Back to blog categoriesSet Up These Smart Home Devices For A Cozier, Less Complicated Life
Apr 27, 2021
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Unlike the limited features and control you have from traditional home appliances, smart home devices open a door of possibilities for you and your place. Aside from their reliability and attractive features, having a complete smart home system is also a great way to save energy and money in the long run.
If you're planning to update your current devices, read along for some great recommendations!
Best Smart Speaker
Apart from playing your favorite music, these devices can do a lot of different things! From answering questions, setting timers and alarms, to controlling other smart devices in your home, smart speakers are an excellent addition to your home for a better way of living.
Amazon Echo Studio
Here's a smart speaker that will provide some good-sounding audio without breaking your wallet.
Amazon's best smart speaker yet, Echo Studio has it all. With multi-purpose features, flexibility, and affordable price, it ticks all the boxes you're looking for in a smart speaker. Aside from smart home and assistant tech, it has smart audio considerations and audio effects for an even better listening experience.
Sonos One
Opt for a third-party speaker like Sonos One! Sure, it's no Amazon or Google, but they both have Alexa and Google Assistant built-in, which means you get the best of both! It has a clean design, multi-room smarts, and great sound performance.
If you still need some convincing, its latest feature, AirPlay 2, allows Sonos One to talk to Siri and form a multi-room pairing with the Apple HomePod.
Best smart lighting
Easy to set up and install, smart lighting gives you the ability to control your home's lighting using your phone and voice. You can change the tone, brightness, and even the color to your liking.
Philips Hue
One of the top things you should consider when turning your place into a smart home is to bid your light bulbs goodbye and switch to smart lighting. While there are plenty of options out there, Philips Hue is one of the best with its wide range of smart bulbs to offer, with the lights producing the most natural tones.
If you opt to switch to Philips Hue, you will need a Philips Bridge unless you get the newer kits that have Bluetooth.
It's reliable and compatible with numerous standards and home control systems like Apple, Samsung SmartThings, Nest, and more. Choices are also regularly updated, including its latest additions, Philips Hue Play Light Bar, which creates unique lighting effects to enhance your movie and game experience.
Nanoleaf Light Panels
If you want lighting that matches your mood, music, and style, Nanoleaf Light Panels is your perfect choice.
The Nanoleaf Light Panels isn't your ordinary light bulb. Instead, it uses several triangular panels to create a dynamic shape on your wall or ceiling, depending on where you want to put them. These panels can shift through over 16 million different colors, and to top it all off, it has a Rhythm Module that can respond to audio cues.
Best security cameras
You and your family's security should be top priority at all times. Setting up a smart security camera for both inside and outside your home is essential to keep track of everything that's going on in your home, especially when you're away.
Unlike basic security cameras, smart cameras use both cloud storage and a real-time video feed so you can check on your place whenever and wherever you are.
Anker Eufycam 2
Perhaps the smart best camera to get your hands on this year for its affordability and decent features. Despite not providing 24/7 monitoring, it doesn't require a monthly subscription.
It has a 365-day battery life and an IP67 rating making it an ideal outdoor camera because it's almost completely weatherproof. If you're worried about someone else accessing your clips, it stores all of its encoded clips directly to the BaseStation, so your clips' privacy is safe and secure.
Arlo Go
If you're sick of installing a standard, wired security camera around your house, this portable and wireless camera is for you.
It's IP65-certified waterproof and unlike most security cameras that work using WiFi, Arlo Go works using a 4G LTE signal, a convenient feature because it means it can work as long as there's mobile coverage in the area.
Best smart plugs and switches
Switches and plugs may be one of the least exciting smart home devices to buy, but your smart home will function even better with these devices. They can help you with many things, including controlling your appliances, setting schedules, and helping you save on energy consumption.
Belkin WeMo Insight
Aside from controlling your smart home devices, the Belking WeMO Insight Smart Plug also allows you to keep track of your energy consumption! This is one of the best ways to save energy as it gives information about your energy use plus an estimate on how much you're spending on energy through the WeMo Insight app. You can also use the app to connect to other services like Alexa, Google Assistant, Samsung SmartThings, and more.
Ikea TRÅDFRI Wireless Control Outlet
Budget-friendly and simple to use, Ikea's TRÅDFRI Wireless Control Outlet gives you options to control it via an app, operate it manually or program it to work on a schedule.
Best smart locks
The use of smart security is becoming more popular recently. Apart from being effective and secure, doors just look sleeker when it's installed.
August Smart Lock Pro
One of the most in-demand smart locks on the market today, the August Smart Lock Pro boasts incredible design, with deadbolts that look exactly like the one on the exterior. With the August app, you can always check if your door is locked. The device also automatically unlocks when you're at least 20-30 feet near your door for easy access.
The lock automatically bolts into place once you leave the house, and if you're still worried about leaving it open, you can always check your smartphone again to make sure. Other notable features include:
- Keyless codes you can send to your visitors.
- The ability to track who's coming in and out of your house.
- The ability to control the device the voice assistant of your choices like Siri or Alexa.
Brisant Secure Ultion SMART Lock
This smart lock's appeal comes from its traditional design that conveniently fits any house. It's packed with great features such as voice-activation, geo-locking, and compatibility with Apple Watch that you can use as the key. It's compatible with a wireless keypad for PIN access, making it a great option for home rental owners.
