Smart home technology once seemed like a niche, high-end category reserved for luxury homes — but today it’s solidly mainstream. These devices add comfort, efficiency and security to your living space and can help you save money on energy consumption, streamline daily tasks, and increase your property’s resale value.
But with so many gadgets to choose from, it can be difficult to know which ones are the best fit for your lifestyle and budget. To simplify things, we’ve rounded up the 10 essential smart home products you need to start your journey into home automation. Smart smoke detectors provide the peace of mind of knowing you’ll get notifications on your phone if the alarm goes off or the battery is low. Some models are even able to alert you and guide you to safety exits during a fire.
A smart thermostat can lower your energy bills and create a comfortable environment that automatically adjusts to your habits. Look for features like voice activation, customizable settings, and remote access options that let you control your device from anywhere. A powerful addition to any smart home, sensors can detect motion, temperature, air quality, and other factors that can trigger other connected devices to take action.
From lights to locks to doorbells, smart sensors can be used to automate your home and improve your overall safety. A smart speaker with a built-in voice assistant is the heart of any smart home system. They allow you to control your other smart home gadgets with voice commands, stream music, and even look up recipes from a screen. The most popular models are Amazon Echo and Google Nest Audio, but you can also find smart displays with a variety of capabilities.
