近年来，智能家居技术(home technology)市场已经发展成为一个对感兴趣的客户来说具有令人兴奋的潜力的世界，但是将您的家变成智能家居的入门价格可能有点令人生畏。(entry price)
在本文中，我们想向您展示，您可以在不破坏银行的情况下让您的房子周围变得更加智能。事实上，您只需50 美元就可以通过购买像Google Home Mini这样的智能(Google Home Mini)家居助手来添加一些智能(home assistant)家居功能(home functionality)。
当然，如果家里没有集成智能技术，情况就不一样了，因此我们提供了一些其他选项，这些选项将以便宜的价格添加更多功能。
如果您想认真一点，请阅读文章末尾，以获取有关也存在的不同智能家居技术的一些建议。(home tech)
为什么要将您的家变成(Home Into)智能家居(Smart Home)？
许多人会质疑将他们的家变成智能家居的目的是什么。面对质疑者，我有两个简单的答案。一是方便，二是节能(energy efficiency)。
智能(Smart)插座、灯、百叶窗和其他智能家居小工具可以让您更轻松地管理家中的一切。一些智能设备甚至会自动管理。它为您的生活增添了一定程度的便利，一旦您拥有它就很容易错过。
有了这种增加的便利性和更智能的技术(smarter tech)水平，降低能源成本也变得更容易。智能恒温器可以帮助监控您的加热器或空调的使用情况(heater or AC usage)，并为您创建既舒适又实惠的配置文件。
智能灯可以设置为在您出门时关闭，智能插头插座可以设置开关以适应您的生活方式。
从语音助手开始 - Google Home Mini(Voice Assistant – Google Home Mini)，现价 49 美元
开始您的智能家居体验(home experience)的最佳方式是购买语音助手(voice assistant)。市场上有多种选择，但最便宜的选择是Google Home Mini和Amazon Echo Dot。两者均售价 49 美元。
在本文中，我们将基于Google Home Mini的技术，但您可以轻松找到Amazon Echo的替代品。我们还认为Google Home Mini可以更好地与Android 智能手机(Android smartphone)用户集成。（如果您下载了Google Assistant 应用程序(Google Assistant app)，甚至是 iOS 用户）。
Google Home Mini是一款可以插入您家中的智能扬声器。没有任何其他智能技术，它本质上是一个语音控制的谷歌(Google search)类固醇搜索。您可以向Google Home询问网络上的任何可用信息，您可以使用它来检查您的日程安排，或者通过智能手机上应用商店(app store)中提供的集成应用程序执行任务。
Google Home Mini为您的生活增添了一层便利，如果没有它，您永远不会知道它的存在。随着您添加更多可与其一起使用的技术，Google Home 体验会变得更好。(Google Home experience)
让您的照明更智能 – 色调入门套件(Smarter – Hue Starter Kit)– 2 个，现价 69.99 美元
您可以带进家中的最便宜的智能小工具之一是支持Wi-Fi的灯泡(light bulbs)。然后，您可以通过智能手机上的应用程序或通过与家庭语音助手(home voice assistant)交谈来关闭、打开和调暗这些灯泡(light bulbs)。
您可以为功能较少的智能灯泡(smart bulbs)支付稍低的费用，但我们建议您以 69.99 美元的价格购买飞利浦 Hue 入门套件。(Philips Hue Starter Kit)有了这个，您可以获得两个灯泡和强大的Hue Bridge，即使您的互联网出现故障，也可以用来控制您的灯泡。
使用Philips Hue，您可以为一天中的不同时间设置配置文件，或设置时间表，让您的灯在早晨慢慢亮起，轻轻唤醒您。
如果您想为灯泡疯狂，您可以花 99.99 美元购买 4 件装入门套件，或者花 15 到 50 美元购买各种类型的灯泡，用于标准白光照明、环境照明等等。
飞利浦(Philips)还销售Hue灯带和灯具，因此随着时间的推移，您可以将整个家变成一个由单个应用程序控制的灯光照亮的家。(home lit)
使用智能插头(Smart Plugs)获得能源智能(Energy Smart)– 4 个，只需 50 美元
智能(Smart)插头插座是监控能源使用(energy usage)、远程关闭未使用的电子设备以及设置您独有的配置文件的绝佳方式。
您只需 50 美元即可在亚马逊上从(Amazon)Etekcity购买 4 包智能插座。安装这些插座很容易，您只需将它们插入标准插座，然后将电子设备插入Etekcity智能插头。
使用随附的应用程序，您可以通过WiFi控制所有电子设备，因此您甚至可以在不(WiFi)在家(t home)时关闭设备。您可以在插头上设置时间(set time)rs，这对于您想在设定的时间内(set time)为小工具充电但又不想继续检查它们时很有用。
您还可以创建时间表，以便插头插座在特定时间打开和关闭。Etekcity甚至包括一个能耗图表，(energy consumption chart)以便(Etekcity)您可以跟踪使用了多少电力。
最后，您可以命名每个网点，然后通过Amazon Alexa 或 Google Home(Amazon Alexa or Google Home)控制它们。
通过智能加热节省加热费用– Nest Learning Thermostat(Smart Heating – Nest Learning Thermostat)，现价 245.99美元(Money)
Nest Learning Thermostat 不是(Nest Learning Thermostat isn)便宜的智能家电，(home appliance)但它可以帮助您随着时间的推移省钱。
Nest Learning Thermostat可与Google Home或智能手机结合使用，以远程控制您的暖气和空调。(heating and AC)不再需要起床手动调节暖气。
更重要的是，Nest Learning Thermostat会随着时间的推移学习您的使用模式。随着您使用的时间越长，Nest将在设置舒适温度方面变得更好，同时牢记能源效率(energy efficiency)。Nest大约需要一周的时间来学习你的基本习惯。
Nest的另一个重要功能是能够在您外出时监控和管理您的家庭温度(home temperature)。Nest可以在您离开家时进行学习，您可以在回家之前手动打开暖气或空调(heating or AC)，这样您回家时家中的温度(home temperature)就会让您感到舒适。
其他伟大的智能家居理念
如果您想更进一步，还有许多其他很棒的智能家居小工具可供您使用。我们列出了一些现有的智能小工具类型。
- 智能家居(Smart home)助理，配备出色的扬声器，可听音乐
- 独立智能音箱
- 智能安全(Smart security)摄像头和婴儿监视器
- 智能锁
- Smart smoke/carbon一氧化碳探测器
- 智能门铃摄像头
- 智能厨房电器
- 智能百叶窗
- 机器人吸尘器
概括
我希望您喜欢阅读我们的负担得起的智能家居设备(home gear)指南。您对本文中提到的技术有任何疑问吗？如果是这样，请随时提出问题，我可以回复您。
Most Affordable Smart Home Gear for First Time Buyers
The market for smart home technology has blossomеd into a world of exсiting potential for interеsted customers in recent yeаrs, but the entry price to turn your home іnto a ѕmart home can be a lіttle dаunting.
In this article, we want to show you that you can smarten things up around your house without breaking the bank. In fact, you can add some smart home functionality with as little as $50 by purchasing a smart home assistant like the Google Home Mini.
Of course, it’s not the same without integrated smart technology around the house, so we’ve included some other options that will add more functionality for cheap.
If you want to get serious, read to the end of the article for some suggestions for different smart home tech that also exists.
Why Turn Your Home Into a Smart Home?
Many people will question what the purpose is behind turning their home into a smart home. To confront the doubters, I have two simple answers. One is convenience, and the second is energy efficiency.
Smart outlets, lights, blinds, and other smart home gadgets can make it far easier for you to manage everything in your home. Some smart equipment will even manage itself automatically. It adds a level of convenience to your life that is easy to miss once you have it.
With this added convenience and additional level of smarter tech, it becomes easier to lower your energy costs, too. Smart thermostats can help to monitor your heater or AC usage and create profiles that are both comfortable and more affordable for you.
Smart lights can be set up to be switched off when you’re out of the house, and smart plug outlets can have profiles that switch on and off to suit your lifestyle.
Starting With a Voice Assistant – Google Home Mini for $49
The best place to start your smart home experience is by purchasing a voice assistant. There are multiple choices on the market, but the cheapest options are the Google Home Mini and the Amazon Echo Dot. Both are available for $49.
For this article, we’ll be basing technology on the Google Home Mini, but you can easily find alternatives for the Amazon Echo. We also think that Google Home Mini better integrates with Android smartphone users. (And even iOS users if you download the Google Assistant app).
The Google Home Mini is a smart speaker that can be plugged into your home. Without any other smart tech, it’s essentially a voice controlled Google search on steroids. You can ask Google Home for any information available on the web, you can use it to check your schedule, or do tasks via integrated apps available on the app store on your smartphone.
The Google Home Mini adds a layer of convenience to your life that you wouldn’t ever have known existed without it. The Google Home experience gets better as you add more technology that can be used alongside it.
Making Your Lighting Smarter – Hue Starter Kit – 2 for $69.99
One of the cheapest smart gadgets you can bring into your home are Wi-Fi enabled light bulbs. You can then switch off, switch on, and dim these light bulbs from an app on your smartphone or by talking to your home voice assistant.
You can pay slightly less for smart bulbs with less functionality, but we’d recommend the Philips Hue Starter Kit for $69.99. With this, you get two light bulbs and the powerful Hue Bridge that can be used to control your light bulbs even if your internet goes down.
With Philips Hue, you can set up profiles for different times of the day, or set up schedules so that your lights slowly turn on in the morning to wake you up gently.
If you want to go bulb crazy, you can spend $99.99 on the 4-pack starter kit or spend between $15 and $50 on various types of bulbs for standard white lighting, ambient lighting, and much more.
Philips also sells Hue light strips and lamps, so over time you can convert your entire home into a home lit up with lights controlled from one single app.
Getting Energy Smart With Smart Plugs – 4 for $50
Smart plug outlets can be an incredible way to monitor your energy usage, switch off unused electronics remotely, and set up profiles unique to you.
You can purchase a 4 pack of smart plug outlets from Etekcity on Amazon for just $50. Installing these outlets is easy, you just plug them into your standard outlets and then plug your electronics into the Etekcity smart plug.
With the included app, you can control all of your electronics via WiFi, so you can even switch off things when you aren’t home. You can set timers on your plugs, useful for when you want to charge your gadgets for a set time but don’t want to keep checking up on them.
You can also create schedules so that the plug outlets switch on and off at specific times. The Etekcity even includes an energy consumption chart so that you can track how much electricity is being used.
Finally, you can name each of your outlets and then control them via Amazon Alexa or Google Home.
Saving Money on Heating With Smart Heating – Nest Learning Thermostat for $245.99
The Nest Learning Thermostat isn’t a cheap smart home appliance, but it can help you to save money over time.
The Nest Learning Thermostat can be used in conjunction with Google Home or with your smartphone to control your heating and AC remotely. No more getting up to adjust the heating manually.
More importantly, the Nest Learning Thermostat will learn your usage patterns over time. As you use it for longer, Nest will become better at setting comfortable temperatures whilst keeping energy efficiency in mind. It takes roughly a week for Nest to learn your basic habits.
Another great feature with Nest is the ability to monitor and manage your home temperature whilst you are out. Nest can learn when you leave the house and you can manually turn your heating or AC on just before you return home so that your home temperature is comfortable for you when you return.
Other Great Smart Home Ideas
If you want to take things further, there are many other great smart home gadgets you can get your hands on. We’ve included a list of some of the types of smart gadgets that exist.
- Smart home assistants with great speakers for listening to music
- Standalone smart speakers
- Smart security cameras and baby monitors
- Smart locks
- Smart smoke/carbon monoxide detectors
- Smart doorbell cameras
- Smart kitchen appliances
- Smart blinds
- Robot Vacuums
Summary
I hope you enjoyed reading our guide to affordable smart home gear. Do you have any questions about the tech mentioned in this article? If so, feel free to leave a question and I can get back to you.
