Making your home fully connected is more accessible these days, with a wide range of smart home products to choose from to enhance your home living. Smart home products have several benefits: aside from the added convenience of being able to control connected appliances at the comfort of your phone, they also improve security and efficiency at home. Balancing quality and affordability is crucial for Filipinos, so here are our must-have smart home gadgets that you should buy when you’re starting to build a connected home.
Smart Speakers
If you’re starting off building a connected home, smart speakers are a good start. Aside from providing audio from your favorite music streaming apps, smart speakers give you the convenience of voice commands to let you control things at home. These smart speakers also have built-in smart assistants, so you can ask things like the weather today or your scheduled meetings on the fly. They also great as an alarm to remind you to wake up on time, or for playing ambient music so that you can get a good night’s sleep.
Highly Recommended: Google Nest Audio (2nd generation) – Php 6,095
Alternative Pick: Xiaomi Smart Speaker – Php 2,299
Smart Plugs
Don’t underestimate this tiny gadget, as it plays an important role in smart homes. Smart plugs give you the ability to remotely turn on or off any non-connected appliance, allowing you to save on electricity especially in times where you are away from home for a prolonged period.
Highly Recommended: Xiaomi Smart Plug – Php 599
Alternartive pick: TP-Link Tapo P105 Smart Plug – Php 360
Smart Bulbs
Without a doubt, our most recommended smart home gadget for those starting off a connected ecosystem are smart bulbs. Available in white and colored varieties, smart bulbs let you set the mood of your home–on top of giving you that much-needed lighting. The nice thing about smart bulbs is that you can remotely turn them on and off, adjust light intensity, and even change colors to match your preferred ambient lighting.
Highly Recommended: Philips Hue 9w Smart Bulb – Php 4,134
Alternative pick: Xiaomi Mi Smart LED Bulb Essential – Php 599
Smart Cameras
Security is a high priority for homes nowadays, and adding smart cameras is a definite must-have. These tiny gadgets allow you to monitor certain spots of your home remotely, ensuring that everything is safe and sound even when you are away. Some models even offer 2-way communication, allowing you to talk to your loved ones at home while you’re away.
Highly Recommended: TP-Link Tapo C210 Smart Camera – Php 1,499
Alternative Pick: Xiaomi Smart Camera C301 – Php 1,099
Smart Door Lock
If you want to complete the smart living ecosystem essentials, it is worth investing in a smart door lock. While it is more expensive than the usual doorknob, smart door locks have benefits: they allow you to remotely lock and unlock them, and they make use of biometrics, which just as secure as your usual physical key while being more convenient to use. Aside from that, smart door locks can notify you of people who enter your home–or who attempts to break in.
Highly Recommended: Philips EasyKey Smart Lock DDL503-13HBS – Php 12,000
Alternative Pick: Eufy C234 Smart Door Lock – Php 6,265.25
That sums up the smart home gadgets we highly recommend you to get if you want to build a solid smart living ecosystem. Do you have other suggestions in mind? Let us know in the comments section.
