For just over a month in Italy it has been possible to buy a home assistant – that is Google Home or Google Home Mini – but for those who would like to have a home that is a little more “smart”, as they say, that is, with a greater number of objects connected to a wifi network and controllable with a smartphone, there are various possibilities. Until May 13, some of the products with which you can make your home “smarter” are discounted on Amazon, so we have put together a small list of recommendations that could be useful to you: the items on offer can be found here.
Connected bulbs
They are LED bulbs that connect to the home wifi network and in this way can be controlled – be turned on or off, but also change color – by an application. They are still quite expensive, although being LEDs they last more than 15 years using them in a normal way and consume little energy, but they are also one of those technologies that you get used to after a while using it. Things that only “smart” bulbs allow you to do: turn the light on and off without getting up when you are in bed or on the sofa; turn off the lights downstairs or upstairs without going up the stairs; turn on the house lights all at once when you hear a suspicious noise at night. But above all, “smart” bulbs are fun.
According to Wirecutter, the reputable New York Times review site, the best plug-in light bulbs are those from the Philips Hue system, which for now is the one that most easily connects to so many different devices and operating systems. . However, it is quite expensive: the starter kit, which includes 3 E27 bulbs as well as a remote control and above all the “bridge”, that is the device that allows you to connect up to 50 bulbs to the wifi, is about 165 euros. The system is compatible with both Google Home and Apple Home. If the investment seems sensible to you, know that various types of bulbs, spotlights, portable lamps, ceiling lights and LED strips can be attached to the same system.
This review of the Philips Hue system is a a little verbose, but allows you to understand how to use it:
An alternative system to that of Philips, but partially compatible with its bulbs, is that of Trust: the starter kit includes “bridge” and two E27 bulbs and costs a little less than Philips'. To control the bulbs, also in this case you need an app, available for both iOS and Android operating systems.
If, on the other hand, you prefer a system that does not need a bridge device between light bulbs and wifi, but only an app and light bulbs, you can consider those of TP-Link, like this one. The app to control them, Kasa, is available for both iOS and Android systems and the bulbs can also be switched on and off with Google Home or Siri.
A thermostat connected to wifi
Another series of objects that can make sense to connect to the wifi at home and remotely control – to save energy but also just “for the graphs” – are thermostats. The most advanced you can buy are those of Nest, a company that belongs to Alphabet (the owner of Google). According to Wirecutter, if you want the maximum of the functions that a “smart” thermostat can offer, the best product is the third generation Nest, which however are quite expensive: around 250 euros, both on Amazon and on ePrice. For those who want to spend less, a good alternative is that of Netatmo, which costs over 100 euros less, is highly appreciated by Amazon customers (73 percent of its 1,868 reviews are five stars) and can be checked with both Siri and the Apple Home Kit app that with the Google Assistant and then Google Home; it is also sold with one or more valves to control the radiators. These “smart” valves can also be purchased to make a central heating system a little more controllable: the basic kit contains two and costs 157 euros.
Netatmo is designed by Philippe Starck.
If installation worries you, know that Netatmo is very simple if you already have a thermostat and want to replace it. There are also other companies that produce smart thermostats, such as Tado and BTicino, but Netatmo's is quite competitive.
A wifi repeater
In all this, if the way your home is made you need a greater coverage of the wifi, perhaps because it has very thick walls or is very large, you can buy a signal repeater. There are more or less powerful ones, depending on your needs. One much appreciated by Amazon customers is the TP-Link RE450 which costs 70 euros and has an efficient antenna system; offers a wifi speed of up to 1750 Mbps, between 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz modes (then of course a lot depends on the connection speed of your telephone company).
For those who live in a house with two or more floors, you can also consider the hybrid system TP-Link TL-WPA9610 from 174 euros, which gives the possibility to pass the connection through the electrical circuit of the house. In this way, the signal from the first floor can be sent via an electrical outlet on the second floor, where the receiver is located, which in turn will broadcast the wifi signal. It's all explained on this page.
A device open the gates with the smartphone
It works like this: there is a device that must be positioned near the gate (or the door of a garage or a door equipped to be opened with a remote control), even outside, and that connects to smartphones through a free app and the Bluetooth, so no need for wifi connection. It costs 77 euros and can be connected with up to ten different smartphones. For this to work, the smartphone in question must be 15/20 meters away from the contraption, which is called Solo. The only things you need to pay attention to are that your remote control system works at a frequency between 270 and 870 MHz and that you can place the device in a position where there are no obstacles preventing the Bluetooth connection. It's a product that can be improved, according to reviews, but if it's right for you it can be a good way to forget about the remote controls.
A camera to keep an eye on a newborn baby
If you are a new parent, perhaps you would like to monitor your child's sleep quality not with a simple radio, but with an Arlo camera that transmits live images of his bedroom to your smartphone – as well as being made in the shape of a rabbit. The service that allows you to monitor the room is provided in the form of a subscription, but having the basic account is free, included in the price of the camera, that is 180 euros on Amazon: for a fee you can keep the recordings in the cloud. It also records in night vision and allows you to communicate with the child or record your own voice to reassure him from a distance.
An adapter for the sockets, to reduce energy waste
Another way to waste less energy in addition to the use of a thermostat is with adapters for power outlets that can be controlled remotely. They allow you to switch on and off a single household appliance or a group of household appliances from an app, check your electricity consumption over time in relation to these appliances, program switching on and off and possibly automatically switch off devices that remain in standby beyond a certain weather. The one that has the most positive reviews on Amazon is from TPLink and costs around 37 euros. It works with both iOS and Android devices always thanks to the Kasa app.
A scale that just doesn't weigh
According to Wirecutter, the best product of this type is Eufy BodySense: it measures fat and muscle mass, as well as calculates the body mass index (BMI); allows you to record your data day by day thanks to an app that connects to the scale via Bluetooth and can be used by all the people living in the same house, because it can keep the data of 16 different users in memory. It costs 65 euros. If that's too much for you, there are similar scales, perhaps less sophisticated, but still with a good number of positive reviews: for example, the “smart” scale by Laica, which you can find for 25 euros.
Google Home (or Echo)
Finally there is Google Home, a device that contains a voice assistant, that is, something similar to Siri, for those with an iPhone: it responds to requests such as reading the weather forecast, saying how long it will take to get to work or read the latest world news and stock quotes. It also allows you to control some of the “smart” objects with your voice: in the future it is likely that the number of these objects will increase further. Aesthetically, Google Home (the non-Mini version) resembles one of those gadgets that spread aromas to perfume the house and also acts as a speaker to play music. It is not for sale on Amazon, but on the Google Store and other authorized online stores that sell technology items, such as ePrice but also eBay.
Google Home for beginners
Update November 8: We tried Echo Dot
Disclaimer: the Post has an affiliation with Amazon and other sites and gets a small share of the revenue, with no price changes. But you can also search for the same items on Google.
