With technology continuing to be a growing presence in every aspect of life, the home is no exception especially as new technology becomes available. And new technology is not just a cool gadget — it is also built for functionality in and around the house and office.
Homeowners are continuously presented with a versatile selection of new systems to turn your average home into a smart hub, and setting this up can be as basic as putting a smart speaker in your living room, or as complex as an intricate network of connected devices. Really, making a smart home is up to you, and you can personalize it to your level of comfort.
Whether you want to simply beautify your home or tighten your security, there are clever new technology gadgets that can help you achieve your goals in no time, but wading the waters of smart home products, which fall into dozens of categories, can be daunting. That’s why we’ve curated a list of the best products around.
Here’s our roundup of the top new tech that will elevate your home in the new year.
Smart Thermostat: Nest Learning Thermostat
$249 at Nest.com
Standard programmable thermostats save energy only if they are programmed correctly. Studies have shown that most residential users never program them, or they use the home function to override the programming. According to a 2010 survey from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 89% of respondents rarely or never used their programmable thermostats to set any sort of program. Are you included in this large percentage? Good news, you can save energy with a smart thermostat.
The Nest Learning Thermostat adapts as the seasons change and learns your preferred temperatures throughout the day. Shortly after installation, the temperature settings will acclimatize according to your preferences — for example, cool at night as you hop into bed and a warm 72 degrees in the morning before your cup of coffee. And, when you head to work, Nest uses your phone’s location to determine if you’ve left and enters eco mode, saving energy and reducing your bills by up to 15%.
Smart Thermostat (On A Budget): Nest Thermostat E
$169 at Nest.com
When you think of the “smart thermostat,” most people think of the Nest Learning Thermostat, mentioned above. That’s because Nest was among the first companies to combine machine learning with heating and cooling your home, and has since been hailed the best smart thermostat manufacturer. However the Learning Thermostat might be out of a lot of peoples’ budgets. That is why Nest has come back with their new, more affordable take on the smart thermostat with the Nest Thermostat E.
The Nest Thermostat E proves that you don’t have to shell out a ton of cash for a smart thermostat. It does away with a few of the more unnecessary features, but it keeps the majority of the smarts and saves you a whole lot of money.
If the Nest Thermostat E is compatible with your setup and you don’t care about the lack of Farsight, which lights up the Learning Thermostat’s display to show you information when the thermostat detects you’re nearby, then the Thermostat E it an excellent option.
Smart Security: Sengled Smart LED Floodlight
$149.99 at Sengled.com
Alarm systems years ago were inconvenient, confusing, and even a bit of a hassle to deal with. Luckily, home security systems have come a LONG way over the years. In fact, they have become much smarter, making your home become much easier and much more convenient. Whether you’re out on vacation, at work, or even just running errands, the right security system can make ALL the difference in keeping your home and loved ones safe.
The Sengled Smart LED Floodlight includes Wi-Fi and a built-in camera complete with night vision and motion detection. You can get an alert on your phone when any motion is detected and monitor your home from anywhere using the compatible app. In addition, the lightbulb comes equipped with a built-in microphone and speaker, so you can two-way talk with family and look out for your pets.
The best part about this system? It won’t break your budget.
Smart Plug: The Belkin WeMo Insight Smart Plug
$49.99 @ belkin.com
The smart plug is more than just a way to control devices plugged into it. It’s also a way to monitor your energy usage, and get estimates on how much powering certain devices in your home is going to cost. Our pick for the best smart plug goes to the Belkin WeMo Insight Smart Plug.
This plug is great if you’re trying to save some money and be a bit more energy conscious. While it is a bit on the bulky side, you may be able to live with it for all the dollars/pounds you save on your monthly energy bill. It also comes with a compatible app so you can control it from your phone.
It also connects to wide range of smart home platforms, from IFTTT, Alexa, Google Assistant, Nest and Samsung SmartThings.
Smart Lock: August Smart Lock
$149 – $279 at August.com
Keyless entry to your home is gaining popularity for increased security and ease of use (not to mention, all those times we accidentally misplace our keys), and smart lock brand August offers that access with its total control home lock system. The August Smart Lock allows users to lock or unlock their home from anywhere at any time via the smartphone app. The lock’s step-up option, Smart Lock Pro, can even be voice activated, compatible with Siri, Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant.
And while there are plenty of smart locks out there designed to completely replace your old lock in favor of a keypad or new keyhole, some people want to keep the ability to use their older keys.
That is where August comes out on top with the August Smart Lock Pro, which fits onto your existing deadbolt and allows you to keep using your old key when you (or your landlord) wants to, while still adding the benefits of a smarter lock.
Though not cheap, it is hailed by many as the best manufacturer of these smart locks, and for good reason.
Smart Doorbell: Nest Hello
$229 at Nest.com
In addition to its home climate control technology, Nest offers excellent home security options as well, including its smart doorbell— Say hello to the Nest Hello.
Residents using Nest Hello have 24/7 access to high-definition video streaming from their doorstep. The camera in the doorbell has night vision for when it’s dark out, 160-degree views and visitor detection alerts. The smart doorbell also includes a speaker and microphone that allows you to speak to people at your door without having to be there. You also have the option to prerecord messages, look back at previous footage and receive special detection alerts and visuals for visitors and packages. Not bad for a doorbell, right?
Smart Smoke Detector: Nest Protect
$119 @ nest.com
Nest doesn’t just make great smart thermostats and doorbells: it also offers smoke alarms that can connect to the rest of your smart home. The Nest Protect looks great with its new re-design and offers great connectivity through Wi-Fi and IFTTT.
The Nest Protect will alert you if there’s a fire, even if you’re on the other side of the world. The accompanying app is well designed and easy to use, too – though hopefully, you’ll never need it. It even has a Split-Spectrum Sensor and tests itself automatically. Nest also guarantees your smoke detector will last up to a decade, making the $119 more than worth it.
Smart Sleep: Wellnest Lumi
Preorder for 50% off at wellnestgroup.com
Did you know that you can even use technology to improve your sleep? Wellnest’s Lumi is a smart sleep light that combines sleep tracking technology (a motion tracking belt) with a smart wake-up light to facilitate users into both a comfortable sleep and a well-rested, on time wakeup. The typical blue/white light emitted by screens on our cell phones, computers, tablets, and televisions restrain the production of melatonin, the hormone that controls your circadian rhythm, or your sleep/wake rhythm. Reducing melatonin makes it harder to fall and stay asleep. But on the flip side, red light, like the one used in the Lumi light, stimulates melatonin production, and thus aid you fall asleep easier and deeper.
By way of the Wellnest Lumi app, users can see the tracked data on nearly every aspect of their sleep: number of tosses and turns, number of breaks, heart rate, sleep duration, and more. This data is stored so users can understand their sleep pattern and learn how adjust their routines to optimize how they sleep.
Smart Dog: SpotOn
$1,495 at spotoncollar.com
Imagine where you and your dog could go together if you could make any location as safe as your own backyard. The good news for our furry friends is that, you can! After all, why should smart home technology be limited to us humans? SpotOn aims to keep our four-legged family members safe with its virtual fence and dog training collar. The SpotOn Collar technology uses satellite-based perimeters to allow owners to set a specific “fenced in” area for their pets. The collar then contains and tracks the pets. This piece is as portable and as important as your pets.
Though this one is a pricey investment, we all can agree that our furry family members are worth it.
Smart Irrigation: Orbit B-Hyve
$99 @ https://bhyve.orbitonline.com/
While smart irrigation systems may not necessarily be something new in the budding green industry, it’s no secret that these types of technological tools are becoming more prevalent when it comes to landscaping. According to online survey research collected from Orbit, almost 70% of Americans claim they know how long they should water their lawn, but the report shows that the same group drastically underestimates how much water they use when irrigating.
Orbit’s B-Hyve Smart Irrigation System helps you water smarter by is adapting your lawn’s watering needs based on the surrounding climate, thanks in part to its WeatherSense technology that receives local weather data and automatically adjusts watering times and amounts accordingly. The B-Hyve gives you total freedom to control it via its app from anywhere you need to be. Save time, money and water with the best smart irrigation device on the market in 2019.
Smart Speaker: Amazon Echo 2nd Generation
$99.99 @ amazon.com
Amazon’s original Alexa-powered speaker became the first smart home product for millions of people around the world. This sequel is even better— and we’ll tell you why. It’s affordable, especially compared to the smart speaker systems on the market today. It’s stylish, with new fabric finishes to fit within the interior design of your home. And Amazon is constantly upgrading and updating Alexa, especially now that so many alternatives on the market are directly competing with the Echo speaker family.
The Echo 2nd gen assimilates with your Amazon account, after which you can ask it to do a seemingly endless amount of things like order food, set alarms, turn on lights, read the news, make phone calls and, of course, control your other smart home devices – making it a super useful addition to your smart home devices list.
Smart Lighting: Philips Hue
Starter Kit on sale for $159.99 @ https://www2.meethue.com/en-us
Smart lighting is actually surprisingly helpful and does some pretty amazing things: turn off when you leave the house, turn on when you come home, make lights warmer or cooler throughout the day, flash to notify you of events or new information and even change colors, making lighting even more useful than normal. Our top pick of all the smart bulbs on the market is the Philips Hue White and Color Ambience Kit.
The Philips Hue bulbs can adjust to over 16 million different colors, transforming your home into the perfect party venue, bringing a bedtime story to life, and much more. As far as the white lights go, users can utilize over 50,000 shades of warm to cool white light to put them in the mood to work, play, or relax — no matter what time of day it is. Users can start their mornings off on the right foot with cool, energizing bright white light, or settle down for the night with golden tones. They can even program the lights to turn off and on to their personal settings automatically with the mobile app, no matter where they might be.
