BUYER’S GUIDE
SMART HOME
TECH FOR SECURITY & CONVENIENCE
BY DAVID AVERBACH
Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance Starter
Kit ($199.99)
I’ve found Philips Hue to have the most reliable
smart lights I’ve tested. They offer a large range
of lighting options for different price points, all of
which work together and connect to HomeKit to
integrate with all your smart devices. Even though
they’re a little more expensive, I particularly like
the colored lights. Adding a little pink or blue can
make a room feel more cheerful and having a
warm orange light when I’m relaxing before bed is
really nice. The more lights you purchase, the easi-
er it is to take advantage of the smart features. For
example, it’s convenient to say, “Hey Siri, turn off
the all the lights” when you’re going to bed, but
that only works when you have a whole house full
of smart lights, which can get quite expensive.Belkin Wemo Mini Smart Plug
($29.99)
Belkin’s Wemo can make almost any
appliance a smart appliance. It was
one of the fi rst smart plugs on the
market and is still one of the best.
It is pretty low cost, integrates with
HomeKit, is easy to set up, and
works reliably. I have my Wemo Mini
connected to a space heater in the
bathroom; it’s programmed to auto-
matically kick in a few minutes before
my alarm goes off in the morning, so
my bathroom is nice and warm by the
time I wake up. Make sure you test
each accessory before buying a Smart
Plug for it, though; as some won’t au-
tomatically turn on when plugged in,
and therefore aren’t compatible.Ecobee Smart Thermostat ($249)
The fi rst smart home product that I ever installed was a thermostat. I love how smart thermostats make the tedious task of
managing home temperature easy and fun. My choice for best smart thermostat is the Ecobee for the second straight year. The
Ecobee has a built-in Alexa speaker and is HomeKit compatible, so you can control it using Siri or Alexa. It’s really nice to be in
my bedroom and ask my HomePod to adjust the temperature. Finally, Ecobee added smart sensors this year that you can place
in different rooms in your house. The sensors detect room occupancy and temperature in order to adjust the thermostat based
on the room you’re in rather than where your thermostat is. I have an older house with inconsistent room temperatures, so this
is my favorite feature.
Google Nest Protect Smart Smoke
Detector ($119)
It may seem like $119 is a lot to
spend when many smoke detectors
cost less than $20, but the Nest Pro-
tect has a lot of excellent features
that help justify the price. The most
important is that it will notify you
remotely on your phone if it detects
a fi re. As a homeowner with a dog,
I’ve heard enough horror stories about
fi res to feel grateful for the peace of
mind. The smoke detector will also tell
you when its battery is low, so there’s
no more waking up in the middle of
the night to sleepily climb a ladder and
change the battery while your partner
covers their ears (do I sound bitter?).EDITOR’S
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