7 great gifts for smart home smarties • businessroundups.org

This year was a big one for the smart home thanks to the actual introduction of Matter after a few years of discussion and fine-tuning of the standard. It’s still early days for the cross-brand compatibility layer, and it’s probably still something that should be just one factor in setting up your smart home and selecting your devices, rather than the deciding factor.

Accordingly, some of the items below support Matter, but not all. Complexity of interoperability is certainly a consideration, but ultimately the best smart home is the one that feels really smart regardless of what may or may not be talking to what.

If you’re looking for some extra smarts for the true smart home enthusiast in your life, the following gifts are a hit.

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1. Philips Hue Gradient Signe Bulbs

Philips consistently makes great smart lighting products through its Hue range, and the Hue Gradient versions of its Signe table and floor lamps are no exception.

The Signe lamps are long, vertical light bars built into heavy cylindrical bases. It sounds simple because it is, but the Gradient version adds the ability to project multiple colors the entire length of the bar. This is super handy when used in conjunction with Philips’ Sync box for TV, but it provides really nice accent lighting effects for just about any room.

Price: $220 (table) or $330 (floor) from Amazon

2. Ikea Symfonisk Wi-Fi photo frame speaker

To complete the home theater setup in a relatively harmless way, consider adding a pair of Ikea’s Symfonisk flat speakers, which are powered by Sonos technology. Aside from the dangling cord, which you can blend into most interiors with a little creativity, there’s not much here to betray that these actually produce sound.

They make the perfect rear speakers in a room where you don’t want to sacrifice aesthetics to get surround, and when you pair them with one of Sonos’ sounders and the new Sub Mini, you have a great sound system for your TV. without sacrificing a lot of square footage or diminishing the overall atmosphere.

Price: $250 from Ikea

3. Level Lock+

This year’s best new smart lock has to be the Level Lock+, which uses Level’s genius design to give you an advanced smart lock that looks like an ordinary deadbolt. This new version adds Apple Home Key support to the mix.

Home Key works with modern iPhones and Apple Watches and offers a dead simple and rock solid way to unlock and lock your door. The Home Key feature adds to the Level Lock’s existing remote and touch-based locking and unlocking options.

Price: $330 from Apple

4. Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium

Canadian smart thermostat maker Ecobee updated its lineup this year with two new models, including the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium and the Smart Thermostat Enhanced. The premium Premium comes with premium finishes and materials, as well as a built-in indoor air quality monitor.

The Premium model definitely looks better than any previous Ecobee thermostat, and it also supports Siri or Alexa voice control, as well as streaming Spotify or other Bluetooth audio. Plus, it can act as a hands-free intercom system if you need to pass something from floor to floor or room to room.

Price: $250 from Ecobee

5. iRobot Roomba Combo j7+

Smart vacuum maker iRobot has released their first new model in a short space of time this year, and it’s a major upgrade – the first US Roomba to include both vacuum and mop in one. With the ability to tell carpets from floors and a way to move the mop down and up as needed, this is the smart cleaner you need to get a more thorough job.

He can empty his vacuum bin via the included docking station, but he needs your help to empty and refill the mop tank. Still less work than the manual way.

Price: $1,100 (discounted to $900 at time of publication) from Amazon

6. Oral-B iO Series 9 toothbrush

You’d think the humble toothbrush would be a long-solved problem at this point, but you’d be wrong. Oral-B released its modern iO series of toothbrushes a few years ago now, but they are still the best money can buy, and after two years I now have the first hand recommendations of several dentists and dental hygienists to do just that. rods.

The Oral-B iO Series 9 is the top model, with different colored indicators that tell you when you’re brushing too hard or too soft, and a variety of different modes – including a special one for tongue cleaning. It also comes with a charging travel case in the box.

Price: $299 (discounted to $249 at time of publication) from Amazon

7. Aviron Impact Smart Rower

Aviron smart rowers are packed with technology, durable, quiet and well built. The company has placed a special focus on software development, employing real game designers to build the interactive programs and apps that power the workouts.

The Impact is the smaller of its two models, with a foldable design that makes it easier to store in a corner when not in use. The combined air and magnetic resistance system it uses provides a natural rowing feel without the added complication of adding real water to the mix.

Price: $2,199 (discounted to $1,999 at time of publication) from Aviron