Welcome to the cnet smart apartment.
We partnered with the city of Louisville to see how we could smarten up an urban space.
Unlike our full sized smart home, we're gonna focus on smarts that don't require much installation.
We want connected convenience that's not going to get you into a fight with your landlord.
Here's what we have so far.
Alexa, turn on the living room lights.
[MUSIC]
We haven't smartened up any of these bulbs, because that would involve replacing the trim or installing smart switches.
Instead then, we focused on the lamps.
We have Philips Hue bulbs installed in some, which allows us to use Siri.
Through HomeKit she can change the colors of the bulbs, and even set the scene.
Otherwise, we're using Belkin Wemo switches with help us monitor energy, and both Belkin and Phillips work with electric.
For security, we have a Piper cam that just plugs in, sits on the table, and watches over the living room, no installation Necessary.
In the kitchen, our appliances are smart.
The dishwasher and the washing machine sync with Amazon Dash to automatically replenish their detergent.
We can monitor the oven and see the contents of the fridge from afar.
But you might not be able to replace your appliances in an apartment.
So we also have a simple connected thermometer that works via Bluetooth and this instant pot that you can control with your thumb.
For entertainment we have tvs and Sonos speakers connected to the Internet.
We're looking forward to seeing what Google Home can do to tie this all together with voice commands.
The CNet smart apartment is going to be a great opportunity for us to experiment with simple Solutions.
Here is the space to look for all the ways you can enjoy connected convenience while living in the heart of a city.
