I’ve had the privilege of testing many smart home products across my years as a tech journalist. I still have the Amazon Echo Dot, which was one of the first products I received (I’ve upgraded to multiple versions of Echo Shows since). I’ve had the opportunity to test some very cool products and some weird ones. A smart home paper towel dispenser… who is that for?
While I still use plenty of products that I’ve tested, such as a smart thermostat and a few smart plugs, there are many more that I tried and gave up on quickly. Smart home devices are meant to make life easier, and I didn’t feel that way about any of these.
Amazon Echo Show 8 (3rd Gen, 2023)
The Echo Show 8 offers an 8-inch touch screen, easy integration with Ring cameras and accessories, and an improved 13MP camera for video calling. It’s big, offers spatial audio, and works with an array of devices.
5Smart Curtain Openers Never Started My Day Right
If you hate getting out of bed to open your curtains, you can hook up a smart curtain driver, which can respond to apps or voice commands from a smart speaker and will pull the curtains back for you. I tested theAqara Smart Curtain Driverand had some struggles installing it. If you already have your curtains installed, it does take some time to take them down, precisely install the driver, and set the curtains up again.
The initial positives of having this were apparent. I synced it up withmy Amazon Echo Showsmart speaker and would give voice commands to have it open up. When it did work, it started the morning in such a great way. The problem was that it failed to respond every time. The voice commands would respond with Alexa saying “OK,” but the Smart Curtain Driver would only respond on average every other time.
Once it did open, it would pull the curtains back. But when I wanted to have them close, more often than not, it would get stuck on the curtain rod and not work. I could have replaced the curtain rod, but it felt frustrating that there wasn’t some kind of adapter for the driver that would work on all kinds of rods.
Aqara Smart Curtain Motor E1
Bring your home into the modern era with this retrofit curtain driver to open and close the curtains automatically. Pair with an Aqara smart hub and sync with HomeKit, Google Home, and Amazon Alexa. Automate your mornings or use voice commands and app control to open and close your curtrains without getting out of bed.
4Motion Sensors Don’t Always Do What They Say
On top of the smart home curtain driver, I attempted to set up a motion sensor that was pointed out the window to recognize when the sun was coming up. It was able to do this because it was from the same company, theAqara Motion and Light Sensor P2. This rarely actually worked in that regard, though. I’ve had bad luck with motion sensors in general. I’ve tested options from Aqara, Govee, and Meross over the years. TheMeross MS600was the best of the bunch I tested, providing up-to-the-second alerts when motion passed by it.
But it had to be the right lighting for it to register that something was passing by it. I’d much rather have a camera with night vision than rely on a motion sensor to alert me of movement. That way, you’re able to at least see what is passing by, rather than just getting an alert. Yes, motion sensors are meant to be linked up with lights or othersmart home devices to set up automationsin order to alert you. But it just feels like an extra step that may not be worth it.
3String Lights Don’t Do Outdoors a Favor
I’ve also used motion sensors to sync up with outdoor lights before. It made sense to try the Govee Outdoor Motion Sensor with theGovee Outdoor String Lights 2and the motion sensor wasn’t powerful enough to make that work. While the string lights worked fine enough with app access, there were a lot of automations that just weren’t quite there. The customization of these smart home lights was impressive, as you can choose pretty much any color that you want to use and set them to that. It can completely transform your yard, porch, deck, or other outdoor area.
But, in order to get them to set up, you pretty much have to use the app. Not many people have outdoor smart speakers, so voice commands can be a struggle. Plus, stringing lights can be incredibly frustrating, as you may need many cords to do so, blocking up areas of your deck or patio. Also, if your Wi-Fi signal is weak outside, they may not work at all.
Govee String Light 2
Easily customize your outdoor space with the Govee Outdoor String Lights 2 to match the vibe of your get together. Whether you want a sophisticated white light or colors that match your music, these lights shine bright.
2Smart Light Bulbs Aren’t Always Smart
I’vehad smart light bulbsthroughout my house, testing offerings from Phillips, Wyze, and WiZ over the years. Syncing them with my smart speakers has made it easy to go up and down the stairs, holding either laundry, a baby, or boxes, and not having to put them down to turn on the lights. Instead, I can just yell for a speaker to turn them on. That has worked well, most of the time.
But all the light bulbs I’ve used in my bedroom have struggled in my wife’s lamp. I’m not quite sure why it’s always that lamp, but it is. It could be because it’s the farthest corner from our router, making the Wi-Fi signal weak in our room. But the setup is always a nightmare, with countless rounds of a blinking lamp and an app that’s trying to connect it.
The smart bulb in my lamp works just fine, and my lamp is only feet away from hers. But hers rarely works, so much so that we pretty much only turn my light on. Also, if you happen to turn the light switch off in the room, it makes the light not work, as smart bulbs always have to have power to them. This can bedifficult for people who are visiting to understand.
Philips Hue Smart White Bulbs
Philips Hue smart bulbs are pricey, but they’re worth every penny for their reliable connectivity, customizable light options, and ease of use.
1HomeKit Struggles in My Home
Arguably the biggest complaint I have about smart home devices comes back to Apple HomeKit. I attempted to set up an Apple smart home, using HomePods andsmart light switchesand an iPad or iPhone. It just never seemed to sync up well. I always had problems setting them up on my iPad, whether it be the widget or the HomeKit app. This forced me to rely solely on my iPhone or voice automation, which is fine in theory.
But that also meant I needed to worry a lot about how good HomePods are. As many people can attest, they have limited functionality compared to Amazon or Samsung devices. Their lack of Bluetooth capabilities and the fact that they forced Apple Music on me felt exhausting. I’m a Spotify fan through and through and want to be able to play my playlists that I’ve spent time curating. But that was never the case.
I also want to be able to set up my smart plugs as automated devices, particularly to have my electric tea kettle start up at a certain time each day. However, the HomeKit-enabled automation through these devices almost never worked. I quickly just gave up on assuming it would be the fix I wanted.
Apple HomePod (2nd generation)
Experience immersive, high-fidelity audio with the Apple HomePod (2nd generation). Featuring spatial audio, smart home integration, and Siri voice control, it’s the perfect centerpiece for your connected home.
I’m a huge fan of smart home devices, but there are plenty that I’ve used that I wouldn’t buy again. Almost all of these have provided me with headaches over the years, more so than I thought before I installed them. I’ve uninstalled many of them and just gone with your basic non-smart device. Sometimes, a smart home isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
