The hardware of the smart home has become much cheaper

To make your apartment “smart” doesn’t need to throw a lot of money.

High-tech companies create cheaper products for the intelligent home. Introduced Nest thermostat for $169 instead of the first model for $250, a new smart lock from August, the company now costs $149 instead of $229, Ikea released a budget line of smart bulbs, the price of which starts from $12.

Smart bulbs Ikea is a revolution in the market. The closest analogue from the TP-Link costs about $20 apiece, and Philips Hue — $30. There is a simple incandescent light bulb Philips Hue for $15, but it can’t change temperature like a light bulb Ikea. And that’s not all. Amazon just released a new smart column with a voice assistant Echo for $99, much cheaper than the original version for $199. In addition, Google is expected to release a Mini Home value of $50 to compete with the Echo.

Theoretically it is now possible to equip a large part of your house gadgets, smart light bulbs, a voice assistant and a thermostat or lock — less than $400, which was impossible just a few months ago.

Smart home is not only cheaper — it was easier to manage. Today, the user does not need to deal with four or five different apps for each device: it can use intelligent assistants — Alexa, Google’s Assistant or Apple HomeKit to control all at once.

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