#Wirecutter radio alarm clock how to
#Wirecutter radio alarm clock upgrade
#Wirecutter radio alarm clock free

The Ecobee thermostat also includes a built-in air quality monitor, which allergy sufferers might appreciate, and a remote temperature sensor (the best we’ve tested). It can even tap into local weather information to provide the most comfortable temperature-also taking into account humidity. The Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium can also pay attention to and learn your preferences, then adjust temperatures automatically at times that match your daily routine. It also makes it a lot easier to get out of bed when the floor is the proper temperature or you know the downstairs isn’t like a meat locker in the morning.Ī smart thermostat can be adjusted remotely using an app or by voice via a smart speaker, so you can tweak temperatures from your bed as needed.

Having the right temperature in your bedroom can go a long way to helping you get a good night’s sleep. If you’re looking for something slightly more affordable, check out IKEA Fyrtur shades, which aren’t customizable and come in a limited range of sizes and colors but provide the same wake-up effect at a fraction of the price. Starting around $500 per opening (which doesn't include the required roughly $80 Lutron Smart Bridge), they are undoubtedly expensive. We like Lutron’s Serena Shades best because they are easy to control, are very quiet, look great, and offer the most possibilities for smart-home integration-which means you can trigger other smart devices like thermostats when shades open or close, or even set the shades to react to you coming home from work. Because these shades can be set to close automatically as well, you don’t have to worry about running around to open or close them each night-although all of them allow for remote control using a smartphone, and many can be controlled through an included remote or voice commands when paired with Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, or Google Home. If you need even more light to shake you into consciousness, smart window shades can let in the morning sun at a set time each day-or they can be set up to rise automatically based on local sunrise and sunset times. It also has a Sleep Mode that can simulate sunrise and sunset at set times of day. An even cheaper alternative is the Wyze Bulb Color (our current top pick), an A19 bulb that delivers bright light and excellent colors. Under the Automations tab in the Hue app, click on Wake Up with Light and choose your wake-up time your bulb will start to brighten around 30 minutes before, with a fade duration of 30 minutes.

#Wirecutter radio alarm clock upgrade

Several Wirecutter staffers have had success using Philips Hue smart bulbs (our current upgrade pick) as a wake-up light. Several smart bulbs also have a gradual wake-up functionality that mimics sunrise, similar to the way a wake-up light works.

Once the bulb is screwed into your lamp and connected to your Wi-Fi, you can use its app to create a schedule of wake-up times and even select what color you want the light to be to help you wake up with ease. Smart LED bulbsįor a cheaper alternative to a wake-up light, smart light bulbs are easy to add to the lamp on your nightstand or any other light fixture. It can also play music and videos, show calendars, and provide smart-home control.

#Wirecutter radio alarm clock how to

The 7-inch screen shows a sleep summary and provides suggestions on how to get a better night’s sleep. If you prefer a smart display, the Google Nest Hub (2nd Gen) has motion and sound sensors that can track your sleep. From there, you can just ask your Echo device, “Alexa, wake me up at 7:00 a.m. To add music to your alarm, click the Moretab in the Alexa app, Settings, Music & Podcasts, then add a music service to your Alexa device. “The level of self-reliance was very cool for her,” Rose says. Rose Maura Lorre, a senior staff writer, uses an Echo Dot to wake up her 10-year-old daughter for school, and she allows her daughter to choose her own song to wake up to (Katy Perry’s “Roar” seems to be the current favorite).

You can also create a Wake-up Routine where the alarm triggers connected devices, such as smart bulbs, thermostats, smart plugs, and window shades.

#Wirecutter radio alarm clock free

You can choose from many free alarm sounds as well as ones available for a fee. Users can set daily or weekly alarms by clicking the More tab in the Alexa app, then Alarms & Timers. (One Echo Dot model also comes without the clock.) The Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) is a compact and affordable smart speaker with a built-in clock display, and it also provides several ways to wake up. Smart speakers respond to voice commands to play news, music, podcasts, and more, and they control smart-home devices-but they also make great alarm clocks.