The Best Smart Home Tech
With most of the world currently stuck at home, people tend to realize that their homes might not be as comfortable to live in as once thought. Fortunately, that’s where technology comes in to improve our home lives with brand new Smart tech that promises to make living at home a smoother and more futuristic experience. There are many smart home product categories, so you can control everything from lights and temperature to locks and security in your home and here are some of our favorites.
Amazon Echo Family
The Amazon Echo is a Bluetooth speaker powered by Alexa, Amazon’s handy voice assistant. Alexa works with a number of smart home devices directly, as well as with If This Then That to control plenty of others via “recipes” you can create yourself. It’ll take some work, but you can use Alexa to control most of the gadgets in your house by the sound of your voice. If you already have a favorite speaker, the inexpensive Echo Dot can connect to it and add Alexa functionality. And if you want a touch screen to see search results and make video calls, check out the Echo Show or Echo Show 5.
Samsung SmartThings Wifi Smart Plug
If you’re looking for an inexpensive way to turn regular, non-connected home appliances into smart home devices then put the Samsung SmartThings Wifi Smart Plug at the top of your list. It’s one of the more affordable smart plugs on the market today, yet offers a few features you usually only find on more expensive plugs including power usage reports, voice control, and flexible scheduling. It also supports various other apps, and it will integrate with other smart devices if you pair it with a SmartThings hub.
Arlo Ultra
Outdoor security cameras have come a long way in recent years and the Arlo Ultra has raised the bar for all outdoor cameras. It’s the first model that streams and records video in true 4K but at $400, it’s also one of the most expensive cameras out there. Yet that price tag does come with some really cool tech including automatic zooming, motion tracking, color night vision, an integrated spotlight and siren, one-click 911 connectivity, a 180-degree field of view, and more. It’s also completely wireless and a snap to install. You’ll have to sign up to one of Arlo’s subscription plans to take advantage of all that the camera has to offer, but it still merits top honors for outdoor security cameras.
Ecobee Smart Thermostat With Voice Control
When one thinks of Smart Devices, your thermostat is probably dead last in that list yet it’s one of the most popular devices to smarten up in 2020. The new Ecobee Smart Thermostat With Voice Control offers enhanced Alexa and multimedia support, more powerful audio components, and dual-band Wi-Fi and that is just a few examples of what this thermostat has to offer. Throw in a user-friendly app, lots of third-party support, and an easy installation process, and you’ve got one of the best smart thermostats you can buy.
Yeelight Smart LED Bulb
The smart light bulb has become quite the competitive market in recent years, with loads of options to choose from but the Yeelight Smart LED Bulb is one of the few that does practically everything. It’s dimmable, offers 16 million colors, and connects to your home network wirelessly, without the need for a hub or bridge. It supports Apple HomeKit, IFTTT, and Alexa, Google, and Siri voice commands, and it’s relatively affordable in comparison to other smart light bulbs. It also offers a user-friendly app that lets you configure lighting effects and create lighting schedules.
Traeger Ironwood 650
We all consider ourselves barbecue masters, each of us has our own unique techniques that creates the perfect barbecuing experience. Yet without a good grill, all those techniques go out the window. Step in the Traeger Ironwood 650, a brand new smart grill that allows removes the worry of things like flare-ups, uneven cooking temperatures, or constantly feeding wood into a smoker. Fuelled by real hardwood pellets, the Wi-Fi-enabled Ironwood 650 can be used for barbecuing, roasting, and smoking, and it’s easy to use. It doesn’t offer all of the features of its bigger sibling, the $2,000 Timberline 1300, but it’s more affordable and still delivers outstanding food.
iRobot Braava Jet m6
Robot vacuums are great, especially if you have a lot of carpeting or throw rugs, but if you have mostly hardwood or tile, you might want to consider a robot mop instead. They don’t get much better than iRobot’s latest, the Braava m6. With long battery life and the ability to cover 1,000 square feet in a session, the m6 is suitable for both apartments and larger homes. And if you have a mess that doesn’t require mopping, that’s okay, because the m6 sweeps too.
Sleep Number 360 Smart Bed
Sleep trackers are a dime a dozen these days, from fitness trackers to smartwatches. Yet arguably the best thing to monitor your sleep is the thing you actually sleep on. At least, that’s the idea behind Sleep Number’s 360 Smart Bed, which incorporates biometric sensors to help you sleep better. You use an app on your smartphone to view your sleep trends and health metrics and to gain insight on how you can sleep better. It’s not cheap though, but if you have the money to spend, the 360 Smart Bed is a comfortable, effective, and highly customizable way to improve your quality of sleep.
Husqvarna Automower 315X
Sweden-based Husqvarna is no strangers to outdoor appliances and the company offers a variety of robot lawn mowers for yards of all shapes and sizes. The Automower 315X is a high-end, feature-packed robot lawnmower that works with a well-designed mobile app that lets you use your phone to start and stop the mower, monitor its progress, create schedules, and see where it’s been on a map of your property. Its user-friendly programming options, outstanding cutting performance, and quiet operation make it the best on the market at the moment.