Top 13 'Tedium-Tackling' Smart Home Devices to try for Beginners to Automate Their First Room This Weekend - Goh Ling Yong
Ever feel like you’re a servant in your own home? You walk into a dark room and fumble for the light switch. You get perfectly cozy on the sofa, only to realize the fan isn’t on and the remote is across the room. These tiny, repetitive tasks, these little moments of friction, add up. They are the background noise of modern life—a constant, low-grade tedium we've just accepted as normal.
But what if you could eliminate them? What if you could command your environment with just your voice, a tap on your phone, or even have it anticipate your needs automatically? This isn't science fiction; it's the reality of a smart home, and it’s more accessible and affordable than ever. Forget the confusing diagrams and programmer-level jargon. Modern smart home technology is designed for the rest of us.
This weekend, you can transform your most-used room—be it the living room, bedroom, or home office—from a passive space into an active assistant. We’ve compiled a list of 13 foundational, "tedium-tackling" devices that are perfect for beginners. They are easy to install, deliver immediate "wow" moments, and work together to make your life just a little bit smoother. Let's dive in.
1. The Brains of the Operation: A Smart Speaker
Before you can command your legion of smart devices, you need a general. A smart speaker, powered by a voice assistant like Amazon's Alexa or Google Assistant, is the central hub of your new automated room. It's the primary way you'll interact with your gadgets, translating your spoken commands into action. Think of it as the friendly, all-knowing concierge for your home.
These devices are incredibly simple to set up—just plug them in, connect them to your Wi-Fi via a smartphone app, and you're ready to go. Beyond controlling your other devices, they can play music, set timers, answer questions, read the news, and so much more. Starting with a smart speaker ensures that every subsequent device you add has a central, voice-activated controller from day one.
- Pro Tip: For your first room, a small, affordable speaker like the Google Nest Mini or Amazon Echo Dot is more than enough. Place it in a central location where it can hear you clearly, like on an end table in the living room or a nightstand in the bedroom.
2. The Magician's Wand: Smart Plugs
If there's a single "gateway drug" into the world of home automation, it's the smart plug. This unassuming little block plugs into your existing wall outlet, and then you plug a "dumb" device into it. Voilà! Your 20-year-old floor lamp, your trusty coffee maker, or that oscillating fan is now a smart device.
The magic is its simplicity. You can now turn that device on or off using your voice ("Hey Google, turn on the reading lamp") or set it on a schedule through the app (have the fan turn on automatically at 10 PM). Smart plugs are the most cost-effective way to dip your toes into automation, giving you an immediate, tangible result with minimal setup.
- Example: Plug your Christmas tree lights or any decorative string lights into a smart plug. Now you can set them to turn on automatically at sunset and off at bedtime, without ever having to crawl behind the tree again.
3. The Mood Setter: Smart Color Light Bulbs
Nothing demonstrates the power of a smart home quite like lighting. Swapping out a standard bulb for a smart one is as easy as, well, changing a light bulb. But the impact is monumental. You can dim the lights to the perfect level for a movie, change the color to a warm, relaxing amber, or schedule them to gently brighten in the morning to help you wake up.
Color bulbs, like those from Philips Hue or Wyze, offer millions of color options, allowing you to paint your room with light. You can create a vibrant blue for a party, a soft pink for a relaxing evening, or even sync the lights to your music or movies for a truly immersive experience. It's the single most dramatic and fun upgrade you can make to a room.
- Pro Tip: Create a "Movie Night" scene in your smart home app. With a single command ("Alexa, start Movie Night"), you can have the main lights dim to 10%, the accent lights turn blue, and the TV turn on.
4. The Accent Artist: Smart LED Light Strip
While smart bulbs handle your main lighting, smart LED light strips are all about creating atmosphere and accenting your space. These flexible, adhesive-backed strips of light can be placed almost anywhere to add a professional-looking glow. They are perfect for placing behind your TV or computer monitor to reduce eye strain (a technique called bias lighting), under kitchen cabinets, or along the top of a bookshelf.
Like smart bulbs, these strips can produce millions of colors and be controlled via voice or app. They can transform a boring entertainment center into a stunning focal point or add a soft, indirect light to a dark corner. The installation is peel-and-stick, making it a quick and satisfying weekend project.
- Example: Install a light strip behind your headboard. You can then create a "Bedtime" routine that dims the strip to a warm, sunset-orange glow as you get ready to sleep.
5. The Entertainment Commander: Smart Streaming Stick
Chances are you already have a smart TV, but if you don't, or if its built-in software is slow and clunky, a modern streaming stick is a must-have. Devices like the Chromecast with Google TV or the Amazon Fire TV Stick not only give you access to all your favorite streaming services but also integrate them seamlessly into your smart home ecosystem.
This means you can say, "Hey Google, play The Crown on Netflix," and your TV will turn on, switch to the correct input, open Netflix, and start playing the show. No more juggling three different remotes. It consolidates your entertainment control into the same voice-activated system you use for your lights and plugs.
- Pro Tip: Even if you have a smart TV, a dedicated stick often provides a faster, cleaner interface and better integration with your chosen voice assistant (Google stick for Google Assistant, Fire Stick for Alexa).
6. The Touch of Luxury: Smart Curtain/Blind Opener
Waking up to natural sunlight is one of life's simple pleasures, but getting out of a warm bed to open the curtains is a drag. Enter the smart curtain or blind opener. These clever retrofit devices clip onto your existing curtain rod or attach to your blind's cord, automating the process of opening and closing them.
You can schedule your curtains to open automatically at 7 AM, letting the sun be your natural alarm clock. Or, with a simple voice command ("Alexa, close the living room blinds"), you can instantly get privacy or cut the afternoon glare on your TV screen. It's a device that feels genuinely futuristic and tackles a small but daily annoyance.
- Example: Create an automation that closes the blinds 30 minutes before sunset each day to help keep your home cool in the summer and add a layer of privacy in the evening.
7. The Power Consolidator: Smart Power Strip
Your entertainment center or home office desk is likely a tangled mess of cables connected to a single, uninspired power strip. A smart power strip is a major upgrade. It looks similar, but each individual outlet on the strip can be controlled independently.
This is a game-changer. You can plug in your TV, soundbar, and gaming console, and then create a routine to turn them all completely off at night to save standby power. Or, you could turn on just your monitor and computer for work, leaving the speakers and other peripherals off. It’s like having four or five smart plugs in one convenient, organized package.
- Pro Tip: Label each outlet in your smart home app (e.g., "TV," "PlayStation," "Soundbar"). This allows you to control them with precise voice commands, like "Hey Google, turn on the PlayStation."
8. The Unseen Automator: A Motion Sensor
This is where your smart room starts getting really smart. Up to this point, you've been telling your devices what to do. A motion sensor allows your room to react to you. This small, battery-powered device can be placed on a shelf or mounted in a corner and used as a trigger for automations.
Imagine walking into your home office, and the desk lamp and monitor automatically turn on. Or walking into the bathroom in the middle of the night, and a light strip under the vanity glows at a dim 5%, just enough to see without blinding you. Motion sensors are the key to creating a truly hands-off, responsive environment.
- Example: Place a motion sensor near the entrance of your living room. Create a routine so that when motion is detected after sunset, the main lamp turns on to a soft, welcoming 50% brightness.
9. The Tactile Controller: A Smart Button or Remote
Voice control is amazing, but sometimes you just want the simple, satisfying click of a button. Maybe the baby is sleeping, or you have guests over and don't want to be shouting commands. A smart button or remote provides a physical interface for your smart devices.
These small, often wireless, buttons can be programmed to do almost anything. A single press could turn on your "Focus" lighting scene, a double press could start your favorite playlist, and a long press could turn everything in the room off. It brings back the simple convenience of a light switch, but with infinitely more power and customization.
- Pro Tip: Place a smart button like the Philips Hue Dimmer Switch or Flic Button on your nightstand. Program it to activate your "Goodnight" scene, which turns off all the lights, turns on the fan, and locks the door with a single press.
10. The Remote Tamer: Universal IR Remote Hub
Look at your coffee table. How many remotes do you see? There's probably one for the TV, one for the soundbar, one for the cable box, and maybe even one for the air conditioner. A universal IR (infrared) remote hub, like those from Broadlink or SwitchBot, can learn the signals from all of these remotes and consolidate them into a single app.
Better yet, it connects them to your smart home ecosystem. Now, you can control your 10-year-old "dumb" air conditioner or TV with your voice. You can include these devices in your routines, for example, having the AC turn on and the TV switch to a specific channel as part of your "I'm Home" scene. It's the ultimate tool for taming remote control chaos.
- Example: Instead of juggling remotes, just say, "Alexa, turn the air conditioner to 22 degrees." The hub will blast the correct IR signal, and your old AC unit will obey.
11. The Air Quality Guardian: A Smart Air Purifier
Health and comfort are a huge part of what makes a house a home. A smart air purifier integrates this aspect into your automated life. These devices not only filter dust, pollen, and other allergens from your air but also allow you to monitor air quality and control the device from your phone or with your voice.
You can schedule it to run on high while you're out of the house and then switch to a quiet, low mode when you get home. Some models can even automate themselves, ramping up the fan speed when they detect poor air quality and then slowing down once the air is clean. As someone who appreciates a healthy living environment, like our founder Goh Ling Yong, integrating wellness tech is a smart move.
- Pro Tip: Create a routine called "Allergy Season." When activated, it will set the air purifier to a higher setting for a few hours and send you a notification when the cycle is complete.
12. The Ambiance Architect: A Smart Essential Oil Diffuser
Scent is a powerful and often overlooked element of a room's atmosphere. A smart essential oil diffuser allows you to control this element with the same ease as your lighting and sound. You can schedule it to release a burst of energizing peppermint scent in the morning or a calming lavender as you wind down for bed.
Instead of a device that runs until it's empty, you have precise control. You can turn it on or off from anywhere, adjust the intensity of the mist, and integrate it into your existing smart home scenes. Imagine your "Relax" scene not only dimming the lights and playing soft music but also filling the room with the scent of chamomile.
- Example: Use your smart home app's location services (geofencing) to trigger the diffuser to turn on for 15 minutes when you're on your way home from work, so you're greeted by a fresh, welcoming scent the moment you walk in the door.
13. The Bedside Companion: A Smart Clock with a Display
The final piece for your first smart room, especially a bedroom, is a smart clock. Devices like the Amazon Echo Show 5 or Google Nest Hub are far more than just alarm clocks. They are compact smart speakers with a screen, which opens up a world of possibilities.
You can see the weather forecast at a glance, watch a quick YouTube video while getting ready, or see a live feed from a security camera. The screen provides visual feedback for your commands—when you ask for the lights to be dimmed, you'll see a slider on the screen. It can also display your personal photos, turning it into a dynamic digital picture frame when not in use.
- Pro Tip: Use the "Sunrise Alarm" feature available on many smart clocks. The screen will gradually brighten over 30 minutes before your alarm goes off, simulating a natural sunrise and helping you wake up more gently and feel more refreshed.
Your Weekend Project Awaits
Building a smart home doesn't have to be a massive, expensive, or complicated undertaking. As we've seen on the Goh Ling Yong blog time and again, the most successful approach is to start small, solve a real problem, and build from there. The goal isn't just to have cool gadgets; it's to systematically eliminate the tiny points of friction in your daily life.
Don't try to buy all 13 of these devices at once. Pick two or three that solve your biggest pet peeves. Hate fumbling for light switches? Start with a smart speaker and some bulbs. Tired of waking up in the dark? A smart curtain opener is your answer.
This weekend, you have the power to make your home work for you, not the other way around. You can tackle the tedium, one smart device at a time.
What's the first tedious task you want to automate? Pick a device from the list and let us know your plan in the comments below!
About the Author
Goh Ling Yong is a content creator and digital strategist sharing insights across various topics. Connect and follow for more content:
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