The home is getting a whole lot smarter. Gone are the days when you had to “get up” and walk over to a “light switch” to turn on the lights. These days, with the right gear, you can simply use your voice or your phone to control your lights, and all kinds of other smart home devices. But it can be hard to find the best smart home devices, given how many products there are out there.
There are a number of things to consider before you buy a smart home product. For starters, you’ll want to make sure that whatever device you buy will fit within your smart home ecosystem — whether that be Apple’s HomeKit, Google Assistant, or Amazon Alexa. These days many products integrate with all three of those ecosystems.
Other things to consider depend on the kind of product you’re buying. Some products, like smart doorbells, are available in wired or battery-powered models. Others, like smart light bulbs, come in white or color models. And so on.
Philips Hue White Smart Bulb Starter Kit
The Philips Hue White E26 Starter Kit (#476945) consists of four Wi-Fi controllable LED bulbs and a wireless bridge. You can control the bulb (turn on/off, dim/brighten) via Bluetooth in a single room, or pair it to the Hue Bridge as part of a whole home smart lighting system. The Hue Personal Wireless Lighting system allows you to set up light schedules, and control the lights when you’re away from home.Â
August Wi-Fi Smart Lock
The August Wi-Fi Smart Lock (4th Generation) and August app allows you to remotely lock or unlock your door, check door status, grant virtual guest keys and always know who’s coming and going. Connected out of the box with built in Wi-Fi, the August Wi-Fi Smart Lock is easy to install and attaches to your existing deadbolt so you can keep your original keys.
Nest Learning Thermostat
The Nest Learning Thermostat is a smart thermostat that learns your schedule and programs itself to help save energy. You can control it from anywhere with the Nest app, and it works with Alexa and Google Assistant so you can adjust the temperature with your voice. And it’s beautifully designed, with a big, bright display and metal finishes to suit any home’s style.
Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2
Receive real-time notifications on your phone and tablet, get real-time video and audio with the Live View button, control and customize important security settings, get exclusive features, and save and share videos, photos with an optional Ring Protect Plan. Control everything with one simple app.
smart security camera: Arlo Ultra 2
Cutting edge protection, picture perfect. Zoom in to see and record video with the 4K security camera with HDR camera for a clearer, undistorted picture, day or night. With free local storage, the home security camera with mobile app allows you to remotely access your locally stored videos from the included Arlo SmartHub (requires MicroSD card
iDevices Smart Wall Outlet
Take your smart home to the next level with the iDevices Wall Outlet – the only Wi-Fi enabled in-wall outlet featuring HomeKit and Alexa compatibility. With intelligent features such as individual outlet control and energy monitoring, the iDevices Wall Outlet provides powerful functionality anywhere in your home without the need for a central hub or gateway.Â
What to Know Before Buying?
Before buying these devices, you need to know a few things about them. First of all, will it be beneficial for you? If you have a home that does not support a particular device or its preferable environment then the purchase would be wasted. It can be a lock, plug, cleaner, or anything. Then, consider the build quality and durability. If the gadget has a cheap build structure then it will just cost you even more.
Later, you need to consider the sync and overall usages system. The more you can sync, the better experience and safety will be achieved. You are using a smart gadget to reduce your home activities. If the device gives you more trouble then there is no reason behind using them. Lastly, consider the price. These gadgets are not cheap. Even though some of them are pretty cheap, many of them are expensive.
