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Home automation has been one of the best entertainment options we as a family have been able to enjoy over the last couple of months.
We have been able to manage daily tasks which makes our lives much organize with just a few simple commands.
For some home automation may still seem relatively new, everywhere you turn you are finding home automation products such as home assistants, connected appliances, and smart apps.
People are also finding smart home devices that can save them tons of time and energy around the house.
But with so many gadgets out there, where to start?
These 3 simple smart home products are the best and affordable tools to help you get started on home automation and become a pro in no time.
1) Home Assistant Gadget
Amazon Echo 
You’ve probably seen these devices in your nearest shopping mall or electronic stores such as Best Buy or Target, Amazon Echo’s voice assistant. Alexa is artificial intelligence (AI) machine learning in action.
You can teach Alexa all sorts of skills, for example, you can request an Uber, order pizza, and also serve as a hub to connect your smart devices in your home.
The Echo is also a great, Bluetooth speaker which can play your favorite music. Such a small speaker with powerful sound quality and plays music from your favorite streaming services.
If the Echo seems a little pricey, you can jump to the lower-priced Echo Dot which is basically the Echo minus the speaker portion, which still is a great speaker.
Since Amazon Echo launched in 2014, it has continued to be the most popular voice-activation software in the home automation market.
Google Home 
Google Home another great assistant and in my opinion better than its competitors. Google home may have started late in the game but let’s face it, Google is smarter.
Not only is Google smarter it has some taste too! Google Home comes in a variety of colors to fit with your home décor.
Google Home not only looks good but thanks to its search engine, it’s better than Amazon at answering your questions.
Just like the Amazon Echo, Google also has a great speaker. Broadcast to multiple speakers by sending out a message that will play on any other assistant-enabled speakers in your home.
Google Home also has a lower entry priced called the Google Home mini.
Don’t get me wrong both are great choices to serve as the foundation for your smart home, you’ll just have to see which smart speaker is the right choice for your home.
2) Smart Plugs 
If you are looking for a way to turn your home smart on a budget smart plugs are the way to go.
If you are brand spanking new at home automation smart plugs are the best route to start for a beginner.
Most, if not all, smart plugs have Wi-Fi built-in, if you have a smartphone with a signal, you should be able to send a message to turn on or off. Each smart plug brand has a dedicated app to do this.
Having a smart speaker assistant such as the Alexa or Google Assistant can make the experience more enjoyable.
By saying a command, you can also take things further by controlling your smart plug using apps such as IFTTT
While the basic function of a smart plug is turning things on/off remotely (or without getting up off of the sofa, at least) they really come into their own once you start syncing them up with the rest of your connected tech.
Not only do smart plugs make your dumb devices smart it also offer additional perks such as energy use monitoring. Some smart plugs even give you a monetary value of how much your devices are costing to run.
I found smart plugs to be a great addition to my home devices. It allows me to convert my television, lamp, and other small appliances into a smart device.
With a push of a button from my smartphone or a command from my voice has instantly changed how my household functions If you are looking for an easy and simple smart plug outlet, the WeMo mini was my best selection. Affordable and easy to use for a beginner.
3) Third-Party Applets 
There are a couple of third-party apps that you can connect your smart devices to one another.
The one service I recommend is IFTTT, which allows you to automate pretty much anything you could think of, and did I mention it’s FREE!
If This Then That (IFTTT), is a free based-platform that connects devices to trigger one or more automation involving those devices.
There are plenty of services out there that you can use to connect your other smart devices to one another.
IFTTT is one service that lets you automate pretty much anything you could think of.
For example, choose your team (NFL, MLB, NBA, WNBA, NHL, College, and more…), pick their color, and you can have the lights flash every time there’s an in-game or final score for your team. You can do this all through ESPN IFTTT.
You can do much more, the learning curve to navigate IFTTT can take some time but trust me it well worth it.
There are over 500 services, you can even create your own applet. With so much, I’m pretty sure you can find one that you can utilize for your home automation.
Final Note!
I hope this information was helpful in getting you started in making your home smart on a budget.
Take your time to get familiar with these basic home automation products, and you will be surprised how quickly it will become a part of your daily life activity.
Today, home automation gadgets and apps are being created much faster and flooding the market.
As a result of this, home automation has become more affordable and user-friendly for the average consumer.
These futuristic products are now part of our daily lifestyle, as you become more advance your smart home will be cooler than ‘The Jetsons.’
For more useful tips and tricks with Home automation, please continue to check out AutomateYourCrib.com.
Please e-mail me (rodney@automateyourcrib.com) your opinion, comment or if you have any ideas for a future post you would like to read, drop me a line or two as I appreciate my audience. Thank you again for reading this post.
Until next time, Happy Reading!!
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It's great to see that you have come across my website. I hope you explore it thoroughly. The website caters to regular consumers who have an interest in home automation. I am based in the Tri-state area and enjoy the latest smart tech along with my wonderful wife and three energetic boys.
