Ultimate Smart Home: Episode 2 #Helpful Post

Hey guys this is Austin and welcome to episode two of the Ultimate Smart Home. Kicking things

off we have the Google OnHub router. While it doesn’t look like a traditional router

this has one big advantage: antennas. A lot of them. Crack the box open and you’ll see

it’s pretty straightforward, you get the OnHub and the power adapter and pair of Ethernet

cables. It’s got a speaker on top and a removable shroud which hides the power connector,

USB 3 port and pair of Ethernet jacks. To setup just plug it in and download the OnHub

app for iOS or Android and it walks you through getting everything up and running. It’s

actually pretty smart, you can see how many devices are on the network and even see the

real time speeds or how much data is being used by each device. The biggest advantage

is for if you live in a place that has poor Wi-Fi reception, the OnHub has six 2.4 gigahertz

antennas, six five gigahertz antennas and an extra antenna that scans for the best bands

to use in congested areas. I was consistently able to pull rock solid speeds in areas where

the old router gave out and OnHub also supports controlling smart home devices like Bluetooth

Smart, Weave and more. Following that we have the Amcrest ProHD security camera and big

thanks to Amcrest for sponsoring this episode. Pop open the box and you’ll see the ProHD

itself along with a few accessories like the power adapter and optional mounting hardware.

It works over Wi-Fi but you’ll need a 2.4GHz network, it also works over Ethernet though

if you’re able to hardline. The ProHD has a motorized head for some pretty sick shots,

well you know that and being able to look around the room. It also has a 1080p camera

that looks pretty legit and a 90 degree field of view. On top of the 1080p footage it also

has a night vision mode which works up to 30 feet away for when you just have to see

what’s lurking in the shadows. You can also talk through the ProHD, it has a built-in

speaker but you can also connect a separate microphone and speaker to it if you want to

go all out. It all works over Wi-Fi or Ethernet using the Amcrest View app on your phone,

you can fully control the pan, tilt and digital zoom to check out what’s going on and start

a recording. It’s saved to either the cloud, a local recorder or a MicroSD card. You can

even set it up to send you an alert when it detects motion or even connect a wired alarm

system. Next up we’ve got the new Google Chromecast. The last version was one of my

favorite pieces of tech and the new version is rocking a much flashier design which makes

sense because it’s going to be behind the TV and you’re never going to see it again.

Unlike the last version which was a dongle with the HDMI built-in the new Chromecast

has a flexible cable which is helpful for plugging it in into tighter spots behind your

TV. You’ll still need to power it with MicroUSB but since most TVs already have a USB port

free it’s a pretty easy setup. The cable attaches to the Chromecast with a magnet which

is nice for travel but it is a bit bigger than the last generation. On the flip side

it has seen some internal upgrades most notably vastly improved 802.11ac Wi-Fi support which

should make things much more reliable especially in areas with poor Wi-Fi signals. The real

draw remains the same though, the Chromecast can turn any HDMI TV into a smart TV that

you actually want to use. Everything is controlled from your smartphone or from the Chrome browser,

there is a new Chromecast app which allows you to search through content on your device

but the easiest way is to just hit the Cast button that automatically shows up in most

apps. It’s one of the best ways to quickly get content on your TV and while it’s limited

to 1080p for $35 it’s hard to complain. So what do you want to see in the next episode?

Let me know in the comments below and I will catch you in the next one.