Home automation has been increasingly successful in recent years, even among Italian technological users: having everything connected and accessible via the Internet even when we are away from home projects us directly into the future, so as to have everything under control via an app or via voice commands (with compatible assistants). If we want to make our home more technological without spending a fortune, in this guide we will show you the best useful, new and innovative home automation products (Smart Home) that we can buy and easily install at home, all managed via a smartphone connected to the Internet and their respective apps.
Once you start to try the advantages of home automation, you will hardly go back, or rather you want every room in your home to have a Smart Home device!
Best home automation devices (Smart Home)
Below we have collected the home automation devices that we can easily install at home without doing any type of masonry work or complex strange or difficult connections. In some cases we will have to handle the electric wires: we operate in complete safety by deactivating the electric meter during operations or having an electrician help us.Internal Wi-Fi smart socket (wall-mounted)
The cheapest home automation device we can install is the HENMI Smart Switch 10A WIFI Switch, an electric switch with Wi-Fi and support for the main smart home automation systems.
By installing this switch upstream of any electrical outlet, we can decide when to pass the current, so as to remotely turn on or via voice commands any device connected to the socket (preferably a fixed household appliance). The switch simply connects by connecting the electrical wires N and L inside and using two new wires N and L for the actual electrical outlet (the grounding cable will be connected directly to the electrical outlet).
We can view this product here -> HENMI Smart Switch WIFI Switch (11 €).
Smart Wi-Fi socket outside
If we are looking for something simpler to configure for intelligent electrical outlets, we can focus on the TP-Link Wi-Fi HS100 socket.
All we have to do is connect the device to an outlet and use its own electrical outlet for any device with a Shuko socket, so we can decide when to pass the current through the official app or via voice commands (both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa).
We can view this product here -> TP-Link HS100 Wi-Fi socket (14 €).
Smart lights
To control the lights of the rooms remotely (when we are away from home), turn them on when we enter a room or via voice command, the best solution are the devices and lights of the Philips Lighting Hue series.
By installing the bridge and connecting it to the Internet we will be able to control all the lights in the house, just use Philips Lighting Hue bulbs in the various rooms (also added later). Once everything is set up, we can turn on the lights of the house when we return from work, turn on when movement is detected in the room or turn off all the lights of the house when we start the routine for going to sleep (can also be launched as a voice command).
The Philips Lighting Hue starter kit is available here -> Philips Lighting Hue White Starter Kit (€ 99).
The motion sensor (to be connected to the Hub) is available as a separate accessory here-> Philips Lighting Hue Motion Sensor (34 €).
If, on the other hand, we want to add more Hue bulbs, just take a look at the dedicated Amazon page.
READ ALSO: Wireless lights and bulbs (home automation): which to buy
Electronic shutter remote control
If in our house we have electronically operated roller shutters, we recommend that you focus on the Maxcio Smart Switch for roller shutters .
Just place the control unit in place of the buttons to electronically wind and raise the blinds, so as to add remote control via the dedicated app or through the home automation routines provided by Google Home and Amazon Alexa (for example when we leave home will close the blinds by itself, reopening them on our return).
We can view this product here -> Maxcio Smart Switch for roller shutters (22 €).
Intelligent motion sensors
Do we want to be notified on the phone every time we detect a movement in the house or someone opens a door or window without our permission? The cheapest sensor kit that we can buy is the Xiaomi Mi Smart Sensor Set .
In addition to functioning as a wireless alarm system, it allows you to receive notifications on our smartphone via the dedicated app, so you can record any abnormal movement or unauthorized entry into our home.
We can view this product kit here -> Xiaomi Mi Smart Sensor Set (79 €).
Remote control heating and air conditioning
If we want to remotely control the ignition of the heating or air conditioning in the house, just connect the devices of the tado ° V3 + series .
By connecting these devices as a home thermostat and as an air conditioning control system, we will be able to decide the temperature of the home, the ignition, the switching off and the energy saving to be applied according to our habits and routines (configurable from the dedicated app or from Google Home and Amazon Alexa).
The heating thermostat can be viewed here -> tado ° Smart Thermostat (149 €).
The control system for air conditioners can be viewed here -> tado ° V3 + Air Conditioning Control (99 €).
READ ALSO: Smart thermostat and automatic heating and air conditioner control
Remote video surveillance system
If we are particularly concerned about our safety when we are away from home or when we have to answer the intercom, we recommend that you focus on the Blink XT2 outdoor camera.
All we have to do is connect the Control Hub (to which we can add other Blink cameras) to Internete and place the camera outside the house, so as to pick up the point to be monitored. The battery of the device lasts 2 years and is rechargeable, as well as being compatible with Amazon Alexa routines and voice commands.
We can view this product here -> Blink XT2 (119 €).
Smart weather station
To know in advance the weather in the next few hours and adjust the heating or air conditioning accordingly, simply install the Netatmo Weather Station .
Through the external wireless sensor we will be able to obtain accurate and personalized weather information for our home, to be combined with some Alexa routines to control the internal temperature of the house (for example, if it starts to get too cold or to blow wind chill, Alexa will automatically turn on the warm ups).
We can view this product here -> Netatmo Weather Station (143 €).
Speaker with voice assistants
In order to manage the various home automation devices that we have shown you so far via voice commands, we recommend that you focus on the Amazon Echo series of products, compatible with Amazon Alexa routines and commands (in turn compatible with numerous online home automation services, including those of the products seen previously).
By placing an Echo Dot, a standard Echo or an Echo Flex in the rooms of the house we can launch Alexa's voice commands for home automation without having to unlock the phone and start the Alexa app every time. All Echo speakers are equipped with a microphone mute button, useful when we need privacy and we don't want Alexa to capture unwanted sounds or recordings.
Below we have collected all the Amazon Echo devices that we can place at home:
- Amazon Echo Flex (€ 29)
- Amazon Echo Dot (44 €)
- Amazon Echo Show 5 (€ 89)
- Amazon Echo (99 €)
- Amazon Echo Plus (149 €)
If instead we wanted to use Google's voice assistant to control home automation, will we have to focus on the Google Home speakers, as seen in our in-depth analysis of Alexa or Google Home? comparison between the best and smart Smart Speakers .
Conclusions
As we have seen, just add a few devices to have a truly technological home, with devices that turn on by themselves or via the voice commands launched by Amazon Alexa or other voice assistants.Still on the home automation topic, we can find other Smart Home devices to be connected by reading our guides on Lights, smart sockets and thermostats to save on utility bills and Smart Gadgets for the most technological kitchen .
If, on the other hand, our house is too large and some devices are not covered by the Wi-Fi signal of our network, we recommend that you read the guides on how to increase the reception of the wifi and Internet signal on the power socket with the Powerline .
READ ALSO: Best Smart Home devices connected in WiFi at home
