smart home gadgets There are no limits these days. If you’re brave enough to replace everything, you can take control of everything from your garage door to every light bulb in your house. Entrance doors have been getting smart accessories over the years, including smart door locks, video doorbells, and sensors that let you know if the door is closed. So why not make the door itself smart?
At least it’s smart in some ways. Home Depot’s newest smart doors, made by Feather River and powered by Home Depot’s smart home Hubspace platform, include smart glass windows, and will be available for purchase on Home Depot’s website starting today. To power your smart windows, you must use a USB-C power connection or the included battery.
It’s not the company’s first foray into smart doors, but it’s its most affordable option, with prices ranging from $798 to $998 depending on window size. This still isn’t cheap, but if you have a front door with a large window, especially one that you can control, it’s not that terrible of a price.
for opacity
Photo: Home center
Smart glass doors have one main trick. You can control the door just like you would a light, with a tap to toggle opacity on and off instead of a bright bulb. You can control it through Home Depot’s Hubspace app, or you can connect the Hubspace app to your voice assistant and control it with voice commands to Amazon Alexa or Google Nest speakers. Windows can be transparent to let in light and take in views of Mother Nature, or they can be frosted for privacy. You no longer need to choose only one style of door window, you can now choose both.
Hubspace is Home Depot’s internal smart home ecosystem. It works like any other smart home app, with options to control Hubspace devices and create schedules and routine options. Hubspace is a lesser-known name and a bit new to the space, having launched in 2021, but everything I tested worked well. It also works with two of the most popular voice assistants, making it super easy to add to your home.
The smart glass door’s paintable fiberglass construction, composite window, and bottom decorative panel give the smart glass door a nice, contemporary look. With four window size options, you can have smart glass fill most of the middle, half, or just the top quarter of the door. Doors with small Craftsman-style windows are the least expensive at $798, while three-quarter and full-size windows both sell for $998.
Smart glass doors solve privacy issues that homeowners may face. So, do you really want to have a large window in your front door? While they certainly have aesthetic appeal, a truly clear window isn’t necessarily safe without other security measures. This is certainly useful if you want more light in the front room, a view of the garden, or if you want your pet to have a clear view of the postman. It’s equally great to have privacy from potential home intruders and door-to-door salespeople who don’t need to know you’re working from home. Smart glass doors allow you to achieve both of these without sacrificing the other.
battery without a brain
Photo: Home center
If you have a nearby electrical outlet on the hinge side of the door, your smart glass door will work on both battery and USB-C. The battery is expected to last approximately 2 months, depending on usage. Even if Wi-Fi goes down, you can connect to your door via Bluetooth and continue to control it. If the door loses power, the windows automatically switch to opaque mode, providing privacy in your home until power is restored or the battery is charged.
