**Smart Home Essentials: A Comprehensive Guide**

In today's world, having a smart home is no longer a luxury, but a necessity for many people. With the right gadgets and devices, you can make your home more convenient, secure, and comfortable. In this article, we will explore the essential smart home devices that you need to get started.

**Amazon Echo Dot (4th Generation)**

The Amazon Echo Dot (4th Generation) is a fantastic addition to any smart home. This compact speaker offers incredible value for its price, making it an ideal choice for those looking to control their smart home devices with ease. With its advanced audio capabilities, you can enjoy high-quality sound and seamlessly integrate your smart speakers into your daily routine.

For security purposes, we recommend the Blink Mini camera, which is an entry-level camera that offers basic features such as two-way audio, night vision, 1080p video capture, and motion detection. Its compact design makes it discreet and easy to place anywhere in your home.

**Google Assistant**

If you're looking for a smart voice assistant, Google Assistant is one of the best options available. With its broad support device compatibility, you can expect seamless integration with various smart devices, including those from Amazon and Philips Hue.

To get started with Google Assistant, we recommend the Google Nest Mini (1st Generation), which offers incredible value for its price. This compact speaker provides access to Google Assistant, allowing you to ask questions, get your schedule, and control your smart home devices with ease.

For a security camera that is compatible with Google Assistant, we suggest the Wisecam V2. Despite being released last year, this camera still offers excellent features such as 20MP resolution, two-way audio, night vision, local storage, and motion detection. Its unique design allows it to be articulated in various angles, making it easy to place anywhere in your home.

**Xiaomi Smart LED Light Bulbs**

To complete your essential smart home setup, we recommend the Xiaomi Mi Light Smart LED Light Bulb. This affordable bulb offers several features that make it an ideal choice for smart home enthusiasts. It connects directly to your Wi-Fi router without the need for a bridge, allowing for seamless control and voice assistance.

With Google Assistant, you can turn on, off, or change the color of these bulbs using simple voice commands. These bulbs are also compatible with Apple HomeKit, making them an excellent choice for those who prefer Apple devices.

**Apple HomeKit**

If you're an Apple user, you'll be pleased to know that Apple HomeKit offers a seamless and secure smart home experience. With its focus on security and privacy, HomeKit is an ideal choice for those looking for a hassle-free smart home setup.

For a smart speaker that integrates perfectly with Apple HomeKit, we recommend the Apple HomePod Mini. This compact speaker offers impressive audio quality and seamlessly integrates into your daily routine. It also serves as a HomeKit hub, allowing you to control all your compatible devices with ease.

To complete your Apple HomeKit setup, we suggest the Nanoleaf Essentials Light Bulb. This affordable bulb is available for under $50 for four-pack and connects directly to your Wi-Fi router without the need for a bridge. It's also color-changing, making it an excellent choice for smart home enthusiasts who want to add some style to their lighting.

**Conclusion**

In conclusion, having a comprehensive smart home setup requires the right gadgets and devices. By investing in the essential devices mentioned above, you can create a seamless and secure smart home experience that enhances your daily life. Remember to research and compare prices throughout the year, as sales often fluctuate. With the right devices, you can transform your home into a smart, convenient, and comfortable space that reflects your unique style and preferences.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: eni've been covering the smart home for i want to say a little bit over a year now and if there's one thing that i've learned in covering all this it's that you don't need to spend a fortune in having a smart home so if you've been apprehensive because of the cost i'll tell you in this video how you get an essential smart home for under a hundred dollars but before i get started this video i just want to remind you guys to give this video a thumbs up if you like it and definitely make sure to subscribe to our channel so you get all our latest content so you're probably wondering what is an essential smart home well for me i think they include three critical components that form the base of the smart home they include the smart speaker a wireless security camera and also a smart lighting solution now once you have those three components they form the basis of a smart home and then from there you could expand obviously you could go into other areas like robot vacuums a smart door lock or even a video doorbell but before you get into that you really want to invest into the core critical components which make up the essential smart home but more importantly is the platform you end up choosing because that's going to dictate a lot of things what devices you're going to get they break down to google assistant amazon and apple's home kit so i'm going to talk about those three groups and tell you some recommendations as far as what gadgets you'll need to form that essential smart home all right so let me talk about amazon first now if you don't know you're gonna get the broadest device support with this platform versus the other two so if you're looking for gadgets that are compatible with it then definitely check out amazon the first gadget here that you're gonna want is the amazon echo dot the fourth generation model is the latest one and i love it because it offers incredible value because it is a smart speaker to be able to control your smart home and yes it even sounds really great with its audio as for a security camera i'm going to recommend the blank mini so it's an entry-level camera and i like it for its design because it is kind of discreet on the smaller side on top of that you're going to have all your basic features so that's two-way audio night vision 1080p video capture and also motion detection and the last thing to complete your essential smart home is the e-light smart led light bulb it's made by xiaomi the company that makes all the smartphones and i like it because it doesn't require a bridge so it connects directly to your wi-fi router and best of all it is a color changing bulb next up you have google assistant which in my opinion is the smartest out of all the voice assistants out there and you're still getting good broad support devices for it the first thing you need is going to be the google nest mini it was released last year but it's their entry level offering you're going to have google assistant wherever you place in the home so you'll be able to ask questions get your schedule and even control your smart home now the perfect camera to get you started is going to be the wisecam v2 i know that they just announced the v3 recently and that's not going to be out until next year but the v2 is available right now it is compatible with google assistant and it is 20 so incredible value there and what i like about it is that its design is unique it's a square boxy shape but you could articulate it to all sorts of angles it's discreet and you're gonna get the basics so expect your streaming 1080p video two-way audio night vision and yes you even have local storage as far as lighting is concerned i'm going to recommend these slovenia smart plus led light bulbs i use them and i like them because they don't need a bridge so they connect directly to your wi-fi network at home and they are color changing bulbs and with google assistant i could tell google assistant to turn them on off and yes even change those colors and generally you'll find them at under 50 for four pack and the last thing we'll talk about here is apple's home kit i will tell you this out of all the platforms it has the fewest devices that support it that's just a fact but on the flip side they do take pride in security and privacy because you don't technically need to install a new app or sign up for an account just to talk with those devices you do everything directly through the home app so knowing that you're gonna need a smart speaker right well the thing is you only have two options you have the original homepod which was ungodly expensive and now you have the newer homepod mini which at 100 is a lot cheaper but still more expensive than the other smart speakers i talked about but definitely go with the homepod mini because yes it is hundred dollars you have access to siri it has great audio in fact i think it's the best out of the three that i talked about and it also acts as a home kit home hub like i said there are a few devices that support home kit and one of the few cameras that does that that's on the affordable side is the yuffie cam 2k indoor i like it because of its compact size it's a little bit on the discrete side you also set up all through the home app so you'll have all your basic functions two-way audio night vision you can set up activity zones but the nice thing about home kit cameras is that you could set it so that when you're home it's gonna be off and then when you're away you could have the camera set to go on and detect motion and the last device i'm going to recommend here for the apple user is the nanoleaf essentials light bulb it's on the affordable side 20 and the nice thing is that yes it is home kit compatible and it is also a color changing led light bulb so those are the gadgets that make up the essential smart home once you have those three critical components you could move into other areas down the road to really make a comprehensive smart home all the gadgets i talked about in this video are under 100 so yes you're not going to spend a fortune investing into one but check out the different sales that go on throughout the year because the prices can fluctuate so it's always a good thing to do your researchi've been covering the smart home for i want to say a little bit over a year now and if there's one thing that i've learned in covering all this it's that you don't need to spend a fortune in having a smart home so if you've been apprehensive because of the cost i'll tell you in this video how you get an essential smart home for under a hundred dollars but before i get started this video i just want to remind you guys to give this video a thumbs up if you like it and definitely make sure to subscribe to our channel so you get all our latest content so you're probably wondering what is an essential smart home well for me i think they include three critical components that form the base of the smart home they include the smart speaker a wireless security camera and also a smart lighting solution now once you have those three components they form the basis of a smart home and then from there you could expand obviously you could go into other areas like robot vacuums a smart door lock or even a video doorbell but before you get into that you really want to invest into the core critical components which make up the essential smart home but more importantly is the platform you end up choosing because that's going to dictate a lot of things what devices you're going to get they break down to google assistant amazon and apple's home kit so i'm going to talk about those three groups and tell you some recommendations as far as what gadgets you'll need to form that essential smart home all right so let me talk about amazon first now if you don't know you're gonna get the broadest device support with this platform versus the other two so if you're looking for gadgets that are compatible with it then definitely check out amazon the first gadget here that you're gonna want is the amazon echo dot the fourth generation model is the latest one and i love it because it offers incredible value because it is a smart speaker to be able to control your smart home and yes it even sounds really great with its audio as for a security camera i'm going to recommend the blank mini so it's an entry-level camera and i like it for its design because it is kind of discreet on the smaller side on top of that you're going to have all your basic features so that's two-way audio night vision 1080p video capture and also motion detection and the last thing to complete your essential smart home is the e-light smart led light bulb it's made by xiaomi the company that makes all the smartphones and i like it because it doesn't require a bridge so it connects directly to your wi-fi router and best of all it is a color changing bulb next up you have google assistant which in my opinion is the smartest out of all the voice assistants out there and you're still getting good broad support devices for it the first thing you need is going to be the google nest mini it was released last year but it's their entry level offering you're going to have google assistant wherever you place in the home so you'll be able to ask questions get your schedule and even control your smart home now the perfect camera to get you started is going to be the wisecam v2 i know that they just announced the v3 recently and that's not going to be out until next year but the v2 is available right now it is compatible with google assistant and it is 20 so incredible value there and what i like about it is that its design is unique it's a square boxy shape but you could articulate it to all sorts of angles it's discreet and you're gonna get the basics so expect your streaming 1080p video two-way audio night vision and yes you even have local storage as far as lighting is concerned i'm going to recommend these slovenia smart plus led light bulbs i use them and i like them because they don't need a bridge so they connect directly to your wi-fi network at home and they are color changing bulbs and with google assistant i could tell google assistant to turn them on off and yes even change those colors and generally you'll find them at under 50 for four pack and the last thing we'll talk about here is apple's home kit i will tell you this out of all the platforms it has the fewest devices that support it that's just a fact but on the flip side they do take pride in security and privacy because you don't technically need to install a new app or sign up for an account just to talk with those devices you do everything directly through the home app so knowing that you're gonna need a smart speaker right well the thing is you only have two options you have the original homepod which was ungodly expensive and now you have the newer homepod mini which at 100 is a lot cheaper but still more expensive than the other smart speakers i talked about but definitely go with the homepod mini because yes it is hundred dollars you have access to siri it has great audio in fact i think it's the best out of the three that i talked about and it also acts as a home kit home hub like i said there are a few devices that support home kit and one of the few cameras that does that that's on the affordable side is the yuffie cam 2k indoor i like it because of its compact size it's a little bit on the discrete side you also set up all through the home app so you'll have all your basic functions two-way audio night vision you can set up activity zones but the nice thing about home kit cameras is that you could set it so that when you're home it's gonna be off and then when you're away you could have the camera set to go on and detect motion and the last device i'm going to recommend here for the apple user is the nanoleaf essentials light bulb it's on the affordable side 20 and the nice thing is that yes it is home kit compatible and it is also a color changing led light bulb so those are the gadgets that make up the essential smart home once you have those three critical components you could move into other areas down the road to really make a comprehensive smart home all the gadgets i talked about in this video are under 100 so yes you're not going to spend a fortune investing into one but check out the different sales that go on throughout the year because the prices can fluctuate so it's always a good thing to do your research\n"