The Best Smart Home Companies in 2021: A Complete Overview

La innovación digital en el sector inmobiliario

Las nuevas tecnologías están llegando a todos los sectores, originando una verdadera revolución en diferentes negocios tradicionales. En esta transformación la clave está en modelar los procesos más convencionales, utilizando para ello técnicas innovadoras y modernas herramientas digitales. En definitiva, se trata de conseguir una mayor eficiencia. El sector inmobiliario tampoco es ajeno a estas tendencias.

El acceso digital a la información

Estos cambios que se están originando entre el vendedor de viviendas o propiedades, el comprador y la agencia inmobiliaria como intermediario principal, comienzan con el acceso a la información.

Internet se ha convertido en la principal fuente de información. Cuando vamos a adquirir o alquilar una oficina, local, o cualquier otro tipo de activo inmobiliario, hay herramientas online y aplicaciones móviles que serán de gran ayuda.

Incluso este tipo de aplicaciones pueden conseguir que las operaciones de compraventa puedan cerrarse incluso sin contar con la intermediación y el asesoramiento de un asesor inmobiliario.

La actualización de las empresas inmobiliarias

Con estos nuevos retos y nuevos procedimientos, las compañías del sector inmobiliario tienen que unirse a esta innovación tecnológica, así como optimizar sus procesos y posicionarse bien en la red. Sin olvidar, por supuesto, el control de los mercados locales.

Se trata de ofrecer un servicio de calidad a los clientes, eficaz, cómodo y rápido para ellos. Si el cliente puede comunicarse con la inmobiliaria sentado cómodamente en el salón de su casa y con su teléfono Smartphone en las manos mucho mejor.

Como suele decirse, es la demanda la que tiene el poder de elegir los mejores servicios entre una gran variedad de oferta.

Top 10 Smart Device Brands

As the world is progressing, the idea of home is changing. With the introduction of more and more smart gadgets and smart devices and the ever-growing advancement in technology, every home now has devices that enable easier living. People now use smart gadgets that can perform any task that is given to them just by speech command. A smart home can simply be described as a residence equipped with a number of devices that automate tasks normally handled by humans. But smart home devices are more than just about convenience. In the market, there are a number of brands that provide these devices.

After carefully studying statistics, we have brought to you a list of the 10 best smart home devices of 2020 having the best technology and that come from the best brands.

1. Amazon Alexa

When it comes to the best smart home gadgets, Amazon Alexa always tops this list. It provides the best features and services for a techno-monitored home. It is an absolutely great product. Alexa can assist you in many ways.

Create routines to automate your smart home devices

View and edit shopping and to-do lists on the go,

Get weather and news updates,

Manage timers and alarms, and more

Connect to music services like Amazon Music. Choose a song or playlist and listen on your Alexa-enabled devices

2. Google assistant

Google is one of the most trusted smart device brands of 2019. Google Assistant supports both text or voice entry and it will follow the conversation whichever entry method you’re using. Google Assistant offers voice commands, voice searching, and voice-activated device control.

Google Assistant will:

Control your devices and your smart home

and your Find information online

Control your music

Run timers and reminders

Make appointments and send messages

Open apps on your phone

Read your notifications to you

Real-time spoken translations

Play games

3. LG Smart TV

If you’re planning of upgrading your Television, then LG smart TV is a must-have product. The gadget comes with a magic remote that you can use as a mouse on the TV, making navigation a breeze. The remote control is voice-enabled and it supports both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

Best specs of the brand include: –

This smart TV offers an intelligent user interface.

TV offers an intelligent user interface. It is very user friendly.

The TV comes with both a wall and table mount.

It offers an excellent display.

4. Arlo Q

Arlo cameras are 100 Percent wire-free, completely wireless, HD smart home security cameras. Arlo is America’s #1 internet-connected camera brand with smart security for home or business: flexible wired or wire-free use for where you need it.

Best smart features of Arlo Q plus:

1080p HD Quality. See everything in more brilliant detail than ever before.

2-Way Audio.

Night Vision

Arlo Basic 7-Day Cloud Recording.

Smart Alerts

Alerts Local Backup Storage

Power over Ethernet

Optional 24/7 Recording

5. Ecobee Smart Thermostat

Eco bee SmartThermostat is the most feature-enriched smart thermostat of 2019. The Alexa-enabled smart thermostat learns and adapts to your schedule and includes Smart Sensor for comfort where it counts.

A glass finish rather than a plastic one

Support for 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi, not just 2.4GHz

Digital rather than analogue microphones (this allows better Alexa integrations)

Improved speaker quality

A redesigned temperature sensor

6. TP-Link HS200

For true ease-of-use, buy smart light switches, which you can control from your phone or smart home whether or not your physical light switch is up or down. The Kasa Smart Switch easily replaces traditional 3-way switches. Control your lights or fans from anywhere, set schedules, and use voice commands with Alexa.

Easy guided install

Control from anywhere: Monitor your light status.

Voice control

Scheduling: Use timer or countdown schedules to set your smart switch to automatically turn on and off while you’re home or away.

7. The Shark ION R85

Cleanliness is the most important characteristic of a smart home.

The SHARK ION Robot Vacuum R85, the App-Controlled Robot Vacuum, is a user-friendly technological marvel and is among the best smart home devices of 2019. It enables you to clean your home without having to move even a bit of your body.

The Shark Robot Vacuum Cleaner is designed to clean your home , picking up the smallest debris and pet hair

, picking up the smallest debris and pet hair Multi-surface cleaning technology for all types of floor surfaces (carpet, bare floor, wood, brick, cement, ceramic, tile, vinyl, laminate, rugs).

for all types of floor surfaces (carpet, bare floor, wood, brick, cement, ceramic, tile, vinyl, laminate, rugs). The smart sensor navigation 2.0 is a system based on obstacle avoidance to preserve your furniture.

8. Philips Hue

Thinking of giving your home a new look? No need of paints and showpieces. Just install the Philips hue lights to give your home a smart new look. Philips offers a huge range of smart lights to give your smart home a fine look. The Philips Hue bulbs enable you to control both intensity of light — dimming or brightening on-command — and the colour of your lights.

Light any moment anywhere – control light your way with this portable Hue light

Full control from your smart device for extended features and light recipes

for extended features and light recipes Natural dynamic effects – enhance your special moment with living light

Experience millions of colours and white light with 300-lumen output

Smart battery management for maximum freedom and portability – up to 3 hours of battery life

9. Nest Hello

Nest Hello combines the familiar convenience of a doorbell with the trusted security and intelligence of a Nest camera. Getting this smart device installed in your smart home ensures easy Monitoring of your front door with the Hello Video Doorbell from Nest. Nest Hello lets you know who’s there, so you never miss a thing.

Video Doorbell to Monitor Front Door

Dual-Band Wi-Fi Connectivity

Noise and Echo Cancellation

IPX4-Rated for Water Resistance

160° Diagonal Field of View

10. Samsung SmartThings

Samsung Electronics Ranks 6th in Interbrand’s Best Global Brands 2019. Samsung SmartThings is one such product that adds a little more smartness to your home. It’s a physical device that looks a little like a router. You can connect all your compatible smart home devices to it and control them via the SmartThings app on either Android or iOS.

It connects wirelessly to all your smart home devices and lets you monitor and control them using a single app

and lets you monitor and control them using a single app Wi-Fi makes installing this hub easier

Allows for more automation than other hubs

Works with Zigbee and Z-Wave devices

A single router provides coverage for a 1,500 sq. ft. area, but you can add more for larger homes.

Technology is advancing with every passing day and owning a smart home is becoming a necessity. In the past, smart homes were considered to be part of a luxurious lifestyle but today they have become an important part of our lives. A smart home ensures you save electricity and reduce your power and water bills. Gadgets and smart devices are no longer a luxury, they’ve become a necessity to match up to the advancing technological world.

The above mentioned best smart home devices make it to the top 10 of the list of smart home products of 2020. They play a very significant role in making your ordinary house a real smart home.

The Best Smart Home Companies in 2021: A Complete Overview

Back in 1966, American engineer Jim Sutherland invented the Echo IV – the world’s first smart home device – and turned the fanciful notion of home automation a reality.

Sure, the Echo IV was itself almost the size of the house it was helping to automate. And its CPU clocked in at a snail’s pace of 160kHz. But it set the spark for the explosion of smart home devices that would follow.

Today, there are a huge number of smart home companies around the world, all creating an almost endless amount of products. So, for the average consumer, it can be hard to know the best from the rest.

That’s where we come in. Here’s BuddyCompany’s guide to the companies shaping the homes of tomorrow and our pick of their best products.

The Major Players

The evolution of the smart home is being led by ‘the big 3.’ You may well have heard of them:

Amazon – Best Speakers and Security

Way back in 2014, Amazon launched its virtual assistant Alexa, giving consumers the first taste of voice command technology. Since then, the tech and online retail giant has developed its output, producing smart lighting, smart plugs, and some of the best smart speakers on the market.

Where Amazon is really making waves though is in the smart home security sector. After acquiring tech security company Ring in 2018, Amazon is now the top smart home company for security. This year’s Always Home Cam – a 24-hours home surveillance drone that looks like something straight out of Black Mirror – could well flip the game on its head.

Star product

Amazon Echo Dot – one of the best smart speakers on the market, not only does the Echo Dot act as a mouthpiece for Alexa, but it also acts as a smart hub, connecting with other smart devices to enable you to use your voice to turn on lights, adjust thermostats and lock doors. Oh, and as a speaker, it sounds incredible.

Google – Best All-Rounder

It’s no surprise that Google is among the biggest smart home developers on the planet. Since acquiring hardware company Nest in 2014, the tech giant has been at the forefront of the evolution of the smart home.

In 2019 they unified their smart home approach, rebranding ‘Google Nest’ to become the official arm of their smart home division. And with products that include everything from speakers and thermostats to doorbells and home security, Google is busy creating the pieces of the puzzle that will form the home of the future.

Star product

Google Nest Hub Max – one of the best smart display interfaces on the market, Google’s hub is the centerpiece to the smart home, giving you complete control of all your devices, either through voice commands or via the touchscreen.

Apple – Best Device Security

Not content with playing third fiddle to Amazon and Google in the smart home stakes, Apple is starting to make a serious claim for the king of the smart home company. They may not have as many compatible devices as Amazon or Google, but Apple’s smart home platform – Apple HomeKit – can be controlled by your Mac, iPad, Apple TV, or HomePod, negating the need for a hub.

Where Apple HomeKit shines is its security. Other platforms definitely have a more streamlined process – most just scan your network for compatible devices whereas, with HomeKit, you have to manually add compatible devices by scanning a unique six-figure code on the devices box or in its manual. Still, Apple’s renowned encryption and security standards are second to none and give added peace of mind to smart home enthusiasts.

Star product

Apple HomePod Mini – this little speaker packs a punch. The audio quality is amazing for something so compact and it syncs with Siri to tailor music and podcasts to each member of the family, make and answer phone calls, and access messages.

BuddyCompany Tip:

You don’t necessarily need to get all your smart home products from the same brand! Amazon, Google, and Apple are already working together on ‘Project Connected Home over IP’, which aims to create a new standard of compatibility, connectivity, and security for smart home devices.

The Tech Companies Getting in on the Act

Outside of the big three, some other major players are producing high-quality smart home products too:

Siemens – Best Smart Kitchen Appliances

It’s no surprise that one of the leading home appliance specialists are now one of the leading smart home appliance specialists.

With smart ovens that can receive recipe cooking times and temperatures from your phone and dishwashers that order new tablets when low, to coffee machines that take your coffee orders from your phone and fridges that scan your food for nutritional info, Siemens is the company currently shaping the future of the smart kitchen.

Best product

iQ700 Oven – a self-cleaning oven that can be controlled from inside and outside the home. This smart oven receives recipe cooking times and temperatures from your phone and, using innovative sensor technology, knows when your food is perfectly cooked.

Bosch – Best Smart Washing Machines

Another big appliance manufacturer getting on the smart bandwagon, Bosch has a range of smart appliances and gadgets that are easily controlled via its Home Connect app. Smart ovens, washing machines, coffee makers, and fridges can all be controlled from your smartphone.

Bosch also produces a range of smart switches, thermostats, plugs, smoke detectors, and motion detectors.

Star product

iDOS Washing Machine – enter your laundry’s color, material type, and level of dirtiness into the Home Connect app and let this super-smart washer do the rest. You can even control and monitor your washing remotely through your phone.

Samsung – Best Mesh WiFi

Back in 2014, Samsung acquired SmartThings, the smart home tech specialists, showing they were serious about developing products for the home of the future.

While smartphones might be their #1 game, Samsung is now producing some seriously impressive smart products, all connected through its voice assistant, Bixby. Products include cameras, hubs, trackers, and, most notably, mesh WiFi.

Star product

SmartThings WiFi – a super-powerful next-generation AI-based mesh WiFi router that doubles as a smart hub. Mesh WiFi uses several nodes throughout the home instead of just one central router, for a wider coverage and a stronger signal. The SmartThings mesh WiFi router learns your home's environment, analyzing your devices and the flow of traffic to deliver optimal WiFi speed and coverage.

LG – Best Smart Vacuum Cleaners

Known for its cutting-edge TVs, LG is another one of the big tech companies getting smart with their devices.

Through the LG ThinQ app, you can remotely control all your LG smart appliances, including washing machines, vacuum cleaners, fridges, dishwashers, air conditioning, and TVs.

Star product

LG CordZero Robot Vacuum Cleaner – you can control this robot vacuum cleaner from anywhere through the ThinQ app. You can even see your home through the in-built camera, and program it to clean certain areas

Philips – Best Smart Lighting

The multinational tech company is known for everything from kitchen appliances and electric razors to TVs and home audio, Philips has become the dominant producer of one sector of smart home devices – smart lighting – having launched the first smart home lighting system back in 2012.

While their smart TVs and smart toothbrushes are up there with the best of them, Philips Hue lighting is the best smart lighting system on the market. Smart bulbs and light strips, a Hue Bridge and a Hue app let you personalize and control your lighting environment with ease.

Best product

Philips Hue Play – a color-shifting light strip that syncs with your TV and reacts to the content on your screen.

The Retailers Coming out of Leftfield

The evolution of the smart home is not just confined to big tech companies. Companies who normally specialize in other retail sectors are now getting involved in the smart home scene. This suggests we’re out of the ‘early adopter phase’ and smart home tech is reaching the masses, meaning the future of the home will have a far wider influence than previously thought:

Lidl – Best Budget Smart Lighting

Lidl has already made grocery shopping more affordable; now it’s looking to do the same with smart home accessories. And while smart home devices might not have appealed to budget-conscious consumers, Lidl has arrived on the scene to produce great, affordable smart devices that prove that smart things can be accessible to all.

The brains behind it all is a Silvercrest smart home hub, which links your smartphone to other Lidl smart devices, including smart lights, plugs, and motion sensors.

Star product

Livarno Lux Smart Ceiling Lights – rotatable, tiltable, and dimmable via the Lidl Smart Home app, these smart ceiling lights are amazing value for money.

IKEA – Best Smart Device Design

The Swedish furniture giant has already had a major influence on the way we furnish our homes. Never one to miss out, IKEA is aiming to play a major part in developing the home of the future.

Bringing its trademark low-cost style and functionality to the smart home game, IKEA has a line of smart WiFi speakers, smart lighting, and smart blinds, with much more to come.

Star product

SYMPHONISK Smart Table Lamp – a collaboration with Sonos, this smart speaker/table lamp connects to WiFi and your smartphone, with a blend of tech and design ingenuity that IKEA is renowned for. The decision to enter the IoT game looks a very smart one indeed.

Dedicated Smart Home Specialists

These companies are solely focused on creating smart devices for the home:

Tado – Best Smart Heating

When it comes to smart climate management, German company Tado is the European market leader. Founded in 2011, they were one of the first companies in Europe to produce smart heating thermostats. Today, they are undoubtedly one of the best in the world.

With a product range that includes smart thermostats, temperature sensors and AC controllers, Tado helps homeowners save money and enjoy all the home comforts of a modern home.

Star product

Tado Smart Thermostat – this impressive smart thermostat analyzes your neighborhood’s air quality, advises you on how to improve the air quality inside your home, checks local weather forecasts to adapt your home’s temperature, detects open windows and enables you to plan your heating to your daily routine.

Belkin WeMo – Best Smart Plugs

Consumer electronics company Belkin has specialized in chargers and consumer electronics accessories for many years. Then, they smartened up their act.

In 2015, they created a dedicated smart home division called WeMo and have since become one of the leading providers of smart plugs and smart switches.

Best product

WeMo WiFi Smart Plug – this ingenious little device uses your WiFi to turn devices on and off remotely, can follow a preset schedule, and has IFTTT (if this, then that) capability, meaning it can turn a device on or off depending on temperature, or whether another device is triggered (lights on when you unlock the door, for example).

Honorable mentions

The smart home field is getting more competitive every year, with new players popping up continuously. Our list above includes the most important companies around, but there is plenty more out there. Amongst big-name tech companies that are now producing cutting-edge smart home devices, TP-Link, Sony, Honeywell, and ABB deserve a mention. And when it comes to dedicated smart home specialists, Arlo, one of Europe’s leading providers of smart cameras and doorbells merit a place too.

Do you think we have missed any great smart home companies? Get in touch with us on Linkedin and let us know your favorite smart home companies and devices, so we can include them in future updates!

If you want to know more about creating your own smart home or need help getting connected, get in touch with BuddyCompany today… we’re always here to help!