Science
12 Smart Home Items You Can't Pass Up
Soon we’ll be living in full-on smart homes (hopefully different than this one), and talking to just about every piece of furniture and device we own. The shower will get warmer when you ask it to, the window will close based on the schedule you set, your oven will automatically cook you dinner out of whatever ingredients you put into it. OK, maybe not to the last one. But you get the picture, smart products are taking over and that’s not a bad thing.
Many of these items, whether it be an automatic vacuum or thermostat, are there to make your life a little bit easier. After all, who looks forward to dirty floors or a freezing cold home when they get out of work? No one, that’s who.
Hopefully one day we’ll be able to say “Alexa, take out the garbage.” But until then, a reasonably-priced smart TV, video doorbell and nutrition-tracking blender should do the job. It’s time to take advantage of holiday deals, so below, find 12 products that you can’t pass up.
Ring Video Doorbell
Whether you’re home or not, you’ll automatically receive a notification if someone is ringing your doorbell or triggering a sensor. Even more, you can speak to guests or use the Ring Video Doorbell as a camera to watch over your property.
Price: $199
Toshiba Smart LED TV
Toshiba’s Fire TV combines all of your favorite streaming apps with live shows and premium channels. It comes with a Voice remote so you can ask Alexa to turn up the volume, switch off the TV, find new movies and more.
Price: $329.99
Philips Hue LED Smart Bulb
You know that moment when you’re extremely comfortable and warm in bed and then remember you have to get up to turn off the light? That’s what smart bulbs are for. Either use the app or ask Alexa to turn on, off or dim any of these bulbs.
Price: $49.94
NutriBullet Balance Smart Blender
NutriBullet Balance tracks the nutritional value of your smoothie as you add ingredients. Through the app you can track goals and find hundreds of recipes to make.
Price: $129.93
Sonos Beam
The Sonos Beam allows you to watch TV or listen to music with impeccable sound. Plus, it’s compatible with Alexa, so you can easily ask her to turn whatever it is you want to hear on.
Price: $399
Nest Learning Thermostat
In addition to being able to control the temperature in your house with your smartphone or with Alexa, Nest’s Learning Thermostat uses sensors to note when you aren’t home and adjusts to save energy.
Price: $204
PetSafe Automatic Feeder
You can’t forget your pets when upgrading to a smarter home! Easily dispense food and schedule meals for your dog or cat when you’re not around with PetSafe’s automatic feeder.
Price: $189.95
Echo Spot
While most of the items on this list have some pretty awesome smart features of their own, you can also easily set many of them up with Amazon’s Echo. In other words, you can just ask Alexa to show you what your pet is doing upstairs, turn off your smart lightbulbs, switch on your smart TV, and much, much more.
Price: $99.99
TanTan Smart Plug
Make any item “smart” with TanTan’s plugs. Through an app, you can switch on and off what’s plugged in, schedule devices to go off at a certain time or connect with Alexa so you easily shut off lights, the TV, etc. without moving.
Price: $19.99
RENPHO Humidifier and Diffuser
This humidifier/diffuser hybrid can be turned on with your Alexa device. As for scheduling, changing the LED lighting and adjusting the product’s mist, all you need is an app.
Price: $29.99
TENVIS Surveillance Camera
Check in on your pets, kids or home while on vacation with TENVIS’ surveillance camera. You can also receive notifications of unusual activity and talk to whomever is on the other side of the camera.
Price: $36.99
iRobot Roomba Vacuum
Thanks to iRobot’s Roomba, you’ll never have to lug a vacuum up and down stairs ever again. Instead, all you have to do is press a button right on your iPhone or ask Alexa to start it up for you.
Price: $297.49
