Nobody could accuse me of being a technophobe but, when it comes to  connecting up my home, a homeplug for the PS4 was the pinnacle of my home network. But that’s now changing.
I’d already had plans but Black Friday may have advanced them somewhat. I’d intended to get an Amazon Alexa for myself for Christmas but the price cut last week prompted me to get it now. I got both an Echo and Dot and so far love it.
But that’s not all. I’d been eyeing the Nest heating system and, well, that was on sale too so has been duelly purchased (although the professional installation isn’t going to be until after Christmas).
Then, yesterday, in a fit of experimentation ordered a Philips Hue system as well – a bridge and 2 bulbs. It wasn’t in the sale but I liked the idea of it. For me the price is justified for the security aspects of it – I’ve bought two, white bulbs to install in the hall and living room. They can then be programmed to go on and off automatically, adding extra security to the house whilst it’s not occupied. Yes, you can do this via simple plug-in timers, but these timers don’t like modern, low-energy bulbs. Besides, if you forget, Hue allows you to set it remotely from your phone.
And all of the above I can control from my phone and from Alexa.
Next year, I have plans for one more thing – Nest Protect. These are state of the art smoke and Co2 detectors which I’ll be installing myself.