If you haven’t yet joined the smart home revolution, chances are you soon will. Global consumer spending on smart homes is expecting to grow to a staggering ¢158 billion by 2022: up from ¢76 billion in 2016.[1]
Across the global, homeowners are clamoring for home automations solutions, from smart energy and lighting systems, to smart home surveillance, home theater and voice control. And manufacturers are racing to meet demand.
But while brands such as Amazon Echo, Google Home, Nest, and Philips Hue may dominate the market today, smart home technology isn’t the preserve of the big names. So he’s our pick of the best new smart products you need right now – even though you probably didn’t know you needed them:
Dyson Pure Hot + Cool Link
Dyson have already made quite a name for themselves with their beautifully designed heaters and coolers, and we’re betting that their latest generation models of smart models will be even more popular.
Dyson calls it’s Pure Hot + Cool Link “the only machine for intelligent purification all year round” and like the rest of the Dyson stable, it does exactly what it say on the can. It’s a fan, it’s a heater, it’s a purifier, and it’s smart . It syncs with a smartphone app so you can heat or cool a room remotely, while purifying the air. The app also lets you automatically monitor and adjust, according to your preferences.
Cost: $600 approx
Xiami Mi Vacuum
Robot vacuum cleaners have been around for a while, but the Xiami Mi Vacuum is the most powerful around. It boasts a suction rating of 1800pa, which is a whole lot more than the current market leaders iRobot Roomba 980 (1670pa) and Neato Botvac DB500 (1000pa).
The Mi Vacuum is also packed with room recognition technology, including a laser distance sensor and real-time mapping. The best bit? Xiami’s companion app lets you check the live status of the Mi Vacuum, switch between normal, quiet and active modes, and set schedules for cleaning.
Cost: $360 (approx.)
Smarter Coffee
The second generation Smarter Coffee certainly lives up to its name. Sync this clever little coffee machine to the app and you can grind and brew your coffee beans without leaving the comfort of your bed.
The app lets you choose between freshly ground or filter coffee, set brew strength, and even reminds you when to top up the water. You can activate ‘Welcome Home’ or ‘Wake Up’ modes to start the brewing process based on your geo-location or daily schedule. And like all the best smart home devices, it’s compatible with other home automation systems such as Alexa and Nest.
Cost: ¢230 (approx.)
[1] Strategy Analytics, State of the Smart Home Market: IQ 2017