Smart home technology is available for every part of our households, furthering the reach of the internet of things. When it comes to building a smart home that works for you, knowing where to start can be hard. There are many benefits to having a smart home, including making your home more energy efficient, improving security, and upgrading your space to fit your lifestyle.
IFTTT is the best solution for the multitude of different platforms and devices that are available for homeowners. We believe that everything works better together, so our platform gives you control over your smart light bulbs, kettle, coffee maker, your security system, and more.
IFTTT works with or without smart home hubs and provides homeowners the option to select devices and services that fit their needs and goals, without considering whether or not they were built to work together. As long as it’s on IFTTT, we give you the freedom to integrate multiple devices into a single powerful workflow.
In this article, we'll cover the different categories of smart devices IFTTT can automate, and how to get started building the ultimate smart home with the power of automation.
If you'd like to learn more about how IFTTT helps millions of smart home owners across the world, click the button below.
How IFTTT commands your smart home
IFTTT is our free automation platform that connects over 1000 apps and devices through trigger-action logic. When something happens in one service, IFTTT makes something happen in another. These automations are packaged as Applets, or pre-built connections that you can activate in one tap, or custom ones you build yourself.
For smart home users, this means your devices can respond to real-world events instead of just timers and voice commands. None of our setup requires a shared brand or a compatible hub. Getting started is straightforward:
Create a free IFTTT account at ifttt.com
Connect the smart home services and devices you already own
Browse pre-built Applets or build your own
Activate in one tap and your Applet runs automatically from there
For a full walkthrough on building your first Applet, check out our complete guide on how IFTTT works.
Now, we'll cover use cases with IFTTT for each major category of smart home device.
Smart lights
Smart lights include the ability to control your lights remotely, change colors, and modify the brightness in a room. You can make it look like you’re at home when you’re on vacation or turn off all of the lights without even getting out of bed.
With IFTTT, it’s okay if some of your smart lights are from Wyze and the other ones are from Philips Hue. We integrate with both, along with nearly 1000 other services and devices, to make them all work together.
Smart plugs
Smart plugs are one of the best tools for energy efficiency and control over the appliances in your home.
IFTTT can help you enable devices based on the time of day, notifications you receive, or when you wake up in the morning. We can have your kettle boiling around tea time in the afternoon or you can quickly press a button to make sure your hair dryer is off.
Smart thermostats
Smart thermostats adapt to your comfort level. With IFTTT, you can control your temperature based on the weather outside, the time of day, or whether or not you are at home. A thermostat system can help you lower your heating and AC bills each month by optimizing the times that it runs.
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Set Honeywell thermostat when outdoor temperature drops
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Resume ecobee thermostat program at a set time each day
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Audio systems
IFTTT integrates with smart audio systems, such as speakers, home assistant hubs, and more. These are easy ways to listen to your favorite song or get things accomplished hands-free.
Smart security
Smart security includes cameras, motion detectors, doorbells, keypads, window sensors, smoke detectors, and whatever other products that are available through your system of choice. With IFTTT, you can create Applets that enable your system when no one is home, provide you with tailored notifications when something happens, or get alerts when the kids come home from school.
Smart gardens
Robot lawnmowers and smart sprinkler systems are just a start for those with (or even without) a green thumb. Using Applets that combine weather forecasting with watering schedules, you can make sure your grass stays perfectly hydrated all season long.
Smart appliances
Smart fridges, kettles, and garage doors are making their way into the home market. You can automate these in relation to your time zone, to the weather, or based on when you wake up in the morning.
Our Applets are made to fit your life, so they are completely customizable to your preferences and can be modified anytime.
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Flash Philips Hue lights when your GE oven timer ends
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Log Home Connect fridge door openings to Google Sheets
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Start building your smart home with IFTTT
The best smart home is one that runs itself. Lights that respond to your arrival, temperatures that adjust before you walk through the door, security alerts that reach you on whichever app you actually use: all of it is possible with IFTTT, and none of it requires technical knowledge or a single brand ecosystem.
Getting started is completely free, and your first automation can be running in under two minutes.
Explore all smart home Applets on IFTTT or create your free account today.
FAQ
Do I need a smart home hub to use IFTTT?
No. IFTTT works with or without a dedicated smart home hub. As long as your devices have their own app and an IFTTT integration, they can connect directly through our platform without any additional hardware.
Does IFTTT work with devices from different brands?
Yes, and this is one of IFTTT's biggest strengths. A Philips Hue light, a Nest thermostat, and a Ring doorbell can all work together through IFTTT even though they come from completely different companies with separate apps.
Is IFTTT free for smart home automation?
Yes. IFTTT's free tier includes two single-step Applets, which covers the most common smart home automations. Pro plans unlock multi-step Applets and a higher Applet limit for more complex setups.
How many smart home devices does IFTTT support?
IFTTT connects to 1,000+ services, with new integrations added regularly. This includes all major smart home platforms across lighting, security, thermostats, plugs, appliances, and more.
Can IFTTT automate my home when I'm not there?
Yes. IFTTT Applets run in the cloud, so they fire automatically whether your phone is active or not. Location-based automations trigger when your phone enters or leaves a set area, and time-based automations run on schedule regardless of where you are.
