The Ultimate Smart Home Devices for 2019

We once dreamed of houses which could be controlled by devices and this is the reality we live in today! Here are the best smart home devices for 2019

17:54 25 June 2019

Every 90s kid probably dreamed of walking into a room and clapping their hands to turn the lights on, but now we are living in a world far beyond these dreams. Today’s reality is shaped by the internet and we live in houses controlled by invisible networks, smart TVs, remote controls, and artificial intelligence. What once seemed like a sci-fi fever dream has become our now and here we explore the ultimate smart home devices for 2019.

Wink Hub 2

Our current favourite smart home controller is the Wink Hub 2 simply owing to the range of devices it can connect with. Able to connect with any device which makes use of Z-Wave, Zigbee, Lutron Clear Connect, Kidde, Bluetooth, and WiFi, the Wink Hub 2 is also relatively future-proof owing to its ability to also connect with everything from Phillips Hue Lighting and Google Home to the Netgear Arlo camera.

Amazon Echo Family

You’ve likely heard of Alexa, Amazon’s voice assistant, and the Echo is a Bluetooth speaker powered by this incredibly intelligent virtual assistant developed by Amazon’s Lab126. Alexa also connects directly with a number of other smart home devices, as well as If This Then That (IFTTT) to control other devices using ‘recipes’ you’ve created. Alexa can be used to control many smart devices in your home just by the sound of your voice and the Echo Show or Echo Spot can be added to the line-up to provide a touch screen to view search results, make video calls or enjoy real money online pokies

Logitech Harmony Elite

If the idea of talking to your house with the help of Alexa is a bridge too far for you, you can always invest in the Logitech Harmony Elite. Consisting of both a touch screen and soft-touch buttons, the Logitech Harmony Elite has been dubbed the ultimate universal remote and connects to the included Harmony Home Hub in order to operate other smart home devices which make use of Bluetooth, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-Wave, or infrared.

Brilliant Control

The Brilliant Control wall switch makes use of WiFi to connect to and control a variety of smart home devices and has a 5” colour touch screen with button controls to play music, control lighting, set the thermostat temperature, and see who’s at the door. Supporting popular platforms such as Ecobee, Phillips Hue, Best, Ring, and Sonos, the Brilliant Control wall switch also has built-in Alexa voice support which means it can do almost everything an Echo device is able to.

iHome iSP6X SmartPlug

While you may be fooled into thinking that Apple had something to do with the iHome iSP6X SmartPlug owing to the name, alas, they did not. However, this is the closest we’ve come to finding a smart switch which does everything and the iHome iSP6X SmartPlug allows you to easily control gadgets and smart appliances from your smartphone. It supports not only Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, but also the Apple HomeKit, Wink, Samsung SmartThings, and Nest.