Is your home as intelligent as it could be? A few years ago, a question like that would have sounded very odd. But nowadays, everyone seems to be using smart speakers, lighting, alarms, cameras, and even microwaves, fridges, or washing machines.
Smart tech has entered the British home in a big way in recent years, and the choices available are dizzying, so we've come up with a quick buyer's guide to help you find the perfect smart home devices for every situation.
There are plenty of brands around, offering variable quality and features. But, there's an art to making a smart home cheap and functional at the same time. We'll try to point you in the right direction to get the balance right. But before we do, let's try to get to grips with the “Smart” phenomenon with a quick a look at the history.
Homes have only truly started to become smart in the past 20 years. Sure, wireless phones and even lighting control systems were available before then but they weren't in general use and tended to cost a lot of money. The current explosion of smart tech only became possible when homes were integrated en masse into the World Wide Web and the Internet of Things (IoT).
The idea of creating networks of interconnected domestic appliances was first floated in the early 1990s as the internet took off. Technologists at tech companies like Novell and Microsoft started to dream about home networks featuring lights, heating, security systems and much more, which were connected to the global internet at the same time.
However, the actual implementation of the IoT has occurred much more recently. Most experts trace its introduction back to 2008, when home wifi, miniaturisation, and the spread of internet-connected mobile phones made smart tech a commercial success.
Since then, brands like Philips Hue, Nest, Google Smart Home, Apple, Amazon Alexa, and many other products have made their mark, and customers in the UK can now control a huge range of devices with the swipe of a smartphone screen. But why would you do so? Before moving on to look at specific products, it's important to understand what smart tech can do, and why the buzz around it is so intense.
In a sense, homes started becoming smart when people added doors, windows, chimneys, and cabinets. Anything that enhances the functionality and potential of our interior spaces could be seen as smart - but that's not exactly what the modern term refers to.
Instead, smart tech relates to interconnected devices that use wireless networks and advanced protocols to create local webs that are integrated into the wider internet. The 'smartness' generally arises from the ability of users to issue voice commands or control devices remotely via mobile phones – offering radical new possibilities.
So as a working definition, smart technology includes networked products that take conventional household appliances or tools, and provide totally new ways to control and combine them.
The advantages of this smart approach are potentially vast. For instance, if you are the kind of person who worries about security when you travel abroad, smart cameras can provide real-time footage from sensitive areas of your home, and smart alarms can let you know exactly who called or entered the property, when, and what happened.
Smart lighting offers new ways to fine tune the atmosphere of interior spaces, while permitting close control of energy usage – something that we can all benefit from in an era of climate change. Smart speakers let you calibrate the way you listen to music, streaming music from room to room without missing a beat, or including voice commands to switch playlists or radio stations.
Smart heating systems allow users to create schedules and change their thermostat on the way home from work. Smart coffee makers can be turned on from your bed as you snooze in the morning; smart TVs link to streaming hubs to deliver huge arrays of movies, games, and TV shows; smart plugs let you control ordinary devices with your phone – the list goes on.
In fact, the range of today's smart devices is so vast that it really helps to focus your attention. So let's isolate a few key areas and discuss what's available, the key brands, and why buyers should smarten up their home via hotukdeals.
As we noted earlier, smart tech now spans a huge spectrum of options, but some are more popular and functional than others. Here are the key product areas buyers will encounter at the hotukdeals Smart Home listings.
Home Security – Security was one of the first areas to receive a smart makeover, and the results have been impressive. This category includes alarms, sensors, cameras, and speakers, which tend to be integrated by specialist security apps. Leading brands include Netgear, Arlo, Yale, Somfy, Nest, and Hive. The choices stretch well beyond those names, but most offer similar options. For example, a Hive Smart Home system could let you add outdoor and indoor cameras, with cameras attached to a smart doorbell that record footage of every visitor. Users can deploy motion sensors where required, and use the Hive 360 Hub to control them, both on smartphones and laptops. With these products, you can lock down every weak spot and provide extra reassurance when you aren't around.
Lighting – Not all smart tech is concerned with limiting theft or intrusions. Some of the most popular smart home products involve lighting, offering exciting possibilities that go far, far beyond bayonet light bulbs. Brands here include Philips Hue, Lifx, and the low cost Tradfri range from IKEA. Hue is the most fully-featured of the three, offering full connectivity with Apple devices and they will enhance any smart home with Alexa as well. With an array of these bulbs, you can choose millions of colours, set up strobe effects, dimmers, and set schedules, all via instant voice activation.
Audio – Home audio tech has been an obvious target for networked smart solutions, and the major brands haven't disappointed. Nowadays, it's incredibly easy to set up a few Google, Bose, Amazon, or Sonos speakers around your house, providing all-over audio coverage and voice-activated music on demand. Most users will want to invest in an Alexa or Google Home hub to start things off – but they can branch out after that, as Sonos and Bose both cater to the major smart tech platforms. In terms of sound quality, Bose tends to be the market leader (especially when you rig up soundbars and home cinema systems along with smart speakers). But Sonos leads the way when it comes to creating home networks.
Kitchen – Even the kitchen has become smarter in recent years. Much smarter in many cases. For instance, fridges from GE and Samsung SmartThings come with customisable ice makers and hot water dispensers; they can be calibrated to offer different internal temperatures, have their lighting tweaked, and provide alerts when errors arise. Other options include smart toasters from Sage, the smartphone-connected Nutribullet Balance, and a host of smart ovens from Samsung and AEG. If you habitually forget to turn off ovens, only realising on the way to work, they will be the ideal solution.
Do those product areas exhaust the options when it comes to smart tech around the home? Not at all. Smart tech has found its way into the garden, thanks to automatic watering systems, robotic lawnmowers, and outdoor lighting solutions. Brands like Eightsleep offer beds with numerous comfort settings, while products like the Mira Mode shower add an extra dimension to daily bathing. Wherever you look, home appliances are being networked and enhanced.
If all of this sounds exciting (and it should), you might want to start designing a specially-tailored smart home system, instead of buying appliances separately and connecting them as you go along.
The key thing here is having the right infrastructure in place to add new items as you purchase them. This could mean installing a Google Home Hub, or one of Amazon's speakers to coordinate devices via Alexa. Apple's HomePod offers a similar solution, arguably with better compatibility for iPhone and Apple Watch users. But all offer the same concept: the ability to network diverse products on one network, through a single controller.
Additionally, it might help to invest in a few smart plugs. Belkin and Hive are good options to go for here, as they integrate well with the major smart home platforms, and allow users to turn ordinary toasters or kettles into semi-smart devices. With a strategically connected plug, you'll be able to tell even antiquated kettles to start boiling away, well before you arrive home in the evening.
Planning also makes sense when creating a smart audio system – especially when expensive speakers are concerned. But which smart home speaker is best?
If you want the best possible audio quality, compatibility with as many types of device as possible, and 100% reliability, there are a few brands and models to look for at hotukdeals:
Sonos – Few smart speakers come close to the Sonos One, which blends audio quality, multi-room functionality, and easy control via Alexa, Apple Play, Google Home, or the Sonos app. Sonos have bundled in hundreds of global streaming services, including Spotify, so the choice of coverage is excellent, and you can easily connect Sonos One speakers to smart TVs if desired.
JBL – Slightly cheaper and much more portable than the Sonos One, JBL's collection is perfect for people who love to move speakers around the home. Extremely water-resistant (so ideal for bathroom listening), this Bluetooth range pairs up with all smartphones, laptops, and Google Home hubs, and streams Pandora and Spotify without a hitch.
Amazon Echo – Amazon's Echo range is a hugely popular option, thanks to its unparalleled Alexa compatibility, but the Echo Show offers something slightly different. Featuring a high definition screen on the flipside of its speaker, the Echo Show lets you see track details (and lyrics), and can stream from Amazon Prime Video, so it's a pretty amazing entertainment option – especially for the many users who choose to set up a smart home with Alexa at its core.
Google – You can't mention smart speakers without exploring Google's collection. Offering solid sound quality and impressive aesthetics, models like the Google Home Mini and Google Home Max offer great voice recognition, while the Max can generate some serious bass.
Bose – Famous for the sound quality of its home speakers, Bose has been slightly slower off the mark than Sonos and other brands in the Smart era, but is rapidly making up for lost time. Models like the Home Speaker 500 sound fantastic, sync seamlessly to Alexa and co., and also come with 3.5mm ports – a very handy addition for users of older MP3 players and stereos.
When picking smart systems to secure your home, it's important to make the right selection – not just the cheapest selection. Home security isn't an area where it's worth cutting corners, and at hotukdeals, you can pick up premium smart home security tools for bargain prices. Here are some things to bear in mind when making a selection:
Get the smart hub choice right is crucial, as the hub determines many aspects of your home security system. Good hubs can connect multiple cameras and sensors, and allow users to navigate them with ease via intuitive smartphone apps. They won't go offline or struggle with smart home device conflicts, and setup should be relatively simple, even for entry-level users. A good option is to use Google Home as the base, along with a Hive Hub that's linked to the brand's various cameras. That way, you can benefit from Google Assistant and the Hive App, which makes calibrating your security needs much easier.
If you find a great home security bargain at hotukdeals, make sure that the product concerned will work with your home's smart hub. Not all security tools work with Alexa, Google Home, or Apple HomeKit, so don't be stuck with a mismatch.
Alarm systems need to be loud enough to provide an alert and act as a deterrent, and easy to switch off when false alarms are triggered. So check security apps to make sure that the switching off process is hassle-free. Products like the Yale Sync Home Alarm offer a range of alarm styles and volumes (and can hook up to Hue lights to provide a flashing alert as well – a neat extra layer of deterrence).
More upscale home security systems incorporate monitoring services, which alert professional security or the emergency services should problems arise. This can be handy for owners of professional premises, or those who are worried about health issues, but will raise the risk of false alarms – so they aren't for everyone. Most people will do just fine with a doorbell camera, a few smart cameras, and a smart alarm.
Now that we've introduced the major smart home devices and systems, and you have a pretty good idea of the brands in play, we need to focus on the meat of the matter: how to find the best possible smart home offers, which deliver the tools they require.
Don't assume that you need to start out small. Sophisticated smart home systems from brands like Nest, Google, Yale, or Hive can often be built for affordable prices. But you will need to shop smart, and avoid paying listed prices where possible.
For example, if you shop for a Hive smart home setup at the company's own homepage, the bills can start to mount. Even if you shop for Hive Welcome Packs, the cost will exceed £300, while basic Hive Security packages start at £220, and include relatively few sensors or cameras. Hive isn't especially expensive, and most major brands will offer similar prices.
The best way to avoid these prices is by hunting for smart discounts at hotukdeals. Sticking with Hive, you'll tend to find big discounts from merchants like British Gas (especially for the company's smart thermostats), and Amazon bundles Hive smart devices with Echo Dots on a regular basis.
The same applies to all smart brands. Google Home smart products are often available for less from merchants like Ao.com, Carphone Warehouse, eBay, and Currys.
If you plan your smart home system and want to buy its elements in one go, it may also make sense to time your purchases wisely. Black Friday is an excellent time to hunt for hubs, speakers, thermostats, toasters – you name it. And Amazon Prime Day in summer is naturally a great time to pick up Alexa-connected smart tech.
Homes are becoming smarter all the time, but has your lifestyle kept pace with technological development? If not, it's time to shop for smart speakers, ovens, fridges, cameras, alarms and any other devices to enhance your home. The options are endless, providing radical new ways to secure, light, or heat your home. If that sounds appealing, be sure to head to the hotukdeals smart home listings for the latest deals on cutting edge domestic tech.
