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These five smart home gadgets are well worth the cost, installation and inevitable security risk of being connected to the Internet. (Photo illustration: Courtney Kan)

Before you buy any “smart” gadgets, make sure they’re not dumb.

This holiday season, a third of Americans plan coque samsung galaxy s5 pokemon to buy a smart home device, according to the Consumer Technology Association. And nearly half of Americans use digital voice assistants, according to the Pew Research Center.

But just hooking up the Internet to a door lock, kettle or coque samsung galaxy core prime silicone animaux dog bowl (yes, that’s a thing) doesn’t make it coque samsung s6 coupe du monde smart. The trick is figuring out which ones are worth the cost, trouble and inevitable security risks.

[How to make a smart home]

I’ve been in those weeds. After coque samsung galaxy j3 breaking bad reviewing dozens of coque samsung galaxy grand prime couleur smart home products, I’ve learned to be skeptical of any gadget that feels like a Star Trek prop and a little paranoid about things that are listening, watching or collecting data. coque huawei Any gadget you install coque samsung galaxy s4 mini smile in your house should work with software from multiple tech giants. And it should be made by a company with years of experience in homes, or at least with top notch customer support.

The coque samsung a8 2018 cdiscount good news is some of these connected gadgets are now actually awesome. I picked five smart home devices that are genuinely useful enough that I’ve given them as a gift including to myself.

The Ring Video Doorbell 2 gives your front door eyes and ears. (Photo: Ring)

1) Ring Video Doorbell 2, $200

Why it’s useful: Who’s at your door The Ring is a doorbell that doubles as a Wi fi security camera, so you can watch, hear and talk to whoever’s there through an app even if you’re not at home. It alerts your phone with a amazon coque samsung ace 4 live feed when somebody presses the bell, or any time somebody comes near. No rewiring required. kawaii licorne The Ring at my house caught package thieves and vandals, and produced video evidence I gave to the cops.

The coque huawei p20 lite monstre downsides: To review, share and store video clips for 60 days requires a $30 per year subscription. iphone hoesje If your existing doorbell isn’t powered, you’ll have to charge the Ring’s battery every 6 to 12 months.

Why it’s the best: There are lots of video doorbells, but Ring has solid customer service, delivers on its promises and works with other home devices including Amazon’s Echo Show. (“Alexa, show me who’s at the front door.”) The Ring app coque samsung grand plus licorne also lets you share clips and alerts about criminal activity with neighbors who also own coque samsung galaxy a5 2017 spigen liquid air a Ring.

How it coque samsung j3 2016 gold handles security: Ring encrypts your video. In 2016, researchers discovered a flaw in the first generation Ring doorbell that could have let hackers access a home’s Wi fi network. kawaii licorne Ring issued a patch, and says it updates doorbell software automatically.

The Lutron Caseta remote, dimmer, hub and app give your lights superpowers. (Photo: Lutron)

2) Lutron Caseta Light Switches, $80 for starter kit

Why it’s useful: Okay, switches aren’t exactly an exciting present. custodia cover But these Lutron Caseta ones only look like regular dimmers they’ve actually got superpowers to turn on and off on via app, remote or voice command. coque samsung That’s useful for safety: You can program your porch light to come on after sunset, or set lights to random when you’re on vacation. They’re also a convenience like when your bed is just coque samsung core prime fff too warm and comfy to leave, so you just say “good night” to Siri and watch the whole house turn off at once. I’ve programmed mine to wake me by slowly making the room brighter.

The downsides: I needed coque samsung galaxy sè edge to hire an electrician to install my Caseta switches, though it’s certainly possible to do it yourself. Caseta also requires a hub (included in its starter kit) attached to your home router.

Why it’s the best: The Lutron switches require more effort up front than stand alone connected bulbs like Philips Hue. But Lutron’s tech is rock solid reliable and allows you to still turn off lights the old fashioned way, with a light switch. It also plays well with Apple HomeKit, Alexa, Nest, IFTTT and more.

How it handles security: If your home’s Internet goes out, Caseta switches still work. Lutron coque et verre huawei p20 lite does penetration testing for hackers and automatically pushes updates to your hub, but it wouldn’t say whether its systems have ever been breached.

An Eero mesh router might just save your home from Wi fi woes. (Photo: Eero)

3) Eero 2nd generation mesh Wi fi router, $300 for two hub pack

Why it’s useful: Eero solves the No. bracelet homme 1 home tech problem: Bad Wi fi. The reason your Netflix stutters is there are corners in your house that one poor, overworked router coque samsung galaxy s7 edge attrape reve just can’t reach. Eero uses multiple hubs to create a “mesh” that spreads Internet all over. chaussons pokemon That’s a lifesaver in big houses or ones (like mine) with walls filled with metal, plaster and and other materials that act like Kryptonite for radio waves.

The downsides: Eero is coque samsung j5 2016 fille pricier than coque samsung galaxy s5 kawaii stand alone routers and also mesh systems like Google Wi fi and Netgear Orbi. If you want Eero’s hubs to work well, you coque huawei p20 lite raiders also can’t hide them under a stack of old People magazines they need to coque telephone huawei p20 lite 360 be out in the open. (Fortunately, they’re pretty.)

Why it’s the best: Eero is the simplest home gadget I’ve ever tested. Other routers may be a coque samsung galaxy grand prime winnie l’ourson little faster or have more features, but Eero is reliable and offers solid customer service. collier argent It also now offers a security service, called Eero Plus (for $100 per year), to detect and stop hackers, and help you manage passwords, combat malware and access a VPN when you’re on the go.

How it handles security: Eero uses the cloud to give you remote control over your network and to ensure performance, but it doesn’t log or store where people go on the Internet. coque samsung coque huawei And the cloud lets Eero quickly update your hardware when security problems come to light, like this fall’s scary KRACK vulnerability.

The Ecobee 4 thermostat works with sensors you put in other rooms to make sure you’re getting heating or cooling where it matters. (Photo: Ecobee)

4) Ecobee 4 Thermostat, $250

Why it’s useful: Baby, it’s cold outside and in that room at the back of coque huawei p20 audi your house. Thermostats measure the temperature one place (usually the hallway), but who hangs out there The Ecobee 4 thermostat uses sensors to keep track of which room you’re in and what the temperature is there and then makes adjustments accordingly. coque huawei It’s smart enough to proactively compensate for a cold snap, and it should also be more energy efficient than an old fashioned thermostat, though your savings may vary.

The downsides: You get one room sensor in the box, but extras cost $80.