The constant evolution of technology encourages everyone to improve their homes with gadgets that integrate well with smart living. But with the influx of the many gadgets that promise an enjoyable smart home life, how do we know what’s best for our families?
Here at Unbox, we present a few devices worth adding to your home – a well-thought-out roster of the latest and hottest smart home gadgets we have reviewed and now strongly recommend. With these devices, you can enjoy the wonders of smart home living as sharply and seamlessly as it should be.
PLDT Home StreamTV. If you’re looking for a versatile streaming device for your home, PLDT Home’s recently launched StreamTV makes a nice and nifty piece. While it looks like a smart speaker on the outside, the handy device can do more than just play music (via Bluetooth and with Dolby Surround, at that!). StreamTV can easily transform your existing TV set with an HDMI port into a Smart TV – letting you stream your favorite shows on YouTube, HBO GO, Lionsgate Play, Viu, NBA League Pass, Cignal Play, and Pilipinas Live.
An all-in-one device, StreamTV lets you work and play at the same time. Besides streaming, it also provides an interactive screen for online meetings and gaming with all the available titles on Google Play. Accessorize it with any Bluetooth-enabled gadget like a webcam, game controller, keyboard, or mouse for the ultimate smart home entertainment experience. Cast content, too, from your mobile devices via Chromecast and Screen Mirroring.
For its many functions, StreamTV comes affordable at only P229 per month for 24 months. For an elevated entertainment experience, PLDT Home customers purchasing a StreamTV device until June 30, 2024 will get complimentary 4 months of Lionsgate Play, 3 months of HBO GO, 3 months of Viu, 1 month of CignalPlay, and 1 month of Pilipinas Live.
TP-Link Archer Air R5 and E5 router system. It’s important to have a reliable mesh router system for your smart home, with the Archer Air series carrying arguably the most stylish routers you can have. Despite the insanely slim form factor, the Archer Air series supports WiFi 6 and can be mounted on any surface. The nice thing about its slim form factor is that it can seamlessly blend into any part of your home.
Setting up the Archer series is easy, making it an ideal router for those who are building up their own smart home. The Archer Air R5 WiFi router is priced at Php 6,590 while the Archer Air E5 WiFi extender is priced at Php 5,990.
Philips Hue Smart Bulbs. Relatively cheap and accessible, smart bulbs are a necessity these days if you’re building your smart home. The Hue Smart Bulb is completely programmable via WiFi and Bluetooth and Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, offering flexibility when choosing your desired color and brightness to suit your ambient lighting at home.
What’s more brilliant – you can program the Hue Smart Bulb to sync with music streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube, giving you interesting and unique lighting options. The 9w version of the Hue bulb is priced at Php 2,990.
Cherry Smart Swivel S4 Camera. Smart cameras are a must-have for any home, offering homeowners peace of mind especially when away. Cherry has a variety of smart cameras in its portfolio. But our reco? The Smart Swivel S4. This one has an auto-tracking feature that allows you to adjust viewing angles with a 355-degree horizontal and 130-degree vertical coverage.
The Smart Swivel S4 delivers 3-megapixel photos and Full HD video and has a built-in mic so that you can communicate with family members in real time. Storage options include up to a 128GB MicroSD card or through cloud storage. The Smart Swivel S4 Camera is priced at Php 1,649.
Xiaomi Smart Air Purifier 4 Lite. Having clean air at home is also important, and air purifiers make a functional addition. A standout from other air purifiers, the Xiaomi Smart Air Purifier 4 Lite covers as much as 43 square meters, making it ideal for any room in the house. It’s also low maintenance, as the Smart Air Purifier 4 Lite’s filters only need replacing once a year.
Just like the rest of the products on this list, the Smart Air Purifier 4 Lite can be controlled with Google Assistant, making it integral to the Google Home ecosystem. The Smart Air Purifier 4 Lite is priced at Php 6,799.