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Entering the world of smart homes and devices can be intimidating. There are numerous smart home systems and devices to choose from — whether you’re looking at smart speakers or touchscreen hubs, the whole thing can easily become overwhelming. But here’s the thing: once you get started, you’ll be hooked. And before too long, you’ll be turning on the lights and making coffee with a single command, or unlocking a door with a press of a touchscreen.
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Looking beyond your phone and your AirPodsTo help you wade through all of the devices out there, we put together this sort of choose-your-own-adventure guide. Almost all of these devices are compatible with one another, so based on your own needs and preferences you can find the right pieces to make your home ten times smarter.
Designing your smart home
Pick your smart hub and ecosystem
The first big decision you’ll have to make when setting up your smart home is which ecosystem you want to go with. You’ll be deciding between the big three: Apple, Amazon and Google. From there, you’ll have to pick the hub you’re going to go with. Think of the hub as the control panel for the entire house. They come in the forms of speakers or touchpads, and they allow you to control everything in your smart home. Here are our favorites.
Use smart plugs to make your old devices more intelligent
Once you’ve decided on your hub and ecosystem, it’s time to give your old devices new life. Smart plugs, which connect to Wifi and then your hub, will plug right into the wall socket. It essentially turns any normal device into a smart device. Use them for lamps, your TV and plenty more.
Control the temp with a smart thermostat
At face value a smart thermostat is simple. They allow you to control the temperature in your home with a simple voice command or by using your phone. They also detect when you’re home and will set the temperature based on your schedule. Let’s say you have a gym in the basement and you workout around 6PM every evening — you can lower the temperature for an amount of time that feels more comfortable, and then the thermostat will readjust after your workout. They also look sleek — a drastic improvement over the old beige circular dials and rectangular boxes that we used in the past to control the temperature. Here are our favorite smart thermostats for keeping your home cool (or hot) with ease.
Control the lights without a switch
Even if you’ve converted your old lamps into smart devices via smart plugs, grabbing some smart lights is a wise choice. Not only can smart home lights be paired with smart security systems, some also have interesting color effects and others have great control over dimming. With routines, you can have them turn on or off automatically, and you can turn them off from your phone if you go out and realize you left them on.
Embrace smart security
From doorbells to security monitors to smart locks, there are tons of ways to make your home security system smarter. And not only does it allow you to have total control over the security of your home, it works in tandem with other smart devices. For example, when you unlock the door, the lights can turn on at the same time. It’s a small feature, but it adds some peace of mind. Here are some smart security essentials.
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