It's been years since smart technology ushered in a new era of home comfort, but the best home automation deals at IFA 2018 are taking things to the next level.
From thermostats to security cameras and beyond, we went to Berlin to see it all first hand. In this article, we'll keep you up to date with the most popular and interesting smart home products and announcements we come across.
The Neato Botvac D7 (available on Amazon) was first introduced at IFA last year, but is getting some interesting software updates later this year.
Perhaps the most distinctive feature is the ability to draw. “don't go” lines. When you first set up the D7, it cleans the entire floor as you lay out a plan. You will then be able to draw “don't go” lines in the Neato app on top of the drawn floor plan, and the D7 will avoid crossing those lines. Ideal to prevent trips to problem areas..
While there are other robot vacuums out there with fencing features, it is the combination of the mapped floor plan and the mobile app line drawing that makes the D7 so much more effective and easier to use.
You'll also be able to designate custom drawn zones, then direct the D7 to clean those zones on demand or on a schedule. With the upcoming Google Assistant integration, you'll even be able to name your custom zones and activate zone cleaning with simple voice commands.
The software update is expected to arrive in the fall of 2018 and will only be for the D7 model.
The Netatmo Smart Outdoor Camera (available on Amazon) sets itself apart from other smart security cameras in its advanced object recognition. Instead of recording all the time, or recording sporadically every time a leaf flies by, it only triggers recording when it sees people, animals, and cars.
As for the recording itself, the Netatmo Smart Outdoor camera can record locally to microSD (8GB card included) or remotely to Dropbox or even your own FTP server. Disconnected from Wi-Fi? It is not a problem. Just download local recordings, you won't miss a thing.
The 4MP camera records a 100-degree field of view at 1080p resolution, and can detect movement up to 50 feet away at night. It also comes with a built-in LED spotlight, and you can take advantage of the camera's live feed whenever you want using the Netatmo mobile app.
Right away, the Netatmo Smart Indoor Camera (available on Amazon) stands out because it doesn't look like a traditional security camera, but rather a sleek, stylish cylinder. Unless an intruder knows what to look for, they won't realize what it is.
You can set particular people as “familiar faces,” and the camera will keep track of each time it sees a face. When activated, the camera makes a brief recording of the event, or not, if you prefer to preserve a person's privacy. If the camera detects a stranger's face, you will receive a mobile alert
The 4MP camera captures in 1080p resolution and records locally to microSD (8GB card included) or remotely to Dropbox or your own FTP server. You can access the camera's live feed whenever you want with the Netatmo mobile app.
The Ring Stick Up camera was the standout for us, a weatherproof, wireless camera that can be used both indoors and outdoors. It mounts with a single screw, which means you can remove it and attach it elsewhere at any time.
Once mounted, you can use the Stick Up camera neck to bend, twist, swivel, and tilt so the camera is facing any direction you like. Admittedly, the camera body is bulky and conspicuous as far as know you're looking at a security camera.
With a ring protection plan, the Stick Up camera can record when activated and store each recording for up to 60 days. Without a protection plan, you can still access your live IP feed and view it in real time. Other notable features include 720p HD video quality, night vision, two-way talk, mobile alerts, and remote-activated siren.
We don't know when the Ring Stick Up Camera will launch, but we're hopeful for this year.
The Tado V3+ Smart Thermostat is a neat solution that can replace most central heating setups. If you have radiator heating instead, opt for the Tado V3+ Smart Radiator Thermostat, which replaces the radiator control knob. Both starter kits include a bridge, which plugs directly into your wireless router.
The device itself is a touch screen that allows fine-grained control of temperature and settings. Or you can control the thermostat via the newly revamped Tado app, both on demand and by setting smart schedules that automatically adjust to predetermined temperature patterns. You can also set “Far” Temperatures so you don't waste power unnecessarily.
The Air Comfort feature aims to improve sleep quality by giving you advice on what could be better, for example when to open or close windows. It incorporates indoor data (for example, ambient temperature and humidity) and outdoor data (for example, weather forecasts, pollen).
The Tado V3+ supports IFTTT, Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, and Apple HomeKit. Other notable features include geofencing (it automatically turns on and off when you leave your home radius) and the ability to request boiler repair or maintenance from one of Tado's partner services (currently only in select European countries). /P>
We will be updating this post with more products as we find them..
