While summer heatwaves are still happening, it's also time to start thinking about back-to-school planning, and that means considering what new smart technology is a good fit. From outfitting dorms with the best lights and smart plugs to giving a classroom new capabilities or simply helping your kids study more efficiently, there are a lot of smart home devices that can do the trick (with just the right amount of AI).
Below, I've rounded up some of my favorite gadgets for back-to-school planning so you can see just what benefits I'm talking about. Check them out to find which products you should add to your school list and how you and your kids will be able to use them.
Best Smart Home Tech for Back-to-School
Pros
- Very affordable
- No hub required
- Matter support for Alexa, Siri and Google Home
- Color changing
- Motion-sensing when multiple bulbs are added
Cons
- Not for every scenario like outdoor lighting
- Brightness is a little low at 800 lumens compared to some of my picks
Though you may not be familiar with the name Wiz, the company makes some of the best smart lights on the market. Aside from the fact that you won't need any extra hardware to set up this light other than Wi-Fi, it's MatterNanoleaf Essentials Smart LED Color-Changing Light Bulb's also very affordable and has a very unique feature. The Wiz Smart Light Bulb with SpaceSense can act like other high-quality smart bulbs and has motion detection built-in. Using the Wi-Fi signal to determine if someone is in the room, you can set it up to turn the lights on and off so you don't have to worry about touching a light switch again.
Alternative smart bulbs
- Nanoleaf Essentials Smart Bulb: $16
- Govee Smart Light Bulb: $14
- Philips Hue Smart Soft White Bulbs: $24
- GE Cync Smart Light Bulb: $15
While Nanoleaf made a name for itself with fun light panels you put on your walls, like the Nanoleaf Shapes, its Essentials line of products that covers more traditional lighting devices are equally as impressive. The Nanoleaf Essentials Matter Bluetooth & Thread Smart LED Lightstrip offers the same vibrant colors that Nanoleaf is known for and fun customizations in the Nanoleaf app but at a more affordable price point. With various ways to connect the lightstrip to your devices, you'll be up and running in no time.
Alternative light strips
- Govee RGBIC LED Strip Lights: $15
- Kasa Smart LED Light Strip: $17
- Tapo TP-Link RGBWIC Smart LED Light Strip: $33
If you haven't had the pleasure of experiencing active TV backlights, then you need to get the Govee TV Backlight 3 Lite. The kit comes with an LED light strip that you attach to the back of your TV, a controller box to plug it all into and a camera that watches your TV screen. After setting the lights up in the app, the lights react to what is happening on the TV and mimic the colors onto your wall for a more immersive viewing experience. Once you use them, you won't want to watch TV without them again.
Alternative TV backlights
Smart plugs are excellent for making non-smart products smart. Kasa has some of the top devices on the market that simply work. You can schedule times for the outlet to turn on and off, set timers and see energy usage. Plugging in something like a basic coffee pot, fan, lamp or others is a great way to utilize this plug. And it's small enough that you don't block the second outlet.
Alternative smart plugs
The Echo Dot is a powerful smart speaker in disguise. The small form factor could easily fool someone into thinking it is low powered and won't have much oomph for playing tunes. That's not true. While it isn't the speaker for the next blowout party, it is plenty for a dorm or bedroom. Plus, with Alexa built-in, you can control all your other smart home devices, set reminders and get help with random questions that pop up while hanging with friends.
Alternative smart speakers
Pros
- More affordable
- Quick Gestures for hands-free control
- Edge-to-edge glass
- Bigger bass
Cons
- Sleep Sensing is only free for now
- Big bezel remains
- No camera means no video chat
Powered by Google Assistant, the Nest Hub (2nd Generation) offers great sound quality with a vivid 7-inch display. The screen adds another level of functionality to the smart speaker by showing visual information in addition to the audio. You can link your Google Photos to it for a slideshow of your pics, watch YouTube, Netflix and more. Also, the Nest Hub (2nd Generation) can track your sleep all without the use of a camera.
Alternative smart displays
- Amazon Echo Show 5 (3rd Generation): $90
- Google Nest Hub Max: $230
- Amazon Echo Show 8 (3rd Generation): $150
If you want your room to really stand out, then the Govee Smart Curtain Lights are a great way to do that. These 5 x 6.6-foot IP65 water-resistant lights consist of a total of 520 LEDs to cover your wall in customizable lights. You can pick from the many excellent premade scenes from Govee, check out what other Govee owners have made or make your own lighting scenes. From words to pictures and reactions to sound, these lights are going to make your room the place to be.
