The Best Intelligent Home Gadgets For 2021

Home Gadgets

Whether you’re looking for an associated light bulb, security camera, or thermostat, start with the best intelligent home strategies we’ve tested for every room in the house.

Table of Contents

What is innovative home technology?

What if all the strategies in your life could connect to the Internet? Not just computers and smartphones, but all: clocks, speakers, lights, doorbells, cameras, windows, blinds, water heaters, appliances, kitchen utensils, you name it. What if all of these gadgets could communicate, send you information, and receive your orders? It is not science fiction; it is the Internet of Things (IoT) and a key component of home automation and smart home.

Home automation is just what it sounds like: automating the control of items throughout your home, from blinds to pet feeders, with the push of a button (or a voice command). Some activities, such as installing a lamp to turn it on and off at will, are easy and relatively inexpensive. Others, such as advanced security cameras, may require a more significant investment of time and money.

There are many categories of innovative home products so that you can control everything from light and temperature to locks and home security gadgets. They also make great gifts, whether you’re shopping for the holidays or shopping for a housewarming gift. Here’s a rundown of the best produces we’ve tested for every room in the home.

Smart Speakers and Displays

Amazon Echo family

Amazon Echo (4th generation)

The Amazon Echo is a Bluetooth speaker operated by Alexa, Amazon’s handy voice assistant. Alexa works directly with various smart home gadgets and If This Then That (IFTTT) to control many others through self-created pairings. It will take some exertion, but you can use Alexa to control most of the gadgets in your home with the sound of your voice. If you already have a favorite speaker, you can connect to the inexpensive Echo Dot With Clock and add Alexa functionality. And if you want a touchscreen for displaying search results and making video calls.

Google Nest Hub family

Image from Google Nest Audio

If you prefer the Google Assistant to Amazon Alexa, invest in Google’s Nest Hub speakers and smart displays. The big Google Home Max delivers truly room-filling sound, while the Google Nest Hub Max is an attractive, bright smart display that puts Google services at the center. The slighter Nest Audio, Nest Mini, and Nest Hub are also solid, extra affordable alternatives for placing the Google Assistant in any room in the family.

Sonos one

If you can’t decide amongst Amazon and Alexa, and Google Assistant, neither can you. The Sonos One supports popular voice assistants and is far ahead of other smart speakers in its price range. It also connects to other Sonos talkers like Arc, Beam, and Move to provide superior sound quality and access to voice assistants throughout your home (and yard). Sonos also recently released the Roam, but testing found that it doesn’t sound as good as similarly priced outdoor-friendly speakers.

Smart plug

ConnectSense 2 smart connector

If you’re looking to add something clever to small appliances like coffeemakers, lamps, and televisions, ConnectSense Smart Outlet 2 is a great option. This versatile smart plug with two outputs can be controlled with an Android or iOS mobile app and works with voice commands from Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri. It lacks IFTTT support, but you can brand it to work with other clever home gadgets using HomeKit scenes and mechanizations, and it monitors power usage for both outlets.

Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Outdoor Plug

Outdoor intelligent plugs are great for turning things like pool pumps and patio lights into innovative home implements that you can control with your phone. With the $ 29.99 KP400 Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Outdoor Plug, you can control two gadgets independently using your phone or using Alexa and Google voice commands. It is easy to install and interact with other intelligent devices. At just under $ 30, it’s the cheapest outdoor smart plug we’ve seen so far. It doesn’t provide reports on power usage, but it’s still good enough to earn the Editors’ Choice for Outdoor Smart Plugs.

Smart lighting

Wyze

At $ 39.99 for a four-pack, Wyze Bulb Color is the cheapest intelligent paint bulb we tested. You can switch it from your phone without a hub or with your voice via Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. It has many innovative features for the price, including support for custom scenes, device-controlled automation, scheduling, and sleep routines to help you gradually relax at night and wake up in the morning. You won’t find a better smart bulb at a lower price than deserves Wyze Bulb Color, our Editors’ Choice Award.