Top 5 smart home gadgets for apartments and dorms

Welcome to Top Five. I'm your host Iyaz Akhtar. Smart home gadgets are exploding, but some of us don't live in places where it's advisable to just start removing thermostats or replacing locks. Some of us, like me, live in apartments or others in dorms where we'd like our homes to be as smart as any other home. So these are the top five smart home gadgets for nomads. Well, not nomads, but people who want to take their smart tech with them. Let's get to it! At number five is a smart smoke and carbon monoxide detector. Yeah, I'm talking about the Nest Protect. I know what you're thinking, yes, I am not hard-wiring that. Well listen, pal, you don't have too. There's a battery powered version that costs the same as the wired version. Also if you're thinking long term it could be a great companion to a nest thermostat in the future. [SOUND] Coming in at number four, remote outlets. Using something like the Belkin Wemo Switch could turn dumb devices into smart ones. The device hooks into your home network and works with your phone so you can remotely control things with an on-off switch. If you choose what applications for such a thing, think about lamps or fans. If you think bigger, you can actually have things turn on and off based on weather or other events by using IFTTT. That stands for If This, Then That. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, search for CNet IFTTT. You're gonna find some awesome stuff. [MUSIC] Number three is a smart air conditioner. If you live in a part of the world where it gets hot or humid, or both, then an air conditioner's indispensable, why not get smart with it? Check out the Quirky + GE Aros Smart AC. It syncs into your home networks and pairs with your phone, it can use geo fencing to find out when you're near to turn on the air conditioning as need be. And if you're on a budget the app will also give you suggestions on how to run the unit differently to save money. [MUSIC] And number two the camera. It's always good to have an eye on your place. At my place I've got a drop cam. Since the device no longer exists. Why not take a look at it's accessor, the Nest Cam it's incredibly easy to set up, doesn't require any hardwiring the wide viewing angle makes it really easy to see plenty, and it's small size makes it easy to tuck on a shelf. Before we get to number one let's take a detour and see what you guys thought on Twitter I asked what you're favorite smarthome gadgets were Brad mentioned he loves his August Smart Locks. Patrick liked his WiThings scale, which is an interesting pick for a smart home gadget. It's not portable. So it's a home thing. Connects to the internet. So it's smart. So it is a smart home gadget. Anyway, let's get to number 1. At number 1 are colored LED light bulbs. I know this seems like a strange choice, but let me walk you through an idea. So many places are painted white. Stark white. Painting a wall requires permission from the landlord or somebody else. Alternatively, you could just paint the walls and repaint them when you leave or you could get them colored LED bulbs. Now take a look at the Philips iris table lamp. Its function is to bathe an area in whatever color you want. I've got two near my t.v. and it really adds the experience, plus it makes those white walls not appear so boring. Why paint when you can bathe a wall in light? What about robot vacuums like the Neato or the Roomba? I didn't include them on this list because they're more about home automation that smart gadgets. Am I splitting hairs about devices that specialize in things like picking up pet hairs. Let me know in the comment section or on Twitter. I'm Matt Iyaz. For more Top 5s like this, visit top5.cnet.com. Thanks for watching, and I'll see you next time.