There are smart home products just about everywhere you look at CES. When walking around, you start to get the feeling that if you've seen one smart light bulb, you've seen them all. All of the platforms and apps can get really overwhelming. And if it even gets a bit confusing for us techie folks, we can only guess how the average consumer feels about it all.
That's why it was so refreshing to step into the Geeni booth and have a chat with Sol Hedaya, head of their Smart Home division. Sol explained how they, too, know that it can get exhausting trying to get the features that you want in an easy to use format. That's why they have really tried to take away the pain points of the smarthome. Nobody wants to go through so many different apps, hubs, and ecosystems. So they've worked really hard to make it all less complicated and at price points that are affordable. Their philosophy from day one has been to make Wi-Fi-based products that are really inexpensive and are easy to get connected and running off of one app so that all you need to do is buy one product and it connects directly to your home Wi-Fi network. They've rolled this philosophy out into a really wide range of smart lighting and power products, including smart plugs, surge protectors and power strips. In addition, they are now moving into switches and even a smart nightlight and smart block combinations.
We loved how their entire line works together. You can set your nightlight to come on at dusk and include a fan or appliance in the same plug. They have also expanded heavily into cameras and security. There are indoor and outdoor and doorbell cameras. Also, new for this year is their smart baby camera that comes in three different colors: blue, pink and white. But most impressive are its features. You are able to adjust where the camera view right from the app. It also has a humidity and temperature sensors built right in. It will even sing a lullaby .
All of the products are compatible with Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, and Microsoft Cortana and they work really really closely with those teams to ensure superior compatibility. Pricing starts at around $15 and there is something for everyone. After you check out the interview, take a look at a couple of our favorites on Amazon, like this Surge 6-Outlet, and this 2 Pack 1080p Security Camera System. And for more information, visit the Geeni website.
Interview by Daniele Mendez of The New Product Launchpad.
Daniele is a student at Florida Polytechnic University who is studying Computer Science with a concentration in Cyber Security. In High School, she was introduced to the science and technology world through the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), a robotics foundation where students of varying ages can compete through tasks that their robots perform. With help from mentors she met through FIRST, she became interested in programming and developing. Today, Daniele is a special events host for F5 Live: Refreshing Technology and PLuGHiTz Live Special Events and a co-host for both The New Product Launchpad and FIRST Looks.
Although Michele has worked in the banking industry full time for many years, she originally went to school with a concentration in communications, advertising and marketing. She began her career in sales and retail management, selling electronics and computers. Her love of all things tech eventually brought her back into the electronics arena three years ago when she started with PLuGHiTz Corporation to help with special events as a Production Assistant. Soon she began to dabble with the audio and video and is loving her role as Producer. She's also one of our content writers and assists with product reviews. Looking forward, she is excited to expand her skill set into editing and helping the company continue to grow.
