 degrees from one week to the next. That is why it is convenient to know how the heat is going to evolve in the coming days. To do so, it is good to have a weather application installed, such as the ones we have analyzed:

• Brezzy Weather: lets you know the weather just by looking at the wallpaper of your mobile.
• App Windows 11: one of the best options if you want to know the weather from your PC without opening any web.
• Tiempo.es: If you value having a heat map of the area where you are, this is the best option available.
• Dina: focuses on recommending one type of clothing or another depending on the weather in the coming days.
• Clyma Wheather: uses data from three different sources so the accuracy is superior to other applications.
• 1Weather: this app stands out for its extensive selection of widgets to put on mobile desktops.

It is also possible to check the weather without having to install anything, directly with Google or Android’s own functions. Even without the cell phone if you have a smart speaker.which will tell us the weather by simply asking for it. And if it has a screen it will show us the forecast for the next few days.

If we are going to travel somewhere we can make use of the new Google Maps feature that tells us within the application itself what the weather will be like in the destination area, so that we are not caught by surprise, because there will be strong variations depending on the area of Spain where we are, and depending on the day we travel.

Fans connected

Although in Spain it is common to have air conditioners in the main rooms, it is normal that in episodes of heat waves we need to cool more rooms than normal. As installing an air conditioner in each room is not usually feasible, especially at the last minute, fans are a good alternative.

There are of many prices and sizes, but those of Xiaomi stand out not for their price, at least not especially, but for its contained size, its design and, above all, its low noise. They are perfect to put in a bedroom at night.and they can also be controlled from your cell phone with Xiaomi Home.

• My Smart Standing Fan 2The best value for money. very quiet and small footprint.
• My Smart Standing Fan 2 Lite: lower price than its big brother but somewhat noisier and less powerful.
• My Smart Standing Fan 2 Pro: this version has an integrated battery, so it is ideal for moving it around the house.
• Xiaomi Smart Tower Fan: the best choice if we want a tower design that cools from the ground.

Smart windows

At this time of the year it is normal for the difference between minimum and maximum temperatures to be very high. For example, there are areas where maximum temperatures are over 40 degrees and minimum temperatures are less than half that. That is why it is convenient to know when to open the windows to be able to ventilate the house without letting hot air in.

To do this we can use the applications mentioned above, and also, if we have opening sensors on doors and windows, to know whether or not they are open at certain times. For example, if we use the Ring alarm, we can enter the application to check the status of the sensors in each window, and know if it is open or not, to close it when it is hot and open it only when the temperature drops.

Air conditioning from the cell phone

Finally, we are going to recommend some of those devices that do not cost a lot of money and that can help us to air condition the house even when we are not there. This is a universal remote control that allows you to control air conditioners from your cell phone.by cloning the remote control on this device and connecting it via WiFi.

In this way it is possible to turn on the air from the mobile, or by voice.not only when we are at home, providing comfort, but also when we are at home. also when we are outsideso that the house is cool when we arrive. In addition, if we have some kind of device that measures the temperature, we could create routines that make it turn on when a specific temperature is reached and turn it off when the room is already air-conditioned.

The price of these devices is not high, and there are simple ones, such as Broadlink’s, or more complex ones, such as Xiaomi’s, which is integrated into a smart speaker, giving us two products for the price of one. The latter is especially cheap, being reduced by almost 50% compared to its original sale price, which was not particularly high. It now costs just over 20 euros.

If, in addition to controlling the air conditioning, we want to remotely control a ceiling fan, which are usually use radio frequency controls instead of infrared controls.If we want to use radio frequency controls instead of infrared, we will have to use other types of devices, slightly more expensive, but still very economical. A good example is the BroadLink RM4 Pro IR and R, which costs about 49 euros on Amazon.