Why slide into someone’s DMs when you could quite literally ‘light up their life’? Aqara’s IFA 2023 showcase includes a slew of products, but its most noteworthy is a Matter-enabled ceiling light that features a glowing outer ring that lights up when you get a notification. Now, it’s important to note that the light’s outer ring doesn’t necessarily connect to apps on your phone (although an update would enable this), but rather to other smart devices around your house. In theory, the individually addressable outer LED ring could shine to let you know if there’s a leak in the bathroom, if the door’s open, or if there’s a pest/intruder in your backyard. The central disc of the Ceiling Light T1M features a range of 16 million different colors, and can be used as your conventional smart home light for lighting your space, setting the mood, or just working as a night lamp while you do a midnight fridge raid.
Aqara, known for its Zigbee-supported products, claims that its ceiling light has low power consumption during idle periods and is compatible with Matter-over-bridge. Although pricing and availability details have not been disclosed by Aqara, the light’s unique feature of an independently addressable ring sets it apart from other smart ceiling lights like those in the Hue lineup.
As a part of its IFA 2023 lineup, the company has also unveiled the Camera E1, a new indoor security camera that boasts a 2K resolution and supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2. While it may not be Matter-enabled, this pan and tilt camera is still compatible with various smart home platforms such as Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, and Google Home. It comes equipped with AI-powered features like person detection and tracking, and offers multiple storage options including microSD cards, cloud storage, and network-attached storage (NAS).
There’s also the Matter-over-Thread smart lock — an efficient smart lock that eliminates the need for lock replacement. The Smart Lock U200, Aqara mentions, seamlessly operates with your existing cylinders, saving you the hassle of drilling or door modifications. This advanced innovation offers various unlocking methods, including Aqara’s NFC card (or an NFC-enabled device), fingerprint verification, and PIN codes. While the exact product availability is undisclosed, Aqara plans to launch it on Kickstarter later this year.
There is plenty of rhetoric about upgrading our living spaces to be smarter, not just for convenience but also for efficiency, especially when it comes to keeping power consumption to a minimum. What many of these pieces of advice and marketing materials don’t often say is how many changes you have to make to your house, from internal wiring to replacing furniture or appliances, some of which might be in perfect working condition or well-loved after years of use. These barriers to entry discourage many would-be smart home adopters, depriving them of the benefits and savings that technology can bring into their lives. Fortunately, there are brands that offer innovative products that make the transition so much easier, adding smart capabilities to regular objects or appliances. The new SwitchBot Curtain 3, for example, not only automates opening and closing curtains but also does it without rudely waking you up with noise.
There are quite a few smart curtain solutions out there, some even coming from famous DIY furniture brands. One thing that many of these have in common is that they require you to install new rods and contraptions, increasing not only the risk of damage to your house but also the time, effort, and money required to just get started. SwitchBot is famed for its convenient and intelligent robots that let you enjoy a smart home without having to replace switches, buttons, and blinds, its newly upgraded Curtain 3 robot brings greater strength, quieter movement, wider compatibility, and a more sustainable power solution that could last forever.
Keep it Quiet – At just 25dB SwitchBot Curtain 3 is so quiet you might just forget it’s even there.
Made to be Powerful – SwitchBot Curtain 3 now offers twice the amount of thrust, meaning even heavier curtains can now be pushed and pulled with ease.
The SwitchBot Curtain 3 is twice as strong as its predecessor, allowing it to push up to 16 kg (36 lbs) worth of curtains. Want to bring out your thick luxurious, fabrics for flair or for heating? The SwitchBot Curtain 3 can definitely handle the load, drawing and closing the curtains without breaking a sweat. Most importantly, however, the Curtain 3 can do this impressive feat with an even more impressive silent operation of below 25 dB. Wake up to the natural sunlight streaming into your room and not to the whirring noise of the robot opening the curtain in the morning.
As if it weren’t already convenient, SwitchBot Curtain delivers even more features that keep your mind off menial chores and focus on actually getting things done. In addition to supporting smart home platforms like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, HomeKit (via Matter), IFTTT, and SmartThing, the SwitchBot Curtain 3 offers no less than 8 types of control methods, including voice control with the SwitchBot Hub 2, App control, the SwitchBot Remote, Touch and Go, Sunrise and Sunset modes, timers, and Apple Watch, and light sensor control with the SwitchBot Solar Panel 3. Create automated scenes like opening the curtains at a specific time in the morning, or closing them at the same time as turning off the TV at night. Whether it’s on its own or working with other SwitchBot products like the SwitchBot Hub or the SwitchBot Thermometer & Hygrometer, the SwitchBot Curtain 3 will help cut down on the things you have to mind and do, freeing up time to spend on the more important things in life.
DynamiClamp Design – Fits almost any curtain track, SwitchBot Curtain 3 is compatible with a whole range of different curtain tracks.
All-new Solar Panel 3 – Enjoy unlimited power with just 3 hours of sunlight per day.
One of the best things about the SwitchBot Curtain 3 is that it takes only 30 seconds to install and is compatible with 99% of curtain tracks in use today, whether it’s a conventional rod, a U Rail, an I rail, or even a telescopic rod. The built-in battery means no dangling cords, and its 3,350 mAh capacity means you’ll be able to use it for up to 8 months without worrying about charging. But with the new and improved SwitchBot Solar Panel 3, you can enjoy endless green power to let the Curtain 3 do its job all year round.
Smart home products are supposed to make life more convenient, not add to our stress by making them difficult to install and uncomfortable to use. With the SwitchBot Curtain 3, you get a more powerful but quieter robot that offers unmatched flexibility and control in how you want to use it. Get a healthier wake-up call, a more peaceful sleep, and a stress-free way to live with the SwitchBot Curtain 3, only $89.99 from Amazon and SwitchBot’s official website and a 10% discount for Yanko Design readers.
Summer naturally evokes images of beaches, pool parties, barbecues, camping, and other outdoor activities, most of them done under the watchful eye of the Day Star. Of course, that’s not the only way to enjoy the newfound free time that summer breaks and vacations bring, especially when you want to escape from stuffy indoor spaces and revel in the cooler evening air outdoors. Sometimes, those nights are just as alive as the daytime, at least if they’re properly illuminated with the right kinds of lights that bring out the right moods. You don’t need an elaborate or expensive setup to have the perfect summer night time atmosphere. You just need to be smarter about how you decorate your outdoor space, especially when it comes to lighting. To help simplify that process, here are five ways you can brighten up your summer nights, courtesy of Govee’s newest selection of smart outdoor lighting made to meet every need and occasion.
Designer: Govee
Light Up the Whole House with Govee Permanent Outdoor Lights
Who says you need to wait for Christmas to bathe your house in a colorful hue? Whether you’re setting the mood for a party with splashes of color or making sure your property is safely and properly illuminated at night, these Permanent Outdoor Lights deliver a hassle-free and worry-free way to bring your house to life. Govee is the first in the market to bring self-installation for permanent outdoor lights, and this seamless self-installation process means you won’t need costly assistance just to put up the lights. The lights can withstand weather conditions of -4°F to 140°F temperatures as well as downpours, ensuring you’ll be able to enjoy reliable and beautiful lighting all year round.
Like any of Govee’s products, these Permanent Outdoor Lights offer plenty of customization, including over 70 scene modes and 16 million colors. All that power is available right under your fingertips with the Govee app or through Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. Of course, you don’t have to manage all the settings yourself and let the smart apps schedule when the lights turn on or off, or how to mix and match colors depending on the music or scene, in harmony with other Govee smart lighting you might also have installed. The Govee Permanent Outdoor Lights bring a balanced and general-purpose outdoor lighting solution that never loses its appeal, no matter the season.
Make Paths and Decorations Pop with Govee Outdoor Neon Rope Lights
For really dramatic lighting effects, nothing beats illuminating the edges of objects and even pathways, creating a kaleidoscopic scene that is nearly impossible to pull off during the day, at least not without super-powerful and super-expensive lights. The Govee Outdoor Neon Rope Lights, however, make such a striking visual effect not only accessible but also easy. The rope light can be bent and curved to follow the contours of pathways, arches, and other objects. Or you can make your own piece of lighting art with the rope light acting as your pen.
A thick silicone case gives the lights IP67 dust and water resistance, allowing it to shrug off the train like nothing. A specialized chip enables a 15-segment rainbow effect, with no visible granules to break the illusion of a continuous path of colorful light. Of course, the lights can be controlled through the Govee app or smart assistants, but it also comes with 11 music recognition effects and more than 64 scene lighting effects to make customizing the light show even easier. With nothing more than colorful outlines, the Govee Outdoor Neon Rope Lights really bring your outdoor spaces to life, making you want to spend every night basking in their delightful glow.
Highlight Special Areas or Objects with Govee Outdoor Spotlights
If the Govee Permanent Outdoor Lights paint your house with broad strokes of illumination, these equally capable and beautiful Outdoor Spotlights guide your visitors’ eyes to what you want them to see. It might be your patio, an ornate piece of decoration, or even a stage for your poolside party. Whatever it may be, these Outdoor Spotlights will create the perfect setup to draw their attention without blinding people, thanks to the lamps’ soft and graceful glow. The light is projected at an angle of about 50 degrees and can reach a distance of over 2 meters while remaining low-voltage to minimize energy consumption and heat.
As outdoor lighting, these Govee spotlights are made to weather all weather conditions, with a die-cast aluminum body and IP65 dust and water resistance rating that ensures they’ll survive heavy rains. As smart lights, they can also easily be controlled through the Govee Home app or through voice assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Want the spotlights to dance to the music? The cool music mode lets 16 million colors sync to the beat. Whether setting up the ambiance or getting the party rolling, the Govee Outdoor Spotlights put the focus where you want it, in color and in style.
Increase Safety and Beauty with Govee Outdoor Pathway Lights
A dark pathway is an accident waiting to happen and a security risk, but it can also be an opportunity to create a more meaningful entry and exit for visitors as well as for yourself. Govee’s Outdoor Pathway Lights don’t just provide much-needed illumination, they also envelope your surroundings with a welcoming atmosphere, courtesy of the colors of your choosing. The pathway lights are made from durable aluminum with a lacquered finish, and their minimalist cylindrical body gives them a classic aesthetic that will blend with any kind of landscape. With an IP65 rating, you can be confident in using them under any weather.
Of course, these Outdoor Pathway Lights can also be used to liven up your garden parties, with 16 million colors at your disposal and an endless amount of customization available, whether manually or automatically through routines, music modes, and scenes. Make your surroundings safer and more secure, while also giving them a bit of personality with Govee’s Outdoor Pathway Lights.
Sometimes the best solution is the simplest one. While there are plenty of lighting options for different needs and situations, one of the simplest yet most flexible solutions is a string of lights. The Govee Outdoor String Lights H1 takes that design up a notch with bright and colorful lighting that brings any outdoor event to life. An innovative installation method that features integrated buckles provides stability and reliability while giving you the flexibility to hang the lights where you need and want them. String them under the patio roof, hang them across the yard, or have them run down posts with no problem at all.
The Outdoor String Lights H1 also outdo typical string lights with brighter and smoother bulbs with plenty of smarts. A two-layer design lets you change the colors one bulb at a time, though you can also let them just dance to the music or adjust automatically to different scenes. When your setup requires a bit more flexibility and creativity, the Govee Outdoor String Lights H1 has you covered, no matter the occasion or weather.
Govee’s new collection of Outdoor Lighting all feature RGBIC, the brand’s latest light-displaying tech featuring an integrated chip (IC) that enables a single strip of light to support 16 million color variations. All of them can also be easily controlled through the Govee Home app or through smart assistants such as Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, opening the doors to convenient automation of repetitive tasks, like turning the lights on or off at the right time. Whether you’re throwing an outdoor party or simply setting up a relaxing mood for reading on the patio, the new Govee smart outdoor lights will turn your summer nights into unique and unforgettable experiences you will treasure all year round.
This year’s summer is breaking records but not in a good way. As the heat turns up, so does our energy consumption and our bills, courtesy of one of the most power-hungry appliances in our homes: the air conditioner. In some places, this cooling machine works even outside the year’s hottest season, but that doesn’t mean they need to be running all the time. Although we all know we need to be smarter about the use of air conditioners, we tend to forget or, worse, take things for granted until we see the month’s electricity bill. Fortunately, we don’t need to do all the heavy lifting thanks to today’s technologies. Even better, you don’t even have to waste money by replacing a perfectly functional AC when you can grab this rather stylish smart home accessory that will make any air conditioner smarter and provide a smarter and more sustainable way to live comfortably even during the hottest days.
Smart air conditioners do exist, but unless you’re already in the market to buy one, it’s just an unnecessary expense and a huge waste if you already have a “normal” AC that’s still completely functional. There are some accessories that promise to give that old AC an upgrade, but most of them involve hardwiring the two together. In stark contrast, the way that Klima works is almost magical. Just attach it to your wall, point your AC’s remote control at it, install the BOLDR mobile app, and you’re all done! Instant smart AC for the faction of the price and effort.
Klima’s magic is, of course, thanks to the creative combination of technology and design, delivering a smart home product that will look at home, no matter your decor. The scratch and fingerprint-resistant mirrored glass surface gives an instant aesthetic upgrade to any room, while the recycled aluminum shell and recycled plastic bottom give it durability and longevity without harming the environment in the process. Just like its elegant minimalist design, installing Klima couldn’t be simpler. Just stick the magnetic mount to a wall using the attached 3M adhesives, making sure to keep the mount even using the built-in level. Attach the Klima to the mount, pair it with your phone via Wi-Fi, then point your AC’s remote at Klima to complete the registration.
The smart controller works using the same infrared technology that the remote uses, which means that it is compatible with just about any air conditioner model out there, as long as they have a remote control with a display that shows the AC’s settings. But Klima is more than just a convenient way to control your AC using your smartphone, though that is definitely part of the appeal. You can schedule when the AC turns on or off depending on your scheduling, or let it do that automatically by detecting when the last person has left the house or when the first person is about to arrive. It can even detect open windows and turn off the AC to save on power. If you run an AirBnB portfolio, you can also easily manage a fleet of Klima devices, while still giving guests the ability to control the AC’s temperature and fan speed through touch-sensitive buttons on Klima’s reflective face.
With Klima, not only do you get convenience, you also get efficiency, ensuring that you don’t consume more energy than you really need. This translates into savings not only on your power bill but also on reducing your home’s total carbon footprint. Given how much it will save you in the long run, Klima’s $105 Early Bird price tag is definitely a steal. So stop sweating under the heat or over your energy charges and start keeping cool the smart and sustainable way with Klima.
Perhaps save for the Apple iPad Pro and its equivalent Samsung Galaxy Tab S, there are still some people who are not yet sold on what a tablet is for. Some simply see it as a larger phone, which has become less relevant these days thanks to larger phones and foldables. Others treat them like the next step from laptops, at least those that are powerful enough or can run the apps they need. Most, however, probably still can’t find a purpose or even a need for a tablet in their lives, so Google is trying to provide yet another possible answer. With its new Pixel Tablet, it’s practically saying that devices are meant to stay at home to keep you company and keep you connected to other people without ever having to step outside.
If you were looking for the next step in the evolution of tablets, especially in design, you might come off very disappointed with the new Google Pixel Tablet. Compared to the likes of the iPad Pro or the Microsoft Surface Pro, the 11-inch Google tablet seems almost nondescript and might even look too plain. It meets Google’s intended purpose for the tablet, though, which is to never leave home and to almost stay attached to its speaker stand.
Together, the Pixel Tablet and its Charging Speaker Dock do make a minimalist couple that would actually look at home in your, er, home. If the basic design language of muted colors and fabrics seems familiar, it’s because it’s the same language that the Google Nest family of smart home devices speaks. In fact, the Pixel Tablet and the Nest Hub Max look almost too identical, except for the fact that you can detach the Pixel Tablet when you want to watch a video more comfortably.
Therein lies the purpose of the Pixel Tablet, which despite its name, is really meant more to be a Smart Home Display with a detachable display. You can use it to control your smart appliances, whether via touch or voice, and you can use it to chat with others on a screen larger than your phone. But when you want to sit back and binge or play games, you simply detach the tablet and carry on.
In any other context, especially outdoors, the Pixel Tablet would look almost boring, though thankfully, it isn’t as plain inside as you might expect. When it comes to hardware specs, Google didn’t really hold back in giving the Pixel Tablet much-needed power. The screen is a bright 2560×1600 LCD panel, and the entire party is run by a Tensor G2 processor, accompanied by 8GB of RAM. The Charging Speaker Dock has a 43.5mm full-range speaker inside and can charge the tablet through pogo pins at a maximum 15W rate.
The Google Pixel Tablet is now available for pre-order for $499, and it fully launched on 20. You can’t buy the tablet alone, but, amusingly, you can buy just the dock for $120 in case you need extras around the house. While the Pixel Tablet’s design and purpose might sound underwhelming compared to the competition, it definitely has some muscle to make it useful for more than just home use. Perhaps more importantly, its arrival comes with Google’s commitment to really push for developers to make Android apps work better on larger screens, a commitment that will hopefully last beyond the lifetime of this device.
Although they were still novelties a few years back, smart homes have started to become more common these days. It’s not a complete makeover, though; just a few embracing connected appliances and devices to automate the boring rote things in their lives. Some people are afraid to take the plunge because of misconceptions about the complexity and cost of upgrading to a smart house, but there’s really no need to go all out all at once. You can always start simple and work up to a more sophisticated setup, and nothing gets simpler than lights that can automatically turn on or off without you pushing a single switch or button. To help get you started, here are ten of the best smart lighting options in the market, whether you need an artistic indoor lamp to set the right mood or a bright outdoor light to protect you and your loved ones.
1. Gingko Moon Lamp
We all love a little magic in our lives, even if it’s just something that to look at for a short period of time. The right lights can do that with a mesmerizing light show, but what if you could take the magical feeling a step further? What if you could almost literally shrink down the moon and put it on your desk, always available for you to behold in awe whenever you feel like it?
The Gingko Moon Lamp is more than a moon-shaped light source, though it does that splendidly with a texture that closely mimics the surface of the moon. It floats on top of its wooden pedestal like magic and rotates slowly to enchant you with its mystical charm. It’s also eco-friendly, made from biodegradable PLA and reclaimed wood, giving it an internal and unseen beauty that is reflected in its otherworldly visage.
Most lights are naturally designed to provide illumination in the dark, so they don’t have much use when you actually need the room to be dark, like at night. Not everyone wants to have a bedside lamp turned on all night, but almost everyone wants to wake up to a gentle light, almost like the sunrise. The latter has become especially important after studies show how beneficial such a kind of light is to the body and mind when waking up.
Halo Rise is a bedside lamp that provides such a feature and then some. When you’re asleep, it acts as a sleep tracker you don’t have to wear that lets you keep tabs on the quality of your sleep to improve it. And when it’s time to wake up, it simulates the sunrise to wake up in the most natural way. While most lights just work to let you see in the dark, Halo Rise works even at night to ensure you’ll get the best and most restful sleep you deserve.
Sometimes, lighting is meant less to provide illumination and more to add accents to a space. This is often the case for lamps with peculiar patterns or softer lights that can evoke certain moods, depending on what they’re showing. Their functionality might not be as critical as, say, ceiling lights or reading lamps, but they’re still important in setting up a more comfortable atmosphere, depending on your preferences.
The Moonside Neon Crystal Cube is an intriguing product that practically puts a lighting art piece on your desk or shelf. Bright LEDs can be controlled independently to produce single swathes of soothing colors or a kaleidoscopic light show bursting with life, setting the correct mood that you need at any given time.
By definition, lamps are visual products, and depending on their location, they’re designed to be either eye-catching or invisible. In reality, there are really not that many limitations to what a lamp can do as long as they are able to provide the most basic function of illumination. That means that they can not only be works of art but also function as other devices as well.
The IKEA Symfonisk is one such example of a multi-functional lamp that looks exquisitely elegant. It comes as a cylindrical table lamp with a rather unique circular lampshade, but its secret power is that it’s also a 360-degree Wi-Fi speaker as well. It’s a product that looks good and sounds good, even when the light is turned off.
The majority of smart lights you’ll see in the market are all meant for indoor use. After all, those are the easiest to replace in your life and also the most dynamic. Depending on how often you move around, these lights might be turned on and off multiple times a day, so automating their switches has the most return on investment for not so much effort.
The Ring Solar Floodlight brings that same convenience to an area that’s often taken for granted in homes or rather outside of homes. It provides bright light that can be controlled automatically or through a variety of apps and services, and it can even be connected to other Ring devices like the Ring doorbell for improved home security. Best of all, it’s solar powered, so you don’t have to worry about the added burden on the environment and your electricity bill.
While picking smart lighting is serious business, that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun as well. Selecting the right pieces and combining them in a pleasing way can feel almost like a puzzle game. Most lights, however, limit you to a specific arrangement, but there are some that provide a bit more flexibility, allowing you to design the final appearance of the puzzle.
With its hexagonal panels, the Nanoleaf Elements leaves you free to mix and match pieces as you wish. They may look like wooden pieces when turned off, but these lighting panels come to life in both static and dynamic ways, depending on your whim at the moment. They also make for interesting wall decor, even when they’re not providing mood lighting to your living area or room.
Most of the eye-catching smart lamps tend to attract attention with their dazzling colors and psychedelic light shows, but that can sometimes turn out to be a bit overwhelming for some tastes. Other people prefer to spark interest with subtler yet more manageable designs, particularly ones that are minimalist yet intriguing. A form-changing lamp would definitely fall under that category, especially one that doesn’t look anything like a lamp at all.
At first glance, Teno looks like a bowl-shaped stone with a large crack in the middle. Pull it open sideways, however, and you will be greeted by an almost otherworldly glow. What’s even more unexpected is that the product is also a smart speaker in disguise. Minimalist, aesthetic, tactile, and functional, it’s a one-of-a-kind lamp that can do many things without looking pretentious.
Who says that lamps should only emit a single hue or an amorphous combination of colors? While that’s definitely the most efficient type of lighting for practical purposes, you don’t need to be limited by such considerations in this smart age. Going beyond just dynamic lighting, you can even turn part of your wall into an almost literal work of art, and you don’t have to burn a hole in your wallet with a flat wall TV.
Twinkly Squares are smart LED wall panels that let you put pixel art images and designs on your wall, turning your living space into the next smart attraction. Whether you’re displaying a static picture or moving patterns of colors and lines, these squares give not only brighten up the area but make it pop to life with eye-catching visuals any time of the day. Of course, everything is controllable through apps, and it can even sync with the lights of your PC gaming rig.
We sometimes have preconceived notions of what lamps should look like, but you’d be surprised at the variety of shapes and designs available out there. Not all lights need to be mounted on walls or ceilings, and neither do they need to be put on top of desks and surfaces. There are lamps that stand tall on floors, for example, and there are some that can even look like nondescript sticks you’d never expect to be a lamp at all.
The Govee Lyra almost disappears into the background when you place it in a corner of the room, but the moment you turn its RGB lights on, it becomes the life of the party. You can combine a variety of colors and effects to literally light up the space, or you can select a more solid but softer glow that won’t hurt your eyes when you read. Whether it’s actually on a corner or standing against a wall, this tall RGB glow stick is sure to catch anyone’s attention and make you the talk of the town.
Fancy lighting and mood-setting lamps might be great for creating a proper atmosphere, but when it comes to functional lighting for work or study, simpler is better. Simple doesn’t have to mean simplistic, though, and there is plenty of room for the venerable desk lamp to have a meaningful upgrade. From smooth moving parts to premium materials to extra features that don’t get in the way, all it takes is some creative thinking to pull it all together.
MOMAX did exactly that with its QL1 Desk Lamp, which at first glance, looks like a desk lamp like any other. The use of high-quality materials, however, sets it apart from the common lot, and its gentle LED makes sure your eyes don’t get too strained even after hours of working. Even better, its base reclaims desk space by functioning as a Qi-compatible wireless charger, providing you with a 2-in-1 smart product that doesn’t get in the way of your productivity.
We are becoming more and more dependent on electronic devices and products, but while each of them brings convenience to our lives, they can collectively become a mess when left unchecked. Making smart home devices work together is, fortunately, easier these days, even if they come from different brands, but corralling traditional “non-smart” appliances is no walk in the park. The good news is that there is a class of devices that make these conventional appliances a bit smarter, such as smart switches and intelligent sockets. The new Shelly BLU Button1 puts all this power literally at your fingertips, allowing you to get the party started or tuck in for the night with a single click of a button.
It might be tempting to replace all your lights, speakers, door locks, curtains, and appliances with Internet-connected models, but it is neither advisable nor practical. If all you really need is a way to turn these on or off without touching a switch or plugging them in, there’s almost no reason to replace your working possessions, especially if they’ve become your favorites. There are plenty of ways to make them just a little bit smarter, like retrofitting normal wall sockets with smart switches inside, like the Shelly Plus and Shelly Pro.
That, however, only makes the appliance smarter, but you might still live your life at the mercy of turning these things on and off individually, often through a smartphone that you have to pull out from your pocket, unlock, and tap multiple times. It’s not exactly a smarter way to live, which is why this tiny button puts all that convenience in a single device that you can attach to your keyring or bag. With just a click or a series of clicks, you can start your mourning routine, lock up the house, get ready for movie night, or do anything else that you need to automate in your life.
Shelly BLU Button1 is a small, almost nondescript square that has a single button that simplifies all the actions you need into a click. Using Shelly Cloud, you can connect actions or grouped scenes to four gestures of single, double, and triple clicks as well as a long press of the button. The BLU Button1 works over Bluetooth, so you don’t have to worry about unstable Wi-Fi connections when you need to open the garage door as you get near the house. You don’t even need to have your smartphone with you to use it! More advanced users can even write small scripts that can handle more complex conditions and situations.
The Shelly BLU Button1 is also compatible with devices that support the BTHome protocol, but it is best used together with Shelly Plus and Pro smart switches. Sure, that does involve a bit of rewiring that might require the help of a professional, but that is still a lot cheaper than buying a new smart home appliance, especially if your old one is working perfectly fine.
Our homes are getting more sophisticated in terms of technology, but all of that is for naught if it ends up making our lives more complicated as well. Smart home devices are meant to help take some loads off our minds and free up small bits of time here and there. Those few minutes might seem almost inconsequential on their own, but when taken together, they give us more freedom to schedule our days around the more important things in life, like spending time with family, friends, and pets. Of course, there’s a wide variety of such devices and appliances available these days, almost too many for us to keep up with. To help with the overwhelming task of selecting the right products, we’ve compiled a list of ten of the best-designed smart home accessories that can help you live life more productively and more enjoyably.
1. Philips Screeneo U5
Living smarter doesn’t just mean being smart about productivity. It also means being smart about the way we relax and enjoy life, particularly through entertainment. TVs have gotten smarter these days, but their basic design hasn’t changed much, especially in how they eat up so much space. That is why some homeowners have switched to smart projectors instead, especially ultra short throw projectors like the new Philips Screeneo U5 that removes the stress of setting up a high-quality entertainment system that doesn’t take up space when not in use.
All you really need to do is to put the Screeneo U5 11 to 16 inches from a wall and then let the smart projector do its magic. It can automatically set up the right configuration so you can jump right into enjoying a good flick with its brighter and more vibrant 4K UHD projection. It doesn’t slack off when it comes to audio either, so you can immerse yourself in the content you love, pushing away the worries of life even for just a few hours.
If you’re going to have more than just one smart home device in your home, you’d probably want to have a single, convenient place to control them from. While there might be a few smart home platforms in existence, most devices support Apple Home, which means that the 2nd-gen Apple HomePod is one of the best smart home hubs available today. What makes it even better is that it is future-proof and compatible with an even wider range of smart devices, thanks to its support for the budding Matter smart home standard.
Admittedly, the 2nd-gen HomePod looks a lot like the first-ever HomePod, but that’s also because it’s a well-loved design that’s known to work. Looks can be deceiving, of course, because everything inside has been upgraded. That means that not only is the HomePod 2 a great smart home hub, it’s also a great speaker that now supports Spatial Audio for that 5.1-channel home theater effect with a single speaker.
Bird watching is an underrated and unappreciated hobby, mostly because of how time-consuming it is to wait for the right bird to come at the right time. It would probably be more efficient if you just let the bird come to you and just be notified when that happens, rather than going out of your way to search for these feathered visitors. That’s pretty much the idea behind Bird Buddy, a smart bird feeder that also turns you into a smarter bird watcher.
Bird Buddy entices your flying neighbors with snacks that they can enjoy in peace, so it’s a win-win situation for both birds and humans. Once a bird flies into place, it detects its presence and sends you a notification on your phone, where you can view a live feed of the bird without disrupting its natural behavior. Bird Buddy can even use AI to identify the type of bird so that you can record different kinds, almost like Pokemon. And you don’t have to waste time at home waiting for those notifications since you can carry the Bird Buddy mobile app with you anywhere you go.
While controlling smart devices from a mobile app can be convenient and flexible, it isn’t always the smartest nor the fastest way to do things if it involves multiple taps or actions. There’s always this dream of pushing a single button that does everything you need at a given moment without trying so hard. That’s the dream that the Flic 2 makes real with a single button that can do almost anything you can imagine, as long as there’s a service that supports it.
Flic 2 connects to over a dozen smart services, including Amazon Alexa, Apple Home, IFTTT, and more, so that you can map a single push of a button to a single action or a routine that triggers a series of actions. Those can include dimming the lights, starting the coffee machine, sending a message, or ordering supplies. Since it connects to your smartphone, you can even clip it on your clothes or bag and take it with you wherever you go, expanding your smart home into your smart world.
Smart devices often try to be a jack of all trades to cater to different people and different use cases. You might, however, sometimes want something that does one thing but does it so well that you might even forget that it’s there. That’s the kind of experience that the SwitchBot Curtain Rod 2 brings to the table, turning any old curtain into a smart one in a way that almost makes you think you bought a real smart curtain from the very beginning.
Like any of SwitchBot’s smart products, the Curtain Rod 2 is actually a small robot that attaches to and moves along any conventional curtain rod, which means it can drag the curtain along with it. The robot can be controlled by almost any means, from app to voice command to scheduled times. You can even give it a physical nudge by moving the curtain by hand, and it will move along in that direction, giving you the satisfaction of manually opening or closing curtains but with less work.
Many of us might have become accustomed to checking the weather every morning, especially those of us that need to commute almost every day. It’s not an exact science, though, and the results that you get might be completely different, especially if you live quite a distance from the nearest weather station. Fortunately, it’s now possible to have your own personal weather station at home with more accurate and more meaningful information thanks to the Tempest personal weather system.
Unlike most smart home devices, Tempest stands outside to get accurate and real-time weather data as it happens within your vicinity rather than having to rely on a weather station miles and miles away. It can, of course, also tell other smart home devices what to do under certain conditions, so the smart sprinklers won’t turn on when it’s raining, or the smart garage door will close down when it’s too windy. The device is also solar-powered, so you won’t have to worry about your electricity bill spiking up either.
Knowing the weather or environment at home is great but means nothing if you can’t be smart about changing that situation for the better. Knowing the right time and amount to heat or cool the house inside is just as important, especially since it saves up money in the long run. You’d need a smart thermostat for that, and Ecobee is not only one of the most established brands in that market, it also has one of the most aesthetic products as well.
The Ecobee Smart Thermostat has all the bells and whistles you’d expect and then some. It can, for example, also monitor air quality so that you can take steps to make sure you’re breathing in clean air. What makes this Ecobee product even more appealing is its handsome looks that easily reminds you of an Apple product, like a large Apple Watch mounted on a wall. It can even show something similar to Siri’s animation when controlling it by voice, giving you an interesting visual while interacting with the device.
When upgrading your home to be smarter, you often find yourself having to buy new products and replace old ones. That might be fine for smart lighting or even thermostats, but some parts of your house might not be so easy to change. Door locks are one such category of home fixtures that would require a lot of effort and money to upgrade to a smart lock. Fortunately, SwitchBot’s Lock device makes it possible to have a smarter door lock using the very same lock you already have on your door.
Just like most of SwitchBot’s products, the Lock simply installs on your door and attaches to your existing door lock, making a regular mechanism smarter in a snap. You can control the lock remotely through a variety of channels, from voice control to Bluetooth to NFC tags to, of course, physical keys. Not only do you save time opening the door exactly when you need to, you also save both time and money when installing this smart door lock without having to change anything on your door.
We probably pay way too much attention to the technological aspects of a smart home, but living smarter doesn’t always involve self-dimming lights, robot vacuum cleaners, and watchful security cameras. It also means living a healthy lifestyle, which is also one area where smart home devices can help with. Eating healthy food, especially vegetables, can sometimes be a chore when you consider all the work and money spent keeping your stocks filled. Fortunately, you can also grow your own green leafy treats, and the Click and Grow offers a smart way to do so.
Growing plants indoors has become quite fashionable these days, but Click and Grow smart planter hits multiple birds with one stone. Its patented tray system ensures you have a continuous harvest of greens every week, but its clean, minimalist design also adds to your home’s ambiance in the process. It’s a smart and beautiful way to give your smart home a splash of green while also ensuring you won’t run out of fresh veggies anytime soon.
Everyone wants to stay healthy and in good shape, but those people can also think of dozens of excuses not to hit the gym. Admittedly, that’s not a viable option for everyone, but breaking a sweat by yourself at home doesn’t always feel as effective, especially when you don’t really know what you should be doing. If you need guidance beyond just home fitness machines, you might want to also have the wisdom of experts at your service. The Vault brings all of these together into your home, delivering a personal fitness system that fits inside a mirror.
It’s almost too easy to dismiss The Vault as a regular fitness mirror because that is exactly half of what it offers. You have immediate visual feedback that compares your form with that of an expert, and it also gives you access to world-class trainers demonstrating different training styles. The Vault, however, is also a literal vault that contains the accessories you need for a complete workout, including dumbbells, kettlebells, resistance bands, and more. It’s a true home gym system that happens to look nothing like a home gym, bringing a touch of elegance to the room when you’re not doing exercises.
Modern homes are slowly but surely becoming smart homes, adding Internet-connected devices around the house to make our lives safer and more convenient. These can range from smart bulbs to smart ovens, and there’s a wide variety of brands to choose from. Unfortunately, that also means that some of these brands speak different languages, depending on whether they decide to support Apple, Google, Amazon, or something completely different. That, unfortunately, means that some of these smart home products can’t work together, making your smart home feel a little less smart. Fortunately, these companies themselves have wised up, and you can now enjoy the fruits of their collaboration with the new SwitchBot Hub 2 that now comes with Matter support.
A Better Foundation for your Smart Home – SwitchBot Hub 2 supports old infrared appliances and can help make them smarter.
The promise of a smart home quickly loses its appeal when you suddenly realize you will need different apps or different hubs for different sets of smart devices. That will hopefully become a thing of the past now that the new Matter standard is on the scene, supported by most of the major manufacturers and smart home platforms. Of course, that still requires that these devices or at least their hubs support Matter, which is where the SwitchBot Hub 2 comes in.
Adding Matter support with the SwitchBot Hub 2 is no small matter. SwitchBot made a name for itself with small robots that made regular appliances “smart” by pressing switches, turning locks, or even opening curtains, all controlled through the Internet. In addition to that same innovative versatility, the SwitchBot Hub 2 allows SwitchBot Bluetooth devices to be controlled using any Matter-compatible platform over Wi-Fi, which means you will be able to connect these SwitchBot products via Apple HomeKit. This also means that you can also use the third-party smart assistant of your choice, be it Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or Apple Siri.
Temperature, humidity, and light all directly through your device.
See clinical changes in your home environment via the app.
The SwitchBot Hub 2, however, is more than just a Matter-enabled smart home gateway. It’s actually a 4-in-1 smart home device, with the hub being just one of its many talents. The SwitchBot Hub 2 is the first Matter-enabled hub to feature a Thermo-Hygrometer sensor so that you can monitor temperature and humidity changes in real-time. This information is shown on an LED display that can intelligently change its brightness depending on ambient light. It also retains SwitchBot’s popular IR control function, taking the place of your old remote to more conveniently control older appliances that don’t support Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. There is also Scene control that lets you create manual or automatic Scenes that can run multiple actions from one or more triggers, like turning lights on and opening the curtains in the morning.
Aside from the SwitchBot Hub 2 itself, you won’t even need to buy new SwitchBot Bluetooth products just to reap the benefits of Matter. The latest version of the Switchbot app on the App Store now supports the Hub 2 with Matter, and both SwitchBot Blind Tilt and Curtain are now Matter-comptabile, with other Switchbot Bluetooth products scheduled to follow one after the other. For just $59.49 $69.99 (Use Coupon Code “YANKOHUB2” to get 15% off) and available now on Amazon, the new SwitchBot Hub 2’s advanced features and future-proof Matter support give your home a long-overdue smart upgrade with an elegant minimalist aesthetic that will fit any interior or motif.
Our homes are starting to be filled with technology, and not just from the computers and smartphones that we use day in and day out. But despite all the advancements in software, AI, and human-computer interaction, these technologies still feel distant and almost impersonal. Even those “personal” AI assistants are nothing more than disembodied voices that can hear us and not much else. These devices and services do make life convenient, but they don’t always help us with the other important things in life, like connecting with or checking up with another, especially when we’re not at home. The average human spends 26 years of their life sleeping and 30 years of their life working. That leaves just 1~2 hours in a day to truly connect with family, elders, or pets if we’re lucky. With all that time apart and no one there to supervise, there can be a lot of concern about the health and safety of our loved ones. This is why Enabot created the EBO X, your family’s protector, companion, and playmate. Smart home security cameras just don’t cut it, especially because they lack that “human touch,” and that is the kind of connection that this adorable moving homebot is trying to make while also making sure that your family and house are safe.
Smart Mapping – Provides EBO X with autonomous & accurate movement ability. Upon first use, EBO X will travel through your house using V-SLAM technology. This will allow EBO X to travel anywhere in the house.
Self-balanced Two-wheeled Design – EBO X ensures flexible mobility and high-precision motion control. EBO X can move around your home with ease and turn 360 degrees smoothly.
4K Stabilized Camera – EBO X’s 4K camera is one-axis stabilized, and the vertical angle is adjustable within a range of 104 degrees. EBO X has an 8-megapixel ultra low-light sensor and provides the super large 106-degree FOV.
Smart Tracking – If your child says “EBOEBO , follow me!”, EBO X will follow him or her anywhere it can reach, just like a loyal companion.
Edge Detection & Obstacle Avoidance – With multiple built-in dToF and ALS sensors, EBO X will stop itself from crossing any edge and avoid obstacles.
EBO X is, first and foremost, a smart guardian for the home and the family. Thanks to its self-balanced two-wheeled design and especially its smart mapping capabilities, it can go reach almost any part of your house. Despite this, users can set up restricted areas to protect their privacy. Not only can it map the layout of your house using V-SLAM (Visual Simultaneous Localization and Mapping), detecting edges and deftly avoiding obstacles, it can see clearly no matter the time of day or night with its stabilized 4K camera and 8MP ultra low-light sensor. It can even hear and turn towards the source of a sound, following not only your voice but also a potential accident.
Elderly Fall Alert – EBO X can be set to detect the fall-down of an elderly during auto-cruising. lf detected, it will send alerts through 3 optional ways to ask for help.
Crying & Call-for-help Alert – If your child is crying, EBO X will detect it and trigger an App call to you. Besides, EBO X will inform you through the App call if anyone at home is experiencing an emergency and calls for help.
Facial Recognition & Medication Reminder – At a scheduled time, EBO X can find the specific family member by facial recognition, and send the medication reminders in voice.
Unlike even the smartest home security systems, the EBO X robot is also your family’s protector. It can detect and report when someone, especially an elderly person, has fallen down and alert family or emergency services. It can do the same for someone crying for help, calling your attention through the app. It can also help prevent accidents in the first place by reminding family members to take their medication, even when no one else is around. It can use facial recognition to find your loved one around the house and give them a gentle nudge to take their meds.
The robot, however, does more than just secure your home and safeguard your family. It puts a face on these technologies, literally and figuratively. EBO X’s cute face will endear itself to members of your family, regardless of their ages. It can follow kids around, ensuring their safety while also keeping them entertained with sound effects and music through its premium Harman AudioEFX speaker. EBO X also uses Alexa Voice Control, so every convenience is just a voice command away. The robot can take pictures of the whole family, or it can even take low-angle photos of your furry family members. It can act as a two-way communication between those at home and those far away, bridging the distance in a far more interesting way than a simple call.
Enabot designed EBO X with privacy protection at the forefront of our minds, and Enabot truly focused on user privacy and made some improvements. For example, all the media files could be optionally stored only on the local SD card, and you can use the privacy switch in the App to remotely turn off the gimbal camera. You can also physically press the gimbal button on the camera, which can completely obscure the camera from the product structure. When EBO X detects that the gimbal is completely closed, it will stop video recording. Besides this, the circular 4-array microphone at the top can also be powered off at the hardware level to ensure that the camera and microphone are not being monitored or bugged.
Protector, companion, and playmate, the EBO X robot puts an emphasis on the “home” part of smart homes. Combining three devices in one, the agile smart guardian keeps your family safe, entertained, and comfortable, creating an environment that you can truly call home. All these for a sweet Super Early Bird price of $569, a large $430 discount off its $999 MSRP.
Design – Fits almost any curtain track, SwitchBot Curtain 3 is compatible with a whole range of different curtain tracks.
