The Best Smart Home Devices (2024) for every budget

A few years ago, I understood that I needed easier and more efficient ways to do things around the house. This was the start of the move toward a smarter home. It all started when I found dust under my bed, which led me to buy a robot cleaner that could clean those hard-to-reach places easily. As life brought me a furry friend, I looked for a smart air filter to help with my allergies and asthma, as well as a pet camera to make sure that both my home and my beloved pet were safe and sound. I was able to do all of this from my smartphone. With these first steps, a whole new world of options opened up for Best Smart Home Devices.

Since then, my job as a PCMag reporter has turned my simple Florida beach bungalow into a center for cutting-edge smart home technology. Every week, I get new gadgets and tools that make my living place even smarter and more convenient. When I walk into my bedroom, all I have to do is tell Google Assistant to turn on the lights. With Alexa, I can easily reorder important things like protein powder and dog food, and they show up at my door a few days later. Using an app on my phone, I can change the temperature without getting out of bed.

The smart display in my kitchen not only tells me about the weather, but it also gives me ideas for tasty recipes. Even my reliable air fryer lets me know when it’s done heating up. Putting these smart home gadgets together has really changed the way I use my living space. It combines comfort, efficiency, and connectivity in a way that makes everyday jobs easier and improves my life as a whole. As technology keeps getting better, I’m excited to see what the future holds and how my home will continue to become smarter and easier to use.

Best Smart Home Devices Comparison Table

Arlo Pro 4 Spotlight Camera

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The installation of smart outdoor security cameras can be challenging due to the fact that many models require a hub in addition to wire in order to function properly. However, these cameras offer a secure way to monitor activity outside your home without having to leave the convenience of your sofa. On the other hand, the $199.99 wireless Arlo Pro 4 Spotlight Camera is a high-resolution, weather-resistant security camera that not only records video.

When motion is detected but also shines a bright light on whatever is moving about on your property. The fact that it can be installed in a matter of minutes, that it provides accurate and intelligent motion detection, and that it delivers detailed 2K video with color night vision, all of which contribute to its status as the new winner of the Compsmag award for outdoor security cameras.

Ezviz DB1C Wi-Fi Video Doorbell

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The DB1C is almost the same size and shape as the RemoBell S. It is 5 inches tall, 1.8 inches wide, and 0.8 inches deep. It has a round white-and-silver doorbell button on the bottom and a black camera housing on the top. The cover is white and can be taken off. The button is ringed by an LED ring that glows solid blue when the doorbell is working properly and blinks red when there is a problem with the SD card or with the connection.

There are two places to connect wires on the back, and a microSD card slot is on the right side, hidden by a small waterproof panel that can be taken off. A built-in Wi-Fi radio with two bands lets you connect to the internet. With a built-in microphone and speaker, you can talk to and hear each other.

Amazon Echo Dot with Clock (5th Gen)

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The name tells you everything you need to know: this is an Echo Dot with a smart LED clock built into its face. But this simple-looking addition gives the Echo Dot a lot more features, making it an even better smart home partner. In fact, we wish that more smart home companies would take a page from Amazon and make small but effective changes to already great products.

The Echo Dot with Clock’s screen can show you more than just the time, though. It can also show you the current temperature, the names of songs, and the solution to math problems. It also works as a timer. It has a light sensor that adjusts the brightness of the screen based on the lighting around it. It also has a temperature sensor built in that can start Alexa routines.

Ecobee SmartThermostat Premium

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The name tells you everything you need to know: this is an Echo Dot with a smart LED clock built into its face. But this simple-looking addition gives the Echo Dot a lot more features, making it an even better smart home partner. In fact, we wish that more smart home companies would take a page from Amazon and make small but effective changes to already great products.

The Echo Dot with Clock’s screen can show you more than just the time, though. It can also show you the current temperature, the names of songs, and the solution to math problems. It also works as a timer. It has a light sensor that adjusts the brightness of the screen based on the lighting around it. It also has a temperature sensor built in that can start Alexa routines.

Wemo WiFi Smart Plug

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The $25 Wemo WiFi Smart Plug is our favorite smart plug and one of the best smart home gadgets. It’s smaller than other options on the market, even the Wemo Mini, which came before it. Even though the Wemo WiFi Smart Plug doesn’t track energy use like some other smart plugs, it does work with all the major smart helpers.

This smart plug has a physical switch that you can use to turn your device on or off if you don’t want to use your voice or an app. It also has a smart mode called “Away.” which, if you turn a lamp on and off, can make it look like you’re home even when you’re not.

Google Nest Hub (2nd gen)

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Amazon may have been the first to make a smart display with the Echo Show, but Google improved on the idea with the Nest Hub (formerly the Home Hub), both in how it looks and how it uses its voice helper. Now, there is a second-generation model that came out in 2021. It costs less and has more features. The Nest Hub has the same Google Assistant features as the Google Home line of speakers. It also has a screen that gives you just the right amount of visual input.

It will show you what you said so you know Google heard you right. It can also walk you through a recipe from a popular cooking website, and it works well with smart home cameras and video doorbells that Google supports so you can see their camera feeds online. Soli is also part of Sleep Sensing and Quick Gestures, which let you do things like pause media by tapping the air in front of the screen.

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