Smart Home

In our continued coverage of the best Black Friday deals of the year, it is time to look at some items for around the house. While we haven’t seen as many smart home products as we would have liked (yet), Best Buy and Lowe’s will both be offering solid deals on Nest and Phillips products. We’ve also picked out some not-so-smart items for the kitchen and more:
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I’d be willing to bet your home has some sort of smart or internet-connected device. Whether it’s a Nest Thermostat or WeMo smart plugs, the internet is invading our home one small piece of plastic at a time. The struggle with many of these devices, such as the Nest, is that it only provides a data point for one location in your home. While it is possible to add additional thermostats, that’s not a cost-effective solution for most consumers.

That’s where Koto comes in. Its recently launched Indiegogo campaign offers three different sensors that each collect and report on important measurable data in your home, like air quality or dust count. By doing so, Koto is able to paint a more reliable picture of your home’s health and can even recommend on how to improve it…

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Smart connected devices for our homes are becoming more commonplace, with technology giants like Apple and Samsung leading the way with support for a myriad of devices. Even Amazon has an internet-connected speaker that will control your lights, thermostat and more.

One of the biggest issues with this technology is price. Many consumers are not willing to pay the premium that comes with support for Apple’s HomeKit or other platforms like Z-Wave or Zigbee. Simply put, the deadbolt has worked in its existing state for decades, why upgrade it now?

Kwikset has been leading the charge on smartphone connected locks with its Kevo Bluetooth-enabled product. But for roughly $200, the adoption rate has been slow. Today, the lock maker has released a new deadbolt that drops a number of features but retains its internet connectivity in exchange for a lower price point.

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iRobot is finally giving its Roomba vacuums the smart home treatment. Today, it was announced that the new Roomba 980 would include Wi-Fi connectivity that enables cloud-based administration and more. Coinciding with today’s release is the new iRobot HOME app that brings smartphone management of this new vacuum to life. The 980 will even make a virtual map of your home with its new on-board camera. All of these new features are going to cost you though. 
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Walmart has the Quirky + GE Aros Smart Window Air Conditioner for $149 shipped today. That’s more than 50% under the original $300 listing, $81 under the typical price over at Amazon, $50+ under the next best prices, $28 under our previous mention and the best price we can find.

The Quirky Smart Air Conditioner comes with a number of intelligent features that enable it to set the temperature just the way you like it, at just the right time. It is equipped with 8,000 BTUs of power and, according to Quirky, can easily cool a room up to about 350 square feet. There is a simple installation here as it should slide right into traditional window openings from 24.5 to 40.5-inches.

As we have mentioned previously, reviews are mixed on the Aros. But this is more than 50% off the original price, from a trusted retailer, and the best price we have ever posted. More details below and over on 9to5Mac:

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Late last year, Keen Home received over 1.5 million in funding to further the development of its Smart Vent product. And now a full year later, the intelligent vent cover replacement is ready to come to market this fall. Much like other smart home products looking to make things easier around the house and more affordable in the process, Smart Vent is looking to bring some innovation to those old vent covers we have been using for years:
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There are a wide range of devices available for consumers today that are internet and smartphone connected. It is often a struggle to decide whether to upgrade existing products with an add-on or make the investment in a new release that has these features built-in. Upgrading can be hit or miss and new products, especially appliances, can be pricey. With the impending arrival of Apple’s HomeKit, now is the time to get on the smart home train more than ever.

A new product called tado° has put air conditioning in its sights for a smart upgrade. We have seen smart AC units before, but the execution has at times left something to be desired. By adding tado° to an existing system, consumers have more options with the actual cooling unit, as long as the existing unit meets some requirements.
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Following up on the popularity of Philips Hue and Belkin’s WeMo offerings, GE has announced that it will soon be releasing its first Apple HomeKit-enabled Intelligent LED lightbulbs. GE is also including features that will help save on energy costs and even help improve your sleep.
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9to5Toys Specials currently has the Ring™ Video Doorbell for $189 with free shipping using $10 off coupon code: ring9t05 at checkout (Tax in CA). That’s $40 off the original price and the lowest price we can find it. It lets you see who is on your front step via a live video stream on your phone. We reviewed it very positively on 9to5mac and it gets 4/5 star reviews at Amazon where it is $10 more expensive with tax in more states.

It’s nice to know who is on the other side of the door before you open it, but the Wi-Fi streaming is also great for when you’re away from home. The Ring™ Doorbell has motion detection and two-way audio, so it knows when someone is there, and it lets you tell the delivery guy to leave the package somewhere suitable. The video is available on both iOS and Android devices, and it is 720p quality. Optionally, you can record the video clips for later viewing (one year of this service is included in the deal). Installation is pretty easy, and the Doorbell can run on battery for 12 months at a time.

• 1-way video and 2-way audio for ideal communication
• Cloud Recording add-on for storing clips to view later — one year included
• Advanced motion detection system with configurable zones
• Convenient design connects to existing doorbell wiring or runs off built-in battery
• Easy installation
• 720p video recording
• Long-lasting battery provides 12 months of normal use

Pick up the Ring™ Doorbell here and use coupon code ring9to5 at checkout.
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Last week we featured a couple of smart devices to help keep the items in your kitchen automatically replenished, including these tiny iOS connected Droplet buttons and this hybrid smartcan. While the GeniCan isn’t going to help keep your floors clean at the same time, it can certainly make any one of your regular trashcans a whole lot smarter.

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The weather is starting to warm up and that means grilling season is right around the corner. While anyone can add a smart thermometer to a grill, SABER is introducing a new smart grill called the EDGE that puts even more info right on your iPhone.

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Consumers are making a run for LED bulbs and internet connected devices, today Cree announced a new solution to these trends. Already known for its highly-rated products, Cree is now bringing smart home compatibility with the Connected LED Bulb. They have priced them very competitively, coming in at 50% the price of a comparable smart home lighting option.

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The home automation sector of consumer technology continues to grow and generally improve, as more devices gain “smart” functionality. We’ve seen a number of products enter the fray during Q4 of 2014, but it’s yet to be seen whether any one company is ready to bring it all together in a truly mainstream way. While we continue to wait on Apple HomeKit-compatible devices, we had the opportunity to spend some time with products from SmartThings, a Washington, DC-based company that promises an “easy, open and limitless” smart home experience.

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Known for its consumer networking gear, TRENDnet is announcing the latest addition to its lineup of home WiFi devices. The new THA-101 Home Smart Switch is a hybrid network extender and basic smart electrical outlet that looks to offer the best of both worlds in one small package…

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We’ve all done it, found ourselves in a panic about 10 miles down the road, wondering if we have left that little space heater on in our bedroom. Today, WeMo is teaming up with Holmes to bring its own solution to this moment of fear. The Holmes WiFi-enabled Smart Heater connects the popular home company with Belkin’s WeMo ecosystem. This adds another piece to the puzzle of WeMo’s expansive line of home automation products.

Holmes is also introducing a new Smart WiFi-enabled air purifier, which puts the focus on consistantly monitoring the air quality in your home and adjusting as needed.

We’ve got full details below on pricing and Holmes new Frost Protect feature on these heaters. 
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eBay’s new Innovator’s Collective pushes the online marketplace further away from its yard sale roots. This collection features fifteen high-tech gadgets from smaller outfits with crowdfunding backgrounds like Nomad to powerhouse companies like Nest.

Most of the products have a smart home twist, but there are a some playful options like the Boosted Electric Longboard and the Sphero 2.0 app-controlled ball. Each product page has large beautiful images and a simplified layout, which is a welcomed departure from eBay’s typical cluttered layout.

Make sure to apply coupon code CTAKE15 to save 15% on some of these gadgets. Full coupon eligibility and more info follows:
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Unlike many of the currently available smart home security options out there, the new Homeboy camera offers a simplified take on home surveillance in a tiny all-in-one system. It is a completely wireless solution that requires no additional hardware, taps right into your home WiFi network and offers simple mobile device monitoring.

Along with a built-in mounting system and an impressive battery life, Homeboy has a number of other security features, seamless integration with other smart home products and full functionality with no subscription fees. More details below:

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Today, smart home product company ecobee is introducing a new product to its line of smart home thermostats. The ecobee3 is a “smarter” Wi-Fi thermostat that offers automated heating and cooling throughout the entire home.

Unlike previous generation models, the ecobee3 system consists of the main thermostat as well as up to as many as 32 sensors for complete coverage. According to ecobee, “the industry has seen the introduction of new thermostats that seem modern but have the same flaw that thermostats did fifty years ago – they only measure the temperature in one location, often the hallway.” With the added sensors, ecobee hopes to solve this issue by tracking temperature and occupancy in multiple rooms to offer optimal HVAC settings across the entire home.

Head below for more details, pricing, and a short introduction video: 
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Littlebits Electronics makes a large line of magnetic electronics modules (or Bits) that can be used to create a number of different gadgets and devices without the need to know how to code or to pull out a soldering iron. While there a number of different bundles that can be purchased, the Bits range from switches, light dimmers, sensors, small motors, and even Korg made a littleBits DIY synthesizer kit.

Until now, the prototyping and hobbyist platform didn’t allow for creations that were connected to the internet, so littleBits has decided to introduce the new cloudBit module.

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