I tried the battery version, which requires you to recharge it every few weeks, but the wired-in version is the top recommendation in our guide to the best video doorbells.
a better birdhouse
This spring I had a new problem: bird invasions. A little bird built a nest on my front door without us noticing. One evening, my sister opened the door, and the bird flew out of the nest and straight into our house. After a 30 minute fight to get it out again (and to keep my cat from eating it), it wasn’t until we saw the bird flying through the door again the next day that we realized it was calling our house its home too.
If this is a common problem in your home, our resident bird-gear tester Kat Merk has a solution: a smart nesting box. Birdfy makes a few different smart bird feeders that we love for watching birds, and the Nest Duo is a birdhouse that lets you watch birds as they nest. It’s a slim, attractive box that will enhance the style of your front yard, plus it also packs two solar-powered cameras (one facing the entrance, one focused inside) so you can watch birds from multiple angles. It comes with different hole sizes to attract different species, metal predator guards to prevent chewing around the holes, and a remote control to reset or recharge the camera without disturbing your feathered neighbors.
stylish smart lights
Govi
Outdoor Clear Bulb String Lights
I’ve generally liked Govee’s Smart Outdoor String Lights for my holiday decor, and I’ve previously recommended something similar with a bistro-light-like look that was just as smart. These clear bulb string lights are part of Govee’s current lineup and have a contemporary twist with a triangle in the center instead of a wire filament. These are a fun option for outdoor lighting that you can enjoy on warm nights, and they can work in every shade and shade of white without looking overwhelming like permanent outdoor lights. (Added bonus, these lights are also Matter compatible!)
fresh bulb
sink
Smart LED Light Bulb, PAR38
If you have light fixtures you want to control remotely, add an outdoor smart bulb. There are lots of options to choose from, and you can usually find one from any brand you already have at home. The only downside is that outdoor-rated smart bulbs are typically 4.75-inch-diameter PAR38-style bulbs, so they’re best for downward-facing floodlights on your porch or balcony. They will likely be too large to fit into a wall fixture as a replacement for a normal sized bulb. Don’t grab just any smart bulb—not all are outdoor-rated. Check for mentions of outdoor use and waterproof ratings to make sure they are safe to use. I’m a big fan of Sync bulbs, and the brand has an outdoor version of Sync Full Color bulbs that I love to use indoors. You’ll be able to add fun colors as well as white, so you can turn the porch scary orange or red for Halloween, pink for Valentine’s Day, or your favorite sports team’s colors on game day.
remote-controlled garage
If your garage is the focal point of your home, you can easily control it like a smart door by adding a smart controller. You can do two different styles: I have the Chamberlain MyQ smart garage opener professionally installed, which means the device that controls my garage has these smarts built-in (as well as a camera, but I find it doesn’t work well with how far the device is from my Wi-Fi router), or you can get a smart garage controller that can add smart features to an existing garage door. Both let you check if the garage is open or closed and operate it remotely, and you can add a video keypad that also works as a video doorbell and lets you open or close the garage without your phone.
smart shades
The front of my house faces west, so it is absolutely baking at the end of the day. I need to add some of our favorite smart shades to automatically close the shades on that side of the house at the right time of day. These also give your home a nice, harmonious look and instant, controllable privacy from the outside world. Wired reviewer Simon Hill recommends the SmartWings shades as his top choice, and recommends Lutron’s Cassetta shades if you’re looking for a more upscale look.
invisible swap
Are you looking to add something smart without touching your existing setup? These switch-ups can make your front door and yard smart without being noticeable.
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