Black Friday Smart Tech Deals 2017

TODAY is Black Friday and there are some great deals across the web for smart home tech gear. We’ve already seen initial offers on media streaming devices like the Roku Media Streaming Stick.

But this year it’s all about smart home devices. Assistants and speakers that allow you to easily automate and voice activate parts of your home. From light switches to smart plugs, the technology is really advancing, allowing you to control more and more from your smart phone.

Our favorite of the new wave of smart devices are definitely video doorbells and thermostats. We’ll take a look at these, and some more products in this years sale on Black Friday.

The Amazon Echo can help with all manner of household tasks. From making a shopping list and playing music, to controlling your lights and plugs.

Want to wake up to a cup of coffee ready brewed from the comfort of your bed? Just ask Amazon Echo to set the time. The Echo is a great Christmas present for those who like the latest gadgets.

They also have some great offers with other smart home products to use with the Echo. If you purchase an Amazon Echo Plus this month you can get a free Philips Hue Smart Bulb thrown in! Get those romantic, and voice activated lights with this offer.

Amazon are also offering a great deal on the Echo with a state of the art Honeywell Indoor Security camera, so you can monitor your home from your smart phone when the camera detects movement.

This deal includes both devices for a great price. Look out for similar deals in the coming days.

Amazon Echo & Philips Hue Smart Bulb

Get This Deal!

Smart doorbells are the latest in home security and convenience and will be making an appearance in Black Friday Sales. With a video WiFi doorbell you’re able to see who is at the door from your smart phone, even if you’re not in the house! This means you can ask couriers to leave packages for you if they turn up while you’re out, or check the door before answering it if you’re avoiding someone!

One example of a market leading smart doorbell is the SkyBell HD Video Doorbell. It has tons of great features that you can use to add security to your home. For example, you can stream live video, anywhere from the app, even taking a snapshot if you want to. You can also download any videos you take directly from the Skybell HD.

Other leading brands include Ring and Honeywell. The slim design of the Honeywell 1080p video bell is great for those awkward doors with not much space around the edge!

Every TV can be a smart TV nowadays with Smart Media players. Leading the way are key players like the Chromecast and the new Amazon Fire Streaming Stick. They have the ability to stream content directly over the internet to your TV, meaning you no longer need all the cables in the back.

They’re also very reasonably priced, with many coming in under $90.

Chromecast allows you to cast other screens to your TV, making your phone or laptop the main remote. Whereas the Amazon Fire has an app-based approach, with a home screen containing all your favourite video apps. And of course, Amazon Video highlights.

However a challenger that makes quality products are Roku. Their sticks are highly reviewed, and are a good alternative for slightly less money. For example, the Roku Express shown here is currently one of the best-priced smart streaming devices on Amazon.

Smart Thermostats are all the rage at the moment, which makes a difference as thermostats have never been particularly exciting. But with a new look, and the ability to improve your comfort in the home, they’re now a key piece of new smart tech.

Easy to use through apps on your phone and more eco-friendly than a regular thermostat, the drive towards them has been pioneered mainly by Nest.

Nest were the name at the front of the Smart Thermostat rush, designing great looking products with amazing features. The latest Nest Learning Thermostat monitors your habits and movements and will adjust your home environment accordingly. Say you go to bed early, the thermostat will see this and turn the heating off. It will also make sure it has the house feeling nice and warm just in time for when you regularly wake up. It even detects if nobody is home and keeps the heating off. No need to mess around with complicated programming and the on/off switch ever again.

Last of all, let’s move on to bulbs and plugs. Simple and boring household items… Not anymore. With the rise of Smart Tech, I can now turn the lights down and switch on my TV with just my voice. We really are living in the future.

So, if you’re new to all of this, here are some starting tips. With smart bulbs, don’t buy the bulbs without a controlling hub. Philips Hue do a good quality starter pack of the hub with two bulbs. You always need to check that your hub is compatible with your voice assistant, if you want voice activation through there, but the Hue hub covers most of the popular brands.

Smart plugs are a bit simpler, they plug in, connect to the WiFi via a smart phone app and you’re ready to go! Again, most are compatible with home assistants too, we’ve highlighted Wemu and Conico here to give you an idea of the expensive and cheaper ends of the product range.

Wemu Mini Smart Plug