With so many options for smart home devices these days, it is getting harder to tell the long-term players from the newbies. There are so many categories in home automation now, from security to cleaning and energy saving to cooking, that almost any brand can reasonably produce a smart device, or partner with a tech company to co-produce one. Whether a brand is known for tech or not, it can still be a viable option when shopping for your smart home devices. Below is my top eight list brands that are coming out with the most innovative, and most reliable, smart home products.
- Nest. The Nest brand is most known for its smart thermostat, but it also makes a camera and a smoke and carbon monoxide detector. Nest is a great choice for our basic smart home device.
- Amazon. Amazon has spent the last few years dabbling in the tech arena, with its tablets, phones, and streaming devices. Last year, they released one of their most popular devices to-date, the Echo, and officially entered the smart home game. It’s the perfect smart home companion since it allows you to use your voice to control your devices.
- LG. LG not only makes smart appliances like fridges, but it also has a smart home hub product. It also makes fun products, like a vacuum bot.
- Belkin. The most popular smart home product for Belkin is their WeMo line, which offers smart switches and smart light switches. In addition, the WeMo line offers home cameras, and smart light bulbs. They also partnered with popular home appliance brands, like Mr. Coffee, to create products that have WeMo built in.
- Wink. Wink is a smart home hub that allows you to easily connect and control all of your smart devices through one app. Wink is great because it offers a place for devices that wouldn’t normally connect to work together. This means that you can get a Nest thermostat and a Belkin WeMo switch and have them operate together.
- Samsung. The Samsung SmartThings line is all about home automation and intelligent living. The product line includes hubs, motion sensors, switches, arrival sensors, and water leak sensors.
- Philips. The Philips Hue line offers smart, wireless lighting for the home. With the lighting system, you can control your lights remotely, program your lights, dim your lights, adjust for ambience, automate your lights, use over 16 million available colors, and even sync your lighting to your music.
- August. The August line offers keyless access locks, a doorbell camera, a smart keypad, and a hub for remote access to control your locks. With keyless locks, you never have to use a fake rock again, and you can get mobile alerts when the lock is accessed. You can also ease your anxiety by accessing the app to make sure you locked your doors.
Photo by: Ben+Sam
Wink? They went bankrupt. How is that trustworthy?