Home Depot’s Wink Home Automation Lineup Includes Lights, Thermostats

by Nathan Eddy

Aside from a powerful 1.25hp motor and battery backup system, this garage door opener includes an Internet gateway to monitor and control the opener. Users can also receive alert notifications for the garage door opener and household lights from anywhere in the world through the company’s MyQ application.

This WiFi-enabled thermostat allows for remote access through a smartphone or computer and includes a free smartphone app for iPhone, iPad and Android OSes. In addition, the device sends notifications of unusual temperature and loss of connection to the WiFi network alert, and users also can view local weather from the Web portal or app.

Part of the Quirky + GE line of products, Pivot Power Genius is an adjustable, app-enabled power strip. Smart outlets allow the user to turn anything that’s plugged in on or off from a smartphone, either manually or by setting a calendar. Users can independently control two outlets on Pivot Power genius from a smartphone.

Dropcam is a cloud-based WiFi video monitoring service that helps users stay connected to places, people and pets. The Wink app lets users receive and view activity alerts on a smartphone, tablet or computer, and there is also the option to add cloud video recording (CVR) services.

Aros learns from the user’s budget, location, schedule and usage to automatically maintain the ideal temperature and maximize savings for a home. The unit turns on and off based on the smartphone’s GPS settings and tracks usage to help users save on energy costs. In addition, users can remotely control the device to change the temperature or switch between three cooling modes and three fan speeds.

Users can remotely adjust brightness levels to relax, concentrate or energize, or set alarms and timers for gentle, visual reminders and wake-up calls. Users can also increase security by operating the lights when they are away from home, and the starter kit includes a wireless bridge to control up to 50 bulbs as well as a power adapter and a 6-foot Ethernet network cable.

With these tiny sensors, users can monitor motion, sound, light, temperature and humidity—all from a smartphone. Spotter can be used for everything from baby monitoring, intruder alerts, washer or dryer notifications, to having the perfect temperature for a wine cellar.

The Refuel is a smart propane tank gauge that connects to the Wink app on a mobile device and can be deployed to monitor the propane supply from afar, track tank usage and get alerts when it’s time to refuel. Its magnetic sensor also displays the gas level, so users will always know when they are running low.

Doubling as carbon monoxide detectors, the devices operate with wireless interconnects so that if one alarm sounds, all interconnected units will sound, alerting users to a potential threat anywhere in the home. The alarm also connects to the Wink Hub as part of a connected home environment so that if an alarm sounds, it will send the user a message on a smartphone, tablet or PC.

A select group of Rheem electric water heaters available now includes WiFi functionality. Using the company’s EcoNet technology, homeowners can take control of their water heater from anywhere with Internet access. With the free Rheem EcoNet App, users can set the temperature of their water heater and access a number of features such as leak detection, service diagnostics, system status and more.