Five of the best

Smarten up your home with these highlights from CES 2018

1 Amazon Echo Spot $129.99 amazon.com

Amazon is Apple’s arch‑rival in the home automation market, and it’s keeping up the pressure with its latest Echo speaker. The Echo Spot is very cleverly designed. It’s a compact speaker, weighing 14.8oz, with a 2.5‑inch circular screen, which is ideal for a bedside table or in the kitchen.

2 Belkin Wemo Bridge $39.99 belkin.com

Belkin’s Wemo Bridge plugs into your Wi-Fi router and adds HomeKit compatibility to the company’s existing range of smart plugs, switches, and motion sensors, enabling you to control them via Siri. It’s been enormously popular so far, and has already sold out once, so get it quick!

3 LIFX + A60 $79.99 lifx.com

The LIFX range of smart lights starts at just $24.99, but this high-end model includes HomeKit support — so you can change brightness and color with Siri voice commands — and an infra-red mode that can enhance visibility for security cameras. This model also comes in packs of four or six lights.

4 Ring Beam $TBC ring.com

Ring has announced that it’s extending its range of video doorbells and security cameras with the Beam outdoor security lights. These are a range of battery-powered models designed for use in the garden, or up on external walls for pathways, and they include motion sensors for extra security.

5 Somfy Outdoor Camera $TBA somfysystems.com

Somfy’s Outdoor Camera is seriously smart. It starts by warning intruders that they’re being watched, and if that doesn’t scare them off it can let rip with an ear-splitting 110dB siren. It uses artificial intelligence to tell humans apart from animals, and it supports HomeKit as well.