This smart home device fixes one of by biggest fears about candles — and it's just $40

My wife loves candles, and I do too — but what I don't love is when she lights one and then leaves the room. Between three enthusiastic animals and one energetic kid, there's just too much potential for someone or something to knock it over and start a fire. As a result, I'm constantly prowling the house and extinguishing any lit flames.

Fortunately, there's a solution that still lets us enjoy the scent of a nice candle, without having to worry about an open flame flickering unattended near a bunch of flammable materials.

We've been using Switchbot's Smart Candle Warmer since early December, and it's certainly given me more peace of mind.

For those who aren't familiar, a candle warmer is a pretty basic device: It's basically a small halogen lamp that points downwards. Place a candle underneath, and the light is hot enough to melt the candle wax, releasing its aroma, but not hot enough to actually light the wick.

You can find hundreds of candle warmers online from just about every retailer; I also bought a very nice candle warmer from Anthropologie for $46. But, what sets SwitchBot's candle warmer apart from others is its smart home connectivity.

Now, you may be thinking, 'why does something like a candle warmer need to be connected to the internet?' And I would be inclined to agree, but shortly after getting it set up, I discovered a very good reason.

On one particular day, we all went out as a family, but upon our return, I saw that the SwitchBot candle warmer had accidentally been left on the whole time we were out. Now, while it doesn't pose as big a risk as an open flame, it was still somewhat concerning.

But, because the SwitchBot candle warmer was connected to the app, I was able to create a smart home routine that ensured the lamp turned off automatically whenever everyone left the house. Because the lamp is Matter-enabled, you can also connect it to the smart home platform of your choice. And, if I wasn't sure, it was easy to just go into the SwitchBot app to check.

Locally, the candle warmer has a set of controls on its power cord that let you turn it on and off, as well as adjust the power level of the lamp's light.

There are a few things I might change about the SwitchBot candle warmer. For starters, its design looks like it could be at home at an IKEA store — that's fine for plenty of folks, but a bit to minimalistic for my tastes. And, its circular base is built in such a way that it can't fit candles that have a diameter larger than 3.75 inches. Now, that would be a pretty big candle, but still.

I also wouldn't mind a solid base of some sort, just in case some melted wax spills out the top of the candle.

Other than that, though, the SwitchBot candle warmer is a pretty handy little device that makes everyone in my home happier — and a little safer.

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