My smart home and connected gadgets, from sensors and hubs to item trackers and air-quality monitors.
During Vesternet's Mondays promotion, which offers up to 20% off rotating Z-Wave brands, I bought the Aeon Labs Aeotec Z-Wave Siren for about S$51, down from S$65. It's a loud siren I can trigger from my smart home automations.
Vesternet mistakenly shipped me the Popp Z-Wave KFOB Remote Control instead of the Aeotec Key Fob I'd ordered. After I contacted support, they sent the correct item two days later and let me keep the wrong one.
I bought five TKB Z-Wave Wall Plug Switch/Meters from Vesternet at about S$47 each, down from S$52 thanks to a bulk discount for buying four or more. They're a budget-friendly way to add metered Z-Wave plugs to my home.
I bought the Aeon Labs Aeotec Z-Wave Key Fob Remote from Vesternet for S$69, alongside the Minimote; locally it's S$90 at Automate Asia. It's similar to the Minimote but more portable, designed to clip onto your keys.
I bought the Aeon Labs Aeotec Z-Wave Minimote from Vesternet for about S$63, or S$80 locally at Automate Asia. Despite four buttons, each can trigger two actions, controlling up to eight devices or scenes.
I use an Ariston Andris Lux 15L storage water heater. As working adults out from 9am to 9pm, Li Xiang and I often forget to switch it off, wasting electricity, so I added smart control with an MCO Touch Panel.
I bought the Aeon Labs Aeotec Z-Wave Home Energy Meter from Automate Asia for S$140. It measures your whole house's electrical usage by clamping onto the incoming cable at your circuit breaker, reading the flow of electricity via magnetic flux.
I bought the Aeon Labs Aeotec Z-Wave MultiSensor 6 from Automate Asia for S$110, alongside the Smart Switch 6. It runs on Micro-USB power or two CR123A batteries (not included), which last about two years, packing six sensors into one.
I bought the Aeon Labs Aeotec Z-Wave Smart Switch 6 from Automate Asia for S$110, so new it wasn't yet on their site. After the Fibaro Starter Kit hooked me on energy monitoring, I added these for my always-on appliances.
When I wanted to make my home smarter, I engaged Automate Asia, which I'd come across in the local news. Not a sponsored post, I paid for their services. A shout-out to Mike and the team for their great help.
Igloohome is a Singapore smart-home startup that raised US$1.25 million in seed funding, led by Wavemaker Partners with Singtel Innov8 and DreamIt Ventures. Its first product is the Igloohome Smart Lock, which I review here.
During SmartThings' Spring sale and a follow-up Memorial Day promotion until 4th June 2016, most products were 20% off, on both the SmartThings store and Amazon. I bought my items from Amazon, since they qualified for free AmazonGlobal Saver shipping.
After two weeks with the tado Smart AC Control, it has taken over air conditioner duty from my Ambi Climate. I doubt I'll switch back to Ambi Climate unless it gains third-party integrations like IFTTT.
I was seeded the tado Smart AC Control for review, which I'm splitting into two posts: this unboxing and setup, and a follow-up on the experience. In Singapore, tado Smart AC Control is distributed by Aerahaus Smart.
In my earlier Amazon Echo and Logitech Harmony articles, I covered controlling your TV with Echo, but the IFTTT solution was then too premature. Last month, an IFTTT update with Amazon Echo finally lets a phrase trigger a recipe.
I love the Logitech Harmony Home Control concept, but it isn't sold in Singapore, so you must import it from Amazon. I caught a Gold Box deal in September 2015 that dropped it from US$149.99 to US$99.99 with free shipping.
LaMetric Time launched on Kickstarter in June 2014, raising US$370,001 from 2,215 backers. As a super early bird, I pledged US$119 plus shipping for this customisable smart ticker, which displays time, weather, notifications, and metrics at a glance.
Ambi Climate is a small, sleek IoT device that makes your existing infrared remote-controlled air conditioner smart. Using predictive climate control, it monitors temperatures inside and out to run your aircon more efficiently and lower your energy bill.
Two weeks ago I bought the Amazon Echo for US$179.99, shipped alongside an Amazon Fire TV Stick. I've used it daily since and love it. The Echo is a voice assistant, like Siri, Cortana, or Google Now.
The WeMo Switch + Motion sells at Funan's Challenger for S$109, or S$89 for members, while the plain WeMo Switch is S$79, or S$71.10. For just S$18 more as a member, the motion sensor was worth it.
The D-Link DSP-W215 WiFi Smart Plug connects to your wireless network to make any device plugged into it smart. Running on 802.11n and retailing for S$69, it lets you switch the connected device on and off through the mydlink app.
Chipolo is a Bluetooth item finder for iPhone and Android that began on Kickstarter. I backed it in November 2013, and it funded, raising US$293,014 against a US$15,000 goal. My US$99 pledge shipped free, arriving on 29th January 2014.