The 5 Smart Home Gadgets You Need This Year

Need a little help around the house? There’s a smart home gadget for that.

Tech companies are making our daily chores a little easier and our homes significantly safer with the latest smart home gadgets. Smart devices are now highly functional helpers in any household. From enhancing your entertainment to sweeping your floors to protecting your home, smart home gadgets are getting even more intelligent.

If you’re beginning to turn your home into a smart home, these are the must-have gadgets.

1. Amazon Echo

The Amazon Echo is a voice-activated smart speaker – but it’s so much more than a speaker for listening to music.

The Echo syncs with your Amazon account and home internet to manage every aspect of your home. It can lock your doors, control your light switches, turn off your oven, change your TV channels, estimate your morning commute, and activate other smart devices. And it’s all possible by simply asking Alexa, a digital assistant.

Talk to Alexa, and she’ll do as you ask. Compatible with many other home tools, like smart thermostats and security systems, Alexa can take charge of absolutely anything in your home. She can answer any question: convert ounces to tablespoons, call you an Uber, or tell you a joke. At last count, the Alexa platform had more than 15,000 skills in addition to its built-in features, and Amazon continually rolls out more.

2. Google Home

Google Home, a different take on a tabletop speaker, is an alternative to Amazon’s Echo. Although this newer smart home system hasn’t surpassed the Echo yet, it’s rapidly closing the gap.

Aided by your web-browsing history, Gmail data, and typical GPS routes, the Google Home learns about you, your habits, and your needs. It can easily pull up records to remind you of your upcoming anniversary or the dog’s yearly vet visit. It warns you of traffic tie-ups on your commute and advises alternate routes.

Say hello to Google, and it will do as you ask. It even keeps track of every question you ask, and it continually does its homework to give you more thorough answers. The voice-recognition feature for distinguishing between family members adds a personal touch. The more you interact with Google Home, the more helpful it becomes.

3. Sonos Speakers

Hear your favorite tunes like never before with a Sonos system. Sonos has been one of the longest-running smart speaker products, creating exceptional speakers that are better than any other manufacturer in its category.

Now, Sonos speakers are an essential part of any smart home. This multiroom wireless speaker system is easy to use, offers excellent sound quality, and supports multiple streaming systems. Though most people use their Sonos system for music, it also connects with Amazon’s Alexa to become a digital assistant.

Because Sonos connects directly to the internet, you can play music from your phone or computer without calls, texts, or alerts interrupting. You can play the same music in every room of the house, or program different genres for different rooms. There’s a separate volume control for each unit, a godsend for families.

4. Leeo Smart Alert

This small, lightweight device really increases your home’s safety as well as your health.

The Leeo Smart Alert plugs into any wall outlet and works with the smoke, carbon monoxide or water alarms that you already have installed. It monitors your home, and if a smoke detector or other alarm goes off, the Smart Alert jumps into action. In the event of fire, flood or potential CO poisoning, it calls your smartphone and dials your preset backup emergency numbers if you don’t answer.

Only one Smart Alert device is needed for average-size homes. Setting it up is as easy as plugging in a lamp: there are no tools required, and there are no batteries to change. It’s a simple smart gadget that could save your life.

5. Deebot N79

Can’t stand sweeping or vacuuming? The Deebot N79 is a nifty robotic vacuum that’s winning over homeowners everywhere. Owners give it rave reviews for performance and convenience, making it a household essential if you want to skip some cleaning chores.

The Deebot N79 is controlled by an app. Set it to run, and the Deebot will vacuum rugs, hardwood floors, and low-pile carpets. You can set a schedule for it or tell it to get working at your whim. Deebot’s smart navigation system sends it to out-of-the-way corners that no other robotic vacuum can tackle. And its anti-collision sensor is unmatched.

The three-tier cleaning system features direct suction, brush-roll and dual side brushes. You can control these individually or as one unit, making certain your floor is as clean as you like.

Add These Smart Home Gadgets to Your House

These are only a few of the latest smart home gadgets – but they’re winning over individuals everywhere. From offering a helping hand around the house to improving your quality of life, bringing a smart home device into your home can make just about anything easier.