5 Smart Home Devices Under $30 vs More Expensive Tech
5 Smart Home Devices Under $30 vs More Expensive Tech
Make your home smarter for less money! Affordable smart home tech is easier on your wallet, but what features are you giving up by not buying the more expensive brands? I will show you cheap smart home devices under $30 and compare them with more expensive alternatives.
I’ll also go over some important details to know about when you’re trying to automate your home using the less expensive tech.
LINKS (affiliate):
Wyze Sense and Wyze Cam Bundle: https://amzn.to/2LIo8rd
SmartThings Sensor: https://amzn.to/2ybuPtd
SmartThings Hub: https://amzn.to/2LJj1XS
Kasa Light Switch: https://amzn.to/2SHDUmS
GE Z-Wave Switch: https://amzn.to/2LJh4e1
Etekcity Outlets: https://amzn.to/30W4ifG
TECKIN Outlets: https://amzn.to/30SGyZQ
SmartThings Outlet: https://amzn.to/32XqCY3
URPOWER Solar Light: https://amzn.to/311e7c6
URPOWER Solar Light 4 pack: https://amzn.to/2yg3g20
Arlo Light: https://amzn.to/2Yo9qYv
Wyze Cam v2: https://amzn.to/2LJrg65
Arlo Pro 2: https://amzn.to/2YoCBdV
SUBSCRIBE for more smart home videos: https://www.youtube.com/c/SmartHomeSolver?sub_confirmation=1
MY SET UP & GEAR
See the list of everything I use in my smart home and other favorites:
https://www.amazon.com/shop/smarthomesolver
DISCOVER MORE
Videos –
Wyze Sense Review: https://youtu.be/Z2eMUv4QpI0
Cheap vs Expensive Smart Light Bulbs: https://youtu.be/-ZPo7C3PDT4
Becoming a Master at SmartThings webCoRE: https://youtu.be/84f0dJTfZO8
Wyze Cam Outdoors: https://youtu.be/I8bKiT0Ti98
Arlo Light Review: https://youtu.be/bk4aAniEg6Y
SmartThings Virtual Switch IFTTT: https://youtu.be/Ys5vQdr_1WA
Articles –
Arlo Ultra vs Arlo Pro vs Arlo Pro 2: https://smarthomesolver.com/reviews/arlo-pro-vs-arlo-ultra/
Wyze Cam v2 Review: https://smarthomesolver.com/reviews/wyze-cam-review/
Wyze Cam vs Arlo vs Nest Cam: https://smarthomesolver.com/reviews/wyze-cam-vs-nest-vs-arlo/
Etekcity Review: https://smarthomesolver.com/reviews/etekcity-smart-plug-review/
SmartThings Ideas: https://smarthomesolver.com/reviews/39-smartthings-ideas/
———-
Song titled The Other Side by Nihilore and used under Creative Commons. Check out his website here: http://www.nihilore.com/
Writer/Editor/Director: Reed Kleinman
Producer: Alysa Kleinman
Disclaimer: Smart Home Solver received samples of Wyze Cam, Arlo Pro, Etekcity, and TECKIN for previous unbiased, non-sponsored reviews. As always, our opinions are 100% our own and not influenced.
Dude I love ur channel, keep up the good work. I’m definitely buying the lights through ur affiliate.
Hi fantastic video again you was going on about the arlo light I ordered the arlo light starter kit on amazon.com because they don’t sell them on amazon.co.uk I set up the arlo light went in settings then the lights come on it’s on for 6 seconds I get it for 5 minutes still having the same issue again
Hi I don’t have anything smart for house…wifi on NBN is woefully and my house was built 1970s…why do I need a smart home?…is this just being too lazy?
Home assistant blows all this silly stuff away but I’m sure you have heard this before. I think anyone who is serious about smart homes would rather go with that. No cloud. All local.
You should try out Home Assistant
I have TP Link bulbs and outlets? Is there any way to add them? They pull up on a list, but I can’t select any of them?
I hate TP link
Your house is definitely haunted.
I have got a dimmable LED light bulb, the Smart Life app and different brands of smart plugs — but can’t dim the bulb.
What am I doing wrong??
It’s too bad the Wyze sense sensors are trash and they die easily especially if you do not change the batteries before they are dead. I do like the wyze sense motion sensor though. Really small and seems to work well. I do love my wyze cameras too. I use one to monitor my 3d printer which I have connected on a kasa plug. If I see that my print is failing for whatever reason I can turn the power to the printer off remotely.
ebay has the cheapest smart home tech. Wifi light switches for $10-$15 . wifi light light strips. and the quality isn’t bad at all. Ive been using a wifi light switch from eBay for a while now and have had no issues at all. I think smart home reviewers should take a look at the REAL cheap smart home tech.
even cheaper are xiaomi sensors / cameras. just hook them up using zigbee2mqtt and homeassistant and they’re way faster than anything over the cloud.
Bro u Absolutly need to Go on Aliexpress…that prices will buy you the Triple on AEx 45Bucks a light Switch :DDDDDDDDD
I have a Simplisafe system which is useless because I refuse to pay them $25 a month so I can get an alert on my phone that a door or motion sensor was triggered so in addition to my ecobee smart t-stat sensors ( set up in my SmartThings app as security sensors ) plus the Wyze sensors, Wyze cameras and Blink cameras, I think I have a pretty good self monitored home system.
i just saw this video, i opted to use cheap "smart life" wifi (hub free) sockets and really havent had any noticeable issue other than my echo show 8 in the kitchen which seems to have issues connecting to the device in the kitchen (it also has occasional issues with the 3 philips hue kitchen bulbs) yet all the other alexa units around the house have no problem switching it on or off.
in fact the only real problem causer is the woox 1080p smart camera, it constantly locks or freezes and its wifi range is a shocking 7 feet from the router, however it was the only smart camera i was aware of that you could deactivate the ir leds and status led enabling it to function perfectly well from inside the window providing a nice clear image using just the street lighting, the other issue it has is i’m not entirely sure i trust it’s 1080p status as whilst it looks just fine on the echo show units on even a small tv using a 4k firestick it looks like the picture is made from lego.
I think that the price difference between the entry level devices and the high end is way higher than it should be – hopefully the prices of the high end devices will become cheaper as more people buy the tech
Kasa does have light switches WITH dimmers….. I absolutely love my Kasa lights💖…I also have Merkury Innovations strip lights on the backs of my television in my bedroom and my son’s television in his… we love them so much that my husband just got me another strip light set for Valentine’s Day to put on the cylinder tube of our big screen for our projector so that it will light up on the top. Very relaxing mood lighting with all of the lights🥰
Wyze cam v2 costs about 80 dollars in nz and wyze sense starter kit cost $120
Great video. Thanks for doing the comparisons. I use the Kasa light switches and plugs and I absolutely LOVE them. They are super fast and responsive using the switch, app, or Alexa. I wanted a switch with an LED Indicator light on it. I wanted a switch with an LED I
indicator on it. Kasa and the Gosund were the cheapest, but Gosund doesn’t seem to have a 3 way switch version and I want uniformity throughout my house. Also, I just purchased a couple of Wyze cams. The price and clarity are great. Adding in the SD card took care of my issues with the 12 second recordings, but the 5 minute delay on event alerts makes the Wyze cam a huge disappointment for me. Sure, I can pay $1.50/month per camera to remove the delay, but I’m trying to avoid monthly costs.
a great wifi plug is wemo. its doesnt have the features of the more expensive one shown in your video but they are $35 for two. they work PERFECT and I have had zero issues with them.
I bought some smart connected lights from Home Depot. I think they are called eco smart. While the colors aren’t like Philips Hue, they work well and are bright. I also was able to pair them to my SmartThings system and Alexa and can control them. I have it connected to IFTTT so if there is motion from the ring doorbell, it will turn the bulb I put outside on and it is brighter than the other cheap bulbs we got in the past. They were also only $8 and some change per bulb
Hi smart home solver! Could you please do a video tutorial on how to set up an automatic and electric closer and opener in bedroom door ? That also works with amazon Alexa. So don’t need to get to the door each time to manually close it when someone accidentally leave it opened. Thanks much.
I wanted to know if the cheap smart plugs u mentioned would work with the Samsung smartthings hub & I would also like to know what would be the best led strips to use with the smartthings hub.
Wyze Cams Aren’t in nz 🙁
Title claims to compare cheap vs expensive, but there are lots of apples to oranges comparisons. Makes them invalid
Do you still recommend the wyze cameras . I’ve read that the company did shady stuff . And that you can’t turn the cloud off. The company can always look in your house
Go Wifi and never mess with Hubs. For most cases, the cheaper is better in the end, because you will probably upgrade to new tech before you get full use of the old.
Zooz switches are priced at $27 most of the time. So far they are working great. Scene control is easy as well.
Gledopto zigbee lights vs Phillips Hue… Specifically the expensive color gu10 bulbs and led strip light…. Worth it
Thanks for watching! What smart home devices are worth splurging on?
here is a link if yall wanna buy the third generation echo dot 🙂
https://amzn.to/2PMSB7w
Has the Wyze delay been rectified as of yet? I’m a little late to the party, but because of your (addictive) channel, I’m considering the starter pak.
Hello Reed! I wanted to see what your thoughts were about Lutron and Eaton light switches (and those that are similar)? I installed some and they have been amazing and thought these might be a good products to review.
If you have an existing zwave network of 50+ nodes, is there a way to integrate that into my Alexa ecosystem without rebuilding the zwave network one node at a time? The Vera bridge doesn’t seem to have a master controller shift from my existing ZWave mast we controller
How are these in comparison to Alarm Systems that feature this???
Do you need a neutral wire if you install zigbee or Zwave light switches? I have a new home and I believe they didn’t install a neutral wire since contractors don’t know anything about smart homes.
I’ve had my wyze cam installed outdoors for almost a year WITHOUT the bird cage. If course I installed it under something to protect it from getting hit directly with train but is still gets hit by the elements here in Florida. The cameras are still going strong.
i am looking for a smart plug that has a 168 hour countdown turn off mode. recommendations?
Gotta point this out: when talking about the light switches, a dimming light switch, 3 way light switch and a regular light switch are I different types of light switches. So you really can’t compare these features unless you’re talking one type of light switch against another of the same type
4:46 thats not the voltage. That is wattage
Love this type of review a
thts lit
Eternity power outlets are the bomb. I love being able to see the power usage and they are cheap.
Hi..
What about the following..?
Top
Details
Questions
Reviews
Description
Wyze Cam V2 1080P Indoor Smart Home Camera with Wyze Sense Starter Kit
Features & details
1080P Resolution
Smart Home Camera
For indoor use
SEE MORE
Products related to this item
Sponsored

QUBO Smart Home Securi…
23 reviews
₹ 3,590.00

USP 2 Way Audio CCTV I…
1 review
₹ 1,499.00

HomeMate® Wi-Fi Smart …
257 reviews
₹ 1,290.00

Brain Freezer Silicone…
208 reviews
₹ 279.00

Broadlink RM Mini3 Bla…
4 reviews
₹ 1,455.00

Welrock Wireless 720P …
4 reviews
₹ 1,899.00

ZCELL Pro Wireless HD …
6 reviews
₹ 1,999.00
Sponsored
Customer reviews
4.5 out of 54.5 out of 5
2,274 customer ratings
Top international reviews

Bilal A. Hasan
2.0 out of 5 starsVerified Purchase
Reviewed in Canada on 2 November 2019
Very good sensors and app; but poorly put together as a surveillance system.
I am using three 1080P indoor cameras, out of which two have the sensor bridge; two motion sensors; and three contact sensors; all of which I purchased as the following packages: 2x Wyze Cam V2 1080P Indoor Smart Camera with Wyze Sense Starter Kit 1x Wyze Cam V2 1080P HD Smart Home Camera with Night Vision . . . . . The sensors are very good: The cameras have good picture quality, (although I have not bothered to check their ability to do motion sensing); the motion sensors are adequately sensitive; and the contact sensors detect the opening and closing of doors every time. The iOS app is also very good. The setting up of the sensors using the app was painless and one of the better experiences I have had with gadgets. These products are being sold on Amazon as "Smart Home" gadgets or systems. As such they are quite alright. However, Amazon categorizes them under "Surveillance", with the implication that these constitute a Security System or a part thereof. As a Security System or a part thereof, the Wyze system fails to measure up miserably. The problem is with reliability, and more specifically, availability. Here are the model and version numbers for the sensors and firmware I am using: Wyze Cam v2, Firmware version: 4.9.4.169 Sensor Bridge, Bridge Firmware: 0.0.0.30 Contact sensor Plugin Version 2.2.0.22 A nice feature of the app is to group sensors and define rules for them; for example, I have two rules: "Arm" and "Disarm": these enable notifications or stop them. I use these to arm or disarm the system. One problem I have encountered is that the rules when run do not provide a robust feedback indicating whether or not they were successfully applied. The button just blinks a few times, and then stops. Occasionally, the rule won’t have executed or applied. In order to overcome this problem, I "arm" the system before leaving the house, and as such if the rule is properly applied I get a few notifications as I leave (from the motion sensors and the contact sensor at the exit door). But there’s a bigger problem: If I leave the house for a few weeks, sometimes, the internet may have a glitch, and sometimes it recovers and sometimes the router has to be rebooted. In either case, the Cameras may or may not come back up after the internet recovers with or without a reboot. Sometimes they do, other times they have to be power cycled individually; sometimes one comes up fine, while two have to be power cycled. Even so, the sensors associated with the sensor bridge (which is on the camera) sometimes won’t come up even after the camera has been power cycled and is itself back up. Then I have to "reset" the camera from the app. That usually brings back the sensors, but not always. Sometimes, I have to use the pin to re-associate the sensors (motion, contact) with a sensor bridge. My experience so far is that if I am out of the house for 2weeks or more, more than 50% of the time, the Wyze Smart Home system will have disconnected wholly or partly, so that some or all of the cameras and sensors cannot be reached. The Wyze Smart Home System seems like a really good thing in the making, but that needs work to make it qualify as reliable enough for a security or surveillance system.
I wish there was some kind of graph or spread sheet to show which devices/products are compatible.
What is this cloud behind you?
Can’t understand why you compared switches that were not both simple switch or both 3 way and both wifi/hub based. This compare made no sense!
QUESTION… I have 3 lamps that are plugged into outlets that are all controlled by ONE switch. I want to use Hue system but need real switches. Can you get a Z switch that would turn the lamps on and off as normal but able to control each bulb individually with automation, phone, etc?
Enjoyed the Vid, well done. My thoughts, you purchase these items for a specific things. Light, camera, motion and so on. You do seem to be intrigued by the extras (usually) and this is fine, however the cost sometimes is quite a bit more. One example was TV thing about the kids, I think you are better served as a parent and tell them NO TV during homework and if the do turn on the TV you beat their butts :), Its called the old fashion way. All the items have the inexpensive items do what you purchased them to do and I can’t see the extra cost for whistles and bells of the more expensive to be worth it. But like I said great vid but I think I would concentrate on the cheap to preform just what I wanted and nothing more. But that is just me :). Thanks again for the Vid.
Why does he censor "alexa" every time?