One of the best things about a smart home is the security
that goes along with it. Do you tend to forget to lock your front door at
night, or do you often forget your house key? Good news- with August Smart
Lock, now all you need is your smartphone. August Smart Lock automatically
locks your door and does not unlock it until someone either presses the Unlock
button on their smartphone or watch, asks Siri (Apple’s virtual assistant and,
I like to think, Alexa’s arch-nemesis), or keys a special code into the August
Smart Keypad (sold separately). This means that you can grant access to anyone
you authorize to unlock your front door, and you can also lock and unlock it
remotely if necessary. Oh, and in case you are wondering if your key will still
work in case you’ve forgotten your smartphone, the answer is yes.
Pros: Securely
locks door without you having to think about it. Allows you to monitor who is
unlocking and locking your door throughout the day.
Cons: Frankly,
the lock itself is sort of huge and ugly, but it goes on the inside of the
door, so don’t worry too much. Also, it works with Alexa but requires the
sold-separately August Connect bridge, which is sort of a bummer. Alexa changes
almost every day in terms of ability, so this may change down the road.
Keeping with the home security side of things, wouldn’t it
be nice if you could see who was at your door even when you’re not home? Never
miss an important delivery again, tell the pesky salesman you don’t want any
without even opening the door, and keep an eye on the comings and goings on
your front porch all from your smartphone, thanks to Ring Video Doorbell. A
nice extra feature of Ring is that it can double as a home security system,
detecting motion in whatever range you choose and alerting you every time
motion is detected. Also, for an extra charge, you can purchase stick-up
cameras that work with Ring to secure the entire perimeter of your house so you
can keep a 360-degree eye on it.
Pros: Great HD
video quality, beautiful, futuristic design (the doorbell button glows blue,
y’all!) and the always-entertaining ability to freak out the UPS guy by talking
to him through it.
Cons: The motion
detector can be a bit of a pain, since it seems to be ultra-sensitive to ANY
kind of motion, including people passing by in cars.
Tired of accidentally leaving the lights on when you go to
work in the morning? Would you like to have a few lights automatically come on
as you’re on your way home in the evening? Check out the smart switches from
WeMo by Belkin. WeMo is compatible with your existing lighting system- just
install a WeMo switch in place of your traditional light switch, connect over
wifi, and get ready to control your lights from your phone or through Alexa.
Best of all, you can program the lights to come on/go off at certain times of
the day so you can be sure you’re never wasting electricity because you forgot
to shut off your closet light. WeMo switches are also available as wall
outlets, so you can plug virtually any appliance, lamp or other device in and
control it in the same way. Perfect for Christmas lights!
Pros: Works with
Alexa, works with existing lights and electrical wiring.
Cons: Design of
smartphone app could be a bit more user-friendly. Also, WeMo seems to require
more firmware updates than other smart home devices.
If you are enjoying using Alexa to turn on your lights,
adjust your thermostat, and play music, why not take it to the next level of
smart home living and let her control your entertainment center? Logitech
Harmony allows you to program your TV, audio receiver, DVD/Blu-Ray player,
Apple TV and more so that everything can be controlled by a single universal
remote. Harmony will turn on your TV, switch to the proper input for the
activity you wish to do (“play game,” “watch movie,” etc.) and power on the
necessary device automatically. Though it currently does not directly work with
Alexa, it is simple to create IFTTT recipes (IFTTT.com) to facilitate voice
control with your Amazon Echo.
Pros: Works with
an astonishing variety of makes, models and types of devices. Works with Alexa
(using IFTTT).
Cons: Will not
work with old tech, even if it recognizes the make and model during setup. If
you have a device that is more than 6 years old, such as our old Sony receiver,
Harmony will not be able to power it on/off, adjust volume, or work controls
such as Fast-Forward or Pause.
If you’re
super-excited about your smart home but thinking to yourself, “Now, if only I
could control my oven with the sound of my voice!” we have got a great article
for check out part 3 in our smart home series, all about smart
appliances!
No comments:
Post a Comment