Stuff Magazine - November 2014 UK

CONNECTED HOME 151HOT Philips Hue STUFF SAYSBUY The humble lightbulb is It might seem like a gimmick, but having Wi-Fi-enabled, colour-changing reborn as a net-connected, 2 lightbulbs isn’t just good for impressing mates and spooking guests at seance colour-changing, mood- 3 parties. These smart LED bulbs come into their own when paired with ‘recipes’ sensing smart device 4 on ifttt.com – set them to change colour with the weather or when it’s time to 5 run to the train. They also tie in neatly with Philips’ own Ambilight TVs, casting from £45 +++++ 6 the colours from the screen across your entire room. A great thingternet starter. 7 8 Sonos Play:1 £170 9 +++++ 10 You don’t need to be planning a multi-room system to buy the Play:1, as it’s a stellar speaker in its own right, streaming from Spotify et al at the command of your phone or tablet. But team it up with another Sonos and you’ll be multi-rooming in minutes. Synology DS214SE £120 BEST FOR +++++ BACKUP AND Within this entry-level hardware beats the best NAS (network attached storage) STREAMING software yet. Not gorgeous to look at, but at least it’s small and easy to hide away. BEST FOR If you’re new to the NAS party, the DS214se is the cheapest way to get onboard. HOMES WITH THICK WALLS Devolo dLAN 500 Wi-Fi from £45 +++++ BEST FOR Not that sexy, perhaps, but the Devolo system is faultless in its execution. Putting THINGTERNET the ‘Internet’ in your ‘Internet of things’, it pipes broadband from your router, through FOR BEGINNERS your mains wiring and into the farthest reaches of your home, no messin’ ’bout. Roku Streaming Stick £50 +++++ ‘Streaming Stick’ tells you all you need to know, really: this is a stick, and it streams. It streams plenty, too – Netflix, iPlayer, Spotify, Sky Now and Sky Go to name a few. And unlike Chromecast, it’s also a dab hand with your own video and music files. Lovely stuff. Ninja Blocks US$200 ++++, This little box is a hacker’s dream. With everything from temp/humidity sensors to remotely switched power points, it has boundless potential for giving your home 21st century smarts. It’s open-source and has a devoted developer community. Koubachi Wi-Fi Plant Sensor from £80 ++++, Why have real plants when you can 3D-print space-age fake plastic trees? Because if you have real plants you can use this Wi-Fi-connected thingternet device to monitor their vitals and relay their photosynthetic desires back via an iOS app. That’s why. Belkin WeMo from £35 ++++, It started as an unassuming Wi-Fi-enabled socket that let you set lights or other mains-powered items on a schedule via an app. Now the range includes a motion sensor and a baby monitor (left), while a Hue-style lightbulb was announced at CES. Netatmo £140 ++++, With an indoor and an outdoor module, the Netatmo monitors the conditions all around you, checking temp, humidity, air pressure, CO2 levels and noise. Use the info to fine-tune your sleeping conditions, or just tap into the global community of Netatmo users. Google Chromecast £30 ++++, This USB memory-stick-sized cord-cutter is compatible with Netflix, YouTube, Google Play movies and BBC iPlayer: a cheap, simple way of getting web-sourced movies and shows onto your living-room TV.FOR FULL REVIEWS OF EVERYTHING ON THIS PAGE, VISIT STUFF.TV/TOP-10S/CONNECTED-HOMEAll the latestgadget reviews

Highly Classified To advertise call Israr Ahmed 0208 267 5669 Boiling & chilled filtered water at the th1e0AIsbnefdeseatptkueenrtedtldeesnint’s list of water at home.Transform your tap water with the beautifully designedBIBO home water dispenser. Simply connects to your watersupply for filtered chilled & boiling water, instantly.U *ÕÀi] }Ài>̇Ì>Ã̈˜} wÌiÀi` Ü>ÌiÀU ˜ÃÌ>˜Ì Ìi> E VœvviiU ˜`iÃà ÃÕ««Þ] ˜œ Àiwˆ˜}U œ “œÀi Ü>ˆÌˆ˜} vœÀ Ü>ÌiÀ ̜ Lœˆ œÀ V…ˆU £ä VœœÕÀ œ«Ìˆœ˜Ã ̜ ÃÕˆÌ ÞœÕÀ ŽˆÌV…i˜ œÀ œvwVi BIBO Classic is £393. £ÉÓ «ÀˆVi ˆ˜ÃÌ>>̈œ˜ œvviÀI] ÕÃÕ>Þ ËÇÓ] œ˜Þ ËÎÈ Ü…i˜ ÞœÕ μ՜Ìi Vœ`i -/1äÓ° ÝVÕÈÛiÞ >Û>ˆ>Li >Ìwww.bibowater.co.uk or call 0800 678 5969 œià >Ü>Þ ÜˆÌ… ̅i ŽiÌ̏i] filter jug and bottled water!I>ÃÈV “œ`i œ˜Þ

To advertise call Israr Ahmed 0208 267 5669 Highly Classified Gear .com