Securifi's Almond 3 has two features you won't find in competing whole-home Wi-Fi systems: a touchscreen and a built-in smart home hub. Where other manufacturers take pride in hiding most of the inner workings of their user-friendly routers in the name of ease-of-use, Securifi gives the router enthusiast full access to all its levers and dials. But you don't need to be an enthusiast to appreciate the Almond 3--it's super easy to set up using Securifi's smartphone app, web interface, the router's 2.8-inch touchscreen, or any combination of the three. You'll find a ZigBee HA 1.2 radio onboard for use with sensors (door/window, motion, flood, smoke, and other types), lighting controls, thermostats, smart entry locks, and more. Securifi makes some of its own smart home devices, including a petite smart plug and door/window, motion, and flood sensors, but just about any ZigBee device should be compatible. Securifi lists specific compatible products on its website, a list that includes Philips Hue lighting, Nest thermostats and smoke detectors, and Yale smart entry locks.

Securifi announced today that its latest connected-home, mesh-network router, the Almond 3 is now available for pre-order at a 30 discount from its final retail price of 150 (your can pre-order at Amazon). First shown at CES 2016 in January, the company expects to ship the router sometime in June. Wi-Fi router, the Almond 3 is outfitted with a ZigBee radio and will be able to function as a connected-home hub. If your smart lighting, door locks, motion sensors, and other devices operate on some other protocol, Securifi offers a 20 Z-Wave USB dongle; the company expects to offer a Bluetooth dongle sometime in Q4. What's more, the new router can also operate in conjunction with Amazon's Alexa digital voice assistant (you'll also need to have an Amazon Echo, Dot, or Tap). Effective today, this last feature has also been added to two of Securifi's earlier routers, the Almond and the Almond 2015.