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Fast-paced technological innovation is the defining quality of the last decade or so. It affects everything, from the big business world to transportation to people’s homes. Smart home devices are among the coolest and most helpful novelties of recent years. Their influence is clear even from Amazon Alexa’s place in popular culture—she is basically a meme at this point. Luckily, anyone interested in buying smart home devices in 2022 has a lot of great options to choose from.
Smart Lighting: Philips Hue
Smart lighting is about convenience and usability. The bulbs are connected to an app or assistant akin to Alexa; their owner can be in complete control. Smart lighting also has great extra features, from sunrise and sunset automation to remote control (so whether or not the light is turned off when the owner is out is no longer a question). And it can be connected to the home security system for safety.
Smart lighting is a reasonable investment for anyone, but remote students with tons of academic assignments and people who write for a living will probably benefit from it the most. At this point, there is enough research to believe that in addition to sight, the quality of lighting affects human productivity. So all students and professional paper writers should consider getting smart lights this next year.
Most critics and users name Philips Hue as the best type of smart light bulb. First, they come in all sizes and shapes and can be used throughout the house, office, and even outdoors. Besides, one of the most popular Philips Hue options, White and Color Ambiance A-19, can switch to almost every color one can think of. It is easy to change something about the design without really doing anything, just by changing the lighting color.
A Smart Speaker: Amazon Echo (4th Gen)
A smart speaker is another great place to start for someone who is yet to embrace smart home electronics. What can be cooler than asking the voice assistant to put one’s favorite song on (without even lifting one’s head from the pillow)? In the past, audio quality was smart speakers’ serious weakness, but this is no longer the case. The sound of all Amazon Echo models released in recent years has been amazing.
But none of them is as worth the money it costs as the fourth generation of Amazon Echo that first hit the market in 2020. The model has a pleasant design and is made exclusively of recycled materials, which makes it a cool and conscious choice. Also, considering the size of Amazon Echo 4th Gen (a little over 5 inches tall and 5 inches wide), the sound quality is superb. It could still be better on high frequencies, but it is hardly an issue.
The only downside of the model is the same as with all Amazon smart devices: Alexa needs some work. Her language recognition flexibility is nowhere near that of Google Assistant. So it can take a couple of tries to get Alexa to understand what she has to do.
Smart Home Security: SimpliSafe Home Security or Wyze Home Monitoring
Everyone wants their home to be secure. But the options available in the past were a bit too much of a commitment for a lot of people. They had to sign a contract with a security company and pay quite some money every month. When multiplied by twelve months year after year, the investment did not look too affordable, to put it mildly.
Now, smart home security systems are a great solution. For example, one of the leaders of the market, SimpliSafe Home Security, starts at a little over $200 (but can reach almost $500 for the most expensive packages). And it will serve its owners for years. SimpliSafe Home Security is easy to install, and the monthly fee for monitoring is quite low. It also has some of the highest customer satisfaction rates.
Wyze Home Monitoring is another affordable smart home security system with overwhelmingly positive reviews. It is much cheaper than SimpliSafe Home Security: the starter kit is only $50, and the monthly fee is about $5. But the quality of service it provides is comparable. The only major downside of Wyze Home Monitoring is that it does not have cell backup (SimpliSafe Home Security does), so any sudden power outage is a potential risk.
Robot Vacuums: Roborock S7+ or iRobot Roomba i3+
Finally, who does not want a robot vacuum? Trying to keep one’s home clean and tidy takes a lot of work, even more so when it is big, or the family has little kids. Robot vacuums make the task way easier. Sure, they are not cheap. But their time-saving potential is so worth it. A robot vacuum quietly does the cleaning in the background, while its owners can relax and spend time more enjoyably.
As robot vacuums are getting more popular by the day, the market is full of diverse options that fit every taste and wallet. The Roborock S7+ is one of the best. It does both vacuuming and mopping exceptionally, and it can do both following the boundaries and zones its owners set up. For example, if the kitchen needs to be both vacuumed and mopped, but the living room only needs the former, it is not a problem for the Roborock S7+. The single real flaw the model has is the price (about $650).
A cheaper alternative ($400) is the iRobot Roomba i3+. It has an impressive customer rating of 4.5 out of 5. But smart mapping is unavailable with the iRobot Roomba i3+, so the owner cannot employ zoning. Other than that, the model can do basically everything the Roborock S7+ can. And it looks pretty.
Final Thoughts
Smart home devices can definitely make one’s life easier, safer, and more enjoyable. Everyone who has not really had a chance to try them yet should look into smart lighting, security, a speaker, and a robot vacuum (not necessarily in that order). It is amazing how such seemingly small things can change the quality of life for the better.