Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard of Alexa. Amazon’s virtual assistant is indispensably useful for anyone looking to organize their lives and homes. She can read your messages, tell you the news, shop for you online and so much more. If you’ve recently hopped on the bandwagon and gotten an Amazon Echo, you’re probably on the look-out for great gadgets to pair with it. Which ones are the best? Which cool functions did you not even know you could tie into Alexa? Let’s get into it!
Robot Vacuum
Photo Credit: Amazon
Robot vacuums, like the picture iRobot Roomba 690, are awesome with Alexa. No one wants to do chores, but with a voice-activated robot assistant, vacuuming is easy. Just call out to Alexa and tell her to vacuum the house for you, and, boom! That’s one less chore on your to-do list. Not to mention, you’ll feel like Tony Stark, commanding your robot fleet with your voice. Well, not quite a fleet, but you know, it’s the thought that counts! In any event, you can find the iRobot Roomba on Amazon for $300, and the rest of the Roomba line is awesome too. Check it out!
Streaming Devices
Photo Credit: Best Buy
If you like controlling your TV with your voice, you’ll want an Alexa-enabled streaming device. We recommend the Amazon Fire TV Stick. However, the Amazon Fire TV Cube, a successor to the technology, was recently announced, so that one might steal the spotlight when it launches later this month. In either event, being able to tell Alexa which shows you want to watch is pretty sweet. It also helps you cut down on the number of remotes you have to juggle or trying to find the remote to play the next episode. The Fire TV Stick is $40, and the TV Cube will go for $120 when it launches.
Smart Bulbs
Photo Credit: Amazon
The first of Alexa’s compatible devices, Philips Hue is still the best in this field. Commanding your room to illuminate with your voice is not only convenient, it’s very safe! Entering a dark room and unable to find the light switch? Call out for Alexa to turn the lights on! You can also change the color of the lights to change the mood of the room. Having company over for the evening? Consider casting a soft, pink glow over the room!
Smart Thermostat
Photo Credit: Amazon
A must-have for Alexa users, smart thermostats are great at helping you save energy and stay comfortable. Programming automation is a breeze with products like the picture Nest Learning Thermostat. Setting your thermostat with your voice is much easier than having to fiddle with tons of menus. Setting your thermostat to “away” mode as you leave the house is easy to forget, so getting to automate it can really help your power bill. A Nest Thermostat runs about $220.
Security Cameras
Photo Credit: Arlo
Alexa is awesome for streamlining your home security cameras. The pictured Netgear Arlo Q works with Alexa and can be displayed on Echo Show and Amazon Fire TV. You can use your voice to arm and disarms cameras in different parts of the house. You can also remotely view the camera’s feed, which is great for when you’re on vacation or keeping an eye on pets at work.Security and convenience in one package, how awesome! This one would set you back only $150.
Smart Plugs
Photo Credit: CNET
Smart plugs, like Belkin’s Wemo ($30 from Amazon), can turn any electronic device into a smart device. Effectively a glorified on-off switch that connects to Alexa, Wemo is great for lamps or appliances you don’t want powered on all the time. Fans and hairdryers come to mind immediately. You can control them with your voice, of course, or set them on schedules. If you get home from work late every night and want to make sure the lamp in your living room is on when you get home, you can schedule that!
Doorbell Cameras
Photo Credit: SkyBell
If you’re a fan of security, doorbell cameras are great smart home gadgets. The SkyBell HD doorbell camera, pictured above, is a great pick. With Alexa functionality, you can use your voice to ask the virtual assistant to take stills or video of the doorbell cam. You can even have Alexa display the video on your Echo Show or Echo Spot. Or, if you’re entertaining company and don’t want to be bothered, you can disable the chime through Alexa. The SkyBell HD retails for $200, but you can find it for $160 through Amazon.
Smart Locks
Photo Credit: Kwikset
A natural companion to a doorbell camera, smart locks like the Kwikset Kevo ($183 from Amazon) are a must-have for smart homes. When paired with the Kevo Plus Hub, which retails for an additional $100, enables a ton of smart features. For one, it allows you to use your smartphone to lock and unlock the door remotely, which is awesome for guests. Say you’re late getting home from work but your guests are already at your house. No sweat, just use the app and let them in! Similarly, if you’re expecting company but are upstairs when they arrive, Alexa could help. You could just tell Alexa to show you who’s at the door with your doorbell camera. Then, seeing it’s your friends, you tell her to unlock the door. Just like that, you’re a high-tech host.
Smart Light Switches
Photo Credit: Home Depot
Smart switches like the pictured Lutron Caseda ($55) are awesome for controlling entire lighting systems. For instance, you could pair the Caseda to Alexa and use your voice to control all the lights in your living room. Saying, “Alexa, turn off all living room lights,” would bring down the entire system controlled by the Caseda. Trying to do that without a system hub would be a pain. Imagine having to tell Alexa to cut off four or five different smart bulbs! It’s doable, but far from optimal. If you plan to have complex lighting systems controlled by Alexa, a smart light switch is the way to go!
Our Favorite Smart Home Gadgets: Smart Home Hubs
Photo Credit: PC Mag
While Alexa is handy, you can make her even more useful with automations. Automations make your smart home gadgets even smarter. For instance, when you say “Alexa, I’m getting ready for work,” she can unlock the door, set the thermostat to an “away” temperature and read you the news. How do you do that, you ask? Why, with a smart hub! By hooking some of your smart devices into your hub and programming automations, you’re that much closer to full control of your house with your voice. Pictured here is the Samsung SmartThings Hub, which retails for around $85. Treat yourself to a nice smart home system!
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