Black Friday in Home Automation 2022

In this post, as every year, I’ll be updating you on the most interesting deals I find ahead of Black Friday in Home Automation, from most to least «important»… but you already know that’s very relative and that what really matters is covering real needs we have instead of getting swept up by a deal, however tempting it may be 😉 Also, this page will keep being updated through after Cyber Monday, so if you’re looking for something better, check back from time to time. As for me, this year, with electricity and gas prices being what they are and after the trick Naturgy pulled on me a few weeks ago leaving me without power, I want to try to save a bit on consumption, so I’m going to buy smart valves so the radiators open and close based on certain conditions. Right now I have an automation that closes my eldest son’s bedroom radiator if his phone isn’t home. However, when he re-enters the Home area, his radiator opens again so it’s nice and warm by the time he gets home.

Starting from the top: Shelly with a 22% discount!

The folks at Shelly Spain have a Black Friday campaign going, and the Shelly 1v3 has a great 22% discount that brings it under €10 per device! Honestly, at this price it’s not even worth considering smart switches or anything like that — you keep your home’s original switches and just «smart-ify» them. Also, as you know, you can flash the Shelly to make it compatible with HomeKit Shelly 1v3 at Shelly España for under 10 bucks

Thread smart plug: Eve with a 24% discount!

The best option nowadays if you want to start adding Thread devices to your network. Eve is one of the first manufacturers to jump on the Thread bandwagon, and this plug is fantastic, both in terms of what the app offers and in terms of integration and design. A must, especially at the €30 price it’s going for these days. Eve Thread plug with a 24% discount

Smart plugs: Meross with a 22% discount

If you’re looking for a smart plug that connects via WiFi so you don’t run into coverage issues, Meross is one of the best options, and these days we have the 2-plug pack with a 22% discount. Perfect for automating the Christmas tree in a few days!

Aqara M2 Bridge (with ethernet): 27% off!

I’ve never seen the M2 this cheap. As you know, this bridge doesn’t have a built-in speaker, but you can still use it as an alarm hub and play the sound through a HomePod. The advantage it has over the M1 and M1S is that it has an ethernet connection, which gives it greater stability for managing all the Zigbee Aqara products we might have. Without a doubt, my favorite Aqara bridge. Aqara M2 Bridge with 27% off!

Aqara M1S Bridge (gen 2): 15% off!

If you want to set up a home automation alarm system at a great price and don’t have any smart speakers at home, the Aqara M1S bridge with built-in speaker is your best option. This version is also Zigbee 3.0 certified, so you won’t have any trouble pairing all the Aqara devices you have around the house. If you’re just starting out, the best combo might be getting this bridge along with Aqara’s open door sensor, now discounted to 16 bucks, so for a bit under €60 you’d have a full alarm system set up for when your front door opens. Aqara M1S Bridge with 17% off

Eero Mesh routers with a 35% discount!!

One of the best investments we can make at home to ensure all our connected gadgets work well without coverage issues or drops is setting up a Mesh network, we’ve already talked about this before. Eero routers are HomeKit compatible, which lets us limit different devices’ internet connectivity in a super simple way (it’s just a dropdown menu inside the Home app). It’s true they’re not «for everyone,» since there are advanced users who want to set up their own firewall rules, VLANs, etc… but for me, for example, they work perfectly fine — I’ve completely forgotten about all that «tinkering» because the Eero works so well that I haven’t needed to create different virtual networks or set up manual rules. Absolutely thrilled with them! In my case I have 1 Pro unit + 1 extender from the previous model (the current one has Wifi 6), which is more than enough for my 160m² house. Eero 6 Mesh router with a 35% discount on Amazon!

Tado v3+ for Air Conditioning: -20% off

I’ve talked about Tado before, an infrared emitter for controlling a home split air conditioning unit. Since it’s compatible with HomeKit (and Alexa), we can automate it to maintain the temperature, turn off when we leave, or turn on when the house is too hot and we’re on our way back… whatever we can think of. They claim it saves energy… but in my experience I have to tell you that’s not really the case, since you end up having the AC running for much longer. The environment is more comfortable with Tado, that’s true, since the place is already nice and cool by the time you get home… but on the flip side, the AC works more hours. The Tado app is fantastic, it even has an open window alert (which it detects through air and pressure changes, without needing any extra sensor), and you get the option to turn off the AC during that time so you don’t waste cooling. We can also set the «range» in meters for when we want the app to consider us «Home,» or even set it so we’re only considered «Home» when our device is connected to our WiFi. Honestly, it has a ton of options I’d love to see in Apple’s official Home app. Tado v3+ on Amazon with a 20% discount.

Tado v3 for the Boiler: -45% off

Yep, the folks at Tado have the same gadget but for the boiler. It’d be nice if there were a «universal» one to handle both, but right now that doesn’t exist… basically because the AC is controlled via infrared while the boiler has its own wired BUS. In this case, the device is even more interesting than the AC one because we can put smart heads on the radiators around the house, so if nobody’s in a room we can shut that radiator off. Tado v3 for heating on Amazon with 45% off.

Smart thermostatic valve with Thread support: Eve with an 18% discount at Magníficos!

This deal is super rare!!! If you’re thinking about buying one of these valves to automate opening or closing your radiators, don’t hesitate, because this is the best price you’ll find! At this price you can normally only find WiFi or Zigbee smart valves, not Thread… plus Eve isn’t exactly known for offering discounts! Grab them quick!!!! Eve Thermo (Thread) at Macnificos with an 18% discount

My dearly beloved Philips Hue bulbs: Starter Kit with a 37% discount!

If you read this blog from time to time or listen to the podcast, you’ll already know I’m «in love» with Philips Hue bulbs. Mostly because they’ve NEVER let me down. Well, there was that one time the firmware updated at an ungodly hour and it almost cost me my marriage, as I told you a while back… and another time the bridge fried itself and none of the bulbs responded… but those have been the only issues I’ve had in 4 years of use! To start swapping out conventional bulbs for Hue, you need a bridge, which makes the initial setup a bit pricier… but these days it’s got a 37% discount on Amazon, which brings it down to quite an appealing price! Philips Hue Starter Kit (bridge and 2 colored E27 bulbs) with 37% off. These are some of the deals that caught my eye the most, but I’ll keep updating the post over the coming days to include anything that drops significantly in price and could solve real needs at Home.