Home Depot has expanded its smart home products with nearly 60 gadgets ranging from light bulbs to garden sprinklers that can be controlled with a smartphone.
Smart Home systems are becoming the new favorite for home décor shoppers as they gun for advanced techniques for in-house facilities. With tech leaders such as Google and Apple joining the new platform, a series of Wink-certified products are already available in over 2,000 Home Depot stores in the United States, beefing up the competition for the tech giants. The products range from light bulbs to air conditioners, to smart locks and more, USA Today reports.
The smart home products offer the convenience of controlling the devices from anywhere, as long as they are connected to a Wi-Fi network. The new category is gaining popularity for its ease of access and reliability on smartphones, which users have access to most of the times. The new product range works with software developed by Wink, a spin-off of New York-based Quirky. The platform acts as a central hub for devices from various manufacturers, including Dropcam, Honeywell, Quirky, Schalge, Kwikset, Philips, GE and more, all within a single app for iOS or Android platforms.
The Wink app allows smartphone users to control Wi-Fi-enabled devices such as Chamberlain garage-door opener, a Honeywell smart thermostat or LED light bulbs offered by Philips and General Electric.
"We think the Wink platform will make (smart products) more appealing," Jeff Epstein, the vice president for home automation merchandising at The Home Depot, told USA Today.
Wink app is available for free on Google Play and App Store and it requires a separate device called the Wink Hub for it to work. The separate device costs $50, but the retailer offers a fifty percent discount if clubbed with a purchase of one connected gadget, such as a light bulb. If consumers make two purchases, the price of the Wink Hub drops to just 99 cents.
Home Depot expanded its range of smart home products in the wake of competition from Staples, which last week announced a similar move to offer a range of Wink-compatible home and office products. Other companies like Apple and Google are also making a reservation in the smart home business. The Cupertino tech giant introduced HomeKit this year and Google purchased Nest Labs, the home automation company behind the smart thermostat systems.
Explore the wide range of smart home products at Home Depot online store and retail locations across the US.
