The ability to control nearly every aspect of your house from the touch of a button or the sound of your voice is finally here. Smart home automation not only introduces a new sense of convenience in your life, but a sense of security with top of the line security cameras, wi-fi locks, and doorbells with cameras among other devices. Smart home technology can also help save you money with smart sprinklers, smart thermostats, and smart lights that adapt to your living habits. There are smart home devices for every aspect of your house and that is why we have created a list of the best smart technology for every purpose.
Smart home hubs and controllers
Amazon Echo: Echo connects to Alexa to play music, make calls, set music alarms and timers, ask questions, control smart home devices, and more at the sound of your voice. Echo is compatible with most other smart home hubs so that there is a web of interconnectivity within your homes. Echo is praised for its room filling speakers and ability to steam music from online among its other 50,000+ skills.
Wink Hub 2:The second version of the Wink Hub has improved 5GHz Wi-Fi and seamless pairing processes with new devices. Furthermore, the Wink Hub 2 supports more wireless protocols than any other hub, giving it an advantage over the Echo. This hub also supports the Amazon Alexa voice control commands which gives it the power to do just about anything. If home automation is your end goal, then the Wink Hub 2 is a no brainer.
iHome iSP6X SmartPlug: If you are looking for a simpler smart home device that is less invasive than a hub, try the iHome iSP6X SmartPlug that plugs straight into an outlet. This device works best for those who don’t want to control the whole house, but just a few appliances. Plug in any device directly into the iHome iSP6X, such as a living room light, and then control it from your smartphone. The iSP6X has an app where you can program what time you would like your appliances to turn on and off, or you could control the status of the appliance manually anytime as long as you have wifi.
Smart home lights
Philips Hue Family: These smart lights for your house work harmoniously with Alexa, IFTTT (If this, then that), and Siri which you can obviously control with the sound of your voice. What sets it apart from other smart lights is not only your ability to control whether the lights are on or off, but also your ability to control the intensity AND the color of the light. The Philips Hue bulbs can be synced with your alarm to help wake you up in the morning as well your music. The app also comes with certain features such as selectable themes such as “Christmas” and “Disco”. If you are not interested in colorful lights then the simplest version of Philips Hue light kit comes with white light bulbs and the hub. However, you can also add a motion sensor for $40 which will switch lights on when it detects motion and turn them off if no motion is detected.
Wiz: Wiz claims that these smart LED bulbs offer an 80% energy saving over traditional bulbs as a result of the wide range of IFTTT applets with which Wiz is compatible. Wiz can be controlled through voice commands as well as through its app and it does not require a hub. Wiz also has a vacation mode which turns your lights on and off at certain times of the day to make it look like someone is home.
Eufy Lumos Smart Bulb White and Color: If you are looking for a lower cost smart lighting system, then Eufy might be the right option for you. Although it lacks compatibility with third-party systems, it still has a selection of over 16 millions colors, and is supported by voice commands via Alexa and Google Assistant. Another bonus is the Eufy system doesn’t require a hub.
Smart home cameras and doorbells
Nest Hello: Arlo Q: The Arlo Q has excellent equality video with 1080 pixels, day and night, as well as superb motion detection and 2-way audio. The Arlo is also equipped with an 130º lens and will send you an alert whenever it detects movement or sound. Lastly, this home security camera works well with other smart home devices such as Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT.
Honeywell SkyBell Trim: The Honeywell Skybell Trim smart doorbell has pretty much all of the same features as the Arlo Q, however, it has a wider field of view with an 180º lens. This smart doorbell is also dust and water resistant in order to keep the lens clear to see who is at your door. The SkyBell can also store up to 500MB of video.
iSmartAlarm iCamera Keep Pro: This full-featured home security camera works both indoors as a standalone device or outdoors with the iSmartAlarm. The camera has 1080p image sensor, motion and sound detection, and mechanical pan and tilt, time-lapse and a motion-tracking feature that allows the cameras to track a person around a room. This cameras also comes with free cloud storage, an SD card slot for local storage and IFTTT integration.
Smart Heating
Ecobee4: The Ecobee4 is the top of the line for smart home heating due to its sleek design, ease of use, and sensors that help detect and reduce hot or cold spots in rooms. The Ecobee4 is compatible with Amazon so voice commands can control the device and it also doubles as an additional speaker.
Nest Learning Thermostat: After installing this Google-owned smart home device, you will manually control the thermostat for the first few days so that the device can learn your heating and cooling preferences and habits. After a few days, the device will take over in order to lower your energy usage, and save you money.
Smart Lawn
Rachio 3 Smart Sprinkler Controller: The Rachio 3 can pinpoint the weather to within a 36-foot radius of your home so that it can adjust its scheduling based on the forecast ultimately saving you money. This smart watering system can control water in up to 16 zones in your yard. For $50 more you can purchase the water flow meter which attaches to your pipes and can detect signs of a leak due to changes in flow.
Husqvarna Automower 315x: This sweden-based automatic lawn mower is synced with an app allowing the user to turn the mower on and off, monitor the progress, create a schedule and view a map of the route it has taken on your property. The Automower is perfect for yards up to .4 acres and can tackle obstacles, tight spaces, and slopes. Lastly, the Automower is water resistance so it can mow your lawn in the rain. With great convenience comes a premium price of $1,999.95, making this the most expensive smart home device on our list.