How to set up a Smart Home with Budget Solutions
How to set up a Smart Home with Budget Solutions.
Start Building Your Smart Home Today
Smart homes are an interesting concept. It is no longer far-fetched to think of a home that works based on your voice commands. The futuristic concept is now easy to reach. With a simple command, you can play your favorite music, turn on the lights or play videos. We know everyone wants to build a smart home on a budget…
However, the path to achieve this goal can be tricky. As for some, technology can be harder to handle. Besides, it can be really expensive. In this article, we will describe the first steps you should take to easily start your own budget smart home. Finding the right gadgets can be overwhelming, so we’ll walk you through some of the best and cheapest options. Start your budget smart home today!
Choose the right Voice Assistant for Your Smart Home
The first step you can take is to get a voice assistant speaker. A smart speaker is a voice command device with an integrated virtual assistant. It enables interactive actions and hands-free activation via “hot words”. Furthermore, this will enable other smart gadgets to function around this central piece.The market is full of options. Some of the most popular voice assistants are Alexa and Google Assistant.
Amazon Alexa
This virtual assistant developed by amazon can be used through different platforms such as Amazon Echo, Fire OS, iOS, Android, Cortana, Linux and Windows 8 & above. Alexa can easily be used with Amazon Echo Speakers to control gadgets with voice commands. This interactive communication will enable the user to easily stream podcasts,listen to music & audiobooks, provide real-time information as news and the weather, etc.
However it has some limitations. For example, you can’t directly play Youtube videos. In addition, the music options in Amazon Radio are limited. Moreover, Amazon does not directly support connecting your TV and Echo device through Bluetooth. To enhance your experience and widen your options, we recommend you use Amazon Echo as a speaker for your TV through a wireless dongle. By doing this, you will be able to easily play videos and music playlists on your TV with a voice command.
EZCast Compact is a great choice to become your first wireless dongle.
Google Assistant
Google Assistant is an AI powered virtual assistant developed by Google. It can be used on smart home and mobile devices. Apart from this, it has easy access as it is commonly found in Android devices and can be enhanced through third-party smart home appliances. Google Assistant can also effectively operate through Google Home speakers. Some of the functions you can take advantage of are: controlling the devices in your smart home, scheduling events, setting alarms, adjusting settings on your devices, and more. Nevertheless, it also has some disadvantages. For example, you can’t play content as videos and shows directly to your TV just by using the assistant. For this you would need a compatible device such as an EZCast dongle.
As previously mentioned, wireless dongles can be easily used to broaden your smart home appliances. Here are some of the best options in the market:
EZCast Ultra
This wireless dongle will allow you to play content in 4K HDR display and use DLNA, Miracast, EZAir, Google Home, and Chrome mirroring support. Besides, you will also be able to create unique video playlists to autoplay on startup. So you can create a playlist of music, YouTube videos, or recipes to play on your TV. Apart from this, it supports both smart speakers for voice control video search and playback. Get it just for: $69.00.
MagicEther
MagicEther is an Ethernet display receiver in which you can wirelessly cast content to TV from your phone with a more stable Ethernet connection. As a result of this, MagicEther is ideal to stream high-resolution videos without buffering. Effortlessly play Full HD to any HDMI-connected screen in a blink of an eye. Supports smart speakers such as Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant for voice control video search and playback. Get it just for: $34.00.
EZCast Compact
This next generation portable receiver supports Google Home and voice control. Supports up to multiple languages like English, Chinese, Japanese, and French.. Besides, this portable wireless receiver can cast content wirelessly from your phone to your TV. It also supports multi-OS including Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. Get it just for: $31.99.
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