We independently evaluate the products we review. When you buy via links on our site, we may receive compensation. Read more about how we vet products and deals.
Designer Sabrina Soto dishes on the smart-home products that make outdoor entertaining a snap
Sabrina Soto is a renowned interior designer, consultant and entrepreneur. The first of her Cuban family born in the United States, Sabrina learned the ropes from her mother, who ran a decorating and home staging business. As a result, Sabrina developed a love for design and, today, is known for her eclectic way of mixing luxury and affordable pieces for a unique aesthetic.
Blink Video Doorbell
Amazon Eero Pro 6E tri-band mesh Wi-Fi 6E system
Echo Show 15
AuKing Mini Projector
Fire TV Stick 4K Max
Soto is the popular host of HGTV's The High/Low Project and is a featured designer on HGTV'd, and has also graced the pages of Time magazine, USA Today, Washington Post, LA Daily News, People En Espanol, Esquire and Latina magazine. But wait...there's more! Soto is also the home style expert for Target and a LEED-accredited licensed real estate agent, so she certainly knows a thing or two about home entertaining!
We sat down with her to talk about the smart-home products that help her make outdoor entertaining a cinch, from the doorbell that functions like a second host to the lighting that sets the perfect mood for any fête.
Blink Video Doorbell
"When you have people over, especially if it's a bigger party, you're going to have people coming in constantly — I love using the Blink Video Doorbell," shares Soto. "I use it like a second host of the party!"
Eero Pro 6E Wifi System
"I don't get great [internet] service in the backyard," confesses Soto. "The eero Pro kind of extends the Wi-Fi throughout the house. As much as we want to pretend when people are over that they're present and on their phones, we all know that's not the case. Everyone wants to stay connected!"
Echo Show 15
"The Echo Show 15 is my personal assistant here at the house...especially when you're entertaining, the best thing you can do is make it stress-free," advises Soto. "It's the most organized I've been in a long time."
Portable Video Projector
Soto simply adores her AuKing mini projector: "[Inspirational outdoor movie nights are] so easy to do with the portable projector that I use. I just plug in my Fire TV Stick 4K Max (see below!). It's that simple. And yes, it's great for movie night, but you can use it for so many things!"
Fire TV Stick 4K Max
The Fire TV Stick 4K Max is a snap to use — just plug it in and stream more than 1 million movies and TV episodes. Need to check the news, weather or sports scores? The Alexa voice assistant is at your service. Plus you can listen to millions of songs on Amazon's music service!
Philips Hue Outdoor Spot Light
The Philips Hue Lily White & Color Outdoor Smart Spot Light Extension makes setting the mood simple: Just plug in and connect your outdoor lighting to your existing Hue hub to enjoy the 16 million (!!) colors available.
"Especially when you're entertaining, you're forgetting to turn on [the outdoor lights]...what's great about having it set up this way is, with the reminder and using Alexa, when I say 'Alexa, bring my backyard to life,' my daughter thinks that I have magic powers because all the lights turn on," Soto says with a smile.
$85 with coupon $100 at Amazon
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.
Want daily pop culture news delivered to your inbox? Sign up here for Yahoo Entertainment & Life's newsletter
