So let us first attend to the generic question: Why does my firestick keep on restarting itself? Well, the answer generally is that there could be some underlying software or hardware issue. Which normally gets resolved by either restarting the Firestick or by resetting it to the factory default settings.

Needless to say, no device; let it be a streaming device or a gadget is completely faultless. But at the same time; I would certainly vouch for Amazon Firestick since they are an intricate piece of modern equipment that won’t bite the digital dust anytime soon once bought. But, hey! You landed on this article since it somehow did? So, what are the most guaranteed methods to fix an Amazon Firestick that keeps restarting all of a sudden?

Well, I have summed up some of the most viable solutions that I have personally tested and researched across all over the internet. You heard that right people!

List of 12 proven ways to fix your firestick issues

Before I take you through a list of specific problems and their solutions vis a vis your Amazon Firestick; let us first quickly go through a quick troubleshooting step. Which is; ‘Have you tried restarting your Firestick?”. If yes and your Firestick is still causing issues, then maybe there is an “Update pending for your Firestick?”. Alas, did you try “Resetting your Firestick to its factory default settings?”. Well, if your answer to these 3 questions is a “Yes” then please proceed with correlating your issues with the solutions below as I am confident that one of them would resolve your Firestick issue.

Here is a list of 12 proven ways to fix your Amazon Firestick issues.

Restart your device

Being a technology guy myself, I can’t even count how many times a problem has been resolved by just mere restarting the gadget. Therefore, if your Firestick is having trouble streaming media, connecting to any of your external gadgets, connection issues with your Wi-Fi router, or is just simply put; acting funny, then by far the most common solution is to restart the nifty firestick. What happens by restarting the Firestick is that it reloads the firmware and its OS, which is often at times more than sufficient to fix the problem.

Now there are a couple of ways through which you can restart your Amazon Firestick.

a. If you can access your Firestick interface, go to “Settings” and choose either My Fire TV (For Fire TV Stick or Fire TV Cube) or “Device & Software” (For Fire TV Edition), and then choose “Restart“.

b. Grab hold of your Fire TV Remote, and press and hold both the “Select” button and the “Play” button for about five seconds until the Fire TV restarts.

c. If your Firestick device is a Fire TV Edition smart TV, unplug the device’s power cord and then plug it back in.

Ninja Tip: You may be tempted to just immediately plug the power cord back in after unplugging it from the Fire TV. But "DON'T". Hold on right there. There are a plethora of electronic components in the Fire TV device that need time shutting down completely even after the main power cable has been unplugged. The best advice is, to give it at least 5 - 10 seconds before you plug the power cord back in again.

Check for firmware updates on the Firestick

The operating system used by the Firestick device is called the “Fire OS”. You may be thinking what an OS is? Well, an OS stands for “Operating System” and its main purpose is to load the necessary internal software on the Firestick / Fire TV device whenever you switch it on. The Fire OS is responsible for the stability of your device, its performance, and the smooth running of all the apps installed on it.

Therefore, if your Firestick is acting weird and restarting it doesn’t help, you can often “un-weird” the device by updating it to the latest firmware. Most of the time, once you update the firmware; the issue that you may be facing simply goes away. And most importantly, we all need to make this a regular practice to ensure that all our gadgets around in the household are always kept up-to-date with the latest firmware.

Now down under, I am listing down the steps on how you can check for updates on your Amazon Fire Stick / Fire TV Cube / Fire TV Edition models.

1. Choose “Settings“
2. Choose either My Firestick (for Fire TV Stick & Fire TV Cube models) or Choose Device & Software (for Fire TV Edition)
3. Choose “About“
4. Choose “Check for Updates“

Now as soon as you select the “Check for updates” menu, the right side of the screen starts displaying the current version of the Fire OS, as well as when was the last time the Fire TV checked for its latest updates. Click on “Install Update” and the device should then automatically download and install the latest firmware for you.

Ninja tip: Please ensure that you don’t use, turn off, man-handle the Amazon Fire device when the update is in progress. Otherwise, you risk bricking the device.

Reset your Firestick device

If the problem that you are facing with your particular Fire Stick or Fire devices, is crotchety; and restarting or updating the firmware didn’t attend to the problem. Then, in this case, you kinda need to resort to an extreme step. Called the dreaded “Factory Reset”. The reason I call this step “drastic” is that once done, you would need to set up your device all over again. Therefore only head down this path if restarting, updating didn’t solve your particular problem.

Each of the Fire TV Edition / Fire Stick / Fire TV Cube has its own set of steps that you need to follow to successfully reset the device.

For the Fire TV Stick & Fire TV Cube devices

• Choose “Settings“
• Choose “My Firestick“
• Choose “Reset to Factory Defaults“

For the Fire TV Edition

• Choose “Settings“
• Choose “Device & Software“
• Choose “Reset to Factory Defaults“

Unable to connect to your local Wi-Fi Network

Smart world technology, or to put things into perspective; the Internet of Things! Its backbone is connectivity. And for the gadgets to work with the latest features and what not; you do need to hook them up to the internet. This is where the internet routers come into play. Your Firestick or Fire TV product gets its connectivity from the Wi-Fi router you have at your place. Sometimes, it does happen that your Wi-Fi router starts acting topsy turvy and you end up blaming the Firestick. But it is not always the firestick that is at fault. There can be various reasons for your Wi-Fi router acting up. For example, you have too many connections being used on a single Wi-Fi router.

Let me show you some tricks and tips so that next time when your Fire Stick keeps restarting due to no network connection; instead of getting annoyed by blaming its software glitches or whatever else may sound reasonable (to ease out our frustrations); we will come face – first with the real problem!

It’s always a good idea to check the available ports on your network devices, be it your modem or router. The problem might as well lie with one of those devices instead of the firestick.

Try resetting your hardware by performing the following tasks, in order:

• Switch the power to “OFF” on your modem
• Switch the power to “OFF” on your Wi-Fi router
• Wait for at least 30 seconds
• Now turn the modem back on
• Wait for 30 seconds
• Now turn the Wi-Fi router back on
• Now Restart the Fire TV.

Ninja Tip: A majority of the Wi-Fi devices these days are AIO (All-in-One) gadgets. This means they are composed of both a modem and a Wi-Fi Router. If that's the case in your particular case, then just switch off the Wi-Fi router for 30 seconds and then switch it back on.

You also need to ensure that your Amazon Firestick can use the internet provided by your Wi-Fi router.

To do so for an Amazon Fire Stick:

-From the main screen, select “Settings“

-Select “Network“

-Select “Troubleshoot Network Problems“

-Select “Test Your Network Connection“

If you are using an Ethernet cable to connect your firestick, then the firestick will automatically skip the “Test Your Network Connection” step and move on to the next test.

-Select “Ethernet“

If you are using a Wi-Fi connection:

-The Fire TV will try to detect all the Wi-Fi networks in range

-Select your network from the list and enter your password, if prompted.

After following these steps, if you’re still unable to connect to your local network, we suggest you call your internet service provider for further troubleshooting assistance.

Ninja Tip: Most of the modern Wi-Fi routers are equipped with Dual-Band wireless networks. Meaning, they can broadcast the internet over both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequencies. Check your router's manual and see if it supports a 5 GHz frequency. If it does, your best bet is to connect your Fire TV / Stick via the 5 GHz frequency for less interruption and maximum internet speed utilization.

The range between your router and the Fire TV device:

If you’re using an Amazon Fire TV (Gen. I, II, or Cube), and your router is located more than 30 feet away from the device, then you might want to consider using a Wi-Fi extender to increase the signal strength. Or even better, if you could connect via LAN cable, your internet on the Fire TV would be super-fast.

The modern Wi-Fi routers are equipped to connect to your Wi-Fi-enabled gadgets throughout the home but with a calculated distance of approximately 230 feet. Signal degradation starts happening as soon as the distance between the router and your gadget goes beyond 230 feet.

Always update the router’s firmware:

The fire stick that keeps restarting might not only be a software issue. It could also very well be a firmware glitch in your Wi-Fi router. To fix this problem you need to update the firmware of your router, which will kill any bugs or glitches that may have been present before and prevent further crashes on both sides (the firestick as well as the router).

Similar to the Fire OS that we had discussed above, Firmware’s are the brain and tools of your Wi-Fi router. It uses this brain to perform its activities as soon as you plug the power cord in. Hence it’s equally important to always ensure that your Wi-Fi router is kept up to date.

Reset the Wi-Fi router:

Resetting your Wi-Fi router is one of the most effective ways to fix firestick issues, especially when it keeps restarting itself.

It’s very easy to reset a WiFi Router. You just have to hold down the Reset button for 30 seconds or more (just follow the instructions present on its body). And once you’re done, plug out and replug in all devices connected via LAN cable as well as WLAN connections.

Having Trouble Streaming Media

Without a doubt in mind, Fire TV or Fire Stick works flawlessly. But as with any other gadget out in the market, sometimes the problem can arise. Particularly the following in the Firesticks case.

• the media you are trying to play, never starts
• the media either takes a very long time to start or hangs
• the media stops playing abruptly and refuses to start

It certainly is quite frustrating when this happens. Your popcorn and slushie night get ruined when you are watching your favorite show/movie and your Firestick starts throwing its media stream errors and tantrums at you. Not a good night, not a good night!

Well, fret not! There are one to two tricks up my sleeves, that have worked wonders while this happened with me.

• Call out to other family members at home and request them to stop downloading whatever they are downloading. Limit the use of the internet that is connected to the Firestick and disable your mobile Wi-Fi connections.
• Living in an area where you have poor internet connectivity is certainly one of the culprits to the above problems. What you can do is what I normally do when I go into the suburbs is that I carry my mobile hotspot internet device with me and make sure that I move around the house and find that sweet spot where my internet is top-notch. And voila! I keep the mobile hotspot device there while watching my favorite movie on Netflix over the Firestick.
• Make sure your Firestick or Fire media isn’t kept near any microwave ovens or perhaps any other device that heavily uses the internet for its operation. This is to avoid any signal interference with your Firestick.
• If your Firestick or Fire TV is close to a wall of a metal object, then move it away.

Having streaming issues on a particular app

It’s not just the firestick that keeps restarting, but sometimes you might also face problems with specific apps. Maybe the Amazon Prime app is giving you a tough time or your Hulu isn’t working as it should.

In such cases, there are a few things that you can try before concluding that the app in question is completely broken and unusable.

• Check to see if any other devices have the same problem:
• Try streaming the content on another device. If it works perfectly fine on other devices then chances are high that there is something wrong with your particular Firestick or Fire TV. In such cases, keep on reading.

Clear Cache:

Clearing the cache of an app on Firesticks certainly works, well at least it does for the majority of us. Unless you are from Mars!

To clear the cache for each app, simply go into Settings > Applications > Manage Installed Applications > select the specific application whose cache needs clearing and tap Clear Data/Cache button at the bottom right corner of the screen (if present). Do note that doing this will delete all your data related to that particular application such as login information etc., so use this method only if nothing else seems to work out fine.

Delete and Reinstall App:

If clearing the cache didn’t work, then the problem is with the app. Therefore, uninstall it from your firestick or fire TV and then reinstall it again. It’s a simple process that you can do without any hassle.

Unable to hear audio during playback

There are times when the video playback on firestick is working fine, but there’s no audio.

Here are a few techniques to run through:

• Check if your Firestick or Fire TV has the surround sound setting enabled/turned ON. If not, try toggling it.
• Make sure that the volume isn’t muted on the Firestick either.
• Some TVs have speakers built in them which sometimes might get disabled automatically due to settings hiccup with the Firestick device itself (this usually occurs only when switching from wired headphones back to Bluetooth ).
• Check your firestick settings for audio preferences and make sure you have selected the right output device as default during the initial configuration. This setting is normally found in the Video section of Firestick’s settings page under Preferences.
• If you’re playing sound through an external audio output device, such as a home theater; make sure the device is turned on and connected to your TV. Try running a self-diagnostic test on your external audio device and see if all the speakers are playing the test sounds.
• Try switching the HDMI port to a different one into which your Firestick is originally connected.
• Try removing all the other HDMI cables from the TV into which you have connected the Firestick. This problem usually happens with older version telly’s.
• For a Fire TV Stick or Cube, try turning off Dolby Digital Plus. To do this, go to Settings > Display & Sounds > Audio > Speaker Configuration. From the menu that pops up, select Stereo if it’s not already selected. If you’re using an older version of the Fire TV stick or Fire TV cube without a voice remote, these settings can be found in Settings > System > Preferences > HDMI Output Type.
• Enable HDMI CEC: If you have a Fire TV or Fire Stick, chances are high that your home theater uses an older version of CEC standard for communication between devices and hence might not be compatible with firesticks/fire tv out of the box. In such cases, one needs to enable ‘HDMI-CEC’ on their fire TV or firestick device. If it is already enabled by default then try disabling and enabling again.

Firestick is unresponsive

If your firestick is not working as intended and it’s unresponsive to any of your commands, try the following:

Check if both the devices are turned ON.

Make sure that you are pressing the buttons correctly and give them a few more tries.

Are you using the Alexa Voice Remote? If yes, then make sure that ‘Discovery’ mode is enabled on the remote control by holding down the microphone button and saying ‘Enable Device Discovery’. Once discovered, your firestick will show up under Devices in the Amazon Alexa app on your phone or tablet. You can also use this method to connect other compatible devices with Alexa.

Reboot Your Fire TV Or Fire Stick: Sometimes all it takes is a simple reboot

If all else fails, reset your device.

Fire TV Stick Screen is Blank

If your firestick screen is blank and not showing anything, try the following:

Make sure you have selected the right HDMI input on your TV. Firesticks usually default to HDMI source which has last been used when turned ON. If this doesn’t work then reboot both fire stick and telly (just in case). Make sure that there are no loose connections between Fire TV or Firestick device and its power supply/wall adapter. Try switching out the wall outlet with a different one just like before; connecting it to a known working socket by plugging something else into it first. Check if USB ports of fire TV or firesticks are working fine; connect another compatible device using these ports to make sure they’re working as intended. Bring firestick to a service center if it’s still not working after trying all the above steps.

Try switching the HDMI port to a different one into which your Firestick is originally connected.

HDCP Support Television is

If the firestick screen is blank and not showing anything, make sure that your TV supports HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection). This feature allows firestick to display protected contents on the telly. If you have a smart tv then chances are high that it’s compatible with firesticks/fire Tv out of the box but if you’re using an older version of a regular television then try switching HDMI ports from one which does support HDCP to another port into which fire stick is connected. Then reboot both fire stick and telly just in case.

The sad part is, that if you are connecting your Firestick to an old telly; then you are somehow out of luck. A majority of the models manufactured pre-2010; don’t support the HDCP protocols.

Keep trying to connect the Firestick to other HDMI ports on your television. Maybe just out of pure luck, one of them supports the HDCP protocol and your Firestick stops restarting itself.

Check for any bends on the cables

If you are using the HDMI extender to connect the Firestick to your television; then it is highly recommended to check and see if this adapter has some obvious wear and tear. If yes, it is time to scrap this one off and buy a replacement from Amazon. Do not buy any cheap or knock-offs for this particular replacement.

If the HDMI extender you are using is fine, then check your power cables. Make sure there are no bends or kinks on the cables. Try using a different power supply and wall outlet.

Remove any hardware extensions

If you are using an HDMI hub or a USB extension to hook your Amazon Firestick with your TV; just so that you could keep it away from the telly. Then try removing all of that mumbo-jumbo! And hook the Firestick directly to your television via the HDMI port. Since the extensions serving as a mediator in between the Firestick and TV could very well be posing the restarting problem.

Conclusion

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to fixing Firestick keeps restarting the problem. So, try out all these solutions one by one until your firestick starts behaving as intended.

Amazon firestick is a good device to have if you want to stream movies, tv shows, and other media on your TV. It can also be used as an entertainment center for the whole family because it has a voice search function that makes finding content easier than ever before. The only downside of this gadget is its glitches which are not significant in comparison with some others out there in the market today. Nevertheless, Amazon FireStick remains one of the best streaming gadgets available now.

If nothing works even after trying all these methods, then it’s time for a service center visit. Amazon has got you covered with their amazing warranty policy; so don’t worry about any extra costs there!

The sole reason you are reading this article is that your Braeburn thermostat has started malfunctioning. Or was it the HVAC system played on you while you were asleep? It might as well be, one or other problem with your Thermostat that has brought you to the panel. In all honesty, the very first step that you should do irrespective of what the model on your Thermostat is is to “reset” it back to its factory settings. And see if that helps! If that doesn’t then, you definitely need to call in for a qualified technician to sort this out for you.

In this article cum guide, I would do my best to cover all the Braeburn Thermostat models, including smart and the non-smart versions. I am confident this guide would be your one-stop-Braeburn-thermostat-reset-guide for all your present and future model references.

Here we go!

How to Start

To begin with, just like with any other thermostat models; you first need to familiarize with the layout of the Thermostat. What are the buttons that are present, or if it’s a touchscreen model? Get acquainted with its interface and controls that are present. Which aren’t a lot in my opinion.

The Very First Step into Troubleshooting

Open the panel of the Thermostat and remove the battery compartment. If the “LOW BATTERY” sign is on, then replace the batteries. This is one of the most fundamental issues masses face when they notice something going wrong with their HVAC system.

What Next?

If you have tried the above step and are still not able to get the HVAC system to perform in its required format, then it’s now time to dig deeper. See if the “CHECK STATUS” indicator light is blinking. If it yes, then the issue might as well be with the “heat pump“.

Now let us find out how you can individually reset the Braeburn thermostats at home. Every effort has been made to ensure that I cover almost all the Braeburn products in this article of mine. Pardon me if any particular model is missing in the below list.

List of Braeburn Thermostats (With Their Reset Instructions)

BlueLink Thermostat Model 7205

This is Braeburn’s universal programmable smart Wi-Fi Thermostat. For systems up to 3 Heat / 2 Cool. This Thermostat is designed to provide you with years of reliable performance and comfort.

The BlueLink Thermostat 7205 features and specifications are:

For a detailed guide on the BlueLink Thermostat 7205 Specifications, you may click on the below corresponding links and download a PDF copy of it.

English

Spanish

French

Remember, you need Adobe Reader to view the above files.

The BlueLink Application Features when connected to a Braeburn 7205:

1. Compatible with almost all the smartphones in the market, tablets or PCs.
2. You can create multiple groups (multi-coloured) which helps the owner of the Thermostat in setting up schedules.
3. Possibility of setting up flexible vacation and holidays schedule.
4. Temperature Alerts and much more via. Texts & Emails.
5. Got more than one BlueLink compatible Thermostat in your home? You can easily use the BlueLink QuickCopy® app to copy the same configurations to the other model with ease.
6. QuickEdit® feature within the app makes your scheduling life a lot easier.
7. Want to access the dealer information? You can do that from within the app.
8. You can set up geofencing via the BlueLink app for increased energy savings.
9. Compatible with Amazon Alexa.
10. Compactable with Google Assistant

A detailed statement by Braeburn on the BlueLink Smart Connect app is available here.

How to Reset the Braeburn BlueLink 7205 Thermostat?

You’d be surprised to read that it’s easy as 1-2-3 to reset the Braeburn 7205 thermostat. The Thermostat itself provides you with a reset button that will erase all your settings and programs that you have configured onto the device.

However, the reset feature does not affect the Installer Settings.

To reset the Thermostat, use a small thin pointing object (such as. Toothpick, paperclip or a sharp needle) and press it into the hole marked “RESET” right on the front panel of the 7205.

Do keep in mind, the Thermostat needs to be unlocked whenever you want to reset it.

A detailed user manual is available on the Braeburn’s website. I have linked the manuals down under for your easy read.

7205 User Manual is available in English / Spanish / French.

If you are looking for the Installation guide on the 7205, then it is available in English / Spanish / French.

The Wi-Fi setup guide for the 7205 is available in English / Spanish / French.

Keen into finding out what you can do with the help of the BlueLink app? Then watch the below video which covers some of its basic features for your easy references.

You can use the app to remotely access and control your BlueLink Wi-Fi thermostat in your home or business. You can use the app to create or schedule custom system usage reports that can then be quickly sent to your registered email address. These reports are a great way to monitor your system usage reports.

You can easily set up the reports to be sent out to your email ID on:

a. daily

b. weekly

b. monthly

basis. You have the liberty to export and send these reports in PDF and CSV format. If you’re an Excel whiz, then CSV is the suggested format.

Watch the below video to understand how to use the Smart Data feature

This particular model from Braeburn can very well replace:

In order to setup Geofencing, please watch the video below:

BlueLink Thermostat Model 7305

This too is Braeburn’s universal programmable smart Wi-Fi thermostat and is an advanced model to the 7205. This model supports (7300: Which supports up to 2 Heat / 1 Cool) (7305: Which supports up to 3 heat / 2 Cool).

The BlueLink Thermostat 7305 features and specifications are:

For a detailed guide on the BlueLink Thermostat 7305 Specifications, you may click on the below corresponding links and download a PDF copy of it.

English

Spanish

French

The BlueLink Application Features when connected to a Braeburn 7305:

1. Compatible with almost all the smartphones in the market, tablets or PCs.
2. You can create multiple groups (multi-coloured) which helps the owner of the Thermostat in setting up schedules.
3. Possibility of setting up flexible vacation and holidays schedule.
4. Temperature Alerts and much more via. Texts & Emails.
5. Got more than one BlueLink compatible Thermostat in your home? You can easily use the BlueLink QuickCopy® app to copy the same configurations to the other model with ease.
6. QuickEdit® feature within the app makes your scheduling life a lot easier.
7. The BlueLink SmartData® energy reporting capability is available with a 7305 connection.
8. Monitor and control multiple thermostats.
9. View the outdoor temperature (Optional sensor is required for this feature)
10. Want to access the dealer information? You can do that from within the app.
11. You can set up geofencing via the BlueLink app for increased energy savings.
12. Compatible with Amazon Alexa.
13. Compatible with Google Assistant

How to Reset the Braeburn BlueLink 7305 Thermostat?

Just like the Braeburn 7205, this model too has a “RESET” button situated right on the front of the panel. This button, when pressed, will help you reset all of your user settings and any programming that you may or might have done.

Rest assured, resetting the Thermostat will not affect the Installer Settings.

To reset the 7305 thermostats, all you need is a small object such as a pin, Toothpick or a paperclip and then gently press the button located inside the small hole present on the front of the Thermostat labelled “RESET”.

VOILA!

Be wary that you can not reset the Thermostat if the screen lock is enabled. You would need to disable it first before you can resort to the above steps to resetting your Thermostat.

If you are interested in getting your hands on the Braeburn 7305 user manual, then click on the following links to download a copy in:

English

Spanish

French

If you have lost your installer guide for the Braeburn 7305, then click on the following links to download a copy in:

English

Spanish

French

Keen into finding out what you can do with the help of the BlueLink app? Then watch the below video which covers some of its basic features for your easy references.

You can use the app to remotely access and control your BlueLink Wi-Fi thermostat in your home or business. You can use the app to create or schedule custom system usage reports that can then be quickly sent to your registered email address. These reports are a great way to monitor your system usage reports.

You can easily set up the reports to be sent out to your email ID on:

a. daily

b. weekly

b. monthly

basis. You have the liberty to export and send these reports in PDF and CSV format. If you’re an Excel whiz, then CSV is the suggested format.

Watch the below video to understand how to use the Smart Data feature

This particular model from Braeburn can very well replace:

To set up Geofencing, please watch the video below:

BlueLink Model 7320 Thermostat

Presenting to you, the Braeburn BlueLink 7320 Thermostat! This one is also a universal programmable smart Wi-Fi thermostat that is capable of handling system up to 3 Heat / 2 Cool with Wireless Humidity Control module. The Wireless Humidity Control operation requires a dedicated Wireless remote humidity sensor to be purchased.

The BlueLink Thermostat 7320 features and specifications are:

For a detailed guide on the BlueLink Thermostat 7320 Specifications, you may click on the below corresponding links and download a PDF copy of it.

English

Spanish

French

The BlueLink Application Features when connected to a Braeburn 7320:

1. Compatible with almost all the smartphones in the market, tablets or PCs.
2. You can create multiple groups (multi-coloured) which helps the owner of the Thermostat in setting up schedules.
3. Possibility of setting up flexible vacation and holidays schedule.
4. Temperature Alerts and much more via. Texts & Emails.
5. Got more than one BlueLink compatible Thermostat in your home? You can easily use the BlueLink QuickCopy® app to copy the same configurations to the other model with ease.
6. QuickEdit® feature within the app makes your scheduling life a lot easier.
7. The BlueLink SmartData® energy reporting capability is available with a 7305 connection.
8. Monitor and control multiple thermostats.
9. View the outdoor temperature (Optional sensor is required for this feature)
10. Adjust and view indoor humidity.
11. Want to access the dealer information? You can do that from within the app.
12. You can set up geofencing via the BlueLink app for increased energy savings.
13. Common “C” wire is required for Wi-Fi operations.
14. Compatible with Amazon Alexa.
15. Compatible with Google Assistant

How to Reset the Braeburn BlueLink 7320 Thermostat?

Once again, resetting the 7320 is as easy as 1-2-3. All you need to do is to insert a sharp object (don’t think about using a needle here), and insert it into the hole marked “RESET” on the front of the Thermostat. Gently press it, and the Thermostat would reset to its default settings.

You cannot reset the Thermostat until the keypad lock has been switched off.

If you are interested in getting your hands on the Braeburn 7320 user manual, then click on the following links to download a copy in:

English

Spanish

French

If you have lost your installer guide for the Braeburn 7320, then click on the following links to download a copy in:

English

Spanish

French

Keen into finding out what you can do with the help of the BlueLink app? Then watch the below video which covers some of its basic features for your easy references.

You can use the app to remotely access and control your BlueLink Wi-Fi thermostat in your home or business. You can use the app to create or schedule custom system usage reports that can then be quickly sent to your registered email address. These reports are a great way to monitor your system usage reports.

You can easily set up the reports to be sent out to your email ID on:

a. daily

b. weekly

b. monthly

basis. You have the liberty to export and send these reports in PDF and CSV format. If you’re an Excel whiz, then CSV is the suggested format.

Watch the below video to understand how to use the Smart Data feature

Watch the below video to understand and learn how to access and use the SmartData® reports on the BlueLink smartphone app.

The below video shows how to use the QuickCopy® feature on the BlueLink app:

This particular model from Braeburn can very well replace:

To set up Geofencing, please watch the video below:

Various Categories of Thermostats Manufactured by Braeburn

Other than the BlueLink series in Braeburn’s thermostats, there is a massive line of other types of thermostats that Braeburn manufactures as well. To name their main categories:

1. Touchscreen Thermostats
2. Programmable Thermostats
3. Non-Programmable Thermostats
4. Mechanical Thermostats

Let us now begin with their complete line of Touchscreen Thermostats!

Braeburn Premier Thermostat Model 5320

This is one of the easiest touchscreen thermostats available in the market. Well, so the company claims!

It is a universal programmable thermostat that is compatible with systems up to 4 Heat / 2 Cool Heat Pump, and up to 3 Heat / 2 Cool Conventional Pump.

Braeburn Premier Thermostat Model 5320 features and specifications are:

For a detailed guide on the Braeburn Premier Thermostat Model 5320 Specifications, you may click on the below corresponding links and download a PDF copy of it.

English

Spanish

French

How to Reset the Braeburn Premier Thermostat Model 5320?

The beauty of the Braeburn thermostats is that almost all of their models are pretty easy to reset back to their factory settings.

All you need is a sharp pointing object (Not a needle of course!) and gently press it in the hole mentioned “RESET” on the very front panel of the Braeburn 5320 thermostat.

The reset function doesn’t affect the Installer settings. Rest assured!

Do keep in mind, you cannot reset the Thermostat if its screen is locked.

Given this model from Braeburn, this touchscreen hybrid thermostat comes in 2 models. Namely:

1. 5310
2. 5320

The difference table is shown below:

Difference between a Braeburn 5320 vs 5310

Since we at SmartNutter.com are tech nerds and DIY enthusiasts, I would highly recommend you go through this in-detailed guide on how to go about installing either one of the above models if you have bought them. Click on the corresponding links below to download a copy:

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Spanish

French

Similarly, if you have lost your user manual to this Thermostat or just want an electronic copy of it, then you may download it from the links below.

English

Spanish

French

For a bunch of other catalogues on this product, click on this link and feel free to navigate yourself across the plethora of informative PDF’s.

This particular model from Braeburn can very well replace:

You can also buy additional accessories that are compatible with the Braeburn 5320.

You may also watch the below-linked video to understand and go through the list of basic features the Braeburn touchscreen thermostats have to offer.

Braeburn Touchscreen Thermostat Model 6425

This is the Deluxe Edition of the Braeburn’s Touchscreen thermostat. Comes packed with a larger screen, you can’t go wrong with this Thermostat. It supports 4 Heat / 2 Cool Heat Pump installations and up to 3 Heat / 2 Cool conventional setups with humidity control.

Braeburn Premier Thermostat Model 6425 features and specifications are:

For a detailed guide on the Braeburn Premier Thermostat Model 6425 Specifications, you may click on the below corresponding links and download a PDF copy of it.

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French

How to Reset the Braeburn Deluxe Thermostat Model 6425?

This too is an easy one. Just get hold of a pointing object (should be thin, NOT A NEEDLE of course!) and gently press the reset button present on the front of the Thermostat with it. This would basically then reset the Thermostat for you.

Nope, resetting it won’t affect the installer settings on this one either.

Do keep in mind you will not be able to reset the Thermostat if its keypad is locked.

If you want to install this Thermostat on your own, then I highly recommend going through the below installer guide that basically allows you to install it at your own place. A fair amount of experience is required when you are embarking on this journey of installing a thermostat on your own. If you are not sure how to do it yourself, then don’t risk your well-being and get hold of a qualified technician to do it for you. Anyhow, the installer guides can be found by clicking on the below links:

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French

The user manual to the Braeburn 6425 model can be downloaded from the below link:

English

Spanish

French

For a list of other productive videos on how to use the Braeburn Deluxe Thermostats, head over to this resourceful page on their website to watch them.

This particular model from Braeburn can very well replace:

You can also buy additional accessories that are compatible with the Braeburn 5320.

General Rule of Thumb When Resetting Your Thermostats

Generally, you would only want to reset your Thermostat at your workplace or your home when the HVAC system is not functioning as it is intended to. Chances are that the Thermostat is playing topsy turvy and hence resetting it would be the first line of action when it comes down to troubleshooting the HVAC system. Be aware though, doing a “factory reset” or “reset” will forget all the options that you had set in the Thermostat, such as “schedules, timers and other custom settings”.

That being said, having these settings reset shouldn’t be of much concern since your intent to reset it obviously means it is not performing at its optimal.

Couple of other things you may do BEFORE YOU RESET YOUR THERMOSTAT could be:

• Leave it Off. As the old saying goes, RESTART IT, AND IT MIGHT FIX ITSELF. Well, this could very well apply to the thermostats at our home too. Just make sure that when you turn the power off on your Thermostat, wait for at least a good 30 seconds before you switch it on. This will make sure that any “TEMPORARY SETTINGS” the Thermostat is holding in its ROM are erased too.
• Changing the Batteries. With almost all the thermostats built in the last 2 decades, you can very well check to see if your Thermostat comes with a battery compartment. If that is present, then just toss those batteries out and swap them with brand new ones. Replacing these batteries often does the trick and makes your thermostat work back in its optimal performance.
• Flip the Switch. Often at times, I have seen that the HVAC systems are connected to the circuit breakers. If this is the case in your scenario, then I would recommend resetting your AC thermostat from there. First off, switch the AC off as you usually would. Once that is done, switch off the breakers that control it. Now wait at least 30 seconds and then turn the switch back on.
• Reverse Batteries. This one works with some thermostats but not all. Realistically this should be your last resort. FLIP THE BATTERIES! Take them out and put them back into backwards position. Meaning: the negative pole to the positive and positive side to the negative. Wait for 5 seconds and then put the batteries back into their usual order. See if this worked! If it did, HAIL SmartNutter!

Related Questions

A list of questions which are generally faced by the owners of the Braeburn thermostat are:

Why is my Braeburn Thermostat stuck at 80?

Try to hold the SpeedBar® down button and hold it for 4 – 5 seconds. This should ideally bring down the temperature. If it does not, then head to the location where the outside unit is located. Check to see if there is a float switch in the drain line. If so, is the case, then you would need to call in for a qualified technician to look into this for you. Don’t try to do it yourself.

What is a “HOLD” on Braeburn Thermostats?

In any programmable thermostats, HOLD feature translates to locking in your current temperature that you have set on it and hold it for a certain period. Usually, the time ranges from 24 hours to a permanent hold, depending on the model. In Braeburn’s thermostats, the HOLD option will lock the temperature and override any other settings for a period of 24HOURS.

Does the Braeburn Thermostat Require “C” Wire?

All the “SMART” thermostats need a “C” wire to setup. Older thermostats generally use 2 AA batteries, but the latest Braeburn Smart Thermostats require the C wire to be set up to be connected to the Wi-Fi and be fully integrated with the smart home applications.

Conclusion

Overall, the Braeburn thermostats have done an excellent job by introducing their BlueLink series, which, in my opinion, is a great market breaker for the top brands that are already dominating this niche. I have personally owned a touchscreen Braeburn thermostat, and it indeed does last for years. The customer support behind the product, too is outstanding. If you are in the market looking for a smart thermostat, then I would recommend checking out their BlueLink smart thermostat series which definitely equates to a brilliant home.

Stay safe people! Stay smart.

Millions of households across the globe have incorporated Alexa into their daily routine. Let it be listening to music, or asking Alexa to set up your morning coffee for you – while you are still in bed, without a doubt in mind; Alexa is the heart of any smart home.

If you own Amazon Echo or any of their line-up, I am sure you know by now how to use Alexa to check-up on your local weather or play your favourite music playlist. This people! Is just the tip of the digital iceberg and by the end of this article, you would be grateful that you spent time into reading what Alexa can actually do that would allow you to embed it into your daily routine.

Out of thousands of skills Alexa offers, I have shortlisted the Top 11 ones, that would actually make your day brighter, and at the end, you would start feeling proud of owning the Alexa device. Let us now dig straight to it!

Here is the list of the Top 11 most useful Alexa skills that I use every day!

Automated Actions with The Help of “Routines”

Let us assume you are the “Boss” at your workplace. Well, not everyone is! But surely, I would like to believe that you are one.

Let us consider that Alexa is just like the personal-assistant that you have at the office.

Whenever you walk in, you do not have to remind your assistant to grab you a cup of coffee? Or remind your PA to attend to the phone calls! Duh, reason being; your assistant already is aware of your morning routine and doesn’t need to be reminded of each. Well, the best ones do! What I am implying here is, that your personal assistant at work doesn’t need to be reminded of each and every tiny little thing and you have a peace of mind that your tasks are being attended to and are automated with the presence of an assistant at work.

Similar is the case with Alexa. She can act as a personal assistant for you at home, allowing you to automate your daily routines with the help of “Routines”.

For instance, as soon as you enter the home from a long day at work; you can say “Alexa! I am home”. Given you have created a routine which involves actions you take whenever you enter the home, it would then automatically: Switch on lights, turn on the HVAC system and read the daily news bulletin to you. And much more…

Similarly, if you say “Alexa, Goodnight!”, then you can expect Alexa to switch off or dim the lights, lock the doors and set your thermostat to the desired temperature that you have set for your periods of sleep.

If you’re keen to know what other voice commands you could give to your Alexa, then there is a very elaborative list of Alexa voice commands available for your easy-read and references.

To create a Routine, head over to your Alexa app and follow the below guidelines:

1. Go to the menu and select “Routines”
2. Select the + icon in the top right corner.
3. Select “When this happens” and then here you can choose how to trigger the Routine.
4. Select “Add action”and choose which action it completes. To receive a notification, you can select “Send notification”.
5. Under “From” section, select which device controls the Routine.
6. Tap “Create”

Making Announcements

Ever noticed while being in a hotel, that a particular announcement is being broadcasted throughout the hotel speakers? Something like “Dear Valuable Guests, The Lunch is on us today. Please head over to the lobby and straight into the hotels’ restaurant.” God, I wish such a hotel exists *wink*

Anyhow, getting back to the topic. You can very well mimic this concept at your very home by using the “Announcement” feature of Alexa. Let us assume you have multiple Echo devices throughout your home. You can interlink them together and then set up announcements which would basically serve as an intercom. You can broadcast a single message which would then be played on all of the Alexa devices in your household at the same time.

A prime example of this would be, “Alexa, announce that the lunch is ready”. Alexa would then record this voice command of yours and broadcast (play) it on all the Alexa interconnected devices at your home. What a great way to remind your kids to close the PlayStation and head down for Lunch.

The Amazon Echo is also packed with a feature called the “Drop In”. The concept is similar to “Hey, I thought to quickly drop in to check if you are feeling better”. Drop In the Amazon echo works in a similar fashion. You can connect to any of the interconnected Echo’s at your home and just simply engage in a two-way audio conversation with the person on the other end of the echo. Practical use of this would be:

“Alexa, Drop In on kitchen!”

Once Alexa connects to the Kitchen echo, it would give alert you with a beep.

Once connected, you can then communicate to your wifey and ask:

“Hi Sweetheart, how is the dinner coming along?”

Since Drop In is supported by a two-way audio feature, you can then talk away.

Once done, you can say “Alexa, hang up”, and the Drop In would disconnect.

Incredible isn’t it?!

You can even Drop In to your friends and families Echos.

To set this up, fire up the Alexa app:

1. Navigate to “Settings”.
2. Select the Amazon Echo device you want to connect to and tap “Drop In”.
3. You now have the option to select ON” or “Only My Household” to enable Drop In conversations.

Make Free Phone Calls

Alexa isn’t the only one you can talk to through your echo device. You can very well place and receive voice calls with an echo and enjoy seamless conversations. The Alexa app supports Alexa-to-Alexa voice calling on iPhone with iOS 9.0 and above, and an Android phone with a 5.0 version or higher. If you have got your hands on the Echo Show, then you can also initiate video calls in between the Alexa supported devices.

To activate the calling feature in Alexa, you will need:

1. A valid Amazon account.
2. Your mobile number which you intend to register.
3. The Alexa app installed on your smartphone

To activate this feature, open the Alexa app:

• Goto the conversations tab (bottom of the screen, speech bubble icon).
• Follow the on-screen instructions to link your mobile number.

Once you have allowed Alexa to access your Contacts list, you can then simply give the voice command to call anybody you want to speak to from your contact list.

The only limitation here is that the person you are trying to reach out to needs to have an Amazon Echo device or any Alexa compatible device linked to their mobile numbers for this inter-communication call to take place.

Earlier this year, Amazon had inked a deal with both AT&T and Skype to communicate using your Amazon devices. So, once you link your Amazon account to your AT&T account, then you don’t necessarily need to have your mobile phone present around the household to access this “FREE PHONE CALLS” feature on the Amazon Echo.

Keen to know more about this AT&T integration with Amazon Echo, then click on the link to read more.

Translation at Your Fingertips

The concept of having a gadget that you could speak to, and it would then process what you have said, into a foreign language, was always considered a thing of the future. Isn’t it?

Wrong! Echo can do precisely that and in the most accurate way possible. And that too, in the present age! Yay! This is a paradigm shift in the world of meetings, foreign exchange students or couch surfing hosts. Imagination is the key to where this kind of extraordinary feature can be put to use.

To use this feature, you need to download a skill called “Translated”. Once installed, all you need to do to access it is by saying:

“Alexa, open Translated.”

After the skill has been enabled, just say:

“Alexa, how do you say Good Morning in Japanese.”

Or perhaps any of the other 37 supported languages of the Translated app. The only drawback to this is that you need to speak in ENGLISH and the Translated app then converts it into the 37 languages.

A live demo to the Translated app can be seen in the video below:

Controlling Your TV

Got a dumb TV at home? Convert it into a smart TV right now with the aid of a Firestick.

Read my in-depth article on how to convert a standard computer monitor into a smart TV or if you are keen into finding out what actually is a DUMB TV and whether you have one.

Once you convert your DUMB TV into a smart TV with the help of a Firestick, you can potentially then control your TV by using your voice commands given out to the Echo device it’s connected to.

To set this up, fire up your Alexa app:

1. Select “Music, Videos & Books”.
2. Select “Fire TV >> Link Your Alexa Device”.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to select the devices you want to link.
4. To confirm the link, tap on “Link Devices”.

If you are keen into finding out step-by-step instructions, then head over to the article here by Amazon.

Once connected, you can then issue commands to your Tele by saying:

“Alexa, turn up the volume.”

“Alexa, Pause the video.”

…. And much more!

If you have just got one Firestick, then the commands that you give out to the Echo would correlate directly to the Firestick device linked to your Echo.

– PRO TIP by SmartNutter.com

Multi-Room Audio

Much like Apple’s AirPlay or the Sonos system, you can very well execute a similar feature with your multiple Echo devices at your home. You can set them up to play the same music at the same time, much like having a centralized speaker system at your home.

To set it up, fire up the Alexa app:

1. Go to “Settings”.
2. Scroll down until you find “Audio Groups”.
3. Select “Multi-Room Music”.
4. Here you should be able to see all of your “Smart Home Groups”.
5. Select “Add Group >> Amazon Multi-Room Music Group”.
6. Select the name of your new group.
7. Add the echo devices you want to be added into this newly formed group.

Now since we have a group created. Let us play music on all of them simultaneously, shall we?

“Alexa, play Michael Jackson’s History on Group 1” – Group 1 is the name I assumed you would give to your multi-room audio setup *wink*

Setting up Timers

Timers is the single best thing Amazon could do to help me save on the scolding’s that I have received from my wife whenever I burnt the sirloin steak!

Well, now! No more.

With Echo present in my kitchen, I can easily set up multiple timers and also categorize them individually. For example:

“Alexa set a 45-minute timer for the cookies” and “Alexa set a 10-minute timer for the pasta.”

After the time has passed, Alexa would start repeatedly beeping until you give out the command:

“Alexa, stop.”

If you are not keen on repeating to Alexa to stop the Timer, then I would suggest replacing the command TIMER with REMINDER. This way it would beep only twice instead of the continuous beeps, which can at times tend to annoy the wifey *wink*.

To manually manage the timers, just fire up the Alexa app and:

1. Tap the hamburger shaped icon (button) in the top left corner. This will then to expand the menu.
2. Select “Alerts & Alarms”.
3. Select the “Timer” tab.
4. Tap on any of the active timers.
5. Tap “Pause” or “Cancel”.

Timers too are device-specific. Just as the reminders and alarms. Therefore, whichever Alexa device you decide to create a timer on, only that particular device will sound the alarm when it finishes.

Calendars

Oh, Dear God! This one is a life-saver. Without this particular skill, my day would have been useless. Well, not saying that I am a very busy guy, but I would certainly like to believe so! Hey, writing this article takes time, you know!

Anyhow!

You can easily sync your calendar from your favourite mail application directly into your Amazon Echo or the Echo Show. With the help of this feature, you can have Alexa read up your upcoming appointments. Thus giving you the real feeling of having a personal voice assistant around you.

Alexa supports:

1. Microsoft Calendars via Outlook.com & Office 365
2. Google Calendar
3. Apple Calendar

If you are keen on knowing how you can link them, then fire up the Alexa app:

1. Tap the “Menu” button in the top left corner.
2. Tap “Settings”.
3. Select “Calendar & Email”.
4. Tap “Add Account”.
5. Choose the email service you would like to connect to. And link!
6. Enable (or Disable) calendar notifications.
7. When finished, tap the Back-Arrow button in the top left

Voila! You are all set. Now you can add events to your calendar by saying

“Alexa, add lunch with my wife at 2 PM today” – Alexa replies, “Which Wife?” – this is supposed to be banter.

Audio, Books & Podcasts

It is easy as 1-2-3 to listen to music on your Amazon Echo, but if you are a devoted podcast listener than Alexa is the right solution for you. It allows you to access your favourite shows. Your options include:

1. Apple Podcasts
2. Spotify
3. Pandora
4. iHeartRadio
5. TuneIn
6. SiriusXM
7. Deezer
8. VEVO
9. Tidal

To connect the music services, fire up your Alexa app:

1. Tap the “More” icon in the bottom toolbar.
2. Go to “Settings > Music & Podcasts > Link New Service”.
3. Choose the service you want to add here.
4. Tap the “Enable to use” button.
5. You would then be asked to sign in to the service you want to link to your account with Amazon.
6. Sign-in and tap the button to allow access.
7. Tap “Done”.

If you add multiple podcasts service providers, then you also have the option to set one as “Default”. So, you don’t necessarily need to go back and forth with Alexa to stream your shows or podcasts from a particular service by repeating that service’s name every time. Once you set a default podcast service, then whatever you ask Alexa to play; it would then automatically pick up the podcast from that service provider and play it for you.

To set the default, go to:

1. “Settings > Music & Podcasts > Default Services”
2. Tap the “Change” link under the podcasts section and select the service you want to set as default.

After all of this has been set up, just give a command to Alexa to play your favourite podcast, such as:

“Alexa, play the podcast, Hidden Brain.”

This command would automatically play the podcast Hidden Brain from your default set service provider. (Hidden Brain, here is used as an example).

Checking the Traffic

Like most of us, we really want to be sure what time we should leave from home given how horrendous morning commutes could be due to the overlapping traffic. This problem often makes me end up being late to work since I was too acquainted with leaving at a particular time to head to work. Well, no more! My dear friend Alexa has solved this problem for me, and let me be honest with you. This is a standout feature, and it has helped me tremendously.

You can now easily ask Alexa how long would it take from point A to point B. One vital point to keep into consideration is that for Alexa to determine the distance between point A (assuming that’s your home) to point B, it needs to know the exact location of point A.

By default, your Amazon echo device is designed to pick up your current location as point A. To confirm whether that point A picked up by Echo is correct, fire up your Alexa app:

1. Tap “More” on the bottom of the screen.
2. “Settings”.
3. “Device Settings”.
4. Choose the device’s name from the list.
5. (scroll down to) “Device Location” (under the General Section).
6. If you can’t seem to be able to see your location registered here, just update it now.

Now since that is out of the way. Let us now configure point B (Which I assume is your work location).

Fire up the Alexa app:

1. Go to “Settings”.
2. (scroll down to) “Traffic” (under the Alex preferences section).
3. Set the “From” and “To” fields.

“To” is the location of your work. “From” is what we configured as point A (your home).

So now when you ask Alexa in the morning:

“Alexa, how is the traffic today?”

She will respond back with the traffic details from point A to point B. Yay Alexa!

Currently, Alexa isn’t set up to provide public transport details. Hoping that in the future updates, this too would be attended to. If you are reading this, then click here to drop a quick email to the echo team requesting for this feature. Or you could even be quirky and give them a quick call on this Toll-Free Number 1-877-375-9365. The Amazon Echo Customer Support is available from 3 AM to 10 PM Pacific Time.

Ask Factual Questions

Random questions like:

“Who is the founder of Apple?”

“What are the names of Michael Jackson’s children?”

“Who invented the aeroplane?”

Tend to popup every now and then. Why not let Alexa answer these for you? Somewhat like a trivial game which could be played with your kids or even a guest-game night.

Alexa does an excellent job into answering not so obscure factual questions and answers them in the most significant way. But if you end up asking questions like:

“How did Tupac get his name?”

Then expect her to give you a haywire response. Such responses could be that she would start reading out Tupac’s Wikipedia page or even plainly respond back saying “Sorry, I don’t know”.

Statistics about Voice Processors

I know that these statistics are all over the web. But though to compile them all together under this article for those number-crunching nerd readers of mine. Here you go:

1. About 30% of all the searches done on the internet will be done without a screen in 2020 – Gartner
2. 13% of all the households in the United States owned a smart speaker in 2017. – OC&C Strategy Consultants
3. Nearly 40 million Americans currently own a smart speaker.
4. 58% of people have used voice search to find information about a local business.
5. 72% of the people who used voice to search for stuff, claimed that it has become part of their daily routine now.
6. Google claims 95% accuracy in their voice search technology.
7. Alexa uses BING as its default search engine.

Conclusion

With this, I summarize my article on the Top 11 Alexa Skills that I use almost daily. These are thoroughly vetted, and I have jotted these down after personally using them. I am sure that these tips would lighten up your day and, in the end,, who hates talking to a female? – other than your wife. Of course, if she permits!

Stay safe people! Stay smart.

To a few, pets are just animals. But for the other half, pets are “family members”. Therefore, our pets should too benefit from the latest advancements in the field of smart home tech. No! I don’t mean to get them a flying shuttle… Reminds you of Jetson’s doesn’t’ it? .

Since we at SmartNutter.com are smart home addicts, why not go the extra mile and spread the joy of smart home products to these furry, cuddly animals we call “pets” at our homes. Not only can you offer them smart home gadgets, but you can actually make your life a lot easier into managing them by introducing these fancy gadgets that I have shortlisted down in the article below.

Before I begin, let me be very cut-throat about this whole dogma of “Smart Home Pet Products” that you can find in the market these days. These so-called smart-toys, if not all, many of them are actually quite dumb and a far cry from what we can deem as a genuine, smart device. Or let’s use the word “PRACTICAL” here; since that would put this whole paragraph into perspective. I have personally known a few of my family members, friends and their friends whom I have gotten in touch with before writing this whole article about smart home pet products; I’ve concluded that majority of these are just marketing gimmicks and not close to reality or being of any practical use. Most of them are poor performers.

Luckily, I have put up a sizeable list of smart home pet products that you must and should consider buying in the year 2020. This list would assist you in purchasing a gadget for your furry friend that wouldn’t end up being a dud. These devices are bound to brighten up your pet’s day and bring a smile to your face and make your pet cuddle in with you after having a fair use of them.

Let us get right down to the list of smart home products that are a must-have in 2020.

Mighty Paw Smart Bell 2.0

As the product’s name states “PAW SMART BELL“. Which means, that with the press from a paw on the smart bell; you can be sent an alarm that your furry friends need to go Poo-Poo. With this gadget’s installation at your home, you can very well stray away from a scratching, barking and a whining pet whenever they want to go potty.

All you need to do is, to train them to use this bell. This is one of the most premier solutions out there, which is both simple and efficient.

How does it work?

This smart bell consists of 2 components – an activator and a receiver.

The activator is the button on which your dog presses and ideally it should be placed near the door where you normally let your dog in and out of the house. This “activator” installs in practically seconds using a 3M strip and doesn’t require a power to operate. This button thingie is very easy to operate and is suitable for dogs of all sizes and weight. Must be thinking, how does it function without power or batteries? Well, for the tech-nerds here, there is a microgenerator installed in the device that sends a “click” that then powers the impulse to be sent to the Receiver, which then generates the sound.

Got 2 doors that your dog uses? Then fret not. Mighty Paw Smart Bell 2.0 comes with an option to purchase 2 of these activators. This option is also ideal for larger homes.

The second component is the Receiver. This is the device on which you will hear the tone once the activator is pressed (or pawed in, if I may say).

For the Receiver, you are required to connect it to a standard power outlet (110 volts). The Receiver comes with a 1,000 ft. range from the activator. Along with the audible alert on this Receiver, there is also a light embedded into its frame that allows you to see when your paw-friend presses on the activator.

On the side of the receiver, there are 2 buttons:

1. Volume adjustment
2. Chime tone adjustment

Features of The Mighty Paw Smart Bell 2.0

1. Wireless technology (No need of a power outlet for the Activators)
2. Comes with an adhesive for wall/door (Made by 3M). No mounting screws or drilling necessary.
3. You can choose from Four different volumes.
4. Option to choose from 38 various ringtones.
5. Activator & Receiver can interconnect as far as 1,000 feet from each other.
6. Requires just a mere 0.75 lbs. of compression from either the nose or the paw to activate the sound.
7. Water-resistant.
8. 90 days money-back guarantee with 100% refund

Product Details

Furbo Dog Camera

The Furbo Dog camera provides an easy way to connect with your dog while you are away from home. Gone are the days, when your furry friends used to wait out on you to get back home and offer them their long-awaited treats! It gives you notifications when your pet needs attention and most of all, it lets you toss treats to your dog whenever you want, wherever you want! Hey, you can even use the 2-way audio module built-in the Furbo Dog Camera to talk to your dog. What more could you want?

Most importantly, it works with Alexa! Yay.

How does it work?

Furbo has three primary functions. Let us now see what they are:

1. Tossing treats
2. Two-Way Audio
3. One-Way Video

You can easily watch and communicate with your dog via the iOS app if you are iPhone user or the Android app.

The two-way audio features allow you to hear what your doing is on about. This includes talking (if they can), whining (which they should), barking (duh!) or if there are any other noises around your house. You can very well talk to your dog with the help of the Furbo app via your smartphone and give them commands or even vocal-pat them.

If you want to reward your pet, you can pretty quickly do that with the tap on the app.

It’s quite simple to set up the Furbo. Just plug in the device into a power outlet, Download the Furbo app and connect to your local home WiFi, and you are all set. The built-in selfie camera on the Furbo allows you to take adorable selfies of your dog and upload them into your smartphone’s app so you may maintain that collage of your furry friend!

The Furbo comes equipped with a FULL HD 1080p Camera with Night-vision capabilities. An eye-candy to watch videos that are captured from the Furbo.

You can very easily integrate Furbo with Amazon Alexa.

As soon as you are doing linking your Furbo account with Alexa, you can start giving out commands to Furbo such as:

“Alexa, can you please ask Furbo to toss a treat”

“Alexa, please ask Furbo to toss a treat to my dog every 20 seconds for 2 minutes”

“Alexa, please ask Furbo to toss a treat every 30 minutes between 8 AM and 4 PM”

The sky is the limit when you integrate your smart home gadgets with Alexa. And Furbo is no different!

Features of Furbo Dog Camera

Furbo Dog camera is not just an ordinary camera. And here’s why:

Do bear in mind, that some of the features listed in the table above, require Furbo Nanny Cam subscription. It comes at a monthly subscription of $9.99 and a yearly package of $99 which is obviously a great deal since you save $20, paying upfront for the whole year.

New features are under development as we speak. Which include

1. Dog Vomit Alert
2. Choking Alert
3. Seizure Alert
4. Health report and much more!

I am confident that as a Dog owner, you too would also find great use of this nifty little gadget. And the possibility of integrating it with Amazon Alexa makes it a lot more fun and connected in terms of “Smart Home Gadgets for Pets”.

PETKIT Automatic Cat Feeder

I personally have a Persian cat at my home. And God, she wreaks havoc when she doesn’t have enough food in her bowl. Yes, you read that, right! ENOUGH FOOD. She doesn’t like it when the bowl is half full. Madame wants a full bowl every time she is strolling past her food bowl.

PETKIT Automatic Cat Feeder is the only solution that helped me get over the trouble of an angry cat. You can easily configure, program and control this gadget using the smartphone app they provide. This unit is equipped with delicate features that stop any cat food from getting stuck into the device. That being said, PETKIT device allows you to set up schedules of when to dispense food into the tray. If you are a cat owner, you must be acquainted with the term “IF IT IS NOT FRESH, IT IS NOT FUN“!

We all run a busy schedule, and sometimes it skips our mind to refill the cat food with fresh kibble! Well, try telling that to your cat? I am confident you won’t be getting a great response. WELL, FRET NOT PEOPLE! SmartNutter is there for the rescue!

If your target is to control the dispensing and refilling of your cat’s food remotely, ensuring that it is fresh every time your cat is on about its nibbling time and obviously to maintain a regular feeding schedule then get your hands on the PETKIT Automatic Cat Feeder from Amazon.

How does it work?

The PETKIT Smart Feeder seamlessly connects to your home WiFi. Which then allows you to utilize all the features on the gadget remotely, using the PetKit app (iOS / Android). With the help of the app, you can program 10 feeding schedules in a day. The meals can be easily customized between 1 – 20 portions each. The minimum portion being 20g (which is approximately ¼ cup), whilst the maximum portion you can dispense is 400g. Therefore, giving you the leverage to feed as much as you want!

Does your cat require ad-hoc feedings? Or want to give it an extra portion? Well, the solution exists right in the PetKit app. All you need to do is to go to the Home page of the app and:

1. Press the “+” button at the bottom right
2. This will open up the snack setting.
3. Turn on “FEED NOW (Green)”
4. Choose Quantity
5. Save
6. Dispense! = Happy Cat

Once you setup a feeding schedule, you then don’t need to worry about refilling the food tray anymore. Since the PETKIT Smart Feeder will do the job for you. If you are concerned that your internet at home (WiFi) is of an issue or if you are worried if it gets disconnected from the power socket, then don’t! The PETKIT device will still dispense the food at its given schedule, even if there is no power or WiFi connectivity.

Surprise! PETKIT Automatic Cat Feeder is fully Alexa enabled. Meaning?

Head over to Alexa’s skill page and download the PETKIT skill. With the help of this skill, you can easily ask Alexa to control your PETKIT gadget with voice commands. To name a few:

1. “Alexa, ask PETKIT to give out half a cup now” – Use this to give an immediate snack
2. “Alexa, ask PETKIT to distribute a quarter cup at 11’o’clock” – Use this to give snack at a specific time

One of the shortfalls of using the Alexa skill to control the PETKIT gadget is that you can not set up a feeding schedule via voice commands.

Let me know how this works out for you. I have been emailing f@petkit.com with my regular recommendations as to what should be incorporated in the Skills section of Alexa viz. this app and if any of my voice commands is not recognized. PETKIT takes out time to reply back to you, showing how great their customer support is.

Types of food you can use in the PETKIT Smart Feeder

1. Any type of Kibble
2. Air dried meat-based food
3. Flat big square type kibble
4. Any kibble with the size of 5mm up to 25 mm diameter

You also have the option to check how much total food is still present in the container via the app.

Features of the PETKIT Automatic Cat Feeder

1. App controlled gadget
2. Customizable schedule for your cat’s feeding routine
3. Dispenses up to 10 meals a day
4. Individual portions (Range: 20g – 400g)
5. With desiccant box that allows the food to remain fresh when stored
6. Removable dishwasher-safe food tray
7. Hopper Capacity: 6lb dry food
8. Food indicator
9. Suitable for all sized cats
10. Wi-Fi functionality
11. Light orientation present for night-time snacks
12. One-Year warranty
13. One-Month replacement guarantee

Product Details

If you are a dog owner, the PETKIT Automatic Feeder will work perfectly well for you as well. Just make sure that the food size and dimensions fall into the size, accepted by the PETKIT Feeder. If you’re keen to read more about the product, then I suggest heading over to their FAQ section where you can find a plethora of questions asked by curious buyers such as you and from those who have already owned the product.

Petcube Play 2

Thanks to the great lockdown that happened in 2020 (well, that’s how it would go down in the history books?), pets now have their owners around them at home. To play, cuddle, scratch at and more! These furry friends of ours are delightfully relishing their humans being at home all the time. But what happens when you are back to work or are not able to attend to your furry friend. Well, for this very reason; I got my hands on the Petcube Play 2. An excellent nifty little gadget that allows me to play with my Persian cat and keep him busy. This device not only allows you to see your pet but also allows you to play with them with the help of a laser pointer (Yes! Don’t worry about the harms of the laser. Since this is both human and pet-friendly laser pointer).

How does it work?

The Petcube Play 2 comes with a standard HD 1080p built-in camera with night vision support and needless to say, a pretty decent zoom. It supports a 160-degree worth of panning from its base location and comes with a 4-x digital zoom. The picture quality on the camera is excellent, in fact so great that now I can see what parts of my living room requires cleaning *pun intended*. The Petcube Play 2 gives you the liberty to also watch 30-second clips stored in your account—a great way to share videos of your pet playing with your friends.

The Petcube Play 2 comes equipped with a 2-way audio feature which allows you to talk to your furry friend. And if your pet is a Masters in literature, they should reply back to you. (Yeah, once again! Pure pun was intended.) This gadget comes equipped with a sound and motion detection, which can be easily configured with the Petcube app (iOS / Android). Once this is set up, then whenever your pet comes around the Petcube or makes some noise in its vicinity; you will receive a notification on your smartphone of the same.

Without further ado, the LASER POINTER thingie of the Petcube Play 2 is what made me buy it in the first place. This laser is safe for both pets and humans, allowing you to play with your dog or cat remotely. Just open the app, and move the laser pointer by scribbling on the screen of your smartphone. Well, don’t scribble! You wouldn’t want your pet to go haywire.

You always have the option to set up “Autoplay” so that the laser can move around independently.

To enjoy more features on the Petcube, I would suggest you go through their paid subscription chart below.

The Petcube Play 2 comes built-in with Alexa support. What that means is you can pass out voice commands to your Alexa to control the Petcube Play 2. To begin with:

1. “Alexa, ask Petcube to setup Autoplay on the laser” – Voila, the laser pointer will go autoplay
2. “Alexa, ask Petcube to play with Mao” – my cat’s name

Features of the Petcube Play 2

1. 1080p HD camera with Nightvision support
2. 4x Digital Zoom with 160-degree Wide Angle View
3. 4-microphone array + speaker bar
4. Built-in Alexa
5. Laser Toy
6. Communicates via Bluetooth/WiFi
7. Supports Tripod Mount for better maneuverability
8. Live-video streaming (with a subscription)
9. Smart notifications (with Petcube subscription only)
10. Daily video timeline (with Petcube subscription only)
11. Freely shared videos and images
12. Comes with a 12-month warranty (24month with premium care subscription)

If you are keen on going through the Petcube Play 2 user manual then click here.

Product Details

Conclusion

With the rise of smart home pet products, it is, without a doubt a great time to be a pet. Heck, if I was a dog or a cat; I would love to have one if not all, products mentioned above with my owner. Since these gadgets allow you to still be able to see and play with your fur-kids even if you aren’t at home. Additionally, some of these smart home pet products listed above can also help you keep your pets safe at home.

One more thing, if you are interested in to let your dog walker / cat-attender into your home while you are away, then head over to my article on Smart Locks for homes and ensure you are doing whatever you can to keep your pets and home safe at all times!

Stay safe people!

Who doesn’t have a TV or is remotely not aware of what TV’s are? Well, if you really don’t know what TV’s are, then I suggest you head back to your grandma and ask her what that is! *banter intended*.

TV’s are great, but what if I tell you that you could use the computer monitor that you have hooked up to your laptop or your desktop machine, as a standard Television. Would you be happy with this kind of a scientific; technological; new invention kind of an approach? Well, then read on.

Fasten your seatbelts, grab your self-proclaimed engineering gear on; as I would covering in great detail in this topic, what exactly can you do to convert your computer monitor into a fully-functional television set. Yes, you would also be able to stream movies and stuff! Yay.

So, there are two aspects to this article. Namely:

1. If you are in the process of buying a monitor to be used as a TV later on
2. If you already own a monitor and want to convert it into a TV

In the first scenario, where you are still evaluating which monitor to buy, which can also act as a TV later on. I would strongly recommend keeping the following in mind:

1. Make sure it supports HDMI connectivity
2. Make sure the monitor has an Audio-Out Jack / or at least has integrated speakers
3. Make sure the monitor is HDCP compliant

If you want to find out if your current monitor is HDCP compliant or not, then head over to this article by Techwalla where they cover precisely how you can do it at home!

What Is the Difference Between A Computer Monitor and A Tv Screen?

Potato, PotAto! Well, if I spelt that right; then you must have gotten the gist of it by now. There is not much difference between the two. Both a computer monitor and a TV screen are supposed to display images and videos to you. And yes, if you are a tech-geek; then both are “OUTPUT DEVICES“.

Generally, the difference between a monitor and a TV screen is narrowing day by day. Still, you would want to keep the below chart in mind before hopping onto buying your new monitor or your TV and if you plan on using either one for projecting movies or hooking it up to your computer.

As you can see from the chart above, both the TV and the computer monitor have a lot of similarities but at the same time; have critical differences in terms of usability and features. If I were to decide which of the above should I go for, then it all narrows down to my budget.

Cheapest of the TV’s can come at a price-tag of $100 and can soar up to a price-tag of $40,000 as well. It Whilst at the same time, a monitor that can offer equivalently crisp images and resolution can be bagged for a few thousand dollars as compared to a $40,000 tele. The key difference at this stage would be the number of inputs and outputs you would want. If your aim is to connect multiple devices and have the ease of displaying them on one unit, then go with a television. If that’s not your aim, then go for a monitor. Coz hey! The purpose of this article is to guide you how we can convert a monitor into a television. Stay focused people! *wink

So now, the million-dollar question!

Can You Convert A Computer Monitor into A Television?

The answer is “YES“. All the modern computer monitors come equipped with an HDMI port. Therefore, if your set-top box has an HDMI port; then it’s just a matter of plugging both ends of the HDMI cable into the ports and voila; you now can watch your set-top box channels on your very own computer monitor.

But what if there is no HDMI port present on the monitor?

Well, if you had purchased your monitor in this decade; then chances are that it would be equipped with an HDMI port. But if it doesn’t have an HDMI port on it, then your best bet is to connect the monitor using the VGA port and pray that your set-top box has a VGA port on it.

What if your set-top box doesn’t have a VGA port, but your monitor does? Then fret not, head over to this VGA to HDMI converter adapter from Amazon, and you are golden! With the help of this adapter, you can easily connect your VGA monitor cable into its input, and the output can then be connected to the set-top box you intend to hook up to your television.

Now since that’s out of the way! How do you currently plan on hearing the audio streamed from your set-top box to your computer monitor? Well, if your monitor doesn’t have a built-in speaker; then you are in a for a mess. Coz now you are required to buy this HDMI audio extractor from Amazon that would allow you to connect your external speakers directly into this device and then you may enjoy seamless audio and video; just as if you were watching a TV.

Don’t get confused on this extractor thingie! Trust me; it’s way easier than it sounds. The video below shows a practical example of how this is achieved.

User manual to the J-Tech HDMI Audio Extractor is available here.

How to Stream Movies on a Computer Monitor?

Well, if your monitor was bought in this decade; then chances are it already has an HDMI port. If that’s the case, all you need to do is just buy the Google Chromecast from Amazon. You can buy the Amazon FireStrick 4k which would connect directly on the HDMI port present on your monitor and voila. Stream away!

The Amazon FireStick 4k is capable to stream movies from a boatload of different streaming services, such as:

1. Amazon Prime
2. HBO
3. NETFLIX
4. Sling
5. HULU
6. ESPN
7. YouTube
8. Disney+

And the beauty is, that if your monitor supports 4k resolution; the Amazon FireStick would pump out 4k images (Depending on the broadcasting service) and you can then just sit back and relax while enjoying your favourite viewing movie or stream.

If you are into streaming your favourite TV channels, then I would recommend swapping the Amazon FireStick with a Google Chromecast ULTRA. Since with the recent addition of services like Sling TV and Direct TV, the Chromecast now allows you to stream cable stations like

1. TNT
2. Animal Planet
3. HGTV

Directly to your Chromecast. There is a subscription to it, though. Approximately at $20 or more a month. Depending on which service package you choose and the tier your select.

NINJA TIP: Do bear in mind, the Chromecast users who have tried broadcasting in this way had reported issues of video display as either being laggy on their monitors. Or not functional at all! This is because Chromecast doesn’t support resolutions lower than 720p.

– Smartnutter.com readers review.

Now, what if your monitor has an HDMI port but no Audio Output or built-in speakers. Hey, we at smartnutter.com ensure that our readers get the best DIY Smart home tips right at their screens. So, read on!

You have two options here.

Option A:

Invest in an audio-extractor. Like the one, I have mentioned above. Here is the link.

Option B:

Is a pretty cumbersome one though. You would need to screencast whatever you intend on watching, via your smartphone to your Firestick or the Chromecast. While that is happening, you would then need to connect an external speaker to your smartphone.

This option is not a recommended one, since there is bound to be a lag between the audio and the video being displayed due to the multiple channels through which the screencast is happening.

My best recommendation is to invest in an HDMI audio extractor (as mentioned in option A).

What if your monitor only has a DVI input?

In such scenarios, you would need to invest in an HDMI to DVI converter with an Audio Out port. Such a device is available at Amazon. If you click on the given link, you would be redirected to the product page.

How to Watch Local Tv Channels on My Computer Monitor?

This is absolutely possible! If your aim is to watch your local TV channels on your computer monitor, then you would need to do the following.

1. Subscribe to your local cable or TV channel subscription
2. Use a conventional antenna and a TV tuner box

In option A, you can connect almost all the satellite or cable boxes that are provided by your TV streaming service provider and hook them up to your computer monitor via an HDMI cable. If your monitor doesn’t have an HDMI cable, then resort to the HDMI VGA adapter I have mentioned in my article above. The only concern here would be the “AUDIO”. Hence, I would recommend to either connect external speakers to your cable box or use the HDMI VGA Adapter with an audio port such as this one and enjoy!

If you want to resort to option B, then you sir are in a for a wee-bit of DIY installation. This setup requires you to install those traditional ANTENNAS on your roof-top. Jokes! In the modern world of technology, there are sleek looking indoor antennas that you can use to broadcast local TV channels for free. One that I use is found is manufactured by Gesobyte and can be bought from Amazon with this link.

This particular model comes with a 200 miles range and should be more than sufficient for city dwellers.

Now since buying and installing an indoor antenna is out of the way. Let us now focus on getting those free channels broadcasted to your computer monitor. For this, you would need to buy a TV Tuner box. I would recommend the one I use by Mediasonic from Amazon. This box acts as a bridge between your monitor and the antenna you have just installed.

For my UK readers, head over to FreeView checker and just punch in your post-code to find out what channels are available via satellite in your particular area. For my US readers, please head over to AntennaWeb to get an idea of what channels you should be able to access based on your location.

Make sure you look at what kind of input ports are available in your monitor on which you plan on hooking up this TV tuner box. Since most of the new TV tuner boxes, along with the one I have recommended above; comes with an HDMI port. So, chances are if your monitor doesn’t support HDM input; then you would be required to invest into an HDMI adapter depending on which port is available in your monitor.

A couple of important points that need to be kept into mind before hopping onto Amazon and buying the indoor antennas is that there are not one but a couple of factors which can/might offer a bad quality of reception via these antennas.

• There is no clear line of sight between the broadcasting towers and your antenna.

Solution: Try changing the placement of where you have installed the antenna at your home.

• Loss of signals in the coaxial cable distribution.

Solution: Check to see if there are any loose cable fittings between your antenna and the set-top box. There could also be a possibility that the cable has been compromised.

• The coaxial cable running between the antenna and the tuner is too long

Solution: When the cable lengths reach over 100 feet, you can expect a signal loss of as much as 1/3.

• Faulty Digital Tuner

Solution: It doesn’t happen too often, but if you have tried all the above and ensured that you have followed the user manual that came with your antenna to set it up; there might be a chance then that your tuner box is faulty. Just get in touch with the supplier from where you have bought it and ask for a replacement/refund.

Related Questions

Can You Use A Computer Monitor as A Tv With Roku?

It is entirely possible to stream with Roku on your computer monitor. Roku supports endless entertainment and offers almost 150,000+ movies and TV series across thousands of free and paid channels.

The same is applicable to connect a Roku device to your monitor as what has been discussed above. I would suggest going through the above article to see what interfaces are present on your monitor to enable connectivity between your Roku and your monitor.

If you are keen to find out what is being broadcasted on Roku right now, then they offer a convenient search your favourite channel tool that would allow you to do just that!

How To Convert Monitor Into Smart Tv?

The possibilities or the explanations of what each individual calls a TV “smart” are LIMITLESS. But the basic functionality of a smart TV is to offer you more control as compared to a conventional “DUMB TV”. To achieve those, you can very quickly convert your computer monitor into a smart TV by hooking it up with

1. Chromecast Ultra
2. Roku
3. Amazon Fire Cube
4. Amazon Fire Stick

How to Connect Set Top Box to Monitor Without Tv Tuner?

All the modern set-top boxes are equipped with an HDMI port. All you need to do is to connect the HDMI cable in between your monitor and the set-top TV, and voila!

Conclusion

I am confident after going through this article, you must have been convinced that with a tad bit of DIY (do-it-yourself); you can certainly convert your dumb monitor into a TV.

Although it requires you to buy a few extra accessories here and there, overall learning how to convert your monitor in a TV is not a challenging thing to do!

If you are still in the process of deciding whether to go for a monitor or television for your home. Then it would be wise enough to invest in a 4K / 8K resolution computer monitor with built-in speakers and a TV tuner card, that would allow you to stream both the TV and your computer programs via laptop or a desktop computer.

Hope you have enjoyed this article and I am looking forward to any comments, queries, questions you may have on it!

Stay safe! Stay smart.

I am confident that you know what Amazon Alexa. That is the sole reason your inquisitive tech-nerdiness made you land on this article through Google. Yay Google!

Well, to put it all into perspective; Amazon Alexa is the Amazon’s signature voice processor that is capable of deciphering your voice instructions given to it and then parses them down into commands, which then gets sent to Amazon’s appropriate web services to get the right response sent back onto your favourite Amazon device.

Alexa is, without a doubt, “a smart cookie“. I remember once asking her, “Alexa, do you have pets?”. The response I received was “I don’t have any pets. I used to have a couple of bugs, but they keep getting squashed.”—another one for the sake of a pun. I asked Alexa “Alexa, I have got 99 problems”. The response was “But a glitch ain’t one!”. Now that’s nerdy and funny at the same time. Jokes apart, you can only imagine passing out an instruction to Alexa and not get a response back.

Now let us dig into how does Amazon Alexa work technically. Get your specs on people, we are in for a tech-ride.

First, let us understand what Alexa is. Amazon Alexa is the name of the voice processor that is embedded into not only Amazon self-created digital assistants and products, but also a plethora of manufacturers have also integrated it into their gadgets. To name a few:

1. Amazon Smart Plug
2. Amazon Echo
3. Amazon Echo Dot
4. Amazon Tap
5. Amazon Fire TV
6. Philip Hue Started Pack
7. Fitbit Versa 2
8. Ecobee Smart Thermostat
9. Ring Video Doorbell
10. Blink Indoor Security System
11. Samsung SmartThings Hub v3
12. Insignia Fire TV
13. Acer Spin 5 Laptop
14. Caavo Universal Remote

If you own any of the above products, then the voice processor being used in each of them belongs to Amazon, and its name is “Alexa”.

Now since we have the introduction to Alexa out of the way. Let us get into a bit of history on the famous Alexa.

It has, without a doubt taken scientists decades to be able to fully understand and integrate human speech into voice-activated interfaces. This is, without a doubt, not an easy task and needless to say, an evolving one. With the advent of Artificial Intelligence, a great deal of research was poured into integrating these two together, and the world finally ended up seeing the voice-assistants. Amazon being the pioneer in its voice processing capabilities, without a doubt, has done a great job. Therefore, it wouldn’t be wrong in saying that Machine Learning has dramatically facilitated this process and reduced the curve of human being finally able to communicate with their gadgets using their vocal commands.

How Many Smart Speakers Have Been Sold?

Over 147 million smart speaker units were sold globally in the year 2019. And it is expected that this number would grow significantly in years to come. Amazon has remained the top seller position throughout this phase while the other competitors to it, such as Google’s Voice Assistant and Apple’ Siri too are beginning to catch up.

A quick look at the comparison chart below would basically tell us the global smart speaker market share by vendors for Q4 of 2019, alone. I shall update this article when I get my hands on the 2020 charts.

Q4 2019 (Smart Speaker Market by Vendor) – Shipments in Millions of Units

How Does Amazon Alexa Work Technically?

For the sake of the article, I would be basing Alexa’s usage on Amazon’s Echo device.

Amazon Echo can be considered as a social creature which connects to other devices in your household (capable devices) via Bluetooth. Echo supports audio streaming from both smartphones and tablets via the Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) and its voice control via Audio/Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP). Confused with what these are? These both profiles belong to the Bluetooth family and are merely used to transmit data in-between the Echo device and the other gadget that it is connected to.

To engage with the Echo and configure Alexa, you need to use the Alexa app. You can download it into any of Amazon’s products that offer you an interface. Or you are also at liberty to download the Alexa app onto

1. Android OS 4.0 or higher
2. Apple iOS 7.0 or higher

If you are not in favour of installing it on any of your smartphones, then by all means head over to the Amazon’s Alexa Homepage and sign-in with your account to control the Amazon Echo device.

List of functions the Alexa app or the Alexa Homepage has to offer are:

1. Change the settings on the device
2. Consult for help
3. Look at and manage your shopping lists
4. Setup entertainment
5. Smart home integration
6. Setup News alerts and information
7. Download skills
8. Add multiple devices into your centralized dashboard
9. Things you can ask Alexa

Alexa’s voice recognition algorithms improve with use, learning your speech patterns and the words you use. Once you are logged into the app via the smartphone or Alexa’s website, you can also view what interactions you have done with the device. If you are worried that the instruction you passed onto Alexa wasn’t comprehended, then you can very well see what and how it interpreted that particular command and then provide feedback to the developers if there was a gimmick to it. The description section shows you what Alexa heard you say, thus providing you with the opportunity to give feedback on whether it heard it correctly or not. You can also delete the cards and the voice commands that invoked them. But tread carefully here, since if you delete the commands, your voice assistant wouldn’t be able to adapt to your speech patterns and it is altogether a different ballgame from there.

You can further developer your Echo device by using the “Voice Training” option in the device. During this, you are given with 25 commands which you are asked to read out loud to the device. This would allow the device to rectify its patterns and the way it processes your voice commands and then helps it to further enhance its processing capabilities.

The skills Amazon Echo has out of the box are, without a doubt impressive to most of us. But at the same time, Amazon allows and encourages approved developers free to access to its Alexa Voice Services so that they can create new Alexa skills to enhance their system’s skillset just as what their competitor Apple did.

The way Alexa collects data and the invent of Machine-learning into this domain of technology is what has created and excelled the voice processing systems. And without a doubt, Alexa is the leader in this field. Whenever Alexa interprets your given command wrongly, it then ensures that whenever you pass on that same command again; it would strive it’s best using the algorithms to not repeat that same mistake again. The error rate improvement, as reported by Amazon’s Alexa division say they have developed a technique that can reduce the errors in some data-imbalanced systems by up to 30 percent. Given all this, we as the consumer also need to understand that understanding natural human speech is a huge problem given different dialects, accents and whatnot. But at the same time, with the help of machine learning; the curve between both has been reduced significantly and it’s only going to improve over time. There is no going back!

According to Adi Agashe, who is a Program Manager at Microsoft, Alexa is built based on Natural Language Processing (NLP). You might think what NLP is! Well NLP is a procedure of converting human speech into words, sounds and ideas.

How does Alexa work with NLP? NLP is the backbone of Alexa and what made it indeed a voice assistant today is due to this. Amazon records your words and then sends a recorded sound file of it to the AVS servers for it to break it down and convert into instructions which then gets processed and sent back to the owner of the product.

Amazon records your words once the command is sent out to the Echo device and then subsequently this gets sent out to the Amazon’s voice servers and get processed. All of this is done within a fraction of a second and your Alexa responds back to you with the relevant information.

The next step, once you pass on a voice instruction to your Echo device is that it breaks down each word into individual sounds. Once the breakdown happens, it then matches each word with a massive database of words pronunciations to find which words closely match the combination of the individual sounds it has received.

It then identifies essential words from the breakdown of the instruction and then opens compatible apps or processes a particular function. For example, if you pass a voice instruction to the Echo by saying “Hey Alexa, what is the weather today?” Then it would open up the weather app in the backend to process the instruction.

Once this whole workflow gets executed by Alexa’s algorithms, then the voice file gets sent back to the device, which then Alexa speaks out. All of this is done in a matter of seconds, thanks for the Artificial Intelligence indulgence in this space of automation.

If you are keen to read more about the backend information processing on how Alexa works, then I strongly suggest you head over to this article where a tech-nerds like you would be able to quench their thirst for knowledge.

Voice based-AI is genuinely a fictional thing that has come into reality. It certainly holds the promise of supporting our daily activities and queries without the necessary need of typing or swiping away on smartphones or other gadgets. But we also need to understand that there is a massive technical challenge behind perfecting this goal. Why may you ask? Well, humans interact in a plethora of different ways. Sometimes we use our hand-gestures to pass on a message while we are talking and etc. The echo device or in fact, any other Voice based-AI device is incapable of understanding and intercepting such visual instructions.

Amazon has done an excellent job in this domain of technology, and their end-goal is just one. To make spoken user language a user interface that is natural as talking to another human being.

You may also come to another concern with this whole AI thingie. Does the echo device record all the conversations that take place in its surrounding? Well, the most straightforward answer to this is “YES“. Thankfully it isn’t a nefarious plot to spy on you. But you would certainly want to check what she’s being hearing regardless. Even without the “WAKE WORD“, the Alexa is hearing the conversations.

This certainly does create a privacy nightmare. But Amazon claims that they do this to improve and enhance the user experience.

You can certainly turn off this feature under the “SETTINGS” tab and switching-off the “Human Grading” option. Many of these unintentional recordings are just saved by an over-eager Alexa, if I may put it that way.

Alexa always lights up with a blue ring once it is recording. But this can quickly go unnoticed when you are not intending on communicating with the gadget. Therefore, you must check the voice-logs every once in a while.

What Can Alexa Do?

I have compiled a list of the Top 11 most useful and cool things you can do with your Amazon Alexa. Fasten your seatbelts:

Making Phone Calls

You can use Amazon Alexa to make phone calls to other Alexa based devices. You also have the liberty of leaving voice messages.

Controlling Your Smart Home

One of the great benefits of having this nifty little gadget in your home automation space is its integration ability within your smart home ecosystem. Amazon Alexa can:

1. Control your smart lights
2. Open or close the garage door
3. Change the temperature

Cooking Ideas and Tips

My wife personally keeps Alexa in the kitchen. No, not to cook! I wish it could cook, though. But Alexa makes cooking a lot less stressful and more fun.

She asks her questions like:

1. How many tablespoons are equivalent of 100 ml?
2. Alexa, can you please tell me the recipe to a chicken broth?
3. Set a timer: You can ask Alexa to set up multiple timers, and she would then tell you how much time is remaining on each.

Get the Latest News

If you are keen on hearing the news from your favourite source, fret not! Alexa can do this for you. Flash briefings from your preferred news provider can be set up in Alexa and once you reach home from a long day at work; all you need to do is to say “Alexa, please tell me the hot news for today”. And voila!

Keeping Your Kids Busy

We all know that’s one hell of a task! But let me break it to you. Alexa is full of games. Beginning from Easter eggs to silly answers to silly questions. Here are some ways through which Alexa can keep your kids busy:

1. Play games
2. Finding the Easter Eggs
3. Set timers and Play music

Learn About More Features

If there is any particular function that you can’t find in the Alexa out of the box. Then fret not, there is probably a skill for it. There are many skills that you can download right into the gadget. A dedicated page called the “Skill Finder” is available for you to find the relevant skill. You can launch this Skill Finder by saying “Alexa, please launch the Skill Finder” and just pass on the voice command of what particular feature you want in your gadget. If there is a skill for it, then you can have it embedded into the device.

Get Fit with Alexa

While you can’t take Alexa with you to the gym, you can certainly connect it with your FitBit and then ask Alexa how you have done in the gym today. Or perhaps, how many calories are there in a Banana.

Controlling Your Smart Tv

If you are like me, who loses his remote every time the popcorn is ready, and you are snuggled into your favourite fleece with the wifey. Then this one is for you!

Controlling your favourite smart TV with Alexa is a bit of a pricy setup. But once done, you can forget about finding that “Lost in Time” tv remote again. You can virtually control your TV entirely by voice commands.

Playing Music

By default, the Alexa is set up to play music using the “Amazon Music” app. Well, duh!

But if like me, you are fond of streaming music from “Spotify”, then you can always change the default settings from Amazon Music to Spotify.

Multi-Room Audio

If you have got more than 1 Alexa device in your household, then you can interconnect them all together. What this means is, you can play the same music through all the Alexa speakers in your house. Imagination is the key here, people! Put it into use.

External AUX Output

Found your favourite music on Amazon Music? Want to hear it on your posh surround sound system. Then get hold of a 3.5mm AUX cable and connect away with Alexa. You also can sync the audio from Alexa directly via Bluetooth to your favourite external speakers too if using AUX is too old-school for you.

My all-time favourite feature is the “Whisper Mode“. I have written a complete article on it for my readers on how to activate it and also to troubleshoot if the whisper mode stops working.

Conclusion

To be honest, the Amazon Alexa is nearly there. If I have the liberty to say that!

Researches are continuously working to improve its speech recognition software, particular around sensing the emotions in a person’s voice. We are consistently seeing improvements in Alexa and time isn’t far when Alexa could hold a conversation and process the operations based on what the person previously said or is acquainted with. This would undoubtedly convert it from being an extraordinary device into a magical one!

Stay safe people! And do not forget to share this article with your friends and families if you liked reading it.

This brings us to the next in line problem of working from home! “The meetings!”. Oh, the dreaded ones. God only knows whenever there is a notification alert on my laptop and my smartphone, I start thinking if my beard requires a trim, or if my hairs are tidy. Whether I should be wearing casuals Infront of my bosses or shall I just hop in the virtual meeting in my shorts. Heck, I am sure even you must have had done that. Wearing a blazer with a nicely knotted tie, but with shorts on your bottoms. Well, just got one word. Desperate times call for drastic measures!

When you have all that out of the way, what if you end up knowing that the Webcam you have got jacked up to your desktop computer or your laptop is not good enough for the meeting. It is either an oldie (like my grandfather); or that it lacks the capacity to send in a decent feed of yourself during the session. Well, not that it is essential, but, in most cases, it is socially unacceptable if your broadcasted video is downright too pixelated just because your Webcam wasn’t decent enough.

The best webcams do not necessarily need to be expensive. They just need to have that right balance between a decent make-up and the right price-tag. You don’t need to go overboard with your purchase and do not necessarily need to invest a thousand bucks just to satisfy your inner-ego that your broadcast would be the best amongst your colleagues. There is no race here to be won, people! Move along.

Since now more and more people are working from home there is always a need to connect with both your loved ones abroad and your office colleagues. And thus, these tiny peripherals relevance has yet again taken a boost. Beyond this, the webcams are also essentially important if you are fond of streaming yourself on YouTube or heck if you are a PC-gamer like me who Twitch’s a lot of his gameplays online; you need a decent webcam to ensure your viewers are enjoying each and every moment of your expressions once you get pounded in by your opponents. Well, banter here at its finest! Needless to say, if you are working from home, then chances are you are working off of a laptop and if that’s the case, then this article might not be that relevant to you. But if you are on an old laptop and your Webcam is not up to the mark, then continue reading. This article is mostly targeted towards those who are working from home using a desktop machine.

This is why I have made up a list of well researched and the best webcams the year 2020 has to offer to us. I have gone the extra mile of covering those cameras that I have personally used and have also listed webcams that are capable of broadcasting 4k resolution videos to high-quality microphone-based cameras. If you are interested in finding out which swivel-based camera is best for work from home, then fret not! I have covered that too in my list down under.

Whether you’re someone who needs a webcam to work from home or someone who just needs to connect with their loved ones back home or abroad, I am confident you will find a camera in the list below that would fit your needs. Let us get going!

What Are the Key Requirements of Working from Home?

Whether you are working from home one day per week or full time – by choice or because of the current health risks involved in working from an office environment. You should ensure that you have got all the below pointers aligned and sorted out to the “T” to provide you are most productive during these times. These include but are not limited to:

Setting Up of a Functional Workspace

If you are like me, then your child’s play-room is now officially declared as a workspace. Well, not everyone has the liberty to have a dedicated home office, but let me break it down to you. It is crucial to have a private yet comfortable and a quiet place for you to work from home. Separate your work area from your personal area at home, and use this place just to work. No other activities should be conducted in this space, thus giving you the vibe and the mental satisfaction of working at your utmost productive levels. Period!

Having the Right Internet Speed

If your kids love FaceTime calls and use XBOX / PS4 most of the time when they are awake, then you sir are in for trouble. The reason being these gadgets are bandwidth hogger’s and can quite quickly eat up the speed required for you to carry out your tasks while working from home remotely. Therefore, the only viable solution to this is to connect the internet to your work-from-home device via an ethernet cable to the router. This would then ensure that you get the best possible speed that is available to your machine.

If all this doesn’t solve the problem, then you may also resort to setting up a strict work schedule where you demand (in my scenario, demanding doesn’t work; therefore you may also resort to begging your children) your household members to refrain from using gadgets that consume internet so that your work remains unaffected.

Ways of Dealing with Kids

As the saying goes

“Productivity doesn’t equal eight hours.”

– by someone on the “Internet”

You aren’t going to be a 100% productive team member if you have kids who are screaming and shouting throughout the day. The best practice that I have personally adopted and has turned out to be fruitful is to take turns to manage the kids. If you have a toddler, then the best bet is to ensure that you work at times when he or she is fast asleep. This would obviously mean that you would need to communicate it to your boss to work evening hours.

Having the Right Gadgets and Tools

The first and the foremost thing to work from home is to ensure you have the right gadgets and tools. By that I mean, you need to ensure you have relevant stationery available at all times, a functional laptop or a desktop, an external keyboard and a mouse, a decent internet connection, the right apps and most importantly a decent Webcam.

Here is a list of the best Webcam’s that I have come up with after carefully reviewing each and every one of them. What else could I have done better for my readers during the quarantine period!

Razer Kiyo

This is my favourite Webcam that I personally use for both Work from Home and connecting my family and friends via video-calls.

If your room has poor lighting or is at a distance from the window, you sure are in the same circumstances in which I am. Poor image quality! This camera has a built-in LED ring light which ensures to light up your space while the Webcam is active. If you want to give yourself a video edge during video conference calls, then lightning is the key here!

It is made up of 12-LED’s embedded around the lens in a circle format. It is designed in such a way that it flatters the face with adjustable intensity. You would be surprised to know it also comes with a daylight-balanced colour temperature.

Technical Specifications

Ring Light specifications

The RING LED adjust itself automatically based on your surroundings. If you want to ramp up the light or reduce it, all you need to do is manually rotate the LED dial on the camera to your liking.

Microphone Specifications

Verdict

My personal favourite!

Microsoft LifeCam Studio

If you are fond of CCTV cameras installed out in the malls or your favourite shop on the Highstreet, then you are in for a surprise. The look and feel of this Webcam are almost identical to a commercial CCTV camera. This is a cut-throat business model and offers great video and audio quality over apps that you may use for your business or personal use.

Technical Specifications

Verdict

Logitech C270i – PTV 960-001084

This is Logitech’s best model when it comes down to clarity in both Video and Audio transmission. This oval-shaped model is capable of pumping out crispy images on any meeting app that you use for your work from home needs. This device is capable of adjusting its image quality based on the light in your surrounding area. Quite an intelligent camera I must say.

Let us now dig further into the “fine details”.

Technical Specifications

System Requirements

You do not require a super-computer to run this Webcam.

It is compatible with:

1. Windows 7
2. Windows 8
3. Windows 10 or later

It also can run in UVC mode with supported video-calling clients, such as:

1. macOS 10.10 or later
2. Chrome OS
3. Android v 5.0 or above

This camera works flawlessly with:

1. Skype
2. Google Hangouts
3. FaceTime for Mac

Package Contents

1. 5-foot cable
2. User documentation

Warranty Information

2-Year Limited Hardware Warranty

If you already own this product and need further support directly from Logitech then head over to this product’s support page and register a query.

Verdict

LOGITECH C920 HD PRO

If you are planning on making a strong impression in a professional Skype call or a Microsoft Teams business meeting, then I recommend that you do not settle in for your built-in Laptop cameras. They just don’t cut it!

You can get a far more polished impression by broadcasting yourself using the Logitech C920 HD PRO which is capable of broadcasting 1080p resolution and a Stereo sound with a very affordable price-tag. It also comes with its very own Privacy Shutter.

Technical Specifications

System Requirements

The Logitech C920 HD PRO camera is compatible with:

1. Windows 7
2. Windows 8
3. Windows 10 or later

It also can run in UVC mode with supported video-calling clients, such as:

1. macOS 10.10 or later
2. Chrome OS
3. Android v 5.0 or above

This camera works flawlessly with:

1. Skype
2. Google Hangouts
3. FaceTime for Mac

Package Contents

1. 5-foot cable
2. User documentation

Warranty Information

2-Year Limited Hardware Warranty

If you already own this product and need further support directly from Logitech then head over to this product’s support page and register a query.

Verdict

Logitech Brio Ultra HD Pro

Without a doubt in mind, Logitech Brio Ultra HD Pro is one of the highest-quality webcams found in the market today. Capable of recording Ultra 4k HD videos is surely an eye-candy to watch.

Let us now dig into more technical details for the tech-savvy.

Technical Specifications

Package Contents

• Brio Ultra HD Pro Webcam
• USB 3.0 cable (compatible with USB 2.0)
• Removable clip
• Privacy shade
• Carrying pouch
• Documentation

Compatibility

• Plug and play USB connectivity
• Certified for Skype for Business and ready for Teams
• Certified for Zoom® Meetings
• Fuze Certified
• Microsoft Cortana®
• Windows Hello
• Cisco Jabber®

Warranty Information

3 Year Limited Hardware warranty.

If you are interested in the datasheet of this particular camera, then head over to DATA SHEET available via the Microsoft website.

Verdict

Related Questions

I am confident after reading through this article, there may be a plethora of questions that you would find the answers to down in the section below.

How Much Bandwidth Does a Webcam Use?

Multiple variables need to be kept into consideration while answering this question. But to narrow it down, the top 3 variables are:

Resolution

Higher resolution cameras would ultimately require high bandwidth

Frame Per Second (FPS)

Higher the FPS, higher the requirements of the bandwidth.

Video Compression Codecs

Webcams these days come up high-end video codecs. These codecs ensure how a video is compressed and then transmitted across the internet. To name the popular codecs, are H.264 and MJPEG.

Most of the latest HD Webcam use H.264 video and audio compression codecs to enhance user-experience.

Not to hold me for a ball-park figure, but you can always resort to the below table if you are keen to quickly skim-through this question’s answer.

How Much Bandwidth Does GoToMeeting Use?

GotoMeeting is not a resource-hungry app. The internet connection required for GoToMeeting to perform smoothly is close to 1 Mbps. More the merrier.

How Much Bandwidth Does Skype For Business Need?

According to an official statement by Microsoft (Since Skype for Business is owned by Microsoft), Skype for Business bandwidth requirements are:

A one-way stream on Skype for Business would require

A two-way stream on Skype for Business would require

If you are keen to know more about what is the bandwidth requirement for using Skype for Business, then heave to this spreadsheet calculator devised by Microsoft for your ready references.

How Much Bandwidth Does Zoom Video Conferencing Use?

To explain this better, I will resort to the following table for better understanding:

Recommended Zoom bandwidth for meetings and webinar panellists are:

Recommended bandwidth for webinar attendees:

Conclusion

If you are working at home or in isolation, you will definitely be using video calls more than ever. Therefore, it is equally vital that you make the right decision of spending your hard-earned money on something that would last you a lifetime. Well, not a lifetime per-say! But for a decent amount of time, if that sound logical.

Stay safe people! And keep on supporting me at SmartNutter.com. Thanks!

Blink is a home automation company which is well renowned for producing battery-powered security cameras that are suitable for both indoor and outdoor. The company was initially founded in 2009 and is now owned by Amazon. I do not want to bore my readers about what and how the company transitioned through, but in all frankness; you would enjoy reading this article if you intend to buy a blink home security camera.

By far, Blink has done an excellent join in producing the most sleekly designed indoor and outdoor security cameras for our homes. These cameras have a plethora of features, ranging from

1. Free Storage
2. Complete Wireless Design

And most importantly, Blink cameras send motion-activated alerts and HD videos it captures directly through its lens, onto the smartphone app that they offer. This applies to all the models of the Blink Home security cameras.

What is the purpose of this article you might ask? Well, stick around and don’t forget to read the comparison table and the conclusion at the end of this article to see which Blink Home security camera model is suitable for your home.

How Many Types of Blink Home Cameras Are There?

The single most important feature that any homeowner could want that is both inexpensive and serves as a basic video surveillance system is your very own “BLINK Home Security Camera”. For less than the price of an Apple Pencil, you can have the either of the two Blink Camera models that are available right now. Date today is 23 March 2020, and the cost of either of the BLINK camera models is less than a $100.

You would be pleased to know that once you buy the Blink Camera, you are not required then to pay for any additional subscriptions or pay any additional charges. By that, I meant until the time you decide to get rid of this model and go for the higher edition that Blink ought to launch in the future. After all, the Blink camera is widely appreciated by the audience and is being bought over and over throughout the world.

Let me take you through the list of Blink Home security cameras that are there in the market today.

1. Blink 1 (Indoor)
2. Blink XT2 (Indoor and Outdoor)

Difference Between Blink 1 and Blink XT2 Camera

Blink 1 is purely designed for homeowners whose primary purpose is to keep an eye on their homes from the inside.

Blink XT2 is the latest product in the Blink Home security camera series. It is equipped with waterproof technology and can withstand even the toughest of weathers. Feel free to install it on the outside of your house, and it would work flawlessly.

Do keep the above comparison table in mind when picking up the type of Blink camera.

Both the Blink 1 and Blink XT2 models are equipped with the same sync module, which means that they are not bandwidth-hungry and won’t hog up on the bandwidth when in use. If you are keen to know what bandwidth do each of the smart gadgets out there in the market require from your internet router, then head over to this smart home bandwidth calculator formula that I have created which has worked wonders for my readers and me.

Is There Anything I Don’t Like About Blink Home Security Cameras?

Not a deal-breaker but I thought of sharing my views with you on things that I found were a bit of a nuisance when using the Blink Home camera system.

1. On-Demand Live stream limitation
2. No panning, tilting or zooming
3. Compatibility

On-Demand Live stream limitation: With that I mean, that you can easily access the feed of the camera anytime and anyplace you want if you have the Blink Home app on your smartphone. But there are limitations to it.

Let us assume you and your wife both have this app installed onto the smartphones. And you both want to view the feed coincidentally at the same time. Guess what? One of you would be bounced off and denied the live feed. Given the person who first connected to the camera via the smartphone app would be given priority. This is a bit sad since the whole purpose of a security camera is to have peace of mind. Not to have the issues of my wife or me not being able to access the feed if either one of us is viewing it.

If this isn’t a major turn-down for you, then, by all means, ignore this input of mine and go ahead with this camera as unbelievably it is a fantastic piece of equipment.

No panning, tilting or zooming: If you know of PTZ (Pan-Tilt-Zoom), then let me be the icebreaker here for you. You will not be able to control the lens or move or tilt the camera. I wish they had this option at least in their latest XT2 model though. But so far, not!

Compatibility: Not compatible with Google voice assistants or any of the Google products. I hope they do consider it in their future releases though!

Why Do I Prefer Blink Over NEST or Other Home Security Camera Products?

Well, honestly there are not one but many reasons for it.

Let us begin

1. No recurring charges or fees
2. Motion alerts sent directly to your smartphone app
3. Enhanced user experience
4. Blink Home monitor app
5. Compatibility

No recurring charges or fees: The beauty of this product is that it offers you free cloud storage. The only downside to this free storage is that you can store clips up to a maximum period of 2 hours. After that, the camera would start overwriting the feed.

In my scenario, I have this camera installed in my baby’s playroom. This allows me to watch him remotely when I am at work. To be honest, this 2-hour period should be enough for you too if all you want is to live-monitor your baby. Therefore, in such a scenario, this 2-hour free cloud storage should be satisfactory.

If there is one that I could wish for after owning this product is the possibility of having a paid option to upgrade the cloud storage. But unfortunately, that is not possible. But feel free to jump on their Support Page and choose “Marketing” from the dropdown list and give your suggestions.

And yes, it doesn’t have any external memory slots either for you to install your microSD card in. Sad, I know!

Motion alerts sent directly to your smartphone app: When the motion detector on either of the Blink home security camera models is triggered, the camera starts recording. There is a limitation here, though. You can only configure the Blink camera to record in intervals of either a minimum of 5 seconds to a maximum time of 60 seconds. Not more than this, unfortunately!

But the best part is, that as soon as this happens; the feed then gets uploaded to the cloud and you can then easily access this feed from the smartphone app.

Important tip

Keep downloading the clips you think are important into your smartphone memory storage and delete them from the Blink cloud. As the cloud storage on the Blink Home security camera system is very limited.

Enhanced user experience: If your only requirement is to set up a camera and set it up in the fastest and easiest way possible, then Blink one and Blink XT2 are your besties in this domain. These palm-sized cameras can easily be set up in a matter of minutes if not seconds, I must say. Even for a non-techy person, these are quite easy to setup.

You can easily mount them up using the screws it comes boxed with. Or just inconspicuously keep it atop the shelf in your kid’s playroom. All in all, these cameras are the best in the slot and are both easy to configure and a good bang for the buck.

Blink Home Monitor app: This app is the peanut butter to a peanut butter jelly sandwich! You get the point.

Once you have unboxed your Blink home security camera purchase, power on the camera and connect it with your smartphone app, this beautifully designed, and simple to navigate app is capable of handling more than 1 Blink cameras. So do not worry about having additional apps to monitor multiple Blink cameras. Irrespective of the fact, you have one camera or 2 or 5; the Blink Home monitor app is the only app you would need to configure and customize the cameras.

The app allows you to customize each setting on the camera, including:

1. Clip length
2. Motion detection range
3. Scheduling

Within this same app, you can then download the clips and use it to watch live feed too.

Compatibility: If you already have got a voice assistant from Amazon at your home, then you are in for luck. Being an Amazon-owned company, Blink Home cameras are directly integrated with:

1. Amazon Echo
2. Amazon Echo Dot
3. Amazon Echo spot

If you are a complete DIY-Geek like me, then you would want to try creating custom rules and alerts. And guess what, that all is possible as Blink Home camera works well with the IFTT.

What Do Other Users of Blink Have to Say About These Cameras

A couple rushed back home as soon as the motion detection on the Blink home camera triggered an alert, sent directly onto their smartphones. Upon launching the feed, they found out a fire broke out in their porch. This allowed them to rush back home and call for help. Watch the feed as per below.

If you are keen to read more about the other types of home security cameras there are out in the market, then a good competition to the Blink Home security cameras would be the NEST Camera. I have taken the liberty to create a comparison table in between the Blink and NEST camera, which I thought you as my valuable readers would enjoy going through. Here it is:

Related Questions

Following questions might come to your mind. Thought to answer them along the way.

Is There A Monthly Subscription Fee for The Blink Home Security Camera?

The simplest answer to this is “NO!”.

Blink Home company believes that the user of their product should not end up paying anything extra after buying the product—no monthly subscription, no fees, no additional charges, etc.

Can You Talk to Your Granny or Your Kids Using the Blink Home Camera?

Depending on which model of the Blink Home security camera you own. You can certainly have a two-way communication if you have the latest Blink XT2 camera installed in your house.

In order to have two-way communication, all you need to do is, one person should be present in front of the camera and the other person in front of their smartphone having launched the Blink Home Monitor app. Voila!

Can I Connect Blink Camera with Google Home?

The straightforward answer is “NO!”.

But there is a workaround to it. You would need to brush up on your IFTT skills. If that is too much to ask, then forget about connecting your Google Home voice assistant to the Blink camera.

Conclusion

Let me be honest here. I am greatly and truly impressed by the way Blink has manufactured their cameras. Who hates having a home security camera that offers free data storage, has a completely wireless design and is the size of your palm?

Blink being in its infancy right now is no doubt a good competition to its competitors. I am certain, with more and more adoption of this camera and the way people keep on providing inputs to the Blink Home company for new features to be added into the camera’s framework; this camera without a doubt would outright beat its competition in terms of flexibility, affordability and security. You just can’t go wrong with Amazon, now can you?

All in all, this camera is a perfect fit for those who are worried about keeping an eye on their property while away or at loved ones while at work. With just 1-click on the app, they can just connect back to their family and have a one-way or two-way communication (depending on which model of the Blink camera you buy) with them without any fuss. This is indeed an affordable camera and the easiest DIY installation smart home gadget one could ever wish for. Simply turn it on, connect and start feeling safe right off the bat!

Feel free to invest in this camera and let me know your thoughts on the product. Did you like it? Care to share your thoughts and opinion here?

Happy “Jetsons” home people!

I remember when I first started off on my smart home journey, I was under the dilemma if my iOS-based devices would be the right fit for the home automation I anticipate. Questions such as: Would an iPhone be the best choice for smart home automation? Or would an Android provide me with better possibility es to scale? Do I need an Apple iPad or a Samsung tablet separately to monitor and control my smart home? Well, I would save you the agony, and if you too are in that similar zone where you are still wondering whether an Android or an iPhone is the best choice for your smart home journey, then this article would answer all your questions. Stick around and find out!

So the question is, is there really a single app out there that is capable to handle all your home automation? Realistically, both the Android and the iPhone developer’s have done an excellent job when it comes down to supporting all the smart gadgets that are available in the market today. Unless you are keen into setting up the Apple HomeKit application, then the sad news is that if you are an Android user, you won’t be able to use the HomeKit on it as this app is entirely dependent on the iOS (iPhone) platform. So if there is that one APP that can control the whole home automation for you, would be the Apple Home app.

Other than that, there is no apparent difference between using an Android or an iPhone for your home automation.

Truthfully, a smartphone’s operating system choice is made by people long before any thoughts of smart home automation are even conceptualized. I know of a very few people who were tech-picky like me to have decided to foresee in the future that they would want to have a smart home and were keen on pecking up on the operating systems that were wide open to accept the home automation apps. With the ever-growing trend and globalization, this is now the least of the concerns and both the iOS and Android developers have provided a unique platform and scripting languages that the smart home products manufacturers use efficiently to seamlessly integrate. As said above in the article, if you are entirely depending on using the HomeKit, then stay with an Apple smartphone or the Apple iPad as HomeKit can not be used in Android.

If I were to say, that “today” which is the best platform to be used for smart home automation; and if the particular smartphone that you choose to buy for your home automation would need to be replaced or no; then keep on reading!

Benefits of Using an iPhone For Smart Home Automation

All the smartphones that are built and available in the market today provide you with the same amount of functionality and features; more or less. If you do end up choosing an iPhone for your smart home automation, then you can’t go wrong with it. There are distinct advantages and disadvantages to it, but here in this article, I have done my best to provide you with the research that revolves around me taking up the decision to use my iPhone for the smart home automation purposes.

What made me decide to use an iPhone for home automation? Well first of all, if you have ever used an iPhone; you would know that these nifty gadgets come with a hefty price tag. And if you are anybody like me who tries to stay on top of the gadget-craze, then get ready to shell out some decent money on upgrading your handsets each year Apple launches their new product line. Needless to say, Apple has a massive marketing budget, and they do whatever it takes to ensure that their users don’t sway away from using their products.

A list of features that made me decide on using an iPhone for home automation are:

Consistency and The Ease of Use

The only thing that enhances the adaptability of the iPhone is their ease of use and predictability. You are given with an interface that is precisely identical to its predecessor models, and the usage is “give and take”, the same. The iPhone ensures that all its apps and settings perform in a way the way Apple intended them to. Which, in return, maintains and enhances the user experience.

You do not need to necessarily go through a plethora of different settings to run the app you just installed via the AppStore. Almost all the apps you do install for your smart home gadgets into your iPhone are pretty much straight forward and easy to configure and setup.

While on the other hand, if you are an Android user; then you are pretty much stuck with going through a steep learning curve just to use your device. There are different launchers for each manufacturer who has resorted to using the Android platform.

In addition to this, the settings of each of the smart home gadgets that you intend to control via your iPhone are plain and simple. Unlike the Android, where there are not one but a plethora of different settings that you need to configure to ensure you get the best possible outcome from your home automation. This is critical again, since when it comes down to users who are not very tech-savvy and believe in the concept of user-friendly gadgets.

Voice Assistant

According to “Reviews.com”, Siri is the third most accurate voice assistant in the “WORLD”. This is based on extensive testing and if you are planning on deploying HomeKit in your smart home environment, then, needless to say, Siri is going to work wonders for you. You can easily control your smart home via Siri, and she would do its best to perform the actions you want.

On top of that, Siri’s IoT (Internet of Things) compatibility list is growing day by day. At the time of writing this article, Siri supports almost 50+ IoT Compatible brands. Which means you can control nearly 50 and above smart home brand products via voice commands using Siri on your iPhone.

Accessibility and Settings

If you were ever stuck up on thinking when to check-up on your kids when they come back from school, and you are at work, then there was an app that I initially used called as the “FLIC“. This app allowed me to automate all the smart home gadgets in my home, setting up schedules, creating workflows and much more.

But with the latest iOS upgrades, there is a brand new functionality that is going to work wonders for Smart homeowners, is the brand new shortcuts features. This nifty little feature empowered the iOS users to automate things by creating shortcuts to specific tasks in your smart home environment. For example, you can create a shortcut to switch the smart lights ON and OFF without the actual need to go into the individual application.

On top of this, the new shortcuts feature in the iOS allows you to even share these shortcuts. This indeed provided the smart homeowners such as myself, possibility to access the gadgets remotely and without a fuss. A final verdict on replacing the “FLIC” app with Apple Shortcuts? A Big YES!

While on the other hand, if you are an Android user, there are certain features which quite sadly aren’t available in the Apple products.

Android platform provides you with seamless and direct integration with Google Voice Assistant and Google Home product line. Let me also add here that Google Assistant is the number 1 voice assistant in the world and is one of the most accurate AI (Artificial Intelligence) voice-enabled assistants that you could get your hands on.

With Android smartphones, you also now have the ability to use Google Duplex! It is the next step in the smart automation world where you can use your Google Voice Assistant to book hotels and make reservations at your local favourite restaurant.

This sweet little feature is not available in Apple Siri, and I believe that in the near future as well, Google Duplex would not be willing to share the platform with the Apple manufacturers.

Therefore, if you are primarily targeting towards controlling your smart home thoroughly using your voice; then iPhone may lose points significantly in this domain. As far as Google Voice Assistant is concerned, it is far beyond “Siri” and I don’t think that Apple would ever be able to catch on what Google Voice Assistant can offer to its audience.

Fewer Security Breaches

Unlike Android, Apple provides its users with a closed platform. When I say closed, it means you can not access the RAW files on the device directly. For some, this is a limitation! But let me cut straight to the point here and break the news to you. The less access you have to the core files that run your smartphone, fewer the change that you would mess something up and end up with a bricked-handset.

According to a recent report, millions of Android devices are infected with malicious codes and hijacked through some app that had malware’s in it. This, in result, had a massive impact on the data privacy and essential and critical user information getting leaked into the hands of the hackers. May users also ended up reporting huge charges on their mobile phone bills, following a virus attack that took place on their Android phones.

Given that Apple doesn’t allow the users to directly play with their core files on the gadget, it is safe to assume that the smart home gadgets that you then connect to it are also through a secured protocol. These secured protocols are only valid until the moment you have not played around with the core files on your iPhone. But having said, Apple does an excellent job from keeping the curious monkey out by limiting the accessibility to its core functionalities that ensure a smooth operating iPhone.

Timely Updates

This is yet another aspect of why the iPhone is the most preferred smartphones when it comes down to scalability and security. Apple beats Android hollow on the timely and meaty updates. When Apple releases new firmware upgrades, they flat out release it for all the models that are still supported by them. And by far Apple is known to support models ranging back to iPhone 5s. But when it comes down to the Android smartphones, you can only hope and pray for an upgrade to take place if you are on older models.

Unlike Apple, where every detail is under Apple’s control, with the Android, Google is responsible for only supplying the base operating system, and rest is then left to the manufacturers of the smartphone who have resorted to using the Android OS to deliver upgrades and patches.

I am not against Android, just stating the obvious here: If you are on a high-end model of the Android, then chances are you would get frequent updates. But I can’t say the same about the older Android OS models.

So once your particular model of the Android OS stops getting updated, chances are the smart gadgets around your home that have already been upgraded to the latest firmware would stop working on your android phone. Due to incompatibility issues. NO one wants to be on that side of receiving things!

If you are keen to know my recommendation based on which devices work well with either Apple’s HomeKit or Google Home, then the below chart is a must-bookmark for you.

Related Questions

What is a Home App and What Can I Control with It?

Home App is a centralized application that controls all your smart home gadgets in one place. This app is only available on Apple smartphones. A list of devices that you may manage with an Apple Home App are:

1. Air conditioners
2. Air purifiers
3. Network Bridges
4. Cameras
5. Doorbells
6. Fans
7. Faucets
8. Garage Doors
9. Humidifiers
10. Lights
11. Locks
12. Plug Outlets
13. Receivers
14. Routers
15. Security
16. Sensors
17. Speakers
18. Sprinklers
19. Switches
20. Thermostats
21. TVs
22. Windows

Can I Control My House Lights with iPhone?

For any smart lights to work with your iPhone, you need to ensure they are HomeKit compatible. Certain brands that are integrated to work with the HomeKit are:

1. LiFX
2. Philips
3. Yale
4. Arlo

All of these above manufacturers offer their own stand-alone app for you to control them. But it is often at times more comfortable to just use the Appel HomeKit to control them all in one place.

Once you have ensured the HomeKit connection is established with your house lights, just use “Siri” to activate the House lights. You can also switch the lights off via “Siri”.

What Devices Can I Use as A HomeKit Hub?

You can use several Apple devices to act as a HomeKit hub. The list is as of below:

1. Apple TV (3^rd Generation and later)
2. HomePod
3. Apple iPad (running iOS 9 and above)

My Recommendation & Conclusion

If I keep all the above in mind and based on my usability around my requirements and smart home automation that I have in place, then without a speckle of doubt in mind; I would stick with the Apple iPhone and its successors. Yes, Apple Siri needs a bit of work, but the “PROS” to using an iPhone broadly weighs out the “CONS” of using the Android for home automation.

If you are a heavy user of Google Assistant and have quite a few NEST products in your home then logically, an Android-based smartphone would a better choice. But let us not forget that if you want to control your Google Assistant or NEST products using an iPhone that too is entirely possible, thanks to the corresponding apps available in the AppStore. Most importantly, if you are planning on using Apple’s HomeKit then under no way in heaven’s, you should buy an Android since HomeKit only supports Apple smartphones and iPad’s.

And not but not the least, who hates giving commands to HomeKit by merely raising the wrist and passing on the voice instructions to it via your Apple watch. I can also wear my AirPods and say “Hey Siri!” I am going upstairs”, and the HomeKit would be given the instructions to lock the main door, turn down the blinds and switch off the lights and the smart TV.

Happy “Jetsons” home people!

It wouldn’t be wrong to believe that just by installing a front door lock, you are safeguarding your home and your loves from uninvited guests, which in the context of the article; burglars! Front door security is arguably the first place a burglar would look to gain entry into the premises. They use every possible tool in hand and experience to pry open the front door and gain access to your valuable. God knows that no one wants to be in a situation where they end up meeting the burglar in their home. You would certainly think that why do burglars use the front door and not the window or the back door to gain entry. Well, the answer to that is relatively simple. But in a burglar’s mind, the easiest and the safest way in and out of your property is through the front door. This is the sole reason you should not neglect securing your front door to its maximum potential and also remain smart at the same time.

You may think you have got the best deadlock bolt in place for your front door security, what else you might do to enhance its security. Well, for a starter; Good job on thinking in those lines as this article is crafted to address these concerns of you.

Before I head on to the central part of the article, there is this complete How to Prepare For Emergencies page created by the Red Cross organization that is a must-read for anyone interested in preparing the emergency kits in case any natural disaster happens or takes place around you. Do not forget to share it with your family members and the loved ones, because we never know; when a natural disaster could occur. After all, who wouldn’t like being called “Red Cross Ready!”?

Here Are The 11 Tested Ways to Improve Your Front Door Security

Get your pen and paper ready, as I am about to explore with you the 11 best possible ways through which you can enhance your front door security in under an hour with minimum money spent out of your pocket. Needless to say, these are all tried and tested methods and are the best practices to deter any possible intrusions in your home.

Replacement of the Ordinary Strike Plates and Reinforce Door Hinges

I know of not one, but many of my family members who used to have just plain cheap looking cylinder locks that they considered as the safest way to secure their front doors. Well, let me be the bearer of the bad news here for you! These locks are the “easiest” target for criminals, and they wouldn’t hesitate even for a second to just kick their way into your home since that’s how easy it is to force them to crack open.

Locks are arguably one of the most essential aspects of your home’s front door security. So before reading anything else, we first need to invest in a good set of locks. One of the best possible solution to replace those odd-looking cylindrical locks is by picking up a deadbolt lock!

Wait! Before you head over to your notebook and write “Buy a deadbolt lock, CHECK!”; let me explain. You should invest in a Grade 1 Deadbolt lock for your door security.

What is a Grade 1 deadbolt lock, you may ask? Grade 1 is the highest level of grade awarded to door locks by the organization ANSI (American National Standards Institute). It is often reserved for locks intended for commercial security but is very well suitable for home and residential use as well.

How secure is the ANSI Grade 1 Deadbolt lock? To earn this grade, manufacturers are required to keep into account the following parameters while building the deadbolt lock:

1. Must withstand 800,000 cycles
2. Six door strikes
3. A 360-pound weight test
4. Must withstand 250 thousand cycles and 10 door strikes with a HAMMER

Therefore, combining Grade 1 deadbolt locks for your front door and the other tips that I have shared in this article should provide you with a reliable security foundation for your front door security.

For my personal preferences, I would go with SCHLAGE branded locks for both my smart home locks and ordinary locks. This particular one is the one that I have tested with and is a certified commercial Grade 1 lock.

If you want to read more about whether you should invest in a smart lock for your front door, then don’t forget to weigh out its PROS and CONS before your buying decision.

After you are done picking up a decent Deadbolt lock system, now is the time to invest in a decent and a solid strike plate. A strike plate gets installed directly onto the door jamb and helps the lock complete its job by holding the bolt firmly in the plate. The only type of strike plate that compliments well with a deadbolt and should always be bought in place of those cheap plates is a “BOX PLATE”. This is the one I use with my SCHLAGE Deadbolt lock.

Box Strike plates are considered one of the most durable types of strike plates, unlike many strike plates that use a fragile rectangular hole, this particular one uses a steel cup into which the bolt fits firmly. This, along with the Grade 1 deadbolt lock, will ensure to deter anyone from kicking in and other force attacks into your property via the door.

Last but not least, once you pick up both the deadbolt and the strike plate; it is now time to pick up the screws for both the strike plate and the hinges of your door to new ones. Well, not just unique; but they should be 2 ½ inches long. Under no circumstances, should you use the screws that are less than 2.5 inches. Forget about using the screws that are 1 inch and shorter. If you need help with picking screws, then head over to your garage and see if you can readily find some unused 2.5 inches screws lying around. If not, then head over to your local hardware shop and pick those up. Why is this important? The sole reason is that the short screws are never able to help anchor in the strike plate along with the hinges present on the door frame properly and thus the chances of a successful break-in increase significantly. And nope, the screws won’t burn a hole in your pocket. They are inexpensive but are a must-have in this particular tip that I have just shared above.

Once this setup is installed and up and running on your door, then rest assured if in case an intruder does try to force their way into the house by way of kick-in or by applying pressure to the front door, the hinges and the strike plate won’t budge or slide from their original location. Thus giving you the peace of mind!

NINJA TIP:

You can also install hinge bolts on the hinges of the door,bothunder and above it to maximize this whole exercise of securing your front door. Hinge bolts are known to add that extra layer of protection as ensuring that your door is more kick-resistant.

Hinge bolts installation is vitally important if your door opens outwards since invaders would have easy access to your door hinge pins if it does.

You can also use smart, deadbolt door locks to secure your main entrance. All you need to do is to buy a Grade 1 Smart Door lock and follow the same technique of reinforcing your door using the tips I have mentioned above. To learn more about smart locks head over to my article on are smart locks safe, and you would be pleased to know how beneficial these could be for your home security.

If you are keen to watch a live demo of the strength of locks that SCHLAGE builds, then watch the video below

Reinforcing the door frame

Reinforcing the way the door jamb is structured will significantly improve the door security from an overall perspective, and increase the durability life of the lock and the door. Thus, reducing the chance of a successful break-in via kick-in burglary.

How to reinforce a door frame to prevent break-ins? Well, for this one; you can just pick up a Door reinforcement kit from Armor Concepts. This door jamb reinforcement kit provides ultimate and complete protection to your front door. It comes with a whole bundle of

1. 1 Door Armor Jamb Shield
2. 2 Mini Door Shields
3. 2 Hinge Shields
4. 17 pieces of 3.5 inches screws
5. Pry shield with tamper-resistant screws

Watch the below video on the product from Armor Concepts put under test.

It is packed with a $500 Lifetime guarantee too. So, once you pick up this kit and install it on your door frame, and by any chance, a break-in is successful through kick-ins; then the company will pay you $500 as a deductible. It’s that simple!

If you are not in the mood to shell out money on buying a ready-to-use door reinforcement kit, then click here to create one yourself at home.

Strengthening up your Door

Almost all of the doors built in the newly constructed houses have got sturdy doors. But the same is not applicable for all the doors that are installed in your houses and certainly can be a case if you’re living in a house which has a door installed onto it for decades. Well, that is true since my door was one of a kind which had a fragile core. Therefore, if your door is hollow from the inside, even if the shell is made out of metal; then guess what, this door can easily break and split open with enough force applied on it. So, sit tight for my next recommendation.

While it is true that hollow core doors are inexpensive to install and maintain, but it is equally valid that they are not the best for being installed as your main door for your home. Such doors can and should be only for the interior installations since they are rather easy to breakthrough. Doors with a solid core are tough to break through and are considered the securest. Other than that, it is entirely acceptable to have any other type of door to act as your main door, but it should NOT be a hollow one.

Another yet growing problems with the modern doors are that they have got decorative windows installed right into their frame. Needless to say, this is done to primarily enhance the beauty, and create some sort of an ambience for the visitors and the homeowners. Having said that, such doors are not considered secure. Don’t get me wrong, these doors look great, and the type of glass used in such fixtures is really strong. So, having a window in your door isn’t the end of the world, but if you want to keep your doors secure and ensure that they are not penetrable; then you are wise off staying with doors without any glass installations.

Improve the Security of Your Glass Doors

Glass doors, without a doubt, are vulnerable to force attacks. A glass door with that is equipped with a standard glass pane is not very resistive to kicks, and burglars use this to their advantage to gain access to the deadbolt. They can then quickly and swiftly enter into the property by just turning the deadbolt (unless it is a double-key deadbolt installation).

There are a couple of ways through which you can secure a glass door from break-ins. One best solution is to install a steel security grille. The only downside when considering installing a steel grille with the glass door installation is the ugly look that they exhibit. Well, it is not entirely accurate and shouldn’t be a problem since there are many decorative grilles available in the market now. If you do not want the ones that you find on the shelves then, by all means, get hold of a carpenter and get one made right from scratch. You can use examples of steel grilles installed onto glass pane doors to get an idea of what you would like built around your particular glass door.

One significant benefit of installing security steel grilles is that they also serve as a visual deterrent to prospective burglars.

Another recommendation of securing your glass door is by installing a security film on it. See the below video for a visual representation of such films.

You can use such a film on your glass door if you are not a big fan of steel grille installations.

Use A Strike Plate Lock

Most of the houses have installed a standard door chain to protect the door when the owner is present inside the house. The downside is, these door chains do not protect against “force attacks” on the door, and in the event, such a thing happens, they just come flying out without an issue.

If you want to secure your home being kicked in, get yourself a strike plate lock system instead. This kind of a lock is similar to a regular door chain lock that you may have or seen before. However, the difference between the two is that the strike plate lock system is known for its high durability and resistance. Benefits of a strike plate from Door Chain can withstand over 50 full force kicks deployed onto the door onto which it is installed. For comparison sake, a standard door chain would break open after a few kicks as compared to the one that has a strike plate locking mechanism.

How to install a strike plate on a door frame? The installation of a strike plate is a fairly simple and straightforward exercise. It can be done within minutes. There are many videos available on YouTube that can help you install your particular strike plate lock system quickly.

Needless to say, not a lot of people that I know of are using this method to safeguard their doors. But this is indeed one of the most effective ways of enhancing the security of your door. You can combine this with the other recommendations I have jotted down in this article and ensure the safety of your premises.

Install a Door Barricade

If you want to further enhance the door security of your home from the inside, then installing a door barricade is the way to go.

One of the significant advantages of a door barricade is that it doesn’t rely on the strength of your door, instead, it relies on the strength of your floor.

There are a plethora of manufacturers who have pumped door barricades and are out there in the market for you to purchase.

How to barricade a door at home? All you need is a screwdriver and a drill machine. And you are good to go. The most famous door barricade is the one from Nightlock. It supports both inward and outward swinging doors and supports both wood and metal door types.

You can install the Nightlock door barricade in less than 30 minutes on your own. You don’t need any professional carpenter to do it for you. If you ever get stuck, there are always instructional videos available at their website for your ease.

Use A Door Jammer

Ah, the infamous Door Jammer! Envy those days when life was simpler. Yeap, am a millennial!

You can easily attach a door jammer to your door, and it requires minimal to no effort from your side. It has an adjustable height, and it fits almost any door out there in the world of houses. See what I did there? World of houses!

How to Use A Door Jammer? It is a simple device which requires you to place the yoke end of the security bar firmly under the knob or the lever and the pivoting ball joint on the floor. It works with both hinged and sliding doors as well.

You can also use Sash Jammers installed on your doors to enhance the strength of the door jammers. Needless to say, it is entirely your own personal decision to combine all these recommendations or just use them as per your own choice. Watch the video below of how a Sash Jammer works:

A Steel Security Bar

This is yet another solution to further burglar-proof your home from the inside only. All you need is a steel horizontal security bar to conclude this setup.

How to install a horizontal steel security bar? Why do we use a steel bar for this setup? That’s because steel bars are sturdy and are incredibly durable. Thus, allowing them to withstand really high forces. In return, protecting you from forced kick-ins.

Its installation is relatively simple and straightforward: Just get hold of 2 lag bolts that go into the jack studs near the door frame that are part of the wall.

Once inside the house, all you need to do then is to slide the slots of the bar over the lag bolts. That’s fairly too much to it, and voila, your door is secured!

One of the significant advantages of using the horizontal steel security bar is that installing is really a walk in the park. It is totally independent of the door and the door jamb, and thus if the burglars are somehow able to destroy the deadbolt, the hinges or even the door frame, they still won’t be able to get into your home.

It is a highly reliable and proven solution against forced entries.

Get a Surveillance System

Investing in a surveillance system is the most critical thing you can do whenever you move into a new house. This applies to both new homeowners and existing homeowners. A decent surveillance system would not only help you to discourage burglars but would also let you identify them in case a break-in happens. But the most crucial point to note here is that if all of this CCTV installation is to work to your benefit, then the placement of such surveillance cameras is the key!

For a starter, start by placing the camera at the top of the front door where it can capture not only who is standing on the front door but also a 360-degree view of what is present Infront of the main entrance.

Once you are done with installing one camera, time to invest in another smart CCTV camera and place it, pointing towards your main door entrance. This additional camera installation would guarantee you are being able to capture the footage from angles that are otherwise missed from the placement of the first camera. My best advice to you would be to get hold of a qualified CCTV engineer to get this done for you. But at the same time, do not forget to reset the password to the primary admin ID of the surveillance system to ensure no one else can view the video footage other than you.

This is the smart CCTV system that I have deployed at my house. The beauty of this product is that I can set up motion detection and also enable alerts to be sent directly to my iOS device. Fret not, this device also supports Android mobile phones as well. It is fully compatible with

1. Amazon Alexa
2. Apple HomeKit
3. Google Assistant

The Arlo Pro also offers free cloud storage to store your video feed for up to 7 days.

Get Wide-Angled Peep Holes

Criminals have more than one way to intrude your privacy. It can all begin with a mere knock on your door by someone conspicuous and eventually once you end up opening your door, they just force their way into your property, causing harm. And yeap, this is entirely possible even if your door is slightly open.

The best of avoiding this issue is to invest in a Ring Door Bell. If that is a bit too much for now, then invest in a decent sized wide-angled peephole.

Once you have either of this installed, you would then easily be able to make out who is standing right on your doorstep and if it is someone who you are not acquainted with or your believe poses a threat, then you can choose to either not answer or call the police.

Install a Security Door (Security Screen)

You know how the saying goes, “Two doors are always better than one!” – Said the SmartNutter Admin

What I meant was, security screens add an extra layer of protection to the main entrance door of your house. Now you may ask, WHY DO I HAVE TO INSTALL A SECURITY SCREEN? A security screen is an additional frame that is engineered to keep the intruders out and the homeowners in, safe! This gets installed right behind the main entrance door of your house.

The whole security screen concept is designed with only one constraint kept in mind, and that is “Security!”. It embezzles from stainless steel construction, the installation process to the frame, hinges and the locking system used to keep it secure. An actual security screen must pass the international standards set for security. These screens are usually fitted in open areas along where the possibilities of ingress are. This prevents the chances of possible attacks involving someone kicking on your door and banging it wide open!

The security screen can be used to install extra locks, thus also preventing the likelihoods of a planned covert entry. With the help of a security screen present in addition to your regular main door, the deadbolt lock and knob that is added to the frame of the security screen serves as an add-on for further securing your main entrance.

Pro Tip:

The best part of these security screens is that since they have pierced openings; you have the liberty of opening the door and can then easily see everything that is happening on the outside without exposing yourself of going outside.

How Does A Burglar Think?

Your house could be at higher risk:

1. If it sits in a corner (This is ideal for burglars who are browsing through the neighbourhood and acts as a natural place to stop and ask for directions).
2. If it is located close to a highway exit (less than a mile)
3. If it is located on a through street, which allows a burglar to escape quickly and efficiently.
4. It borders with a wooded area or a playground (provides concealed access to the burglars).
5. If it is in a wealthy neighbourhood.
6. If it features no signs of young children living inside the house. (burglars avoid such places as there may be someone in the home with the children)
7. It was recently bought (burglars have done their research on this one and know that since you haven’t developed ties within the neighbourhood yet)

Other than these, there are many other signs what a burglar looks at before they attempt a break-in!

Related Questions

How to Secure a Door Without a Lock?

In all honesty, securing or locking the door without a lock is quite tricky. Fret not, there is a solution to it that I have discussed in the article above.

In a nutshell, to secure a door without a lock you can resort to using door barricades and door jammers effectively. Often at times, this solution is a lot better than having no locks on the door.

The only problem with this method is you need to be present inside the house to keep the door locked. There is no way of securing your door from the outside using barricades and door jammers. Period!

Can I Lock A Door With Pennies?

Yes, it is possible to lock your door with a few pennies at hand.

How To Lock A Door With Pennies? To penny lock a door, simply jam the pennies you have around your house in-between the door and its hinges from the outside. This would prevent the door from opening from the inside. If this trick is done correctly, the only way you can then open the door would be to remove it from its hinges. Which is quite a cumbersome process?

I wouldn’t resort to locking my door with pennies unless its for fun!

Can I Use A Door Brace To Lock My Door?

Door braces can very well be used to lock your doors, but unfortunately only if you are present inside the house. They won’t work from the outside.

Many door braces can be used to barricade a door. Some of which are:

1. Portable Door Jammers
2. Door Security Bars
3. Floor Bolt Locks
4. Door Barricade Bars
5. Door Closer Security Covers

Conclusion

I really don’t want you to get paranoid and start losing your sleep at night thinking if you don’t follow these steps to secure your front door, then you would get robbed, or worse. My whole intention here was to show you what are the measures you can take to enhance your door security.

These steps would indeed be handy to keep the burglars out and you and your property safe.

If you are worried that someone is targeting you, then do not wait and take the necessary steps to inform the relevant authorities and also ensure to take steps written in this article to your own benefit.

Happy “Jetson” home people!