What Smart home brand is the best to try? (1 Viewer)

[Race Bannon]

I've about finished my home theater, and have a Harmony Elite remote. So I'm ready to start in on having some of the other components in the room be more high-tech control -- lights, dimmers, and lamps that are plugged in. There are so many brands and standards for dimmers, switches, and outlets that I can't seem to cut through it.

I mainly just want to pick one that will be well-supported and compatible for years to come. I want to get an Amazon Echo Dot (Alexa) and use voice commands, etc.

Does anyone have a starting suggestion for a brand/standard that would be a pretty conventional pick? I just want to hit it right down the fairway on this.

 

[Alf S]

Only item(s) I have tried and love are the Belkin WeMo Insight switches. Super easy to set up/use, no extra hubs, or ethernet cables to string around. Just plug and play for the most part.

 

[Scotthndrx]

I have the Echo, 3 to be exact. I also have 3 of the wemo switches and about 20 or so of the Phillips Hue lights as well as the Harmony Hub, all of which are controlled by the Echo. I can walk in the door and tell the Echo to turn on comcast, fire tv or xbox and by the time I make it to my basement, the projector, receiver and device are on. The lights in the room are set to a predetermined level and color as well.