Smart home gadgets provide convenience and energy savings, automating and protecting your house while also giving you control through voice command technology such as Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri.
Smart plugs provide an efficient and economical way to connect appliances such as kettles, lamps and older TVs while monitoring energy use and notifying you if something has been left on. But, remember you do not get all gadgets covered by insurance policies. Read more about this here: home warranty vs homeowners insurance.
1. Graywind Motorized Shades
Motorized shade kits allow any traditional window covering to become smart, giving you control via apps and voice command. These kits are ideal for people who don’t wish to replace existing blinds, or renters who may not be able to modify current window treatments.
Graywind offers a two-year warranty on motors and controls, along with long-term complimentary technical support plans at additional costs.
Motor packs from Blinds.com work seamlessly with standard blinds featuring beaded chains, making it simple to retrofit them into any home. Controlled via free app or third-party hubs like Alexa or Google Assistant (though for latter two you’ll require a bridge), their battery motor lasts six months between charges.
2. Nest Protect
The best smart home gadgets make life simpler by automating, protecting and cleaning up the home. From thermostats that track energy usage to locks that sync up with smartphones and bulbs that set the mood – they all help make living your best life simpler.
Google’s Nest Protect monitors for smoke and carbon monoxide emissions, alerting you of danger with a clear, human voice and pinpointing where an emergency situation exists. In addition, smartphone alerts and checking its battery status via app notifications are also provided. Designed by former Apple engineer Tony Fadell, its sleek profile blends in well with ceilings while appearing more like an audio speaker than traditional smoke detector. A ring of light pulses different colors to communicate its status: red means emergency; yellow warns; green indicates everything’s fine.
3. Amazon Smart Plug
There are countless smart plug options out there, but Amazon’s smart plug stands out as one of the best. It integrates well with Alexa and works without needing a hub – its app lets you control any appliance plugged in – from lamps to appliances. Furthermore, timed routines could enable activation of devices at 8 am for coffee-maker use or switch on lights in basement or garage at dusk for added security.
While this product does not support IFTTT or energy monitoring, if you already have Alexa-enabled home and want an inexpensive way to remotely control devices from anywhere within your household, this plug may be worth considering. Furthermore, sharing control with family or other household members makes the plug even more accessible.
4. Philips Hue
Philips Hue is widely recognized as being at the forefront of smart lighting adoption, boasting one of the best apps, third-party integration capabilities and physical controls in its class. Plus, it integrates easily with other home systems such as HomeKit, IFTTT and Alexa for seamless integration into smart homes.
As well as bulbs, wall lamps and light strips, there is also an impressive range of lights to choose from such as bulbs, wall lamps and light strips. You can create your own scenes by selecting presets from photos in the app and creating your own scenes by picking presets from pictures in the app. In addition, remote control is supported via this app with wake-up/sleep routines that gradually increase or dim light over time to help wake you up/put you to bed more easily. There are even accessories like the self-powered Philips Hue Tap/physical switches which give users access to presets without using their smartphone – providing instantaneous access without any hassles!
5. TP-Link Smart Bulbs
TP-Link’s Kasa (or Tapo as it’s commonly known) product line of smart plugs, cameras and bulbs is easily controlled from your smartphone without needing an intermediary hub. They connect securely to Wi-Fi networks and work with various voice assistants including Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa and Samsung SmartThings but not Apple HomeKit.
These bulbs are easy to set up and you can do most of your configuration via the Kasa app for iOS or Android. You can even set a “Good Morning” scene that automatically turns on lights at a set brightness level every morning as an alarm clock!
But unlike its Zigbee counterparts, these bulbs cannot be controlled with Alexa and their app is somewhat inflexible when it comes to scheduling and are more costly than comparable LED options with similar features.
