Courtesy of Canary
Think having a smart home requires total rewiring? Think again. With these three pieces of tech, all you need is an outlet and WiFi connection to give your humble abode a brain.
This smart speaker took the meaning of smart home to a new level when it first arrived in late 2014, and its only become smarter since. The sleek cylinder, named Alexa, reacts to voice commands and boasts a variety of skills, including playing your music on a variety of apps, connecting and controlling your other smart devices, to guiding you through the 7-minute workout or a minute meditation. Alexa also has two younger siblings, a portable version and one that you can connect to speakers you already own, making it easy to find the perfect Alexa for your home.
Want to keep an eye on your place without feeling like there’s a third eye on your bookshelf? Canary’s the device for you. It’s a powerful yet pretty tower that can alert you of movement or sound in your home, lets you remote-control an alarm from the app, and even monitors the air quality and temperature. From intruders to overheating, there’s nothing you need to worry about with this nifty gadget.
Always paranoid that you left your curling iron on? Or wish you could magically turn on the lights when you know you’ll be home late? Done. Belkin’s WeMo switches allow you to remote-control any outlet in your home through their app, giving you the power to turn off the Crock Pot right on time, switch on the fan when a heat wave rolls in, and have peace of mind about any hot tools around the house.