Smart home technology can bring extra peace of mind for a homeowner while also adding value to a home; and the holiday season is a great time to save money on smart home tech.
Brandon Doyle of the Doyle Real Estate Team offered these suggestions during a virtual visit with KARE 11 News at 4:
"For beginners I’d recommend picking an ecosystem and sticking with it," Doyle suggested.
Amazon is one of those ecosystems where several products will work together, and savings are often available with package deals, like the Amazon-owned Ring Doorbell and Echo Show.
"Monitor your home from anywhere in the world, use the show to see who is at your front door in real time, and save recordings to the cloud," Doyle said.
Google offers a similar smart home ecosystem with its Nest line of products (including a doorbell) and hub. Doyle says Google deals can often be found at Target.
"Wyze is a great gift option with cameras starting at just $20, they’ve recently expanded their product line to include thermostats, locks, robot vacuums and more," Doyle suggested.
Smart locks are also an option for the smart home enthusiast.
"August just released the Gen 4 version of their smart lock which is a quick and easy replacement, it’s 45% slimmer than the previous model and installs in just minutes. It works with both Google and Amazon," Doyle said. "For more serious users, Arlo and Eufy both offer wireless security camera packages that allow remote viewing, both local and cloud storage, very high resolution and batteries last a long time. Look for deals at Best Buy."
And then there's another smart home favorite that can save time on chores: a robot vacuum.
"iRobot is a popular robot vacuum with the Roomba line up, the new i3+, i7+ & i9+ have self-emptying base stations and feature intelligent navigation. Look for deals at Home Depot and Amazon," Doyle said.