Wildcatters Guide to Smart Home Products for Beginners:
The past few years have seen enormous advances in smart home technology, but the reality is that this new trend is still in its infancy. Constant advancements in machine learning and artificial intelligence not only make for infinite possibilities of what can be dreamed up and achieved, but also make these products more accessible to larger consumer bases.
These advances in smart home technology are designed and marketed as a way to make our lives easier and more convenient, but they have the added benefit of saving us money by making our energy usage more efficient. All you need to do is connect your devices to wifi and you’ll be able to start your air conditioner ten minutes before you get home, set your outdoor flood lights to turn off at the same time every night, or even check to make sure you really did turn off the coffeepot before you left home for the day.
Speakers
Amazon’s Echo (Alexa) and Google Home are the top products in terms of smart speakers. Not only do they act as handy portable speakers for your favorite music, they can connect to countless other apps and devices via wifi for total integration of your smart products. The included voice recognition software allows you to set alarms, access your personal playlists, turn off lights, and even answer simple questions like the current temperature or local movie times. While there are several similar products out there, none really compare to the capabilities and ease of use of these top two products by Amazon and Google. The voice activation software allows you to control everything without having to pick up your phone, but if you don’t like the idea of having a microphone listening to your every word, the good news is that the rest of the products described here can be used without it just by connecting to wifi and smartphone.
Thermostats
Smart thermostats are one of the best ways to save money and energy in your home. With these products, you can monitor and control the temperature of your home from anywhere in the world – turn up the AC from the comfort of your own bed or make sure the heaters off from your hotel across the world. By far and away the top contender in this category is the brand new ecobee4. This newly updated product has countless settings or can be completely customized, it comes with room sensors to automatically manage hot and cold spots, and is equipped with a speaker and built in Amazon Alexa voice-enabled technology. This means that not only will it fit seamlessly into your repertoire of smart products, but that you will be able to set a timer, read the news, or order groceries from your thermostat when Alexa is in another room.
Lights
One of the most convenient new products out there are smart lights. Especially useful in larger homes, these wifi connected bulbs will allow you to set timers and control your lights from any room in (or out!) of the house. Instead of doing your nightly walk-through to turn off the indoor and outdoor lights, manage it all from your own bed. Dim the lights from the couch on movie night. Even set your lights on timers to come on randomly while you are away on vacation or automatically when the doorbell rings. The possibilities here end endless! While most kits and bulbs work with many smart products, the best bet to you get started is probably a kit from Philips Hue. Or, if you’re feeling adventurous, the Lifx Color 1000 is a solid option with a rainbow of color options all in one bulb.
Outlets
For universal convenience, a good set of smart outlet adaptors will certainly enhance your everyday life. They work just like regular outlets but have the added benefit of wifi capabilities, meaning you can control any equipped outlet with your smartphone or speaker. Set up a timer to get the coffee going as soon as your alarm rings in the morning so it’s ready by the time you get to the kitchen. Make sure your house doesn’t burn down from a forgotten hair iron. The outlets can also save energy by making sure everything is turned off when you’re out of town and automatically shutting off appliances after a period of inactivity. The Belkin WeMo Insight Switch heads the pack in this category – it integrates seamlessly with the rest of your smart technology and even tracks your usage to provide insights for energy and money savings.
Security Cameras
For those needing a bit of extra security for their newly outfitted smart homes, look no further than the Kuna Toucan outdoor camera. This product is perfect for beginners as it’s easy to setup and has a very low overall maintenance. The camera comes with an included smart light bulb adaptor, meaning there won’t be any batteries to replace or cords to hide. HD video, automatic alerts and motion sensor, cloud storage, and two-way talking capabilities are just a few of the features that make this one of the best. Connect to the app with your own smartphone and you’re ready to go!