Handling security and home automation, Telstra’s smart home gear offers a simple way to give your place a smart makeover but lacks quite a few bells and whistles.

It's easy to become overwhelmed by choice when you're looking for a collection of smart gadgets designed to play nicely together. Telstra's strength is simplicity, offering a range of devices all controlled by the Telstra Smart Home app available for iOS and Android.

Rather than reaching for your phone, you can also command your digital home with your voice via a smart speaker from Google or Amazon.

To get your foot in the door, Telstra's Watch and Monitor Starter Kit includes a smart hub and indoor 720p wireless camera with night vision. The kit costs $25 per month for 24 months, after which you need to keep paying $25 every month to use the gear and receive alerts. You don't need to be on a Telstra home broadband service, but you need a Telstra ID linked to a phone or broadband account to use the gear so you're locking yourself in as a customer.

The Starter Kit also includes two tiny sensors, which each split in half. You attach one half to a door or window, and the other half adjacent on the door frame or windowsill, which alerts the hub when they move apart.