Science
13 Essential Smart Home Items to Upgrade Your Place
Whether you work from home or outside of the home, your house should be a place of rest — not never-ending chores. Now that the year’s 2019, it’s safe to say the future has arrived and you can have your very own smart house without all the drama of [Katey Sagal going rogue] (https://www.imdb.com/videoplayer/vi3413182233). To bring your house into the future, there are seemingly endless options ranging from toilet lights, light bulbs dimmable from the comfort of your cell phone, smart locks and everything in between.
Rest assured in knowing that your security is handled and easy to monitor. Double check for yourself that you remembered to turn the heat down when you left this morning. Tell Alexa to go over your grocery list with you before you head into the next week. Take the heavy lifting of yourself and give it to a robot.
Wyze Indoor Wireless HD Camera with Night Vision
Why We Picked It: With 2-way audio and video compatibility, this smart camera could work as a baby monitor and security system with these. Using Alexa, you can ask this device to show you anywhere you have a Wyze camera with a convenient, “Alexa, show me the front door” or “Alexa, show me the baby’s room.” All in 1080p HD.
Price: $25.98
Nest Learning Thermostat
Why We Picked It: Working with Alexa, the Nest thermostat learns your habits so that it can optimize energy efficency and save you money on your heat and air conditioning bills all year round. Available in multiple styles for any room and easy to navigate with Alexa and easy-to-read display settings, what are you waiting for?
Price: Usually $249.99, now on sale for $215
Philips LED Smart Bulb - 4 Pack
Why We Picked It: Voice-activated light bulbs still seem like something straight out of the Jetsons, but I promise they are real. With these light bulbs, you can turn the light on and off, set desired brightness and set schedules anywhere you have access to WiFi. It’s as easy as screwing in your light bulbs and downloading the app.
Price: Usually $49.99, now on sale for $39.99
Ring WiFi Enabled Video Doorbell
Why We Picked It: Peepholes have never really worked for anyone and in this day and age, no one likes to open the door without knowing exactly who it is. The Ring Video doorbell will give you that absolute assurance. Alexa can illuminate the video and send you announcements whenever anyone approaches your door.
Price: Usually $99.99, now on sale for $94.99
Echo Dot Smart Speaker with Alexa
Why We Picked It: Smart homes work best when paired with everyone’s favorite virtual assistant, Amazon’s Alexa. Take the first step in bringing your home up to date with this cute little Echo Dot smart speaker with Alexa.
Price: Usually $49.99, now on sale for $29.99
Schlage Z-Wave Touchscreen Deadbolt with Built In Alarm
Why We Picked It: With Alexa compatibility and smart touch screen, your house has never been safer. You can customize up to 30 codes for each person who comes to your home—rather than go through the hassle of making key copies.
Price: $169.15
August Smart Lock - Alexa Compatible
Why We Picked It: If you’re like me, you grew up in the suburbs with parents who never taught you how to lock the door and now in adulthood, you struggle to remember your key every time you leave the house. For us, keyless entry is the way to go and this August Smart Lock gives it to us.
Price: Usually $149.99, now on sale for $135.07
Kohler Moxie Showerhead and Wireless Speaker
Why We Picked It: If you’ve ever lost a phone or speaker to your shower in an ill-advised attempt to listen to your tunes in the shower, this is the smart device for you. Listen to your tunes in the shower with this wireless speaker meets showerhead, as easy as connecting your phone to your—that’s right—showerhead as you would any Bluetooth speaker.
Price: $100.77
Vintar 16-Color Motion Sensor Toilet Light
Why We Picked It: If you’ve ever woken up in the middle of the night and found yourself bumbling through the dark, looking for your bathroom without turning a single light on, this motion senor toilet light is the thing we all need. You can even customize the color.
Price: $10.59
Smart Oil Gauge - WiFi Enabled
Why We Picked It: If you’ve ever run out of oil on the coldest weekend of the year and/or have your oil tank in an inconvenient area of your home, check your oil tank fullness and track your efficiency with this smart guage. All stats avilable in a convenient smart phone app.
Price: Usually $179, now on sale for $159
Sierra Modern Home Smart Table
Why We Picked It: If you’ve ever wanted a smart device that doubles as functional furniture, this is exactly what you need. This simple yet elegant table doubles as a wireless charger for all Qi Enabled devices as well as a 360 degree speaker for surround sound.
Price: Usually $599.99, now on sale for $229.95
