So you’ve adopted Alexa into your home and paired it with some Hue bulbs or smart plugs, but now what? Surely there’s more to the whole home automation trend than just voice controlling your lights. We’ve rounded up five of our favorite unique Alexa-enabled devices to help expand your smart home’s capabilities. So whether you’re looking for some help tidying up around the house or managing your home theater, you’ll want to check them out below.
Logitech harmony Hub: $70
Controlling your home theater can already be a pain; there’s nothing more annoying than trying to track down the various remotes needed to control your many devices. Logitech’s Harmony Hub not only solves that problem, but it also allows you to command the setup with nothing more than your voice.
The $70 hub can replace up to eight different remotes and integrates with the lovely Alexa. It can also control other smart devices in your home, allowing you to customize the perfect movie time scene by dimming the lights and pulling up something on Netflix.
Amazon Cloud Cam: $120
Alexa is also a competent security guard when paired with the right devices. Amazon’s own Cloud Cam is an easily recommendable companion with direct Echo integration, 1080p recording and more. The stream can be viewed right on your Echo device, or those with screens at least.
Another big perk here is that bringing home the Cloud Cam alongside a smart lock allows you to take advantage of Key by Amazon. So you can have packages safely delivered inside when you’re not home.
For a more budget-focused addition to your home, Wyze’s Cam Pan is a worthy contender at $38. It brings pan/tilt/zoom capabilities into the mix, something that Amazon’s own camera lacks. Of course, you’ll still find 1080p recording and motion alerts.
iRobot Roomba 690 Robot Vacuum: $248
In the past we’ve looked at other ways that your smart gadgets could help out around the home. While they can save you money, the same is true for time. iRobot’s Roomba 690 Robot Vacuum is a fantastic example of this. The $248 vacuum is pretty similar to most other options on the market in some aspects. It has a 90-minute runtime, sweeps autonomously and more. But it also packs Alexa control, allowing you to take care of cleaning with just your voice.
And when paired with a hub or service like IFTTT, you’ll really be able to take advantage of its smart capabilities. Geofencing allows the Roomba to begin its cleaning regimen once you leave the house, and return to its base station before you walk in the door.
Smarter Coffee Maker: $250
Alexa can also help you start the day off on the right foot. Pairing Amazon’s voice assistant with an appliance like the Smarter Coffee Maker allows you order a cup of Joe with your voice; just like you would at the local coffee place. That is of course, without leaving the comfort of your own home.
It can brew between four and 12 cups in a single batch and also features a built-in grinder. Just about anything you can think of, like the coffee’s strength, can be adjusted to your liking as well. Entering with a $250 price tag, it certainly isn’t one of the more affordable gadgets to pair with your Echo. But if integrating your caffeine fix into the rest of your home’s connected devices seems like a dream come true, then look no further.
Big Mouth Billy Bass: $40
Love it or hate it, the recently-released Big Mouth Billy Bass is one of the most unique Alexa-compatible devices on the market. And sure, it may be the most infamous – or beloved depending on how you look at it – but there’s a reason Amazon brought back the classic piece of decor.
It lip-syncs with Alexa when answering a question, dances to music and wiggles around when an alarm or timer goes off. Big Mouth Billy Bass also has a built-in speaker to expand your home’s multi-room audio setup. Ultimately, if the idea of having a voice-activated singing fish on your wall couldn’t be more appealing, then the device’s $40 price tag will seem like bargain.
What Alexa-enabled devices are essentials in your smart home? Be sure to let us know in the comments below.
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