These are our top 5 Smart Home appliances of 2015 in no particular order. I know I’m a little bit late with this video but it's better late than never in my opinion.
Canary
First we have the Canary, the all-in-one home security system that you control from your smartphone. The Canary consists of the cylinder that reminds me a lot of the turrets from Portal 2. It records 1080p HD video that you can stream in real time, it detects motion and sends you alerts when activity is detected. It records high quality audio in addition to the HD video it captures. It features night vision with automatic infrared LEDs. It monitors the air quality, temperature, and humidity to better understand your home. It features a 90+ decibel siren that you can control remotely and features Cloud storage.
All you need to do is set it up with an iPhone or Android app and you're good to go. It's about $200 and it's my favorite home security cam on the market.
Ring Video Doorbell
Second, we have the Ring Video Doorbell. This little doorbell is the coolest Smart Home appliance of the year if you ask me. I receive a lot of packages. I would say about 1 package per day it seems. The Video Doorbell lets me know when a package is delivered to my door as well as who delivers it. It also allows me to remotely talk to whoever is at my door with the integrated microphone and speaker.
With the app, you can enable it to send you mobile alerts from motion as well as when somebody presses the doorbell button on the front. It even comes with a loudspeaker that plugs into an outlet in your home to make the traditional sound of a dumb doorbell whenever somebody presses the Ring Doorbell's button. It's about $200.
Life X Smart Bulb
Third, we have the Life X Smart Bulb. I've been meaning to buy Smart LED bulbs for a long time but I wasn't entirely sold on any one particular brand. That is, until I found the Life X bulbs. These bulbs do not need a central hub to connect to. They have Wi-Fi integrated in each bulb. You can customize the brightness, the color, as well as create a scene if you'd like. If you wake up at a specific time each morning, you can set the Life X bulbs on a timer to wake you up. They even feature IFTTT (If This, Then That) functionality which I have connected with my Amazon Echo.
They are a bit pricey, coming in at about $100 per bulb. But I’d say if they go on sale, I highly recommend you to pick up a pair.
Google OnHub Router
Four, we have the recently released Google OnHub router. This is the TP-Link OnHub router from Google. I actually picked up this router from Walmart with a Chromecast for only about $180 with free shipping; which is a steal of a deal. The OnHub router is the most simple router to install in existence. I don't know about that but it's really easy to install. You insert an Ethernet cord from your modem or power line adapter (in my case) and follow the on-screen prompts from your iOS or Android app and you're good to go. You just have to wait like 15-30 minutes and let it do its thing.
What's neat about the OnHub router is that it features 802.11 Wi-Fi. It has 14 antennas, 6 of them do 2.4GHz and 6 do 5GHz and Bluetooth. The range and the performance is fantastic. And best of all, it looks super stylish. Stylish enough to be placed in direct view in your home. The TP-Link OnHub router retails for about $200.
Amazon Echo
Coming in at number five is the Amazon Echo. The Echo was teased at the end of 2014 but it wasn't available to the public until mid-2015. It's basically a connected Wi-Fi speaker that features Bluetooth and a personal assistant known as Alexa. Not only is the sound quality surprisingly good but it's a surprisingly useful piece of tech. I never thought I would use it as much as I do. I use Alexa to tell me the news, play music, operate my Life X Bulbs, read me jokes, tell me the weather, set alarms, and answer questions and just talk to when I’m feeling lonely.
The Echo updates in the Cloud so her functionality is always expanding. I never thought I’d use Amazon Echo very much but I use her every single day. I would say it's my favorite piece of tech for 2015. Links will be down below to purchase the Echo or just view some of the specs. She's priced at $180 if you are interested.
