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Here's the gear you'll find in the CNET Smart Home (pictures)

The CNET Smart Home is our living lab for testing out connected home tech. Here's everything we've installed thus far.

Ry Crist
Originally hailing from Troy, Ohio, Ry Crist is a writer, a text-based adventure connoisseur, a lover of terrible movies and an enthusiastic yet mediocre cook. A CNET editor since 2013, Ry's beats include smart home tech, lighting, appliances, broadband and home networking.
Andrew Gebhart Former senior producer
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1 of 24 Tyler Lizenby/CNET

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.

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2 of 24 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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3 of 24 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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4 of 24 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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5 of 24 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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6 of 24 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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7 of 24 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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8 of 24 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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9 of 24 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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10 of 24 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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11 of 24 Colin West McDonald/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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12 of 24 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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13 of 24 Tyler Lizenby/CNET

Anova Precision Cooker

Then, we brought in Anova's Bluetooth-enabled sous vide cooker.

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14 of 24 Tyler Lizenby/CNET

Technivorm Moccamaster

We wanted a nice coffee machine for that newly smartened coffee corner.

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15 of 24 Tyler Lizenby/CNET

iDevices Switch

And we used the HomeKit enabled iDevices Switch to make the Technivorm coffee maker smart.

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16 of 24 Colin West McDonald/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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17 of 24 Tyler Lizenby/CNET
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18 of 24 Tyler Lizenby/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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19 of 24 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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20 of 24 Chris Monroe/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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21 of 24 Tyler Lizenby/CNET

Nest Protect Second Generation

For smoke and CO detection, we chose the second-generation Nest Protect.

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22 of 24 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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23 of 24 Tri Cascade

iBright Surge Protector

Finishing our disaster prep, we used the iBright Surge Protector to keep our electronics safe.

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24 of 24 Tyler Lizenby/CNET

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