00:00Like, tell me that's not the future.
00:06I've recently moved into this new space, but I had to downsize quite a bit.
00:10However, I've got a number of really cool smart home gadgets that make the most of a
00:14smaller space.
00:15So, whether you're just starting a smart home or you're looking for some really cool
00:19smart home gadgets that are easy to install, maybe renter-friendly, there's something
00:23for everyone here.
00:24From setting the mood, automated home cleaning, and smart home security, here are some of
00:28the best picks that you can get today that actually make a difference.
00:31One of the most important decisions that went into creating my smart home setup was making
00:35sure that everything works seamlessly together, especially in the area that I hang out most,
00:39my living room.
00:41So, for my brains, I'm using Alexa.
00:43Now, as a voice assistant, it's not really the best and it doesn't hold a torch compared
00:47to Google Home.
00:48Alexa, turn off all the lights.
00:50Wall lights isn't responding.
00:52But when it comes to actually controlling my devices, my lights, my TV, my Xbox, it
00:57gives me the most flexibility with those custom prompts.
00:59For example, Alexa, let's game.
01:02Game.
01:03With that one custom command, it turned on my Govee strip lights, my Govee lamp, my Xbox,
01:09and my TV.
01:10And when it all works well together, it really makes you feel like you're part of the future.
01:14In the living room, I've paired the Echo Studio along with the Echo Sub.
01:18Now, the really cool thing about this is you can actually pair up to two of these along
01:21with an Echo Sub.
01:23And if you have a Fire TV or a Fire Stick, you can actually pair all three together for
01:28a really incredible surround sound system.
01:30You can mix and match their other speakers and start even with a basic one and slowly
01:34expand into more if you just want to get your feet wet.
01:37But there are a few other smaller things that you can do to make your older or more retro
01:41products feel like they're part of your smart home.
01:44For example, we've got these really cool bulbs over here that are controlled via smart
01:48switches hidden behind here.
01:50Turn on the bookshelf lights.
01:54And then if you're like me and you're starting to get into records, even budget options like
01:57this Electro Home here for $100 have Bluetooth built in, which allow you to easily connect
02:02to your other smart devices, your smart speakers, whether those are Alexas or via Bluetooth
02:08to your bookshelf speakers.
02:12Not too far away across the room, I have the Echo Show 10, and this is probably my favorite
02:16smart home device that I've tried to date.
02:19It's a display that you can always look at.
02:21So whether I'm cooking, whether I'm washing dishes, or I'm just trying to get ingredients,
02:25it's a display that I can always keep my eyes on.
02:27I actually mostly keep this mode set to off, but when I'm cooking, show me recipes for
02:32steak tacos.
02:33I'll read the directions one step at a time.
02:35It's actually been pretty cool to be able to have a screen that does a semi-decent job
02:39at following me around so that I can continue watching my favorite show or play live news.
02:44Live from ABC News.
02:47All along with a recipe without needing to actually touch the display.
02:52Beyond that, these speakers are one of the best ways to get great sounding multi-room
02:55audio with very little effort.
02:58But actually, my favorite part of this entire setup is the lighting, specifically syncing
03:02it with the TV.
03:03And for that, we're going to be installing the Govee Backlight 3.
03:07This is the newest part of my setup, but I saw so many people raving about it online
03:10that I just had to try it out myself.
03:12With the Govee TV Backlight 3, anything on my screen can expand into a lighting canvas
03:16thanks to the camera on top.
03:18Coming from more traditional smart lights, it's on a whole other level when it's
03:22actually syncing with what's happening on screen in real time.
03:25It's incredible.
03:26Now, this is the Hisense 65-inch U8K.
03:29Even though it's last year's model, this is still one of the best TVs that you can
03:32get for under $1,000 that's 4K and 144Hz.
03:36It gets extremely bright with 1,500 nits peak with impressive blacks and contrast thanks
03:41to its mini-LED panel, making it great for sunny rooms like this.
03:45A really nice TV like this brings the smart home together and Hisense makes some of the
03:48best value non-OLED TVs that you can get today.
03:51Again, don't be afraid to shop for a TV that's a year or two old like this one,
03:54since it's a great way to get most of those same smart features and picture quality, but
03:58at a decent discount.
04:00This also comes with Google Assistant built in, either the mic built into the TV or via
04:04the remote.
04:05So I can say, OK Google, open Max.
04:08Opening Max.
04:09Stream HBO.
04:10And if you have your smart home accessories connected with your Google Home account, you
04:14can control them with your TV.
04:16This could either make it a great starting point for when you're first creating a smart
04:19home or an easy way to expand it out without needing to buy a dedicated smart hub for that
04:24room.
04:28Ring makes smart doorbells that give me notifications to my phone or my Alexa's whenever someone's
04:33at my door.
04:35Or rings.
04:36Traveling a lot, this is a great way for me to keep tabs on my deliveries or make sure
04:40my packages are safe.
04:42One of the key things for me, since I didn't want to drill through my door for wiring,
04:45was a long-lasting built-in battery.
04:47In this case, the Ring gives me about 6-12 months depending on how frequently I get notifications
04:53and check in on things.
04:54When I first bought into the system, I thought it was the perfect pair, especially with my
04:58Alexa's.
04:59And for the most part, it still is.
05:01But they're pushing really hard to get people to buy their monthly Ring Protect plan, which
05:05starts at $5 to get video history and enhanced notifications, so just keep that in mind.
05:12I'm not the biggest fan of having security cameras in the home, but I do like having
05:15them to monitor entrances like this one here to my balcony, just because you never know.
05:21So this is the GE Sync smart camera, and it's cool for a couple reasons.
05:27One, it's pretty affordable.
05:28It also has a physical shutter so I can pull it up and I know for sure it's not able to
05:32record anything.
05:33It also has this really nice swivel here so I can get the perfect angle.
05:37And you'll also notice that it has a microSD card on the side here so it can actually record
05:41and save footage locally without the need for cloud storage, so that actually saves
05:46you a little bit of money in the long run because you don't need to have a subscription
05:48service, which is one of the main things for me.
05:51I'm tired of having subscription services for everything, and again, it's only about
05:54$30, so it was perfect for what I needed.
05:57And because it's compatible with Alexa, I can say, Alexa, show me the porch camera.
06:02Okay.
06:03So that all goes back to finding one ecosystem and a bunch of products that all work perfectly
06:07together.
06:09I've been testing and reviewing robot vacuum cleaners for over four years now, and as weird
06:14as it is to get excited by a vacuum, it's also really cool to see how far these have
06:20come over the past few years, not just in terms of how well they clean, but also with
06:25their design.
06:26This is the Ecovacs X2 Omni and new for this year, it has a lot of cool tricks up its sleeve.
06:31So carried over from its previous models, we see the auto lifting mopping pads, which
06:35when first introduced was a huge game changer for me because it allowed you to clean your
06:40carpets and your hardwood floors during the same cleaning cycle.
06:44But they've taken things even further.
06:46New for this year, the X2 Omni has managed to move all of its navigation and obstacle
06:50avoidance sensors into the main part of its body instead of the submarine like sail that
06:54smart vacuums usually have.
06:56This allows the vacuum to clean under lower clearance obstacles that were once out of
07:00reach.
07:01That said, you'll still probably find a few crannies and corners that the vacuum still
07:04can't reach.
07:05And for that, you now have the new handheld stick vac, which is attached to the station's
07:09right hand side.
07:10On top of doing a really great job at replacing a traditional vacuum, even better, when you're
07:14done cleaning, it auto empties and charges using that same station.
07:19Because of all this, I think this combo is one of the best all in one smart vacuum systems
07:22that you can get today.
07:24The thing is, you don't need to spend $1,000 like on this combo here, you can get a model
07:28that's a couple years old, maybe one that's used if you're just trying it out for the
07:32first time.
07:33You're actually going to be really impressed, especially if it's from one of those bigger
07:36brands.
07:37And again, the idea with these is that you're going to be able to trust them to do your
07:40automated home cleaning without much of your own input.
07:43You're not going to need to bust out that traditional vacuum as often.
07:47But we've all seen robot vacuum cleaners.
07:50What about a robot cleaner for your windows?
07:52This is the WinBot W2 Omni.
07:55Within a few clicks, it attaches to your windows, it begins suctioning, cleaning, and in just
07:58a few minutes, it's done.
08:00So it's got actually enough water to do a couple of these.
08:04Place it at one corner, turn it on, you'll hear it whir up, and hands off.
08:12It's got little nozzles on its front and back.
08:15It's actually going to start spurting in each direction as it moves.
08:18Now, one thing that's really great is, again, this is an all in one unit with a battery
08:21built in.
08:22So even though I do have an outdoor outlet, I don't need to worry about staying tethered
08:25because it has enough charge to clean all of my windows, exterior and interior, on a
08:29single charge.
08:30Is this something that I thought I'd ever need, let alone ever get to try?
08:34No, but now that I have, it really has me excited to see what the future of home automation
08:39holds.
08:40So not only is this easier and quicker than using a bucket and squeegee, it's doing
08:43a better job, there's no streaks, and, you know, I can sit inside and not have to worry
08:48about it.
08:49To me, that is part of the house of the future.
08:52And all this is kept safe with my Yale SmartLock.
08:55This is one of the cheapest SmartLocks that you can buy today from a reputable brand and
08:59as someone who hates to take their keys with them, this is a great choice.
09:03It doesn't have Wi-Fi, so I can't control this remotely when I'm not home.
09:06But at the same time, maybe this actually makes this less of a security risk as it's
09:11not on an actual network.
09:13You still have the convenience of Bluetooth if you don't want to use the keypad, but
09:16it's actually its auto lock feature that I like most.
09:19Even if I forget to lock the door, after a few moments, it'll just lock itself.
09:25But what purchase would you make to start your smart home journey today?
09:29Let me know in the comments.
09:30You can also follow us everywhere at Tom's Guide to see more cool tech and you can follow
09:34me to see what I'm reviewing next.
09:35Until the next one, I'll catch you later.
Comments