If you have decided to buy best smart home product, but you are a beginner and do not know where to start, this guide is for you. In this article we will recommend 5 smart gadgets for those approaching the smart home universe for the first time. A connected and smart home, thanks to the growth of the Internet of Things, has become within everyone’s reach and the advantages in terms of comfort and energy saving are evident. If a few years ago thinking of a smart home brought to mind futuristic scenarios, nowadays more and more users are teased by the idea, encouraged by the lower prices and ease of configuration.
However, approaching this world, especially if you are a beginner, could be complicated, especially due to the wide choice on the market. The prices of these devices are very different (from a few euros to several hundred) and choosing the right item to get started is not that simple. However, there are some products or types of products that should not be missing in a self-respecting smart home. These can function, in a certain sense, as a basis and forerunners for the possible future expansion of the smart home. Before spending a fortune on new appliances and devices, it is therefore good to “experiment” and fully understand the potential of the home automation home.
Here are the 6 Best Smart Home Products to get started with home automation.
1. Philips Hue Starter Kit
One of the most popular categories from which to start building your connected home is definitely lighting. The advantages of an intelligent lighting system are easy said: remotely controlling the lights in your home, monitoring the consumption of light bulbs and customizing the lights according to the time of day are just some of the benefits of purchasing these products. In addition, of course, to the possibility of inserting lighting within a wider system of connected products and making it interact with them synergistically.
The market offers a large number of low-cost products, even of good quality, but the queen product series is definitely Philips Hue. The bulbs can emit both white and colored light, with a range of up to 16 million customizable colors. In addition, it is possible to create customized sets and choose the right atmosphere for different moments. For example, you can set a preset of soft and warm lights for a dinner or more lively and animated lights for a birthday party.
Very interesting is the possibility of synchronizing the Hue system with the audio of the music you are listening to or the movie you are watching. In this way, the lights will follow the sound, for a more engaging experience.
Remote control takes place via the Hue app for smartphones or tablets. In addition, thanks to the official compatibility with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, it will be possible to control the lights using your voice and insert them into the so-called routines. By saying “Alexa, goodnight” or “OK Google goodnight”, for example, you can turn off the lights and lower the blinds at the same time.
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2. Meross smart plug
Alongside lighting, the other large category of products from which to start building your smart home is certainly that of smart sockets or smart plugs. The latter are nothing more than sockets connected to the home WiFi network and remotely controllable via smartphone or tablet. Thanks to smart plugs you can transform a non-intelligent appliance into a completely smart product. For example, you can remotely turn on and off the coffee machine, the lamps, the fan or any other current device. Also in this case the market is full of offers, even at extremely competitive prices. Accomplice a large number of Chinese brands that have invaded the stores with their products.
One of the most popular and loved products in the category is certainly the Meross smart plug. Thanks to the extremely competitive price, ease of use and compatibility with different voice assistants, this product has gradually established itself as one of the best-selling smart plugs on Amazon. The functions are the classic ones of a smart plug: switching appliances on and off, planning and creating predefined scenarios. The product described in this article includes two smart plugs: you can therefore start with two electrical appliances and test their potential, before eventually buying others and remotely control all the appliances you have at home.
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3. Amazon Echo Dot
One of the trends that have taken off all over the world is that of voice control of your smart home. This was made possible thanks to the launch of smart speakers like Google Home and Amazon Echo. Smart speakers are speakers with an artificial intelligence installed that can respond to our voice commands. In the case of Amazon’s Echo devices, this artificial intelligence is called Alexa.
Amazon Echo Dot is the mini version of the classic Amazon Echo speaker. Very compact and can be positioned anywhere, it is the preferable choice if you intend to experiment with the features of assistance and voice control. The substantial difference with the “traditional” model lies in the equipment from the audio point of view. Given the smaller size, the Echo Dot’s sound quality is inferior. On the contrary, the smart features are identical. Echo Dot is not a speaker for listening to music, but a great choice for those who want to start, or who intend to install an Echo speaker system in a room that is not too large.
The number of possibilities offered by this product are truly endless. In addition to asking for information on news, weather and traffic and receiving an answer from the voice assistant, you can set up a real home automation system that can be controlled by voice. Just connect a specific smart device (socket, light bulb) compatible with the Alexa app to control it by voice. The operation of Alexa is based on the so-called skills, or capabilities. Brands of household appliances and smart appliances are slowly developing and releasing dedicated skills, in order to make their products compatible. This means that the Alexa system will improve over time, thanks to software updates and skills developed by third-party brands.
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4. Broadlink universal remote control
To make your home smarter, you don’t necessarily need to spend a fortune. Like smart sockets, there are in fact several low-cost products capable of “transforming” our appliances and making them smart.
If the appliance in question is equipped with an infrared remote control, the best choice is certainly to purchase a universal remote control such as Broadlink RM PRO +. This small device has become a real must have in DIY home automation, thanks above all to the ease of use and the range of possibilities offered. The dedicated app will “clone” and replace your remote controls so you can simply access them from your smartphone. You will no longer have remote controls scattered around the house and the control can be managed completely remotely. The most common uses of the Broadlink RM PRO + are certainly the air conditioner, TV, and stereo system, but it doesn’t stop there. In fact, this version is also able to clone radio remote controls, for example that of the gate or motorized shutters.
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5. Netatmo by Starck thermostat
With winter approaching, managing the temperature within your home becomes essential. In fact, if we calculate the expenses of a household, a large percentage is allocated to the costs for heating. Often high costs are due to outdated systems, poor thermal insulation and not responsible use. One of the best ways to break these down is to buy a smart WiFi thermostat.
The thermostat selected is the popular Netatmo by Starck, named after the French architect who designed the product. With the Netatmo thermostat you can analyze your consumption through periodic reports, program the device and set its operation based on your daily habits. Access to data and device control can be done from wherever you are, thanks to the Netatmo Energy app for smartphones and tablets. Furthermore, you will be able to receive notifications in the event of a malfunction of the heating system.
Thanks to its ease of configuration and installation, but also from its reliability, this product soon established itself as one of the most popular in its category and bestseller on Amazon.
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6. Arlo Security Camera
Last but not least, let’s talk about the security cameras. In this case, in addition to quality, an element that in other cases was marginal must be taken into consideration: Amazon and Google have different products that are not compatible with their respective competitors. This means that Arlo is the best solution to date as it has a huge ecosystem, solutions ranging from FULL HD to 4K and excellent service. The top 4K ranges are also very expensive.
Before purchasing a security camera, check your ADSL line. It makes no sense to buy a 2K camera if you have a 20 mega ADSL: you will never be able to see at full resolution.
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Conclusion:
This guide aims to be a starting point, a selection of the best brands and the best ecosystems to be able to configure your Smart Home in a simple, fast way and always have an effective and reliable control system. Then there are many other brands and as many products that you could add and that will allow you to also control gates, doors, locks and maybe your home automation bells.
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