Home automation controllers are new in the industry and they have swept and crept into the heart of luxury oriented individuals. Because of their advanced functions and the convenience they offer, it is only a matter of time before every one is using them.
In this review, we take three of the best automation controllers on the market and provide information about the features and benefits of each.
VeraEdge Home Controller
You won’t incur any monthly fees when you enjoy the services of the VeraEdge Home Controller. It has the capability to control all other components in your home and is compatible with products from major brands like Philips Hue, Kwikset, Yale and others.
It will allow you to control your home or apartment appliances with just the press of a button. You can view and control systems from anywhere you are without compromising on important features. It is easy to use, affordable and comes with an instructional manual for easy installation.
It is available in different color variants and will allow you can complete many manual tasks with complete automation. It has a simple and easy to use interface and allows you to save money and energy with the advanced energy saving features of this product.
Pros
- A home control device doesn’t have to be expensive. You don’t have to continuously pay for the services you enjoy after paying a substantial amount of money initially. Once you make your purchase, you have lifetime ownership of this product without any extra charges.
- You can lock doors, set your thermostats, adjust lights and a host of other features are available at your beck and call. You can do all these adjustment through wireless connectivity; this means you don’t even have to be at home before you can complete these tasks.
- You have access to just one app that you can use to control your home automation systems using your computer or cellphones. You can also use it without any Internet connectivity.
Cons
- The VeraEdge is currently experiencing software issues, which disrupts comfortable usability. We hope the company will take bold steps to restore proper working to this unit.
- It does not have any Wi-Fi client and that means you will need an Ethernet cable in order to pair with your device.
Summary
It is easy to use with easy to learn features. However, it is powerful and very advanced. It is suitable for both the beginner and the seasoned pro. The advanced capabilities allow you to lock doors, turn off lights, and even control your thermostats all with automation.
Nexia Home Intelligence Z-Wave Bridge
This automation controller allows you to control your home with the online Nexia subscription (this requires a monthly fee of $8.99). It can connect to your home router to allow you to control your home with encrypted broadband connection. It is compatible with other Z-Wave products from leading brands and can control up to 200 Z-Wave products.
The Nexia Home Intelligence Z-Wave Bridge has an average range of 60 to 100 ft. for communication between your device and the unit and is available with 110v power adapter and Ethernet cable for easy installation. In addition, it is easy to install with easy to follow installation instructions and provides you with lots of flexibility.
Pros
- It helps you to manage your energy consumption. It helps you to reduce energy consumption when you schedule your lights, thermostats and other appliances that make use of energy.
- It will give you peace of mind and convenience. While you are away from home, you have remote access and control to your home. You can easily grant entry to your home even when you are not at home.
- Each member of your family can be assigned a code that will grant them entrance when they get back from work, school, etc. Whenever anyone makes use of his or her code to gain access, you will get an alert through mail or text message so that you know who is at home.
Cons
- There are major issues with the lock aside from being expensive.
- The bridge also has issues with communicating with the sensors.
Summary
You can reduce energy by turning off the light when you leave home. You will also be able to save costs with smart scheduling of your home appliances.
Amazon Echo
You can control Amazon Echo with your voice thus giving you hands free convenience. You can control it with your voice from a far distance and it even has the capability to allow easily connection to a cloud. It has 3600 Omni-directional audio output and is compatible with major brands like Philips Hue, Belkin WeMo, etc., to easily control light and other switches in your home — all with your voice. And finally, you will have access to news, weather, traffic conditions, sports, etc.
Pros
- You can easily control your device across the room with your voice. You have the hands free convenience that is not available with other products in this category.
- It allows you get the latest news, sports facts, and weather conditions from Alexa that is a cloud based voice service. All you have to do is just ask your device and once it recognizes your voice, it will use a unique algorithm to pull up answers to your questions from the cloud.
- This is one of our favorite home controllers because it is constantly getting better at what it does. Amazon.com continue to add essential features to this device to make it serve us better. It can stream music, traffic reports and a whole lot of other amazing features.
Summary
Amazon Echo is currently the best-selling item in its category and has received thousands of positive customer reviews. It is one of the best products on Amazon.com; one of the most popular online retailers on the internet.
Conclusion
The VeraEdge Home Controller is a decent product considering that it is affordable and comes with a host of features that can be used to automate your household appliances. Although, it has been experiencing software issues at the time of this writing, we hope the company will bring an update soon.
The Nexia Home Intelligence Z-Wave Bridge allows you to enhance your security. You can keep your home secured with remote locking of doors, motion sensors, cameras and window sensors. Save costs and reduce energy consumption. However, you should be aware that this requires a monthly fee of $9. If you can afford this, then this is a nice option for controlling your home.
The Amazon Echo is designed around your voice. Once your voice has been set up with it, you can easily control your home with just your voice. It comes with seven microphones and beam forming technologies so that it can hear you from across the room. If you are looking for an excellent home automation controller, this is it. With thousands of positive customer reviews, this is one of the best devices out there.
