Smart home gadgets they have no boundaries these days. You can control everything from the garage door to all the light bulbs in your house… if you have enough gusto to change them all. Front doors have had smart accessories added to them over the years—smart door locks, video doorbells, sensors to tell you if the door is closed—so why not make the door itself smart?
At least, you are smart in one aspect. Home Depot’s new smart door, developed by Feather River and powered by Home Depot’s smart-home Hubspace platform, includes a smart glass window, and starting today you can buy it on Home Depot’s website. It will require a USB-C power connection or use the included battery to power that smart window.
It’s not the company’s first foray into smart doors, though it’s an affordable option, with prices ranging from $798 to $998 depending on window size. That’s still not cheap, but it’s not a bad price for a front door with a large window, let alone a window you can control.
Because of Opacity
Photo: Home Depot
The Smart Glass door has one main trick: You can control the door like you would a light, tap to turn the light on and off rather than a light bulb. You can control it with Home Depot’s Hubspace app, or connect your Hubspace app to a voice assistant to control it with voice commands on an Amazon Alexa or Google Nest speaker. The window can be a clear window that lets in light and a great view outside, or it can be frosted for privacy. No more choosing just one style for your door window: Now you can have both.
Hubspace is Home Depot’s smart in-house system. It works just like any other smart-home app, with options to control your Hubspace devices and create schedules and schedule options. While Hubspace is a lesser-known name and relatively new to the space after launching in 2021, everything I tested on it worked well. It also plays well with two of the most popular voice assistants, so it’s a no-brainer to add to your home.
With a Smart Glass door of paintable fiberglass construction, a composite window, and decorative panels underneath, the Smart Glass door has a sleek, modern look. It offers four window size options, allowing the smart glass to fill most, half, or the top half of the door center. A door with a small, craftsman-style window costs as little as $798, while a three-quarter window and a full-size window both sell for $998.
The Smart Glass door solves a privacy problem that homeowners may face: Does anyone really want to have a large window on their front door? There is an aesthetic appeal, but without some safety measures, a real clear window may not always feel safe. It’s perfect if you want more light in your front room, and you might want to look out over your yard or give your pet a clear view of the mail carrier. It’s also nice to have privacy from potential home invaders and door-to-door salespeople who don’t need to know you work from home. The Smart Glass door allows you to have both without sacrificing one.
Battery Without Brain
Photo: Home Depot
The Smart Glass door can run on both battery and USB-C if you have a nearby outlet on the side of the door hinge; the battery is expected to last around two months depending on usage. If your Wi-Fi goes down, you can connect to the door via Bluetooth so you can still control it. If the door loses power, it will automatically switch the window to light mode, providing privacy for your home while you wait for power to return or for the battery to charge.
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