The tools involved in making the dumb smart aren’t all high-tech wizardry, but most of them are. Some tools are real, physical products and others are services. Some are out-of-the-box and some have to be custom-made or customized.

Part how-to, part why-for, and part review, these are the tools I’ve tried, am using, or are on my wishlist.

The ELK Stack

Hue Smart Lighting

Netatmo Personal Weather Station

The Network

Raspberry Pi and Arduino

Eight (Smart Mattress Cover)

Samsung SmartThings

Smart Thermostat