We’ve experimented with lots of smart home products at our various studios and homes in NYC through the years. So when we got our first little cabin in the woods, we realized it was the perfect opportunity to start with a whole-home approach.
Since we didn’t live in the cabin full time, we knew we wanted the ability to monitor and control as many aspects of the cabin’s functions as possible. We started by choosing a hub that was compatible with as many of the smart home products we were interested in as possible. We also wanted the interface and programming experience to be intuitive, functional and good looking, so we ended up choosing Wink which uses the Z-Wave protocol. (Technology changes fast though, so that of course could change in the future).
The areas we wanted to control ranged from lighting and security, to heating, cooling and blinds, and eventually expanded to voice control (through Alexa) and media (with Sonos, and even a custom work around for a drop-down projection screen).
You can learn a bit more about the things we’ve discovered through our write ups which you’ll find under “why we love it” in the product descriptions.
Note: We may earn a small commission if you end up purchasing any of these items through these links. We’ve spent a lot of time and energy researching, testing, and sharing what we’ve learned over the years and we appreciate if it ends up working out for you too!