The Best Smart Home Devices for 2024: Enhance your living space and streamline your daily routines by incorporating appliances and devices that can be controlled remotely. We’ve extensively tested a wide array of smart home products across more than 20 categories to help you choose the best options for every area of your home.
My journey into the realm of smart home technology began a few years ago, driven by practical needs. A glance under my bed revealed a dusty floor that my conventional corded upright vacuum couldn’t reach. This led me to invest in a robot vacuum, freeing me from the tedious task of cleaning under furniture.
The addition of a furry friend prompted further upgrades, including a smart air purifier to combat allergies and asthma, along with a pet camera for constant monitoring from my smartphone. Subsequently, my role as a reviewer for this article turned my Florida beach bungalow into a living lab for cutting-edge home tech.
Instruct Google Assistant to illuminate the bedroom
Now, I can simply instruct Google Assistant to illuminate the bedroom, use Alexa to reorder essentials like protein powder and dog food, and control my thermostat effortlessly through a smartphone app. Important notifications, from severe weather warnings to recipe ideas, pop up on the smart display in my kitchen. Even my air fryer sends a notification when it completes preheating.
The Best Smart Home Devices for 2024. The market now offers smart versions of nearly every home device, typically designed to connect to the internet, allowing control through a dedicated app on your phone. Most are also compatible with voice control, with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple HomeKit leading the way.
Scheduling capabilities in companion apps simplify programming, enabling devices to execute specific actions at designated times. For instance, after a bike theft incident, our Editor-in-Chief programmed her smart garage door to automatically close every night.
Apple HomeKit
Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant enable the creation of routines, allowing devices to collaborate and perform multiple tasks simultaneously. Apple HomeKit offers Siri voice commands and scene creation for coordinated device actions. IFTTT (If This Then That) facilitates linking various internet-connected devices, allowing easy programming based on real-world events.
The recent introduction of Matter, a new smart home interoperability standard, further simplifies setup and integration of connected gadgets. With these advancements, transforming your home into a smart, automated haven is now more accessible and convenient than ever.
Here’s a comprehensive breakdown of the best smart devices we’ve tested, categorized by room, to help you find the right gadgets for every area of your house. While we’ve organized them by room, many of these devices can be used in various locations.
Keep checking back regularly, as we continually test new products and update this guide with our latest findings.
The Best Smart Home Devices for 2024. In the ultimate smart home, technology greets you even before you step through the front door. Some of the most valuable connected home gadgets start in the front yard, particularly with outdoor security cameras. The Arlo Pro 4 Spotlight Camera is our top choice for keeping tabs on your home from your phone. This weather-resistant camera provides high-resolution, motion-triggered video and illuminates the surroundings with a bright light. It’s wireless, easy to install, offers detailed 2K video with color night vision, precise motion detection, and integrates seamlessly with various platforms.
Ultraloq U-Bolt Pro Wi-Fi
Video doorbells offer convenience and act as the first line of defense against theft and home invasion. The Ezviz DB1C Wi-Fi, our favorite budget-friendly model, delivers sharp HD video, a wide viewing angle, local and cloud video storage, and supports IFTTT, Alexa, and Google Assistant voice commands.
A smart lock is a crucial component of a connected home, providing security and convenience. The Ultraloq U-Bolt Pro Wi-Fi is our current top choice, offering voice and fingerprint recognition, keypad access, mobile app control, and traditional key usage.
For comprehensive protection, consider a professionally monitored smart home security system. ADT Command, one of our top picks, may be a substantial investment, but it provides everything needed for maximum security. While slightly pricier than alternatives like Vivint, ADT stands out for its superior customer service.
The Best Smart Home Devices for 2024. DIY smart home security systems offer a more affordable option for self-monitoring. The SimpliSafe Home Security System, our favorite in this category, allows you to secure and monitor your home without a hefty price tag or a long-term contract. Keep in mind that with DIY systems, you are responsible for taking action when an alarm is triggered.
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Amazon Echo Dot with Clock (5th Generation)
The Echo Dot with Clock lives up to its name, combining the functionality of an Echo Dot with a cleverly integrated LED clock. This seemingly simple addition brings a wealth of features to the Echo Dot, elevating it as an even more effective smart home companion. Amazon’s approach of making subtle yet impactful enhancements to already excellent devices is commendable and sets a standard for other smart home companies.
Beyond just displaying the time, the Echo Dot with Clock provides additional information such as the current temperature, song titles, and answers to math equations. It serves as a timer and incorporates an ambient sensor that automatically adjusts the display brightness based on the surrounding lighting conditions. Moreover, it includes a built-in temperature sensor that can trigger Alexa routines.
While the Echo Dot with Clock comes with a $10 higher price tag compared to the standard Echo Dot, our experience suggests that it’s a worthwhile upgrade for those who appreciate having time information readily available without needing to ask Alexa. The only notable drawback is the absence of the 3.5mm audio out port found in the previous version of the Amazon Echo Dot with Clock (4th Gen).
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Nest Cam (battery)
The well-designed Nest Cam (battery) boasts a sleek, uncomplicated shape and stands out as one of the easiest home security cameras to install, thanks to its magnetic base. Featuring a 1080p camera, it captures sharp images both day and night. The inclusion of a microphone and speaker facilitates seamless conversations, making it our top choice among all the security cameras we’ve tested.
The Best Smart Home Devices for 2024. One notable feature of the Nest Cam (battery) is its three hours of rolling video storage provided for free. Additionally, it comes equipped with person, vehicle, and animal detection capabilities. Opting for a Nest Aware subscription (starting at $6 per month) enhances the camera’s functionality, offering familiar face detection and the ability to store up to a month’s worth of video footage. This comprehensive set of features makes the Nest Cam (battery) an excellent choice for those seeking top-notch security camera performance and functionality.
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Ecobee SmartThermostat Premium
The Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium showcases a notable upgrade from its predecessors, featuring a zinc case and a significantly larger touchscreen. This enhanced design places it on par with the Nest Learning Thermostat, and its intelligence extends beyond appearances. A built-in air quality sensor adds a new dimension, allowing you to monitor air quality and make informed decisions like opening a window or turning on a fan. The expansive display also offers the convenience of checking the week’s weather forecast.
The Best Smart Home Devices for 2024. A standout feature of the Ecobee is its remote sensors, providing ease in managing the temperature throughout your entire home. Additionally, the thermostat incorporates Alexa, offering voice control capabilities. If you own a HomePod or HomePod mini, it extends compatibility to Siri, enabling voice commands through the thermostat. While the built-in speaker may not excel for music playback, it serves as a practical way to integrate a smart speaker into a room without needing an additional device like an Echo Dot. Overall, the Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium combines aesthetics, functionality, and intelligence, making it a compelling choice for smart home enthusiasts.
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Philips Hue White A19 Starter Kit
The Philips Hue White starter kit is a versatile addition to your smart home, comprising two bulbs and a hub for seamless integration with other smart devices. Although the bulbs in this kit offer a fixed white color and don’t change colors like other Philips Hue bulbs, they do provide adjustable brightness, reaching up to 800 lumens. The system allows you to connect up to 50 bulbs to a single hub, offering scalability for larger setups. Philips Hue bulbs are compatible with various smart home systems, including Alexa, Apple HomeKit, IFTTT, Google Home, and Nest.
The Best Smart Home Devices for 2024. In addition to their compatibility, Philips Hue lights come with the Philips Hue Sync app. This application enables users to synchronize their smart bulbs with multimedia content on Mac or Windows PC. For instance, you can set your lights to flash and change color in harmony with music, videos, or movies playing on your computer. The app allows customization of color schemes and themes, providing a personalized lighting experience. For an additional $30, you can upgrade the starter kit to include four bulbs instead of two, offering even more flexibility and coverage for your smart lighting setup.
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August Wi-Fi Smart Lock
In our August Smart Lock Pro review, there wasn’t much room for improvement, but the company took the initiative to refine its design, resulting in the August Wi-Fi Smart Lock. As our top pick among the best smart locks, this new version is 45 percent more compact than its predecessor, providing a less conspicuous appearance on your door. The August Wi-Fi Smart Lock also comes equipped with built-in Wi-Fi, eliminating the need for the August Connect bridge to connect your lock to your home network.
Retaining all the features we appreciated in the August Pro, the August Wi-Fi Smart Lock offers a straightforward installation process, includes features like DoorSense (which notifies you if your door is left open), and maintains compatibility with all leading smart home systems, including Alexa, Google Assistant, and Xfinity. Moreover, the August Wi-Fi allows you to retain the keys from your existing deadbolt, adding to its convenience and user-friendly design.
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Wemo WiFi Smart Plug
Priced at $25, the Wemo WiFi Smart Plug stands out as one of the best smart home devices and claims the top spot among smart plugs. It boasts a more compact design compared to its competitors, including its predecessor, the Wemo Mini. While lacking energy monitoring features present in some other smart plugs, the Wemo WiFi Smart Plug compensates by seamlessly integrating with all major smart assistants.
The Best Smart Home Devices for 2024. One notable feature of this smart plug is its physical switch, providing an alternative to voice commands or app control for turning your appliances on or off. The inclusion of a physical switch enhances user convenience. Additionally, the Wemo WiFi Smart Plug introduces a clever Away mode. This feature creates the illusion of someone being home even when they’re not by intermittently turning a connected lamp on and off. Overall, the Wemo WiFi Smart Plug offers a balance of compact design, versatility, and user-friendly features that make it a standout choice in the realm of smart plugs.
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