Planning on upgrading your home into a smart abode? Now’s a great time to take the plunge. Amazon and Best Buy have kicked off their own Labor Day sales, offering smart home devices at fantastic discounted prices. Whether you want to automate floor cleaning, personalize your room’s lighting, or add security to your home, we have rounded up here seven amazing deals for you to consider.
Want Alexa responding to your every question or command? The Echo Dot does just that and at an affordable price. This little device flaunts a honey puck shape designed with different controls and four microphone holes at the top. The third-generation model is made beefier, offering enhanced and more powerful sound quality all thanks to its 360-degree firing 1.6-inch speaker which is larger compared to those found in the older versions. You can ask this smart speaker questions or to do things for you, including checking the weather, playing music, and making phone calls. The companion Alexa app ushers in a lot of convenient functions, including setting up a music service (such as Spotify) so you can utilize it as a regular speaker and jam out to your favorite tunes.
Increase the security in the main access point of your house with the Ring Video Doorbell. The second-generation model operates with a built-in rechargeable battery pack, offering the convenience of wireless installation. Together with the free Ring app, it allows you to see, hear, and speak with visitors or check in on what’s happening at your doorstep 24/7. You can also choose to customize the motion zone settings to focus on specific areas and minimize false alerts. Pair this video doorbell with an Alexa device to get announcements when the sensors detect someone or if anyone presses the doorbell.
Hot coffee drinkers will surely find love with the Ember Smart Mug. This drinking cup intelligently wakes up when filled with hot liquid and can automatically switch into sleep mode when not in use. It has enough battery capacity to keep your drink at your desired temperature for a maximum of 1.5 hours, or even all day long when used together with the included charging coaster. With the accompanying app, you’ll be able to set temperature, receive notifications, customize the LED color, and more. The mug is coated with scratch-resistant ceramic and is handwash-safe.
Elevate the lighting in your home with the Philips Hue Multicolor Ambiance LED Starter Kit which consists of three bulbs, a dimmer switch, and a bridge. The bulbs boast 16 million whites and colors, complete with various shades and intensity levels that you can choose from to read, relax, concentrate, and do chores comfortably. Use your smartphone or tablet as a remote control and create ideal settings by customizing or synchronizing the lights to match your music, games, and TV shows. You can combine this kit with Nest or Samsung SmartThings systems for added automation, or pair with Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, or Alexa for voice-activated control.
Security cameras don’t only work as deterrents or additional protection for your home. They can also be used to check in on your kids or pets. The Blink XT2 works great for either situation, as it boasts the capacity to be used both indoors and outdoors. It also operates wirelessly, so you can set it up virtually anywhere as long as it’s within the range of your network. The camera can record videos clearly day and night, thanks to its 1080p HD video capacity and infrared HD night vision. With the companion Blink app, you can make use of the two-way audio function, view livestreams, and check video clips. Hook it up with an Alexa device for the added convenience of voice control.
If you need a solid yet affordable automated floor care helper, might we suggest the iRobot Roomba 675? This little robot comes with a three-stage cleaning system that’s great to use on both carpets and hard floors. Cleaning starts with the multi-surface brushes and edge-sweeping brush that loosens hair and dirt, which are then picked up and trapped into the suction channel. Additionally, this robot vacuum is equipped with intelligent sensors to ensure efficient navigation and thorough coverage of the floors. It even connects to the Wi-Fi and comes with a companion app, meaning you can control it whether you are on the other side of the house or miles away. Hands-free control is also possible when hooked up with an Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant device.
Whether you’re worried about parcel thieves or concerned about bad guys breaking in while you’re out, your home will benefit from an alarm system. Nowadays, there’s no need for costly and complicated hardwired systems, thanks to the vast sea of good-value and do-it-yourself options like the Google Nest Secure Alarm System. This kit includes different components: The Nest Guard which is equipped with a keypad, a motion sensor, and a loud alarm; and sensors that can identify if windows or doors open. Use the Nest app to activate or deactivate the alarm, get security alerts, and more.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Sleep Number.
Shopping for a new mattress sounds simple until you start looking. Memory foam or hybrid? Soft or firm? Cooling covers, pressure-relief zones, motion isolation, sleep tracking — suddenly, you're comparing features that barely existed the last time you bought a bed. Even the most expensive option could be a poor match.
Amazon has been a major player in the smart home market for years, but fresh competition from Apple may have lit a fire under it. The company has just unveiled a new lineup of Alexa devices, including Echo speakers, a smart alarm clock, a photo frame, and the Echo Show 16. On the software side, Amazon also introduced Alexa Home Map, which puts your connected devices on an interactive 3D model of your house, letting you monitor and control them from one place.
Your entire smart home on a 3D map
Our phones have made it easy to capture our lives in beautiful photos. But that also means we shoot hundreds of photos every year and don't look at them, as they keep collecting the proverbial dust in our phone's gallery. Amazon’s new Alexa Photo Frame wants to put those forgotten shots on your shelf instead.
Amazon revealed the frame alongside several new Alexa devices, including a new smart alarm clock and a 16-inch Echo Show. It pulls pictures from Amazon Photos, which Prime members can fill up without paying extra for storage.