Tech mavens from Nest, Amazon, and more share their tips and tricks for how to take your home into the 21st century We?re on the cusp of a Cambrian explosion in smart home products. The speedy march of technology is churning out everything from connected bottle openers to automated window blinds, keyless locks, and security cameras that text you when someone breaks into your home.
These technologies can offer unprecedented levels of information and automation. But with so many potential places to start, it?s time to get smart about setting up a smart home of your own.
Curbed checked in with a handful of experts including Nest Platform Head Greg Hu, Canary co-founder & Chief Design Officer Jon Troutman, Amazon Alexa Director Charlie Kindel, IFTTT CEO Linden Tibbets, and LittleBits Director of Product Design Krystal Persaud?all to get their takes on the best smart home products and how to transform your dumb home into a smart one. Start with a need, not just a gee-whiz product

"Studies show that the most-adopted smart home products are the ones that solve real needs," explained Canary?s Jon Troutman. "A lot of people think of ?smart home? as synonymous with home automation?lights that turn on at certain hours, window shades programmed to go up or down. But those sort of products aren?t necessarily the most helpful or meaningful."
Getting a tweeting toaster might seem like a fun foray into smart home life, but the shine of novelty products will...