Our Smart Home Week is coming to an end, just as Black Friday week has started. We build a bridge: we list the best smart home deals. Every day this week we are making an editorial Black Friday list: the offers that we would also buy ourselves. From Philips Hue to Google Nest.
Black Friday has now lasted a whole week and discounts are flying around your ears. But even if you get a discount, you want to get something good, otherwise it will still be a waste of your money. Moreover, fake discounts are lurking. To help you get started, Bright is putting a list online every day this week. These are the deals we recommend to you because we would buy them ourselves (and maybe we do).
Philips Hue
When it comes to smart lighting, Philips Hue is still unbeatable. A huge range that works well with virtually any smart home standard. Many of our readers probably already have something from Hue at home, so we focus on additional lamps and accessories. Don’t have Hue yet? Then Coolblue has a great offer for a Hue Starter Pack with three color lamps with an E27 fitting and a Bridge – which you need for control. From 179.99 for 119.99 euros.
Philips Hue itself also offers nice discounts, with a 30 percent discount on the purchase of two or more lamps, light strips, accessories or starter kits. Hue’s wording is a bit confusing: the 30 percent applies in principle to your entire shopping cart, but only for products that say ‘Black Friday’ – and only for at least two things. Some packages, or for example the Festavia string lights, are not included in the discount.
We do have some recommendations. For example, we are big fans of the Hue wall switch module, which can be purchased for 44.99 euros each or 79.99 euros for two. You can mount such a module behind your normal light switch, so that your smart lamps are never inaccessible again, while your light switch also works ‘normally’. And even though you don’t get a discount on the Hue Christmas lights, we recommend the Hue smart plug. This makes every stupid Christmas tree smart: never crawl behind the Christmas tree again looking for the switch.
Netatmo Presence
Security cameras with built-in lighting are generally downright ugly. The Netatmo Presence is an exception: it looks like a modern outdoor lamp with a built-in camera. The Presence is certainly not out of place in more modern homes. And if uninvited guests are at the door, the Presence can sound a loud 105 dB alarm.
The Presence can be used without a subscription and works well with Apple HomeKit. The 1080p camera can therefore record everything on your iCloud storage, otherwise on the internal SD card. The built-in image and motion detection ensures that recording is not done all the time. The Netatmo Presence is available in black and white, and is now available from 319.99 for 189.99 euros, a discount of no less than 40 percent.
Tado thermostat: cheap in black
One of our favorite smart thermostats is the one from Tado. Works perfectly with European boilers but also with heat pumps. Furthermore, it works well with almost any smart home platform, useful for voice control, scenes and more. And you can always expand Tado with the smart radiator knobs, so that the temperature is controlled per room – but that is not necessary.
Tado now offers its smart thermostat starter kit in black for a very competitive price: 99.99 euros, instead of the normal 219.99 euros. The white version is not on sale separately, but together with 2 smart radiator knobs you now pay 199.99 euros for the white Tado instead of 349 euros.
Nanoleaf Elements
Where Philips Hue makes practical lighting, Nanoleaf offers light-up wall art. Almost as broadly supportive as Hue and now on offer. For example, you can score the Nanoleaf Elements starter kit (7 panels) at Amazon with a 30 percent discount, from 229.99 to 159.99 euros. The Nanoleaf Elements starter kit (13 panels) is available with a 34 percent discount, from 369.99 to 242.99 euros.
Roomba J7+
Do you really need a robot vacuum cleaner? Maybe not, but it is a nice gadget. A significant discount is the deciding factor in that respect, and then buy the mother of all robot vacuum cleaners: the Roomba from iRobot. This J7+ is self-emptying, so you don’t have to empty it yourself every day. Handy, because otherwise you still have work to do. The dirt comes neatly into sealed bags, just like with your old-fashioned vacuum cleaner.
The Roomba J7+ recognizes objects and can avoid them – just like any accidents your pets may have. The robot also gets to know your house better, so that certain places, for example, are vacuumed more often. This Roomba even gets updates, so that it becomes increasingly smarter. And the discount is significant: 47 percent, so that you now pay 499 euros instead of 949 euros at iRobot itself.
Dyson V15 Detect Absolute
Last year’s top model, heavily discounted. Dyson upright vacuum cleaners are often a good purchase, because they are simply very pleasant devices. You can grab them faster than an old-fashioned vacuum cleaner and thanks to the laser on this V15 you can see exactly where you need to vacuum.
In our experience, Dysons are reliable and last a long time. And it even keeps track of everything you vacuum, so cleaning feels a little more useful than before. This Absolute package comes with a standard floor nozzle, a version for parquet and two attachments for furniture and crevices. From 799 for 599 euros at both Dyson itself and Coolblue.
Netatmo smoke detector
Since last year, smoke detectors have been mandatory on every floor. Not everyone has arranged this yet, but you can turn necessity into a virtue. The Netatmo Smart Smoke Detector is now available as a 3-pack at Tink from 269.99 for 179.95: that’s a 33 percent discount.
What good is a smart smoke detector? Well, you can connect them to your other smart home devices. So that, for example, the lights switch on automatically in the event of an alarm. You will also receive a notification on your phone if the fire alarm goes off, so that you can intervene if you are not at home.
Google Nest security combo
The Google Nest stuff is certainly recommended for Android users. The security is then nicely intertwined with your phone. At smart home seller Tink they have always been strong in package deals, this Black Friday they are doing a stunt with this doorbell, camera and hub, from 499.97 for 359.95 euros: 28 percent discount.
Then in one fell swoop you are provided with a camera for the front door, one for the back door and a hub on which everything is tracked. And such a Nest Hub is in any case a nice heart for your smart home: finally just one central place where all those buttons and functions can be clearly arranged.
Aqara doorbell
Do you only want a smart doorbell? Then we are pleased with the Aqara Doorbell G4 for a reasonable price. Works well with Apple HomeKit and Google Home, and it is now on sale separately at Beaumotica from 119 for 89.99 euros, a 24 percent discount.
There are also discount packages at Tink. The Aqara doorbell together with Nest Hub is now available from 218.99 for 149.95 euros, a discount of 31 percent. Or the doorbell in combination with an Aqara Camera Hub G3, that is a camera that also serves as a hub, via Zigbee 3.0. That’s certainly useful if you don’t have such a hub yet, because many smart home gadgets work via that standard. This combo of two cameras is available at Tink from 228.99 for 179.95 euros, a discount of 21 percent.
Nuki Smart Lock
Nuki released a new version of its smart door lock last week, with Matter support. But you don’t necessarily need that to get the most out of the lock: most of the functions of the new model are already included in the Smart Lock 3.0 Pro. You only miss the option to link automations to your lock: this 3.0 does not automatically lock when you turn off your light, but you can simply set a time slot. You can also give others access to your home from a distance.
We think the Nuki is one of the nicer door locks, because it is really focused on European locks. Nuki can lock your door completely, but can also leave the door ajar if you arrive with full hands. The Nuki Smart Lock 3.0 Pro is now available from 279 for 209 euros through Coolblue, a 25 percent discount.
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