Creating an electriQ Equipped Smart Home for Around £150

A Closer Look

electriQ GU10 Features

• UNDER HALF THE PRICE OF PHILIPS HUE
• Choose from over a million colour combinations to match your mood
• Adjust the brightness of the bulb without the hassle of installing a dimmer switch
• Set the lights to come on at a pre-set time, ideal for when you’re not at home
• The bulb works over WiFi so you can operate them from anywhere using your smartphone
• Manage multiple light bulbs all at the same time
• Works with Amazon Echo, Alexa & Google Home so you can control the light with your voice.

Design

As I said, I got three of these bulbs for testing. At just £13.97 each, they’re shockingly cheap, given that a Philips Hue GU10 is currently £50 per bulb, this setup is over £100 cheaper already.

They keep to the standard GU10 form factor too, and installation will be as simple as plug and play. Of course, you’ll also need the required app to pair them with your phone and Google/Amazon smart home equipment.

They’re quite lightweight, and while they are “cheap” they don’t particularly look it or feel it, which is great!

electriQ B22 Features

• UNDER HALF THE PRICE OF PHILIPS HUE
• Choose from over a million colour combinations to match your mood
• Adjust the brightness of the bulb without the hassle of installing a dimmer switch
• Set the lights to come on at a pre-set time, ideal for when you’re not at home
• The bulb works over WiFi so you can operate them from anywhere using your smartphone
• Manage multiple light bulbs all at the same time
• Works with Amazon Echo, Alexa & Google Home so you can control the light with your voice.

Design

Again, just like the GU10, the RGB B22 fitting lights are crazy affordable. At just £14.97, they’re a fraction of the price of a Hue B22, which are currently £49.99 per bulb. Of course, the Hue gear also requires a hub.

I’m not knocking Hue either, I have a house literally 100% equipped with Hue, it wasn’t cheap, but it’s a great product. However, how close can you get on a budget? Well, these cheaper bulbs look pretty great to me. The housing is a good size, and there’s a large surface area to the lighting end, allowing for a wide dispersal pattern.

Side by side, the Philips Hue do look a little more premium, but it’s a bulb… I can’t say I spend much time staring at their housing design when they’re installed.

electriQ Smart Plug Features

• Use your smartphone to turn your electrical equipment on or off
• Schedule your devices to come on at a pre-set time, ideal for when youre not at home
• The plug works over WiFi so you can operate them from anywhere using your smartphone
• Set your device to turn on after a set amount of minutes using the countdown timer
• Works with Amazon Echo & Alexa so you can control the plug with your voice
• Compatible with iOS and Android smartphones

“You must have had that moment of dread at some point, the iron, your straighteners… Will I get home from work and my house is on fire?! Oh for goodness sake I’m turning around! Sound familiar? Well, worry no more, because with the electriQ smart plug you can keep your nerves in check. It lets you use your smartphone to control your electrical devices from anywhere – whether you’re at home, at work or even on holiday, so you’ll never have to worry about leaving something switched on again! Simply plug the smart plug into a wall socket, connect your chosen device, and download the free smartphone app to control it. It’s that easy! And, as if it couldn’t get any more convenient, the plug even works with Amazon Alexa and Google Home which means you’ll be able to control your devices with your voice!” – electriQ

Design

I love smart plugs, they’re great for peace of mind, they’re awesome for saving power, and they’re best at retrofitting non-smart things to becoming smart! These are really nicely designed too, with a slim housing that’s a lot less bulky than some of the other smart plugs I’ve used over the years.

They’re a plug like any other, so just pop it in the socket, plug in your device, and it’ll work. There’s an LED-lit power button on the front to toggle on or off, but you can do more through the mobile app too, which you’ll see shortly.

electricIQ 720p Wifi Monitoring Camera Features

• 24-hour coverage with clear infrared night vision
• Wireless or wired set up
• Fittings included for mounting
• Compact design
• Use as a pet cam, home security, baby monitor and more
• Full control via smartphone, tablet or PC
• Pan: up to 270°
• Tilt: up to 90°
• Resolution: 720p HD
• Wireless range: 50m
• Infrared night vision range: 15m

“What do your pets get up to while you’re out of the house? Do they behave and wait patiently for you to come home, or do they run riot, knocking things over and chewing things up? Well, now you can find out with the electriQ pet cam! Whenever I sense my cats are up to no good, I open the app to find out what they’ve done. It’s great! I love how if they are misbehaving, I can even tell them to stop, right from my desk with the two-way audio feature. It’s just like being at home.” – electriQ

Design

This is a simple bit of kit, and it’s pretty affordable too at just £34.97. Now, it’s worth pointing out that this isn’t a home security camera, it’s a monitor camera. If you want to check your kids came home on time while you’re away, make sure your pets are ok, or simply that the house hasn’t exploded, then this will do the trick nicely.

It’s a free-standing unit as you can see. However, you do get a well/ceiling bracket included should you need it. It operates over WiFi, can record to microSD, or be wired to your network using the included RJ45 cable. For a cheap camera, that’s good value right there.

It’s just a cheaper plastic camera, but it’s got plenty of features and a nice design too. It’ll record 720p, has two-way audio support, can pan 270-degrees and tilt 90 degrees. You can leave it in a self-moving mode, preset areas, or drag your finger over the feed in the app to move the camera.