Need An Upgrade? Here Are The Best Smart Home Appliances For 2021

Jun 7, 2021
By Staff writer

Unlike the limited features and control you have from traditional home appliances, smart home devices open doors of convenience and exciting possibilities for you and your home. Aside from their reliability and attractive features, having a complete smart home system can be a great way to save energy and money in the long run.

If you're planning to update your current devices this 2021, read on for some great recommendations!

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Best Smart Speaker

Apart from playing your favorite music, these devices can do a lot of different things! From answering questions, setting timers and alarms to controlling other smart devices in your home, smart speakers are an excellent addition to your home for a better way of living.

Amazon Echo Studio

Here's a smart speaker that will provide some good-sounding audio without breaking your wallet.

Amazon's best smart speaker yet, Echo Studio has it all. With multi-purpose features, flexibility, and affordable price, it ticks all the boxes you're looking for in a smart speaker. Aside from smart home and assistant tech, it has smart audio considerations and audio effects for an even better listening experience.

Sonos One

Opt for a third-party speaker like Sonos One! Sure, it's not made by Amazon or Google, but it comes with both Alexa and Google Assistant built-in, which means you get the best of both worlds! It has a clean design, multi-room smarts, and great sound performance.

If you still need some convincing, its latest feature, AirPlay 2, allows Sonos One to talk to Siri and form a multi-room pairing with the Apple HomePod. 

Best smart lighting

Easy to set up and install, smart lighting gives you the ability to control your home's lighting using your phone and voice. You can change the tone, brightness, and even the color to your liking.

Philips Hue

One of the top things you should consider when turning your place into a smart home is to bid your light bulbs goodbye and switch to smart lighting. While there are plenty of options out there, Philips Hue is one of the best with its wide range of smart bulbs to offer, with the lights producing the most natural tones.

If you opt to switch to Philips Hue, you will need a Philips Bridge unless you get the newer kits that have Bluetooth.

It's reliable and compatible with numerous standards and home control systems like Apple, Samsung SmartThings, Nest, and more. Choices are also regularly updated, including its latest additions, Philips Hue Play Light Bar, which creates unique lighting effects to enhance your movie and gaming experience.

Nanoleaf Light Panels

If you want lighting that matches your mood, music, and style, Nanoleaf Light Panels is your perfect choice.

The Nanoleaf Light Panels isn't your ordinary light bulb. Instead, it uses several triangular panels to create a dynamic shape on your wall or ceiling, depending on where you want to put them. These panels can shift through over 16 million different colors, and to top it all off, it has a Rhythm Module that can respond to audio cues.

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Best security cameras

You and your family's security should be your top priority at all times. Setting up a smart security camera for both inside and outside your home is essential to keep track of everything that's going on in your home, especially when you're away.

Unlike basic security cameras, smart cameras use both cloud storage and a real-time video feed so you can check on your place whenever and wherever you are.

Anker Eufycam 2

Perhaps the best smart camera to get your hands on this year for its affordability and decent features. Just a bit of a heads up, it doesn't do 24/7 monitoring, but it's best known for its reliable 365-day battery life. Plus, it doesn't require a monthly subscription fee.

Aside from its battery, it has an IP67 rating, making it an ideal outdoor camera because it's almost completely weatherproof. If you're worried about someone else accessing your clips, it stores all of its encoded clips directly to the BaseStation, so your clips' privacy is safe and secure.

Arlo Go

If you're sick of installing a standard, wired security camera around your house, this portable and completely wireless camera is for you.

It's IP65-certified waterproof, and unlike most security cameras that work using WiFi, Arlo Go works using a 4G LTE signal, a convenient feature because it means it can work as long as there's mobile coverage in the area.

Best smart plugs and switches

Switches and plugs may be one of the least exciting smart home devices to buy, but your smart home will function even better with these devices. They can help you with many things, including controlling your appliances, setting schedules, and helping you save on energy consumption.

Belkin WeMo Insight

Aside from controlling your smart home devices, the Belkin WeMO Insight Smart Plug also allows you to keep track of your energy consumption! This is one of the best ways to save energy as it gives information about your energy use plus an estimate on how much you're spending on energy through the WeMo Insight app. You can also use the app to connect to other services like Alexa, Google Assistant, Samsung SmartThings, and more.

Ikea TRÅDFRI Wireless Control Outlet

Budget-friendly and simple to use, Ikea's TRÅDFRI Wireless Control Outlet gives you options to control it via an app, operate it manually or program it to work on a schedule.  

Best smart locks

The use of smart security is becoming more popular recently. Apart from it being effective, it adds some style to your doors with its sleek design.

August Smart Lock Pro

One of the most in-demand smart locks on the market today, the August Smart Lock Pro boasts incredible design, with deadbolts that look exactly like the one on the exterior. With the August app, you can check whether your door is locked. The device also automatically unlocks when you're at least 20-30 feet near your door for easy access.

The lock automatically bolts into place once you leave the house, and if you're still worried about leaving it open, you can always check your smartphone to make sure. The lock automatically bolts into place once you leave the house, and if you're still worried about leaving it open, you can always check your smartphone to make sure. Other notable features include:

  • Keyless codes you can send to your visitors.
  • The ability to track who's coming in and out of your house.
  • The ability to control the device the voice assistant of your choices like Siri or Alexa.

Brisant Secure Ultion SMART Lock

This smart lock's appeal comes from its traditional design that conveniently fits any house. It's packed with great features such as voice-activation, geo-locking, and compatibility with Apple Watch that you can use as the key. It's compatible with a wireless keypad for PIN access, making it a great option for home rental owners.

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