If you need a last-minute gift that's guaranteed to impress, you're in luck. While I was shopping for affordable gifts for everyone in my family as part of a recent video we published to YouTube, I pieced together the ultimate smart home "starter pack" for less than $50 at Amazon.
Thanks to holiday deals, the Amazon Echo Pop is on sale for $18 at Amazon, while the Govee Smart Light Bulbs (4-pack) are on sale for $28. That brings you to a grand total of $46 before tax and fees, which is a score considering these products work together to lay the foundation of a smart home. The best part? Both will arrive in time for Christmas if you order right now.
The Amazon Echo Pop is a small speaker that's kind of like the younger sibling to the Amazon Echo Dot. It's equipped with the Alexa voice assistant, meaning you can control music playback, ask general questions, and even manage smart home devices just using your voice.
While there are hundreds, if not thousands of Alexa-compatible smart home devices you can group with you Echo Pop, Govee Smart Light Bulbs are one my favorites. Like other smart light bulbs, these install in an exisiting lamp or other light fixture. You connect them to Wi-Fi first via the Govee Home app, then you sync your Govee and Alexa accounts for the full smart home experience.
The Govee lights display 16 Million colors, so you can either ask Alexa to change it or use the app for fine control over each bulb. All the bulbs can also connect together to show a light scene, with subtly different colors that, together, look cohesive. What's more, each bulb can cycle through all sorts of colors for an on-demand light show.
Whether you know someone who moved into a new place, or their current place could use an introduction to the "connected home" concept, these products as a pair make an excellent starting point. I unboxed and set both up to work together for the video I mentioned earlier in under 10 minutes. Don't believe me? Check out the full video here:
