Best Smart Home Products in 2021
May 22nd, 2021
Best Smart Home Products in 2021
In any modern home in the 21st Century, smart home devices are an essential part. With them installed, you can turn up the temperature, lock your doors and play music with a simple voice command, thus creating a smooth, smart environment that exudes functionality and, dare we say it, digital zen.
A smart home does not have to be more cumbersome than acquiring a Bluetooth speaker or a smart speaker , such as. an Amazon Echo Dot , and set it up in your living room. If you want to go all-in, however, you can choose to make it even more complex and create an intricate network of connected devices.
The extent to which you choose to invest in your smart home is up to you and you can personalize it to the level of comfort you want. The good thing about smaller, cheaper smart devices (yes, we look at you, Amazon Echo Dot) is that there are zero hassles and obligations for a more connected home.
But with all those choices, there are of course a lot of options, new products that are launched every week and a deterrent shopping experience. And because the various smart home devices depend on being able to communicate with each other, you should make sure that they are compatible with any other smart device you already own, including your phone, tablet or smart speaker, before filling your shopping cart with the latest, smartest home gadgets. We have curated a list of devices that we believe are the best smart home devices you can buy for money. So whether you are at the beginning of your smart home journey or just looking for the latest to complete your technology paradise, here are our top recommendations.
HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST SMART HOME ECOSYSTEM
Before you start putting together your smart home, it is a good idea to consider which smart home ecosystem you want to start with. There are quite a few options, such as Apple HomeKit , Google Home / Google Assistant, Samsung SmartThings , Amazon Alexa platform, IFTTT, ZigBee, Z-Wave, and more.
Does it seem unmanageable? We have created a guide so you can choose the right ecosystem for your needs - you can find it here .
It is also worth considering which ecosystem you are already a part of. For example, avid Android users may have a better experience with Google Home than with Amazon Echo or Apple's HomePod . Conversely, those who need to order things online quickly and easily may prefer Amazon Echo.
Best smart home products summarized
1. Best smart doorbell: Eufy Video doorbell 2K
2. Best smart speaker: Amazon Echo Studio
3. Best smart hub: Google Next Hub Max Review
4. Best smart light bulb: Philips Hue
5. Best smart vacuum cleaner: iRobot Roomba 980
6. Best security camera Arlo Pro 3
7. Best smart plug: Belkin WeMo Insight Smart Plug
8. Best smart smoke alarm: Nest Protect
9. Best indoor climate meter: Airthings Wave Plus
1. Best smart doorbell: Eufy Video Doorbell 2K
If you live for rent, the Eufy Video Doorbell 2K is the best doorbell you can buy. The Eufy Video Doorbell is possibly the best wireless smart doorbell camera on the market in terms of price, reliability and performance. Compared to a first generation Ring and the newer August View , Eufy blows them completely off the track. This is especially true if you live for rent and do not have the opportunity to take out the old doorbell. Because the Eufy works wirelessly using a hub connected to your router, you can simply slap it on any outdoor surface and make it work for up to six months at a time. We really liked the layout of the app and the fact that the system can be integrated with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant only makes it even better for smart home enthusiasts. But should you buy it? If you want a system that costs nothing to maintain and loves to be in control of where and how your video recordings are stored, then the Eufy Video Doorbell is excellent. It provides total control at no extra cost.
2. Best smart speaker: Amazon Echo Studio
For several years, we gave smart speakers a free pass in terms of sound quality because we assumed that it was just not possible to get a speaker to be both smart and sound good. Thanks to Amazon Echo Studio, that time is now over. In Echo Studio, Amazon has made its best speaker to date. It is ambitious, flexible, serves several purposes and comes at such a low price that only a company the size of Amazon would be able to make it competitive. It is a bombastic speaker that is not only packed with smart home and assistant technology, but is also made with sound quality as a primary focus. At its best, the 3D sound effects manage to breathe new life into your favorite songs, and we've not even mentioned its ability to connect with your Amazon Fire TV devices, which offer even more immersive sound. The audiophile people are an eternally picky acquaintance, and Echo Studio will hardly be the speaker that completely convinces them of smart speakers, but at this price, it's fair to say that Amazon does not exclusively court audiophiles' ear canals - they court everyone's ear canals! They do this by achieving a captivating balance between sound quality and affordability, and if you have not yet grabbed an Amazon Echo speaker, then Amazon Echo Studio is the right one to buy.
3. Best smart hub: Google Nest Hub Max
Google Nest Hub Max is a larger version of Google Home Hub , a smart speaker with a built-in screen. So why is it not called Home Hub Max? The Nest Hub Max also has a camera on the front and can be connected to the Google-owned Nest platform, in order to act as a smart home camera. Google has also renamed the original Home Hub to take it into the Nest family. This part of the Google Nest Hub Max, in our opinion, needs a little more work, but other than that, it's an excellent smart speaker. It sounds good enough to make it look like a mini Hi-Fi, Google Assistant feels responsive, and the large screen makes it easy to watch YouTube while cooking. Despite the fact that the Google Nest Hub Max has some minor issues at launch, it's not only an excellent smart display, but also a terrific smart speaker and a way to be entertained while you wait for your red onions to sauté.
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4. Best smart light bulb: Philips Hue
One of the things you might consider as soon as you have decided to make your home a smart home is to replace your normal light bulbs with smart light bulbs. However, it is easier said than done when you consider how many different options there are. Of the many options, however, the Philips Hue range is the smartest in our view. If you choose to invest in Philips Hue bulbs, you are wise to also buy a Philips Bridge that acts as a hub for your lights. The advantage is reliability and the fact that the system is compatible with a wide range of different standards and home control systems, including Apple HomeKit, Nest and Samsung SmartThings.
5. Best smart vacuum cleaner: iRobot Roomba 980
Roomba is synonymous with robot vacuum cleaners, and this has only become clearer with the new iRobot Roomba 980. Thanks to built-in smart technology, the Roomba 980 avoids bumping into objects and quickly scans your home so it knows every nook and cranny. . It is truly an impressive machine. (We are currently keeping an eye on the iRobot Roomba i7 + to see if it can surpass it). With a diameter of 35.05cm, the Roomba 980 is wider than your normal vacuum cleaner head, but thanks to its round shape and rotating body, it can get into narrow places that you otherwise thought were impossible. Roomba 980 is excellent on parquet floors, tiles and other hard surfaces (and is relatively quiet to use), but turns up the flame when it enters a carpeted area. It can even detect a shift in the surface and the built-in motors go up in gear when the carpets' fibers need to be cleaned. However, the Roomba 980 not only impresses with its cleaning capabilities, but also has an impressive battery life: it stays running for an impressive two long hours. When it's running low, or when the container is full of dirt, the 980 even drives back to its dock. As with most robot vacuum cleaners, the built-in trash can in the Roomba 980 is a bit small, but we were still impressed with how much it managed to cram into it.
6. Best smart security camera: Arlo Pro 3
It's not hard to understand why Arlo is such a popular choice with those who take home security seriously. It is undoubtedly one of the more advanced systems we have tested, but it comes with a wealth of useful features - including a built-in siren and the ability to control it through the Internet. Arlo Pro 3 has certainly not given 4K resolution like the more expensive Arlo Ultra, but the quality is still quite impressive 2K. You get a 160-degree field of view and, as expected these days, cameras with night vision and two-way sound. Arlo Pro 3 also integrates with the rest of your smart home. It supports Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, plus you can use it with HomeKit. It's all great, but unfortunately some features are locked behind a payment wall. You get a three-month trial period, and the subscription costs only DKK 20 per month per. Camera for the basic Arlo Smart subscription, but if you do not pay for it, you will lose access to things like object tracking, recordings in the cloud and more. Arlo has previously offered a seven-day free event-based option to store data in the cloud, but unfortunately that is not something they offer with the new Arlo Pro 3. All in all, the Arlo Pro 3 is a worthy successor to the Arlo Pro 2 and an excellent choice for those who demand an outdoor security system that offers good, stable image quality, without having to overpay for the Arlo Ultra model.
7. Best smart plug: Belkin WeMo Insight
The Belkin WeMo Insight Smart Plug is more than just a way to control your devices you have connected it to. It is also a way for you to keep track of your energy consumption and get estimates on how much it will cost you to keep your devices in your home running. It's great if you're trying to save some money and be a little more energy conscious. The plug itself is a bit on the voluminous side, but we can easily live with that if it allows us to save on the monthly electricity bill. The app could use a little more attention from Belkin, but all in all we have been impressed with the WeMo Insight Smart Plug. It is even capable of connecting to a wide range of smart home platforms - IFTTT, Alexa, Google Assistant, Nest products and (unofficially) Samsung SmartThings all work with it.
8. Best smart smoke alarm: Nest Protect
Nest not only makes good smart thermostats: they also make smoke alarms that can be connected to the rest of your smart home. Nest Protect looks good and has good connectivity through Wi-Fi and IFTTT. Nest Protect alerts you if there is a fire, even if you are on the other side of the earth. The included app is well designed and easy to use, even if you hopefully never need it.
9. Best indoor climate meter: Airthings Wave Plus
Airthings is a Norwegian-developed wireless system that measures radon values and indoor climate. The system allows you to keep an eye on the air quality and radon level from your smartphone. The system is easy to install and can be expanded with several units if you need an accurate measurement in several rooms. You can access information about the condition of the house with Google Assistant, and it is also possible to connect the system to IFTTT and let the system activate other smart devices in your house, such as ventilation.
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