San Francisco’s beautiful Victorian-style homes were built long before the city became a bustling tech mecca, but they aren’t all behind the times. When locals Julia and Tyler Waneka found their dream apartment in one such old house, they decided to update it to make it a smart home. Their goal was to make their lives easier without spending a fortune.
The two had one big obstacle, though: As renters in the not exactly buyer-friendly city, they were limited in what kind of changes they could make to the apartment. Upgrading their rental could not include any installations that would upset their landlord, not to mention cost them their damage deposit.
“We were looking for a way we could customize our home as renters and really make it feel like home,” Julia told Digital Trends in an email. “Everything from being able to let guests in remotely, to customizing our lighting, to knowing that we can take a peek in on our dog Buster from wherever we are makes life a lot easier for us.”
The Wanekas picked out a variety of products that suited their needs, including an August Smart Lock, Leviton plug-in switches, a Canary camera, a Philips Hue light strip and light bulbs, GoControl door sensors, and an Amazon Echo Dot. All of them work with the Wink Hub 2; using the app, they are able to keep tabs on their apartment while away, whether they want to turn off a switch, see how Buster is doing, or let guests into their place remotely.
“I think smart home products give us peace of mind back,” Julia says. “We have a hectic life, so it’s great to know that we can check in on what’s happening at home wherever we are.”
It helped, too, that their devices have proven very easy to install and use. At the center of it all is their Wink Hub 2, which they’ve found to be “really intuitive,” according to Julia.
“The app walks you through how to set up each product step-by-step in a very visual format,” she says. “Connecting everything through the Wink Hub 2 made it easy to get the connected products we were interested in to work together and help us out with routine daily tasks.”
With their smart apartment up and running, the Wanekas are happy with what they’ve done and want others to know that there aren’t as many obstacles as you might think when it comes to making your place high tech.
“For anyone that’s interested in the smart home, just know that you don’t have to spend a ton of money to get started,” Julia says. “We picked a handful of products that made sense for our home and lifestyle without breaking the bank.”
Outdoor security cameras are not always practical if you live in an apartment or rental. Drilling into an exterior wall may be off-limits, while pointing a regular indoor camera through a window can create another problem once reflections start showing up after dark.
Baseus is trying to solve both issues with the new PrimeSentinel W1, a $69.99 security camera designed specifically to monitor the outdoors through glass. It mounts directly to a window without drilling and uses a 4K Starlight sensor with an F1.0 aperture for full-color monitoring during the day and at night.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
Technology evolves every day, transforming how we live and work. Our devices are becoming more than tools we use. They are increasingly capable companions that help streamline day-to-day routines and spark creative ideas. If you have been waiting for the right moment to upgrade your tech setup, the Discover Samsung Shopping Event offers an opportunity to explore what connected, AI-powered living can look like.
With AI progressing so fast, it's only a matter of time before we start getting AI companions like the ones we used to see in movies like R2-D2, Wall-E, or Baymax. Now, Singapore-based OKA Technology has unveiled Mori, a cute little AI companion that looks less like a conventional home robot and more like someone turned the Pokémon Foongus into a table lamp.
Mori isn't meant to clean your house or control your smart home, but to serve as what OKA calls a "Nature Companion." It uses subtle movements, warm lighting, nature-inspired sounds, and small reactions to make its presence around the house feel calming rather than distracting. Mori can sit quietly while you read, sway along to music, welcome you when you enter a room, or encourage you to slow down for a moment without requiring a screen or a conversation.