This week’s SmartHome roundup features a smart WiFi solution for your home, a power strip that makes room for chargers, and a new home automation solution teaming a retailer and router company.

airfy

WiFi’s become a standard in American infrastructure, cultivating a connected culture always ready to share.  One German startup, airfy GmbH, hopes to revolutionize WiFi hotspots by offering something that is not only secure, but also features a sleek design.

airfy features WiFi 802.11N or 802.11AC for a secure connection, which means it’s safe to use for homes and even businesses.  It has 50 LEDs that light up when you get a call or message, with further modifications available through IFTTT recipes.

For now airfy is still an Indiegogo project with a target funding of $6,422.  If it gets more than that amount, it plans to incorporate more features to airfy, such as adding a music system that supports an external sound jack, and a integrate a camera and sensors for home security.  Via its mobile app, you get information about HotSpot usage, and can be used for mobile payments in business establishments.

Pivot Power

Power strips come with a bounty of sockets so you can plug in multiple items, but how many times have you gotten yourself twisted behind  the sofa trying to jam a plug into a socket that won’t fit?  The solution could be Pivot Power.  Its a power strip with sockets that can be swiveled to make room for more bulky plugs.  So aside from protecting your things from electrical surges that could potentially damage them, you no longer have to worry about not being able to use all the slots because it easily makes room for all your plugging needs.

Wait, there’s more!  The Pivot Power is also a smart power strip, as two of the plugs can be managed using a mobile app.  This allows you to turn the two plugs on or off even if you’re already out of the house, so no more worrying about burning down the house.  The downside to Pivot Power is that only two sockets can be managed via the mobile app, but for $29.99, it’s still not a bad buy.

Staples Connect

Staples is now offering a home automation solution for only $99.  All you need is to purchase the Staples Connect Hub powered by Linksys to get things started.  The hub connects to your broadband connection via WiFi or ethernet cable. To start controlling internet enabled things in your home or office, you need a smartphone, a tablet or a PC to access the controls.

With Staples Connect, you can manage different home automation solutions such as digital door locks, doorbell systems, door, motion and water sensors, IP cameras, outlets, lights, blinds – almost anything that can be connected to the internet can be controlled by Staples Connect.  It’s like the one hub to rule over all your connected appliances.  No more fussing with numerous apps and hubs, just use Staples Connect to unify your smart home.