Are you smart on smart homes?

Start with a smart speaker. It connects and communicates with all the smart devices in your home—like cameras, thermostats, lights, etc. It controls it all from one central place.

The two most popular options are equipped with Google Assistant® or Alexa™ virtual personal assistants. The best ones can work together to help make your life easier—so check each smart speaker’s compatible devices before deciding.

Smaller gadgets are more affordable and they build a good foundation for future automations. Start with these:

Smart bulbs. They help automate and curate your atmosphere—from soft reading lights to a brighter, dynamic home theater.

Smart plugs. Insert almost any regular appliance—from coffee makers to lamps—into one of these to control it via an app or voice commands.

Just like your home life, your smart devices can be divided into rooms and routines.

Let's say you have a smart speaker, TV, and bulbs in your bedroom. Rather than controlling them individually, create a group or “room" in your smart home app for those devices.

Program your Alexa™ device to automatically turn off your TV, dim your lights, and play chill tunes on your smart speaker at night—just by giving Alexa the command, “Alexa, good night."

Rather than using your phone, it's nice to have a convenient, accessible way for the whole family to manage your home’s devices.

Smart displays are the “brain” of your home. They gather all your individual smart tech apps onto one sleek device where you can view your smart security camera feed, make video calls, play music, and keep an eye on the weather.

Like anything you connect to your wireless network, smart gadgets can create a backdoor for data thieves to steal your personal information.

But there are simple, easy steps you can take to decrease the risk of hackers. Start by strengthening your Wi-Fi password, updating your devices, and creating a separate wireless network just for your small tech.

If you’re having trouble getting your smart devices set up, ask for help. Maybe you have a tech-savvy friend you can bug.

If you have Asurion Home+, you can call one of our friendly tech experts 24/7. We don’t mind helping you troubleshoot at 11pm, whether you have a morning deadline or you’re enjoying a cozy night in.