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Finding Your Next Smart Home Starter Kit: A Buyer’s Guide
Smart home technology is moving faster than ever before. Every week you hear about a fresh breakthrough, some new automation tool, or an AI-powered smart home device. While these innovations are great for the market, they also increase the barrier to entry for most people. A lot of folks can get overwhelmed by the abundance of devices available in the market, and they just end up sticking with more traditional options. All of that can change with a smart home starter kit — they can be your first step towards home automation.The greatest part about these devices is that they are super simple to install and don’t require crazy hubs or server setups. Plus, you can also integrate them into a larger network once you figure everything out. For now, here’s a list of some of the top smart home starter kits for 2023 that are worthy of your time and money.
Wemo Smart Home Starter Kit
Best Overall
Yolink Smart Home Starter Kit
Best Security
Philips Hue Smart Bulb Starter Kit
Best Lighting
Lutron Caseta Smart Switch Starter Kit
Elite Design
Philips Hue Smart Color Ambiance
Most Customizable
Types of Smart Home Starter Kits
It’s important to know how you want to use a smart home starter kit before you start thinking about buying something. There are many different types of devices that provide different benefits. It’s smart to look at some examples in the market to get a better idea of what these products can do. Figure out what you need most in your life and home, and go from there. These are some of the available options:Security
Security smart device kits consist of stuff like contact sensors, motion detectors, and even cameras. These products can be used for both surveillance and alarms. For example, a motion detector, or contact sensor, can alert you if someone tries to break into your home at night. Some smart security devices even include smart locks that can be controlled using a phone, but that is a little advanced for starter kits.Appliance automation
Appliance automation is often done by adding a smart plug between a device and your wall. The smart starter plug then connects to the internet and to your phone, allowing you to start and stop the connected device remotely. This can come in handy for everything from AC units to coffee machines and microwaves. For example, you can leave your leftovers in the microwave while you get ready and then turn it on when you’re almost done. Your food will be nice and warm by the time you finish up and get to your kitchen.Lighting
Smart lighting smart home starter kits rely on smart bulbs that can operate with classic bulb mounts — making them easy to install for beginners. Once installed, the bulbs will connect to the central hub so they can communicate with your phone. You can then use an app to control the bulbs’ brightness levels, adjust their color temperature, and even change their color to almost anything you can think of.Essential Factors for Smart Home Starter Kits
Whichever type of smart home starter kit you decide to go with, these are some of the key attributes they should have:Easy installation
The installation process shouldn’t be too complicated. Needing professional help is fine for stuff that deals with direct current, but a smart home starter kit should still be accessible. So, avoid things like proprietary wiring and network switches.Easy use
Once installed, your smart home starter kit’s devices should be easy to use. This goes for all types of controls, whether they’re physical, digital, or voice-activated. This also applies to smartphone apps too, they need to be intuitive and easy to use.Acceptable pricing
Smart home starter kits should not be prohibitively expensive — that usually just scares off a lot of potential users who are just considering getting a smart home starter kit. Everything should be reasonably priced and affordable.Wemo Smart Home Starter Kit
Best Overall
The option from Wemo starts your automation journey in the right place, the power plug. You’ve probably already used these things plenty of times — but when you plug in this smart plug, you’ve just automated the devices connected to it. This plug, and its switch, can even be activated from a smartphone app, allowing full remote control. For example, you can start your AC up an hour before you get home from work. Or, you can schedule power on and off times using an app. Combine this great functionality with the short setup time, and you can see why we picked this product as the best overall on this list.
Pros
- Works with standard power plugs
- Setup only takes minutes
- Easy to understand and use app
- Works in groups
Cons
- The switch is a bit mushy
Yolink Smart Home Starter Kit
Best Security
The Yolink Smart Home Starter Kit focuses entirely on home security, and it delivers on this concept. This set includes four contact sensors and a hub that directly connects to your smartphone. The sensors are usable on windows and doors too, and they can tell when a door or window is opened or closed. This way, you can arm them at night, and they will alert you if one of your windows is opened while you’re asleep — helping give you more time to call for help and protect yourself. The included smartphone app is also super intuitive and easy to use, even for beginners.
Pros
- Reliable alerts and fast connection sensors
- Flexible installation with the large hub range
- Easy to use app
- Fits with modern decor
Cons
- Scheduling takes some time
Philips Hue Smart Bulb Starter Kit
Best Lighting
This product from Philips Hue can be a great step toward getting automated lighting around your house, and it can be something you interact with multiple times a day. Once you connect these LED bulbs to their hub, you can control them via the app. You can control their brightness, and you can set the color temperature to match your mood or an event, all from your phone. The app is also super easy to figure out and works very reliably. This pick also lets you set schedules for bulb power, brightness, and temperature. This way, your lights can automatically go bright and blue in the morning, and they can help put you to sleep with a soft and warm light at night.
Pros
- Adjustable color temperatures for ambiance
- Controls brightness from phones
- Fits in regular bulb holders
Cons
- Voice controls are somewhat limited
Lutron Caseta Smart Switch Starter Kit
Elite Design
This kit from Lutron might seem like a basic light switch at first, but it is much more than that. This is a fully functional, high-level automated lighting controller that is simplified down with its easy-to-use design. The installation does require professional help though, but once it’s installed, you’ll have four unique ways of controlling each light, and they’re all pretty useful. You can use a no-touch wall switch, your phone, a smart remote (sold separately), or try out some voice activation using the home assistant of your choice. The greatest part about this system is that it’s compatible with other higher-level automated devices.
Pros
- Provides multiple ways of controlling lights
- Looks exceptional in almost any home
- Extremely reliable operation
- Compatible with other smart-home devices
Cons
- The no-touch switch is difficult to find in dark
Philips Hue Smart Color Ambiance
Most Customizable
The Philips Hue Smart Color Ambiance is the industry leader when it comes to modern-day home lighting. This kit comes with four bulbs and a hub, and each one of the bulbs is capable of displaying over 16 million unique colors and shades. All you have to do is connect them all up, and then you can set them to a ton of color or brightness options using your phone. Plus, you don’t need any additional smart hardware to achieve all this, just the bulbs, the included hub, and your phone.
Pros
- Variety of color lighting options
- Usable for mood lighting
- Compatible with existing bulb holders
- Quick setup
Cons
- Difficult to find “pure white” in the app
People Also Asked
Can two smart home starter kits work together?
Most likely, yes. Smart home starter kits are often designed to work well with other devices in their ecosystem, especially if the other devices serve different purposes. In other words, a smart plug and some smart lights will probably work very well together — there can be issues with using two brands of smart lights in the same home though.
Will my smart home starter kit be hard to install?
Not at all. In fact, most smart home starter kits can be installed in just minutes without needing to use any power tools. Some products even come with double-sided tape to make the setup even easier.
Do smart home starter kits offer good value?
Yes, but only if you get a smart home starter kit that you’ll actually use on a regular basis — which can help save you both time and effort.
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