Shortly after purchasing our home, I wanted to explore how I could enable home automation’s that would add value rather than just for novelty purposes. With so many smart home innovations currently available, I want to show you guys what I use and how they influence my lifestyle.

So the very first device I purchased is the Wyze camera and sensor kit. Wyze is one of the most affordable systems out there. It works with IFTTT and also has a very user friendly design. Navigating the app is very straightforward and simple to use especially when reviewing motion clips from the camera. The motion and door sensors are accurate and helpful for tracking data but I rarely use them to tether to a light or other smart device. My favorite Wyze feature is the ability to capture video footage locally into the camera using a micro SD card. Most smart cams require a subscription service to store your data in the cloud or only record a short clip with temporary availability.

Next are my affordable GoSund smart outlets that I discovered on Amazon. The GoSunds are compatible with a smart app I like to use called Smart Life which has a simple, easy to use interface. Smart outlets are great because they transform any regular home appliance into a smart device. Some of the things I use smart outlets with are my electric heaters, living room lamp, treadmill and infrared lamp, my desktop computer system, basement lights and sleep machine. I enable scheduled automation for my bedroom heater and sleep machine that turn on and off respectively about a half hour before waking up. By automating these devices simultaneously, it allows a very pleasant waking experience as opposed to a typical, jarring alarm clock noise.

Next is the Nest Thermostat which has been great for automating our temperature controls in the house. There’s tons of reviews on the Nest but the best thing I can say is that it really is a set it and forget it smart device. Because it learns your preferences over time and regulates temperature controls with little to no intervention, you’ll notice a much more accurate gas and electric bill which usually ends up saving you money.

For lighting I primarily use the Philips Hue Lighting System. I like the hue indoor strip as an accent light for my home desk space and a hue RGB bulb for my bedroom. Lighting plays a big role in my creative process and I tend to use tungsten colors for relaxed and meditative work and blue or daylight colors when I need to concentrate and plow through an edit or script. I use scheduled automation mainly for my hue outdoor lights which consist of 3 lily outdoor spotlights and 2 calla pathway lights. Living in Michigan, I was a little concerned about how well the lights would hold up in extreme temperatures but they’ve performed flawlessly so far from October to January with numerous days of freezing rain and snow.

The hue outdoor system allows only 5 lights to be tethered to one transmitter which is fine for my needs as they are only used to illuminate the front of the house. They are low wattage and surprisingly bright at night. The scheduled automation is not only helpful but also makes our very modestly sized home feel more welcoming and quaint.

The last part of my smart home system is something called the Pump Spy which is another well reviewed product I found on Amazon. In our basement we have a sump pump installed as our neighborhood has an elevated water table. The sump pump works by pumping water from under the basement floor to a drainage pipe located by the front lawn. The pump spy works essentially as a smart outlet but tracks the electrical cycles of the sump pump and sends that data into an app. This provides a great way to track maintenance in case any issues arise. The best feature is that you can enable multiple emergency contacts from within the app that will send out text alerts in case of a power failure. I also have a battery powered backup sump pump in case the main pump goes down which I’ll link in the description below.

Overall I’m happy with my current ecosystem of smart home devices. After a few months of use I feel like I discovered a good balance of affordability and features that fit my lifestyle and improves both my personal and professional workflow.

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