Today we will create an entire smart home for under $500.00. Let's get into it.
Have you been wanting to make your home smarter but aren't sure where to start? It can be overwhelming with so many different products on the market. But today we are going to cover the smart home basics such as smart doorbells, locks, lights, speakers, thermostats, and garage doors. And we will do it all for under $500.00!
There are a ton of options to choose from, so let's get into it.
Control Your Smart Home
There are two main popular options for you to control your smart home. Both can be used with voice commands and work very well. The first is the Nest Mini by Google for $70.00. You can control it with a voice command such as "Hey Google" or "OK Google." Once it hears the magic words, you just let it know what you want it to do. Use a command such as, "Hey Google, turn my lights off." It is as easy as that. The second option works in the same way but is slightly cheaper. The Amazon Echo Dot is only $55.00! The Echo Dot is easy to control by using its wake word "Alexa." Honorable mention to Siri.
Light Up Your Life With Smart Lights
This could arguably be the most expensive part of your Smart Home build. The average home has 26 bulbs in it, and if we want to make every bulb smart, that price will climb quickly. You can get a pack of four RGB bulbs from Wyze for $60.00. With four bulbs the average home could cover a living room and a bedroom. Which is a great first step in converting your home into a smart home.
"Now when I say good morning to Siri, my house lights come on and my coffee starts brewing." – Tim Cook
Keep An Eye On Your Home
A great way to keep an eye on your home is by setting up a doorbell cam. And for this, we are going to go back to Wyze which has become widely known for its lineup of indoor and outdoor cameras at great prices. The Wyze Doorbell is our choice for a smart doorbell on a budget. At $54.00 it is extremely tough to beat. It has great night vision, solid audio, decent viewing angle, and overall great person detection.
Save Money With a Smart Thermostat
Short of filling your home with smart lights, the thermostat can be one of the most expensive components when it comes to making your dumb home a smart home. For style and functionality, we will give this one to Google's Nest Thermostat at $180.00 with the honorable mention going to Wyze for their Wyze Thermostat at $118.00. But how will a smart thermostat save you money? They simply learn your routines. If you aren't at home, it may put the heat down a few degrees until it knows you're on your way home. Google's Nest Thermostat claims to save around 20 percent in heating and cooling costs per year.
Garage Door
This one is a no-brainer upgrade for your garage door. The Chamberlain MyQ Smart Garage Door Control can be picked up for $70.00 in places like Best Buy and Home Depot, and is extremely useful. You can control your garage door from anywhere in the world, as well as receive alerts when the door is opened, left opened for x amount of time, or closed. No need to wonder if anything was left open and forgotten.
Don't Forget the Lock
We have to give it to Wyze one more time here. For $120.00 you can get yourself the Wyze Lock and Gateway Bundle. What does a smart lock do? Just like the garage door, it can notify you if your door is unlocked, or automatically lock the door for you. Have somebody that you want to let into your home but maybe you aren't home yet? You can use the quick share for single-use access. We think it is a great addition to any home.
Conclusion - All For Under $500.00?
So how did we do? Let's math it out. Going with all the cheapest options available you would be looking at $477.00. We would like to point out that none of these items are in any way sponsored. What are some of your favorite smart home devices? Want help installing all your new smart home gear? Let us know what we can do for you.
We want to hear from you. What are some of your favorite smart home devices?
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