Keep informed—and in control—with these high-tech networks

By John Elliot
Originally Published Nov. 16, 2021

Connected devices certainly add a layer of convenience to home management—but keeping track of your estate’s many smart implements can be a task in itself.

Fortunately, there are systems—boutique networks or one-size-fits-all hubs—that allow owners to control their home devices from a single source—and will even send a friendly reminder when you forget to lock a door.

Below, our top picks for smart home hubs.

Vivint

An expert way to maintain complete control over your home’s smart-device network is to have a professionally installed boutique ecosystem.The security-focused Vivint network comes with indoor, outdoor and doorbell cameras, with 24/7 monitoring and DVR playback, Kwikset smart locks, smart lights, garage door control, a smart thermostat, smart speakers, security sensors, a Vivint Smart hub and Vivint app. The Vivint system will even identify when packages have been dropped off on your doorstep, and employ lights and sound to deter any would-be parcel thieves. With a Vivint network, homeowners can not only adjust the heat, turn off a light or play a podcast over their home speakers with a simple spoken phrase, they can also check to see if they left the garage door open—and just say "close" if they did.

Pricing for a Vivint system is available at Vivint.com

Amazon Echo, 4th Generation

Is your home a menagerie of different smart-home brands? Never fear, the Amazon Echo is here. The fourth generation of Amazon's A.I. assistant-meets-smart-home hub is a spherical microphone/speaker that plays incredibly well with others. Working with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee and Sidewalk, the Echo gives users complete voice (or if you prefer, app) control over their homes many and varied smart devices, and enable owners to easily create routines pairing multiple devices together, like turning off the lights and locking the doors with a single command at the end of the night. Better still, the Echo can employ Alexa Guard, an audio-monitoring system that recognizes out-of-place noises—like glass breaking or a smoke alarm—and can alert homeowners via audio-visual notifications.

The Amazon Echo, 4th Generation is available for $99.

Brilliant

Looking for an all-in-one hub that sports some seriously attractive hardware? Meet Brilliant. The Brilliant network provides owners with centralized control over music, lighting, climate and access (read: locks), as well as offering an intercom system, via app or voice command—or through the use of wall-mounted control panels. The stylishly designed wall mounts consist of a tablet-esque video touchscreen and one to four sleek "switches,” which users can employ to control temperature, volume, etc., by sliding their fingers up or down. Activating a control panel will give users instant access and control to what is running at that moment in their home—and when the doorbell rings, each control panel will show who is at the door, allowing anyone in the home to let their guest in. The wall mounts also operate as video intercoms, allowing owners to call from the basement to the kitchen (without yelling for once). Brilliant users can easily pair various smart-home devices together, on the app or wall mount, to create scheduled actions where many smart products work in conjunction.

Brilliant control panels range from $399 to $549, depending on the number of switches.

Control4

Want to give your home its own operating system? Control4 offers the complete package. Specializing in creating and installing whole smart-home device networks—for new builds or existing properties alike—Control4 removes all the headaches that can come with setting up a smart home. Users can choose from smart devices (lights, locks, thermostats, speakers, cameras and much more) developed by Control4, or their preferred brands—or a mix of both—and Control4 will stitch together a smart-home network that functions seamlessly, marrying the software with a variety of hardware options, including a handheld remote, a wall keypad, a touchscreen, a phone app or a smart speaker. The brand-agnostic, control method-agnostic network means that setting up multi-device implementations is as simple as a single tap or a spoken word and keeping tabs on your house is as easy as looking at a tablet.

Visit control4.com for more details and pricing.