Best Home Automation Hubs & Controllers
Designed to work with the wires you already have, Sensi thermostat does not require a common wire (c-wire) in many cases, so it is compatible with most heating and cooling systems* (U.S. and Canada only). Set your Sensi thermostat to automatically adjust your homes temperature for location-based temperature control with geofencing, or quickly create a 7-day schedule to reduce wasteful heating and cooling when no one is home. Integrates with Amazon Alexa for voice control and Wink smart home platforms, and works with Google Assistant and Google Home using the free Wink app.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"In my research I learned that my primary complaint the Nest - that the temperature swing was too wide - was addressed by Sensi's "cycle rate" setting. Nest's no-button design is cool, but using a thermostat is not a lecture in UX minimalism, and black-and-chrome doesn't really disappear into the background of my home (white trim and all). Granted, we didn't also install a second Nest to have more temperature sensors, and we didn't buy their $200 talking smoke detectors which also report environmental statistics back to the thermostat. Most people won't care about this but being a network security engineer, I'm impressed that the thermostat has exactly 0 open TCP ports, outbound communication is with one IP, and total traffic is very modest."
"--. I had been wanting to get a WiFi Thermostat for a long time now, but I held off because I was worried that I would buy one that wouldn't be compatible with my home or that I wouldn't be able to figure out how to install it. You select the wires that your current thermostat has, and then the app tells you what to label them and where they will go in the new thermostat. I had never replaced a thermostat before, and it took me under 30 minutes (which includes unboxing, looking for screwdriver, looking for AC unit shut off switch, watching how-to videos included with the app, etc). The app is handy because it also tells you your local Hi and Low temps from the forecast as well as the humidity in your home, upcoming schedule, set temp, actual temp, and the background is either blue, red, or grey depending on if your system is on Cool, Heat, or off at the moment. The only thing this is missing is a few more advanced options for the app, such as specific alerts (like if the temperature is changed manually, I would like to be able to get an instant alert on my phone) and an air filter change reminder that can be set for a certain amount of time (like 1, 2, or 3 months)."
Any time of day, the Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance A19 Starter Kit changes how you light your moments at home. Controllable whether you are home or away, this starter kit adds three color A19 LED smart light bulbs (fits standard-size table lamps) with a Hue bridge that manages up to 50 lights.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Note: I got my 3rd generations from this listing... check it to see if it is less expensive: Philips 464495 Hue White and Color Ambiance A19 Starter Kit, 3rd Generation with Richer Colors, Works with Amazon Alexa. I have been using 1st and 2nd generation Hue bulbs (color and white) for about two years now and I love them so much. I use them with my Echo and Google Home for voice-controlled lighting, and IFTTT and my SmartThings hub for automating lights based on time of the day and a bunch of other events. You plug in the hub, use the app to search for new lights and if they are close enough, the bulbs will be found. If not, you can enter a serial number printed on the bulbs and the app will find them if your hub is too far away from your bulb. SmartThings allows you to integrate these bulbs into your home automation network for controlling the bulbs with inexpensive Z-wave remotes (for example), or turning them on and red when smoke is detected by your Z-wave smoke detector."
"I have 5 bulbs, 2 in my range hood which is rather bright, giving more than enough light."
"they are sort of bright when white or any other variation of white/blue, my favorite when I need it bright is to change to the color 'snow', its a nice blueish white, id say 6000k-8000k in color."
"I contacted Philips Hue Customer Support and they told me that the Philips Hue lights won't work properly if they are connected to a 3-way switch."
"I am loving these and so glad I made the switch, I originally had the Illumi's first generation from like 4-5 years ago and the app + these have so much more flexibility."
"Love love love."
"This is my 3rd starter kit of the Hue bulbs in the past year, but my first of the 3rd gen."
"Bought as a gift after buying my own and falling in love with them."
This box includes one Philips Hue Bridge with power adapter and ethernet cable, four Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance A19 Energy Star Certified Standard light bulbs, manual, and two-year warranty.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Note: I got my 3rd generations from this listing... check it to see if it is less expensive: Philips 464495 Hue White and Color Ambiance A19 Starter Kit, 3rd Generation with Richer Colors, Works with Amazon Alexa. I have been using 1st and 2nd generation Hue bulbs (color and white) for about two years now and I love them so much. I use them with my Echo and Google Home for voice-controlled lighting, and IFTTT and my SmartThings hub for automating lights based on time of the day and a bunch of other events. You plug in the hub, use the app to search for new lights and if they are close enough, the bulbs will be found. If not, you can enter a serial number printed on the bulbs and the app will find them if your hub is too far away from your bulb. SmartThings allows you to integrate these bulbs into your home automation network for controlling the bulbs with inexpensive Z-wave remotes (for example), or turning them on and red when smoke is detected by your Z-wave smoke detector."
"I have 5 bulbs, 2 in my range hood which is rather bright, giving more than enough light."
"they are sort of bright when white or any other variation of white/blue, my favorite when I need it bright is to change to the color 'snow', its a nice blueish white, id say 6000k-8000k in color."
"I contacted Philips Hue Customer Support and they told me that the Philips Hue lights won't work properly if they are connected to a 3-way switch."
"I am loving these and so glad I made the switch, I originally had the Illumi's first generation from like 4-5 years ago and the app + these have so much more flexibility."
"Love love love."
"This is my 3rd starter kit of the Hue bulbs in the past year, but my first of the 3rd gen."
"Bought as a gift after buying my own and falling in love with them."
Best Electromechanical Products
Designed to work with the wires you already have, Sensi thermostat does not require a common wire (c-wire) in many cases, so it is compatible with most heating and cooling systems* (U.S. and Canada only). Set your Sensi thermostat to automatically adjust your homes temperature for location-based temperature control with geofencing, or quickly create a 7-day schedule to reduce wasteful heating and cooling when no one is home. Integrates with Amazon Alexa for voice control and Wink smart home platforms, and works with Google Assistant and Google Home using the free Wink app.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"In my research I learned that my primary complaint the Nest - that the temperature swing was too wide - was addressed by Sensi's "cycle rate" setting. Nest's no-button design is cool, but using a thermostat is not a lecture in UX minimalism, and black-and-chrome doesn't really disappear into the background of my home (white trim and all). Granted, we didn't also install a second Nest to have more temperature sensors, and we didn't buy their $200 talking smoke detectors which also report environmental statistics back to the thermostat. Most people won't care about this but being a network security engineer, I'm impressed that the thermostat has exactly 0 open TCP ports, outbound communication is with one IP, and total traffic is very modest."
"--. I had been wanting to get a WiFi Thermostat for a long time now, but I held off because I was worried that I would buy one that wouldn't be compatible with my home or that I wouldn't be able to figure out how to install it. You select the wires that your current thermostat has, and then the app tells you what to label them and where they will go in the new thermostat. I had never replaced a thermostat before, and it took me under 30 minutes (which includes unboxing, looking for screwdriver, looking for AC unit shut off switch, watching how-to videos included with the app, etc). The app is handy because it also tells you your local Hi and Low temps from the forecast as well as the humidity in your home, upcoming schedule, set temp, actual temp, and the background is either blue, red, or grey depending on if your system is on Cool, Heat, or off at the moment. The only thing this is missing is a few more advanced options for the app, such as specific alerts (like if the temperature is changed manually, I would like to be able to get an instant alert on my phone) and an air filter change reminder that can be set for a certain amount of time (like 1, 2, or 3 months)."
Best Electrical Wall Plates & Accessories
Designed to work with the wires you already have, Sensi thermostat does not require a common wire (c-wire) in many cases, so it is compatible with most heating and cooling systems* (U.S. and Canada only). Set your Sensi thermostat to automatically adjust your homes temperature for location-based temperature control with geofencing, or quickly create a 7-day schedule to reduce wasteful heating and cooling when no one is home. Integrates with Amazon Alexa for voice control and Wink smart home platforms, and works with Google Assistant and Google Home using the free Wink app.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"In my research I learned that my primary complaint the Nest - that the temperature swing was too wide - was addressed by Sensi's "cycle rate" setting. Nest's no-button design is cool, but using a thermostat is not a lecture in UX minimalism, and black-and-chrome doesn't really disappear into the background of my home (white trim and all). Granted, we didn't also install a second Nest to have more temperature sensors, and we didn't buy their $200 talking smoke detectors which also report environmental statistics back to the thermostat. Most people won't care about this but being a network security engineer, I'm impressed that the thermostat has exactly 0 open TCP ports, outbound communication is with one IP, and total traffic is very modest."
"--. I had been wanting to get a WiFi Thermostat for a long time now, but I held off because I was worried that I would buy one that wouldn't be compatible with my home or that I wouldn't be able to figure out how to install it. You select the wires that your current thermostat has, and then the app tells you what to label them and where they will go in the new thermostat. I had never replaced a thermostat before, and it took me under 30 minutes (which includes unboxing, looking for screwdriver, looking for AC unit shut off switch, watching how-to videos included with the app, etc). The app is handy because it also tells you your local Hi and Low temps from the forecast as well as the humidity in your home, upcoming schedule, set temp, actual temp, and the background is either blue, red, or grey depending on if your system is on Cool, Heat, or off at the moment. The only thing this is missing is a few more advanced options for the app, such as specific alerts (like if the temperature is changed manually, I would like to be able to get an instant alert on my phone) and an air filter change reminder that can be set for a certain amount of time (like 1, 2, or 3 months)."
Best Home Automation Modules
Plug in a Wemo Mini Smart Plug, download the free app, and control your lights and appliances from your phone and your voice through Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Pair with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant built-in devices like Google Home and control your lights and appliances with your voice. Nest can sync with Wemo for automatic home/away control.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"After receiving two defective units from Amazon, and before returning the second, I decided to play around with it more and do some more research online. I spent over an hour with WeMo tech support, who offered no solutions, and made me jump through a bunch of hoops in the process. The issue with these early units lies in the fact that they seem to get "confused" if you have other WeMo devices in your home. So long story short, if you have other WeMo devices in your household, and have trouble getting this WeMo mini to connect, try unplugging as many of the other devices as you can (they will automatically reconnect online after you plug them back in), factory reset the mini, and go through the setup process again."
"The Bridge wasn't a need but it is nice to be able to control all the outlets with Siri or just in the Apple Homekit app, especially at night when I want to turn a lamp off remotely and quietly (i.e. not using my voice to wake up my wife)."
"Relevant background to my skill levels: I bought a couple of the plugs so that I could experiment with how to automate my home. I have an advanced router with repeater, fully LAN & WAN connected house, with network switches, POE devices etc. The WEMO devices were not recognized by the app on my phone, until I switched it to the same wifi network as they were running on. I cannot set up a smart house with devices that require a full factory reboot and me to delete the app, reset all rules from scratch, every time the power fails or blips. Sorry Belkin, but you also have a lot of people on your own Community pages with many similar problems & your own support is not the one finding solutions, it is other users who have more time to do this than most of the rest of us have. So, folks, if you read this far, don't waste your time & money, these devices are great in concept, but are far from Implementation Ready for mainstream use. Updated 3/17 to add rules screenshot showing the app issue with no days selectable. I still struggle with the concept that I am the only person with this issue & that it is identical on 2 unrelated Apple devices that are on different accounts. Just a side note - when Customers are on the phone with your reps, when discussing the product, it really makes a better impression of your company when they are aware of who your major competitor(s) are. So I was really very angry about how much time & energy I had spent on this whole exercise & I was absentmindedly tapping my phone screen repeatedly, when I suddenly noticed that it was highlighting days of the week. I have still lost significant confidence in the product & am very unsure if I want to invest in any more of them to automate other parts of my home at this time."
"I have 2 out of 5 switches that constantly crash - one won't work at all anymore. I have 3 switches that seem to be okay however they show up greyed out on Cellular - however they work through the Alexa App."