It’s hard to ignore the fact that there are more and more smart mirrors popping up in the booming IoT market. There are different technologies for a DIY magic mirror but also several plug-and-play digital mirrors to choose from. Because smart mirrors are quite new on the market the chances are that you might be a little overwhelmed when trying to gather and compare all the information. So, when deciding on which smart mirror to invest in, it is good to know the different aspects that make a difference between a good smart mirror and an excellent one.
TOUCHSCREEN
In principle, there are two types of smart mirrors: with and without touchscreen. Which one you should buy depends on what do you want to use your smart mirror for. A digital mirror with touchscreen is interactive and gives you a wide array of additional use cases compared to one with a regular mirror surface that would simply show you information based on pre-configured software settings.
MIRROR EFFECT
A conventional mirror works on a simple principle: A sheet of glass is attached to a thin, non-transparent metallic layer which reflects back your image. In case of a digital mirror, this principle needs to be altered and the metallic layer replaced by a special reflective composite that is partly transparent or that makes the background visible depending on the level of brightness. Smart mirrors without touchscreens usually use a transparent two-way mirrors. However, when choosing a smart mirror with touchscreen, there are various processing techniques which are very costly in the production. Some digital mirrors use a mirroring foil to create the reflective surface. It is a slightly cheaper option and adds a stronger darkening layer to the display. For a better display picture quality, special mirror coating proves to be a better solution thus far. Nonetheless, because the reflective composite has to be transparent to allow the background display to show, the digital mirror is usually less suited for applying make-up but ideal for the last check-up before leaving the house.
FINGERPRINTS
This becomes a relevant aspect when looking into touchscreen options. The mirror display needs to have a special coating applied that reduces fingerprints similar to smartphones and tablets.
PERFORMANCE
Many DIY mirrors without a touchscreen use Raspberry-PI. However, this can be too weak to operate a large high-resolution displays and thus can cause a juddering and halting image. In comparison, DIRROR is a fully functional computer with a 4-core processor. It uses a high-performance Multi-Touch Display and a Windows 10 Home operation system to provide an excellent performance.
COMPATIBILITY
Weather you already own smart home gadgets or just start off with making your home more intelligent, a digital mirror should be compatible with other systems. As an example, DIRROR uses a Windows 10 operating system and can be connected with smart home gadgets already today. You can connect Bluetooth speakers or a smart thermostat, smart lightning systems and more with a wireless internet connection. Since it is a fully functional computer in a mirror form, it can be used as a smart home hub to control and configure all home automation settings.
POWER CONSUMPTION
Always ON means under circumstances that a smart mirror consumes a lot of power. However, if you don’t want your electricity bills to skyrocket, you should look for digital mirrors with power saving modes. The best smart mirrors come with a working mode, in which the mirror is a full-surface computer, and 2 power saving modes: stand-by and hibernation. In best case you can set the settings and triggers to suit your habits.
GUARANTEE & WARRANTY
Once you decide to purchase you want to be sure that you get a product that lasts. And if anything should happen to it you get it repaired, exchanged or money back. Look for one with at least for 1 year guarantee and 2 years warranty. And do note, that guarantee and warranty under the EU law mean slightly different things.