Top Smart Home Devices of the Year
Are You Looking to Upgrade Your Home with Smart Devices? There are countless devices on the market designed to make life more efficient, from speakers and lights. There’s something out there for every house and budget!
Google Assistant and Alexa are two popular smart home voice assistants, but each offers its own set of unique features that set it apart. No matter which speaker you opt for – Alexa or Google Assistant – your home can be managed efficiently using only your voice!
1. Amazon Echo
The Echo is a smart speaker from Amazon which uses their voice assistant Alexa to play music, provide information, and control compatible home devices. As of November 2016, over 100,000 skills are supported on it.
Users can set voice-activated routines such as playing specific songs, creating shopping lists or activating routines using its internal temperature sensor.
The Echo comes in multiple colors – Charcoal, Glacier White and Twilight Blue are available – and can even spin on its base so it is always facing you!
2. Amazon Fire Stick
The Amazon Fire Stick can turn any TV into a smart TV, giving you access to thousands of apps and services for streaming media content. It’s an ideal solution if you’re hoping to cut cable costs while saving money on entertainment expenses.
The Amazon Fire Stick is a small, slim device that connects directly to the HDMI port on your television and displays streaming content from the internet. There are four models to choose from and each comes equipped with various features and services.
The Fire Stick’s primary feature is voice control with Alexa, making it simple and effortless to ask questions or place requests. Plus, it can control other smart home devices!
3. Samsung Frame Series Smart TV
The Samsung Frame Series Smart TV is an attractive picture frame TV designed to look like real art on your wall while offering stunning video playback. Plus, with Art Mode you can show off photos or artwork while not watching television!
The frame TV features a Quantum Dot display that produces vibrant colors and deep blacks on screen. Furthermore, its matte anti-reflective coating helps minimize mirror-like reflections for a less reflective experience.
4. Kasa Smart Light Switches
TP-Link Kasa Smart Light Switch is an ideal way to automate home lighting. Compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, as well as working with their smart app for remote access control of lights from any location, this device makes automating home lights simple.
TP-Link also includes an “Away Mode”, which creates the illusion that someone is home by turning lights on at random times or according to sunset/sunrise times. You can set this feature for specific time periods or on/off based on sunrise/sunset events.
5. Apple Watch Series 7
The Apple Watch Series 7 builds upon all that was great about last year’s watch and adds larger displays, faster charging capabilities, new colors for aluminum models, and an upgraded chip to make this year’s model better than ever. These minor upgrades may make it hard for long-term fans to differentiate it from last year’s Series 6, yet are nevertheless worthwhile upgrades.
Apple has packed many features into their Watch Series 7 to make life easier: blood oxygen monitor, ECG, always-on altimeter/compass/fall detection feature and noise app that alerts when decibel levels approach those that could damage hearing are among many of them.
6. Tile Mate Bluetooth Tracker
If you’re in search of an easy, reliable Bluetooth tracker, then the Tile Mate could be just what you need. Connected via Bluetooth to your phone, this handy tracker features an audible ringtone which helps locate it should it go missing.
Tile Mate’s range is comparable to Apple’s AirTag with an estimated maximum range of 379 feet depending on model; however, unlike AirTags they feature replaceable batteries which should provide enough power to last one full year on one charge.
Tile’s community feature can also prove invaluable – helping users locate lost items faster than Apple’s Find My App; though its effectiveness will depend on population density.
