Meet the drop-resistant Moto Z2 Force
The Moto Z2 Force is really thin, with a fast processor and great battery life. It can survive drops without shattering.
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Here's the gear you'll find in the CNET Smart Home (pictures)
A house filled with tech
For the past few months, we've been hard at work filling the CNET Smart Home with connected gadgets. Our goal is to test all of it under one roof, in a practical, real-world setting. Click through to see everything we've played with to date.
Photo by: Tyler Lizenby/CNET
Nest Learning Thermostat
The Google-owned Nest Learning Thermostat is perhaps the the most popular smart-home gadget, and it's our thermostat of choice for the CNET Smart Home. We've got two of them -- one downstairs, and one on the second floor.
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Photo by: Tyler Lizenby/CNET
Amazon Echo
We've also been eager to test out voice controls in the smart home, so we made sure to pick up an Amazon Echo smart speaker. You operate Echo by talking to Alexa, the cloud-connected AI housed inside. She can already sync up with a few notable smart-home gadgets, and the list is growing.
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Photo by: Tyler Lizenby/CNET
SmartThings
We also wanted a smart-home platform capable of uniting multiple third-party devices within a single system. After weighing the options, we went with the second-gen SmartThings Hub.
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Photo by: Tyler Lizenby/CNET
Belkin WeMo Light Switch
With Amazon Echo and SmartThings in place, it made perfect sense to add in the Belkin WeMo Light Switch, which works with both. For this fixture, we combined four smart switches into a single plate.
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Photo by: Tyler Lizenby/CNET
Philips Hue Starter Kit
We went with color-changing Philips Hue bulbs for the same reason -- they work with just about everything.
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Photo by: Tyler Lizenby/CNET
Philips Hue Bridge 2.0
After installing those Hue bulbs, Philips released an updated version of the Hue Bridge that'll sync your lights up with Apple HomeKit. So, we made the upgrade.
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Photo by: Tyler Lizenby/CNET
Philips Hue Wireless Dimming Kit
Another Hue addition: this Philips Hue Wireless Dimming Kit, which brings a handy wall-mounted remote into play.
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Photo by: Tyler Lizenby/CNET
Cree Connected LED
We also added a few of these Cree Connected LEDs to our setup -- they work with Philips Hue.
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Photo by: Tyler Lizenby/CNET
Chamberlain MyQ Garage
In the garage, you'll find the MyQ controller from Chamberlain. We can use it to open or close the door remotely, using a smartphone app.
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Photo by: Tyler Lizenby/CNET
Samsung SmartCam HD Pro
For security, we chose the connected cam compatible with our SmartThings hub -- the Samsung SmartCam HD Pro.
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Photo by: Colin West McDonald/CNET
Philips Hue Lightstrip Plus
When we moved to the kitchen, we started by adding some automated lights to the dark countertop where we wanted the coffee machine.
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Photo by: Colin West McDonald/CNET
Anova Precision Cooker
Then, we brought in Anova's Bluetooth-enabled sous vide cooker.
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Photo by: Tyler Lizenby/CNET
Technivorm Moccamaster
We wanted a nice coffee machine for that newly smartened coffee corner.
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Photo by: Tyler Lizenby/CNET
iDevices Switch
And we used the HomeKit enabled iDevices Switch to make the Technivorm coffee maker smart.
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Photo by: Tyler Lizenby/CNET
iDevices Kitchen Thermometer Mini
Finally, we finished the kitchen with a Bluetooth thermometer we could use with any cooking device.
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Photo by: Colin West McDonald/CNET
Fizzics
We wanted to use the Smart Home to help us be better hosts as well -- and that meant connecting the bar. With Fizzics, we were able to pour a bubbly brew from a bottle.
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Photo by: Tyler Lizenby/CNET
Perfect Drink
Not content with just better beer, we used Perfect Drink to help us make better cocktails as well.
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Photo by: Tyler Lizenby/CNET
Fibaro Flood Sensor
Smartening our drinking game was fun, but we were plenty serious when prepping the CNET Smart Home for disaster. The Fibaro Flood Sensor will help us watch for leaks.
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Photo by: Chris Monroe/CNET
Nest Protect Second Generation
For smoke and CO detection, we chose the second-generation Nest Protect.
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Photo by: Tyler Lizenby/CNET
BeOn Bulbs
We used BeOn's bulbs with battery backup to both simulate our usage when we weren't home and give us light if the power went out.
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Photo by: Tyler Lizenby/CNET
iBright Surge Protector
Finishing our disaster prep, we used the iBright Surge Protector to keep our electronics safe.
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Photo by: Tri Cascade
Philips Hue Go
We also wanted the kids room upstairs to have friendly connected lighting. We used the Philips Hue Go for that.
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Photo by: Tyler Lizenby/CNET
REVIEW
