+9 votes
by (780 points)
Hi all, I’m writing a blog post roundup on “the best of the best” smart home products and would love to get some input and advice from this group. The question I am asking is this: What is your favorite smart home product and why? Just looking for 1 or 2 sentences. I will quote you in the article and can even provide a link over to your website or LinkedIn (or other social) from my blog www. oneSmartcrib. com. I look forward to those recommendations! Thanks in advance .  
http://www.onesmartcrib.com/?fbclid...CP_XU
Hi all, I’m writing a blog post roundup on “the best of the best” smart home products and woul

9 Answers

+2 votes
by (780 points)
P. S. If you prefer to email my address is onesmartcrib@gmail. com
+3 votes
by (310 points)
MySmartBlinds are my favorite because they’re the most futuristic thing in the house. Opens all the blinds down stairs in the morning and closes them at night. Will also close the blinds if the window becomes too hot.  
+2 votes
by (1k points)
Well I’m a rookie by comparison but I do like my Schlage programmable lock! I’m looking forward to seeing if my InternetThings hub can do more with the lock than Wink could! I also like my Chamberlain garage door opener although the most I do with it yet is receive a notification when it’s been open for more than 15 min
+2 votes
by (2.9k points)
There isn't a best that boils down to two sentences. Everyone's gauge on importance/value will differ. That said, the one thing that resonates, time and again, with automation fanatics is the concept of the Wife Acceptance Factor. Or spouse acceptance factor if you want to avoid a pointlessly polarizing argument distracting from the basic premise. That premise being, do not let your hobby turn into a point of conflict with whom you share your domicile. Make sure whatever level of integration you chose meets the expectations and tolerances of those that will have to deal with it. If everyone's a gadget freak, well, have it with the Rube Goldberg lash-ups. But if they're not, well, temper the installation within the limits of their patience.  
+3 votes
by (2.7k points)
MyQ garage door opener. Saves marriages.  
0 votes
by (1.3k points)
Openhab. org integration with Amazon Echo to use it as a communication platform for input, output and routine execution.  
0 votes
by (1.9k points)
Connectivity/compatibility - I love having my Alexa devices verbally tell me when the washer or dryer have complete a cycle, or that the mailbox has been opened by saying “You’ve got mail”.  
+8 votes
by (5.6k points)
I'm a CyberSecurity professional for the US Government by day, and a SmartHome tweaker by night. My favorite devices change often, but right now, I'm riding a high off of the Shelly relays. They are cheaper than outlets, plugs, and light switches. Have more safety features, and as a security guy, they can be 100% locally executed.  
by (300 points)
@sparklesparkler McEathron which shelly relays run locally? Can you post link please?  
by (5.6k points)
@doze10 the whole line-up does.  
https://shelly.cloud/
by (5.6k points)
They have the option to run MQTT even
by (300 points)
@sparklesparkler McEathron I'm only seeing wifi ones. How can you get wifi ones to be local?  
by (5.6k points)
@doze10 ah Yeah, that's a good question. WiFi doesn't always mean Internet. If you unplug your router from your modem, you'll still have a WiFi local network. You phone and laptop will still see each other. You can still print etc. You just don't have the internet. So, these relays used your WiFi, locally, and don't reach out beyond your router. That is, unless you want them to. Shelly does have a cloud service, but it's an option, not a requirement. Even moreso, if you have a MQTT broker like Home Assistant, or Mosquitto on a Raspberry Pi, you don't even need to use the WiFi. You can run them on MQTT.  
+7 votes
by (780 points)
Thanks for all of the awesome comments and emails so far! More to come on this!  
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