Making your home a Smarthome (automated) has become easier in 2016. There are a few things you can gift someone to make their homes smarter and their lives easier. We hope you can help your giftee with some of these home automation solutions:
Cree LED Connected Bulb
So you know your giftee has a smarthome setup, but not sure exactly what? You can’t go wrong with smart lighting. the Cree LED Connected Bulb looks like a regular light-bulb but has smarthome capabilities. It is compatible with many of the smarthome automation systems (Wink, Alexa, SmartThings, Wemo Link). Use the app to brighten or dim lights. It’s omni-directional; providing light in all directions. You can buy the bulbs in soft white or daylight white.
You can buy the Cree LED Connected Bulb at Home Depot or Amazon.com
Logitech POP Home Switch
If you want to make Smarthome access easier to your giftee, the Pop Home Switch from Logitech is definitely a go! You can set it up to control lighting or music with a touch of a button . You can also set it up to trigger multiple things at once to set a mood. For example trigger the Pop Home Switch to lock the doors and turn on outdoor lights at night before going to bed. Since it’s battery powered and wireless you can place the Pop Switch anywhere for the most convenience.
Incipio CommandKit
If you want to give the gift of a smarthome but not sure how ready your giftee is to upgrade to a smarthome, the CommandKit Smart Outlet from Incipio. The plug and play setup (plug to power then Wifi) is great for those who don’t want to do electrical work. The Smart outlet is controlled via an app (CommandKit app) . You can also create “scenes” with the smart outlet (actions and triggers) to have more than one thing turn on/off at once. (works with iPhone only)
Logitech Harmony Elite
Take smarthome control to new levels with the Harmony Elite remote from Logitech. A step up from a regular universal remote control, the Harmony Elite controls many home entertainment and smart devices (over 270,000 devices). You can set up “activities” or choose from the suggested activities to get multiple things done. Dim the lights and turn on the home theater system to get ready to watch a movie. The color touch screen makes it even easier to use. But at $299.99 and up, your giftee has to be serious about using this universal remote.
Samsung SmartThings Kit
For someone who is going to go deep into the Smarthome game, the SmartThings Hub from Samsung would be a great gift. The SmartThings Hub works with many products. Use it with a Samsung motion sensor and connected lightbulbs to turn the lights on or off when someone arrives or when everyone leaves. You can purchase the SmartThings Hub alone or as part of a kit.
Google Home
One of the newest players in the Smarthome Game, the Google Home voice-activated speaker has access to many answers. You can also ask it to do things such as “play music” or “how many (connected) lights are on”. You can ask for your daily briefing or to translate something for you. The more you allow Google Home to learn from you, the more it can tell you with time. Google Home is also super affordable. It’s under $130 and $99 for Black Friday which is a good medium price to spend on home automation tech.
Amazon Echo Dot
Alexa (the name of the Echo Dot) can be your best friend. This hands-free controlled device is a very inexpensive way to get into the smarthome world. Connect the Echo Dot to a speaker to hear Alexa (the assistant) when she responds to your requests. You can ask to create and add to a shopping list, play music on Spotify or Amazon Prime Music. You can ever request Uber rides, or order a pizza from Dominos. At $50 you won’t dig deep in the pockets and your giftee will definitely enjoy the new assistant.
