2025 Smart Home Guide: Best Platforms, Matter Update + What to Buy Now
2025 Smart Home Guide: Best Platforms, Matter Update + What to Buy Now
Here’s everything you need to know about Expanding or Starting a Smart Home in 2025, from new gadgets to what platforms we recommend. Sponsored by AmeriDroid. Get fast shipping on your first order: https://ameridroid.com/?ref=zvL2wAvxTNzJB2
📑Blog Post: https://6monthslater.net/2025/02/how-to-start-or-expand-your-smart-home-2025/
🛒 Product Links:
2025 Smart Home Guide: Best Platforms, Matter Update + What to Buy Now
👉 View all of our recommended products: https://6monthslater.net/shop
❤️Support Us: https://6monthslater.net/support-us/
🔗 Related Video links:
👉Home Assistant Green Review: https://youtu.be/3V3Jestsoq0
👉August Wifi Smart Lock Review:https://youtu.be/4_0Jm3WCpOw
👉Google Nest Doorbell Battery Review: https://youtu.be/o5Bu-UBgewo
👉Apple TV 4K Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZohQzadl_c&t=2s
👉Smart Home videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2XWjlJjGp3vTgYgZ8WzYN7yE28YkdZjr
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🕰️Timestamps:
0:00 – Intro
0:30 – Home Assistant
1:46 – Apple Home
2:31 – Google Home and Amazon Alexa
3:24 – SmartThings and Homey
4:34 – Different Smart Home protocols
5:28 – Why you still need to know about protocols
6:05 – What the Matter Smart Home standard does
7:25 – Get smart home gear from AmeriDroid
8:47 – Smart Thermostats
10:25 – Smart Locks
13:58 – Smart Lighting
15:10 – Motion Sensors
16:02 – Smart Blinds, Shades, Curtains
16:31 – Security Systems
17:53 – TVs and Streaming Boxes
18:54 – Smart Appliances
19:37 – Smart Plugs
20:03 – Final thoughts and recommendations
📜 Disclosures 📃 – Learn more at https://6monthslater.net/ethics
Any music used is licensed from artlist.io: https://artlist.io/referral/1878516/Josh
6 Months Later, purchased all the products seen in this video, except for the Lutron Smart Blinds, Home Assistant Voice Accelerator from AmeriDroid, one Sonoff motion sensor and the Homey Pro. This video was also sponsored by AmeriDroid.
Any Amazon links we provide in our descriptions are in conjunction with our Amazon partnership. The channel receives a small percentage of revenue from any sales generated by viewers clicking the links.
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Absolutely.
I disagree about thermostats being the first or easiest way to start. Unfortunately many home furnaces don’t have the necessary C-wire to power up smart thermostats. Smart locks and plugs are usually the easiest and most straightforward to start with.
Like some others in the comments, I feel like I need to add Home Assistant at this point to make my smart devices work better together. However, I am still intimidated by the work and the setup for that, so I keep using the apps/ecosystems I already have in place. And I realize I am limiting the way automations work for a smart home, which is really a big part of why we have smart things to start with.
So good!
My attention span actually survived this one.
Yes, but if I burn enough modems in my fireplace, will wifi signals come out of my chimney like in the thumbnail?
The visuals are just next level.
It’s always the Home Assistant nerds that tell everyone on the Internet how great it is. But they never talk about the hours they put in, sitting on their computers, to setup a real smarthome. People want a easy to learn smarthome.
Drop a like if you agree.
My recommended is finally doing something right.
👎 on tte google nest thermostat
👍 on the ecobee premium I like it.
The Luthron Diva LED+ Smart light switches are nice
Could this be the best upload yet?
Which scene made you laugh the most?
Thanks Josh 😊.
I have a question that hopefully I’ll get around to asking, soon 😟.
I saved this episode in order to do just that.
JaneLee Keller – in Suburban Philadelphia
2/23/25
This video has so much ramble, with 0nclear awnsers or direction.
Anyone else here because of the thumbnail?
📑Blog Post: https://6monthslater.net/2025/02/how-to-start-or-expand-your-smart-home-2025/
🛒 Product Links: https://6monthslater.net/2025/02/how-to-start-or-expand-your-smart-home-2025/
❤Support Us: https://6monthslater.net/support-us/
🔗 Related Video links:
👉Home Assistant Green Review: https://youtu.be/3V3Jestsoq0
👉August Wifi Smart Lock Review:https://youtu.be/4_0Jm3WCpOw
👉Google Nest Doorbell Battery Review: https://youtu.be/o5Bu-UBgewo
👉Apple TV 4K Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZohQzadl_c&t=2s
👉Smart Home videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2XWjlJjGp3vTgYgZ8WzYN7yE28YkdZjr
👋 Follow Josh:
👉 Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/joshteder.bsky.social
👉 Threads: https://www.threads.net/@joshteder
👉 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshteder/
👉 Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/joshteder/
👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshteder/
This made my brain happy.
Thanks for the video
My recommended is finally doing something right.
So true.
Needed this.
What’s your personal favorite moment?
Couldn’t you just technically use each devices app to control? Like the thermostats have their own ecobee and nest app?
Exactly.
You forgot Hubitat and Aqara!
Hubitat has Zigbee, Z-Wave, WiFi and Matter in one hub.
Aqara’s hub is Zigbee and Matter with an IR blaster. This company has 98% of every possible device needed for smart homes, so it’s basically a completely self-contained smart home ecosystem.
Bonus- Both Hubitat and Aqara are seamlessly compatible with HomeKit.
Your uploads always make my feed better.
For real.
Respect.
This video just made my day!
Are there smart plugs that work with higher wattage appliances like air fryers, space heaters, microwaves, etc?
I use Google and Alexa.
Google is great because I can say "Hey Google, Heater" (with a special routine) to turn the heater ON or OFF in that Room… No more unique names.
@6monthslater Josh I wanted to let you know that you forgot that home assistant can expose it entities to Amazon and Google home
And also on the streaming boxes Roku does give support for home assistant to be able to change what app your watching
So hopefully, you can do a little more research for the time your doing a updated video
Otherwise you did a great job at it
The Schlage Sense Pro still isn’t out as of July 2025. Unfortunate because I’ll be buying a Schlage soon, and that means the Sense Pro may drop after which would be unfortunate timing. Not sure if I’d upgrade at that point, would need to see how that auto unlock on proximity makes me feel.
You claim android/window users are designed for people who aren’t super technical, umm that would be apple users that are not super technical, dont own any apple produts and never will at their price point and closed system.
Solid.
Been watching a ton of these. This is why integrated smart home stuff is a very niche market for geeks. NOt that this is bad, but the average person should just use Google or APple or native apps. This item works with that, but not with this, etc etc. Too many ‘STANDARDS"!
This is going straight to my favorites.
LG smart appliance stuff has been really reliable. I bought a set of appliances in 2020 and I get notified when washer, drier, and dishwasher are done and when dishwasher is out of rinse aid. Craziest thing though is I got a call one day from a fridge repair guy saying LG had noticed an issue in my fridge diagnostics and sent him out. He came by, tested the compressor, found it had gone bad, replaced it, and left. I didn’t pay any money and the fridge works great. It was wild how they took care of the whole thing fro me without me having to set up anything. At first I was worried it was a scam because LG never notified me directly.
I didn’t buy their top-end stuff, but stuff near the upper-middle end of their range.
Well said.
Just Surprise y recommend tplink , after leak in security. good video
I didn’t know I needed this until now.
100%.
Is it just me or did time fly watching this?
Really helpful for a newbie, thanks!
This!
As an hvac tech i highly recommend a honeywell the only difference in features is honeywell is marketed to pros while nest and ecobee is marketed towards end users.
The internet needs more of this.
18:57 Appliances spelled wrong.
Somethimes we need that type of videos make more on difference topics like this to help Us good work