The Best Smart Home Devices of 2025

Adding smart home devices gives you more control over your environment. They make your home safer and more secure, and they’re just fun to use, too.

UPDATE: 02/17/2025

We’ve refreshed this buying guide with new recommendations. Take a look!

What to Look For in a Smart Device

With so many smart home gadgets available, how do you choose the right ones? Well, you need to start by thinking about your needs. Are you looking to secure your home? Do you want to turn off lights or conveniently play music with your voice? Are you unsure yet and looking to try something out?

Regardless of what you’re looking for, there will be a smart device that can do it. Check out smart video doorbells, security cameras, and locks for home security. For convenience, browse through smart displays, robot vacuums, speakers, and lights. To save money on your utilities, look at smart thermostats, sprinklers, and plugs. Always check out the device’s features before making a purchase.

Most smart devices are capable of more than you might expect. For example, any device with built-in Alexa gives you access to the voice assistant. As such, you’ll be able to use Alexa as you would with any other Alexa device. So you can use a smart plug to check the weather, read the news, review your shopping list, and perform other Alexa tasks.

Now that you know how to shop for smart devices, check out our list of the best ones available.

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While many people use a smart speaker as a central hub for their smart home, a smart display takes control up a notch. One, such as the Amazon Echo Show (3rd Gen), adds visuals and more interaction while also offering better control and automation due to its touchscreen, motion tracking, and smart home integrations.

For example, a smart display will show you who is at the door instead of just making an announcement. You can also simply tap or swipe to adjust lighting instead of cycling through voice commands. And if you are cooking, a smart display will show the recipe on screen, give step-by-step instructions, and provide images or even video tutorials.

The Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen) is a feature-packed smart display with a 10.1-inch HD touchscreen. With its 1280 x 800 resolution, the display is sharp and detailed, with crisp visuals and rich color saturation for vibrant streaming and browsing.

It’s mounted on a 6.7-inch cylindrical base, and it’s this base that is the display’s standout selling point. The Echo Show 10’s motorized base rotates automatically to follow your movements the moment you say “Alexa.” This ensures you always have a clear view of the display wherever you are in the room. It’s ideal for taking video calls because the motion-tracking camera always keeps you centered, and it’s much easier to follow recipes when cooking. Additionally, the brushless motor is whisper-quiet, and all tracking data is kept on the device itself and not sent to Amazon’s servers.

The base also houses the display’s speaker, so the sound is continuously directed at you when watching a show or listening to music or podcasts. Audio quality is surprisingly good with its three-inch woofer and dual one-inch tweeters. It produces a full-bodied sound with a clean bass that doesn’t distort at high volumes, and detailed mids and highs contribute to an overall balanced sound profile.

For those invested in the Google Home ecosystem, the Google Nest Hub Max is a good choice for a large display with quality speakers and a camera for video calls. The smaller Google Nest Hub (2nd Gen) offers radar-based sleep tracking for sleep monitoring in the bedroom.

The Amazon Echo (4th Gen) is ideal as a smart home hub if you don’t feel the need for a smart display just yet. This smart speaker is affordable, easy to set up and use, has a strong feature set, and, of course, has Alexa for voice control.

It includes a built-in Zigbee hub, which allows it to control devices that rely on the Zigbee protocol, such as Philips Hue lights. The 4th Gen also now supports Matter. This smart home standard makes it easier to connect and control devices from different brands, regardless of whether they use Wi-Fi or other supported technologies. In short, the Echo (4th Gen) works with almost every smart home device, except those that only work with Apple Homekit.

You can work with Alexa to automate tasks, such as turning off lights at bedtime or setting the thermostat to your preferred temperature before you arrive home. Automations like these can also be useful for home security because you can set lights to come on in the home or play music if your Ring Spotlight Cam or other smart security device detects motion in the yard when you’re out.

You can also use the Amazon home helper to control Fire TV devices, make announcements, set timers, or even settle dining table arguments. Thanks to the Echo (4th Gen) ’s improved sound quality, the speaker is also ideal for playing music, podcasts, and audiobooks.

With a three-inch woofer and two 0.8-inch tweeters, fans of bass-centric genres will be more satisfied with the low frequencies than previous models, and the audio is clear and room-filling. This is quite a surprise given the speaker’s size. It also supports multiroom audio and can be paired with other Echo devices for enhanced sound. However, high frequencies could be a little more polished, and it’s not a speaker for fussy audiophiles. For casual listening, it’s completely fine, but if a smart speaker with high-quality audio is your priority, the Amazon Echo Studio is the company’s best.

Alternatively, those invested in the Google Home ecosystem who prefer a speaker as a central hub will find life easier with the Google Nest Audio. It integrates seamlessly and offers good sound quality, while Google Assistant is growing into a strong contender to rival Alexa. Apple users also get affordable access to a smart speaker with the Apple HomePod Mini. However, the Apple HomePod (2nd Gen) has premium audio to back up its premium price.

Best Smart Light Bulb: Philips Hue

When installing a smart light bulb, you want something that’s easy to set up and has bright white and vivid colors for any setting. We recommend the Philips Hue, a smart bulb that can fit into any environment.

Although the price tag is expensive for a smart bulb, it’s quite an upgrade from previous Hue bulbs. You used to need a special hub to use them, but now, Philips Hues smart bulbs work independently. You can still install the hub if you’d like, as it allows you to link up to 50 lights instead of only 10 on the app.

The hub also gives you additional features to control the lights. You can group lights by rooms or zones and sync them when playing movies, games, or music. A security feature can randomly turn the lights on and off around your home to make it seem like you’re there. This is handy when you’re away from home to deter people from breaking in. So even though you may not need the hub, it can be pretty useful.

Philips Hue bulbs are Bluetooth accessible, so you can control them from the Philips Hue app. Regarding smart home integration, the bulbs are compatible with Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple HomeKit. You can control them using voice commands, which is great as you no longer need to flip a switch. It also pairs with Nest and Samsung SmartThings, giving you more options to add lights to your home automation.

Connecting your lights can be simple and easy with the Lutron Caseta Smart Start Kit. For $95, the kit includes a smart switch, smart bridge, and wallplate. You’ll have everything you need to control your appliances more conveniently.

Lutron’s Start Kit integrates seamlessly with Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit, Ring, Serena Shades, and Sonos. You can use voice commands with Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri to control your devices. However, to use Siri, you need to set up the included smart bridge.

On top of using voice commands, you can control your devices from on Android or iPhone devices, a Pico remote that’s sold separately, or by using the physical light switch.

You’re given many convenient options, and we still haven’t gotten to the other features. Geofencing checks if your lights are on when you’re out, so you can turn them off. Smart Away turns your lights on randomly around the home to make it look like you’re there. The Sunset Tracker sets your outdoor lights to turn on when the sun goes down.

You can create schedules for your devices to turn on and off and change lighting scenes for any event. It only takes 15 minutes to install everything, and there are detailed guides to help you.

The best smart thermostats will not only make your life easier but should also help you save money on your energy bills. The ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium does both of those things and then some. It isn’t cheap at $250, but it does come bundled with a SmartSensor for monitoring any cold/hot spots in your home.

This smart thermostat is just on the right side of the smart scale. It uses AI like the Google Nest Thermostat to learn your heating preferences. But unlike its competitors, it doesn’t assume it knows better than you. It will make suggestions for comfort and energy-saving but doesn’t automatically apply the heating changes.

We even tested the ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium, and found it to be a great alternative to the competition and worthy of an Editor’s Choice badge:

Unless you prefer a thermostat that learns (and that makes you wrong), ecobee is one of the best smart thermostats you can buy today. But only at the software level. Until now, the hardware left a lot to be desired. The new ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium changes that in every way possible.

The thermostat is compatible with the most popular smart home ecosystems and has Alexa built into it. It can also work with Google Assistant, SmartThings, IFTTT, and Apple HomeKit. Once it is set up, you can control almost everything with voice commands or the Ecobee app for iOS and Android without ever having to touch the unit itself.

Not that using the wall unit is difficult. The touch display is bright, clear, and much improved over previous models. All settings are easy to locate, and there’s a simple plus/minus menu for changing the temperature. It doesn’t have quite the same easy usability level as Nest’s twist dial, but that’s only a minor point.

Upgrading the lock on your door doesn’t have to be hard. The August Wi-Fi Smart Lock costs $230 and is a fantastic choice if you’re looking for an easy-to-install smart lock that works with Alexa.

Installing the lock is fast and easy, as you won’t need to replace your deadbolt. The lock uses your existing key, so you can still use it even if the power goes out. You can control who has access to your home and when through the August app, which is available on Android and iPhone devices.

The lock includes August’s DoorSense technology, which lets you know if your door is locked or closed. You’ll get an alert on your phone if the door isn’t shut properly. And with Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit, and other voice assistants, you can view the status of the door and control it by voice. For even more convenience, you can control the lock from anywhere as long as your phone and the lock are connected to Wi-Fi.

Another keyless option is to install an August Keypad that allows you to enter a code to unlock the door. You can assign codes for multiple people to tighten your home security. You can go keyless as the lock can automatically open when you’re home and lock when you close the door. It may be wise to store a key somewhere just in case, though.

The best overall smart video doorbell is the Ring Battery Doorbell Plus. It offers a 1536p HD+ resolution that delivers sharp, clear footage that allows you to see every detail on your doorstep. It’s a big step up from 1080p video doorbells, and the HDR support enhances contrast and color when the sun shines. After dark, the color night vision kicks in, though it’s dependent on how good the ambient light is. If it’s too low, it switches to black and white courtesy of two infrared LEDs, ensuring you still get clear footage.

It’s also one of the few video doorbells to offer a 150-degree head-to-toe field of view. This means you can see the full view of your visitor and anything they are carrying or have sitting at their feet, rather than just the upper body. You can also keep an eye on packages.

As it is battery-operated, installation is simple, and no wiring is required; ideal if you’re a renter or just can’t do with a complex setup. The battery life is good, too, although it might be hard to achieve the six to eight months that Ring claims if you mount the doorbell in a busy area. The more motion that goes on, the quicker the battery will drain. That said, the removable battery pack makes recharging a simple process. However, that can take up to ten hours, so you may want to have an extra battery in supply.

You can extend the battery life by limiting unnecessary recordings and notifications by setting the sensitivity levels of motion detection or setting it to specific zones. This also reduces false alerts and ensures the doorbell only activates for relevant events.

However, like all Ring products, some of the best features require a Ring Protect subscription. Without one, you can still view live video from the doorbell, receive motion alerts and doorbell notifications, and use two-way talk. With one, you get video recording and cloud storage, advanced notifications, such as package detection, and other features.

The Ring Video Doorbell works seamlessly with Echo speakers, and you can view live footage on an Echo Show smart display. However, there’s no support for Google Assistant. So users of that ecosystem might want to consider the Google Nest Doorbell, while HomeKit users should like the Apple-endorsed Logitech Circle View Wired Doorbell.

If you’re looking for a reliable security camera that works with all major smart home ecosystems, the Arlo Pro 4 Spotlight Camera is a terrific option. The camera is affordable at $200 and compatible with Alexa, Apple HomeKit, SmartThings, and Google Assistant.

Arlo’s Pro 4 is wireless, so you won’t have to worry about managing any cables. You can have it up and running within a few minutes, but you’ll need to connect it to your Wi-Fi. It’s also weather-resistant, so it won’t break down when it starts to rain or snow. Once installed, you can look through the camera with 2K HDR quality, the same quality as high-end cameras.

It also has night vision with color, so you’ll be able to identify anyone or anything clearly. If something’s difficult to see, you can zoom in for a closer look. A bright light even shines from the camera when it detects motion, which helps to scare off intruders.

The Pro 4 can tell the difference between people, vehicles, and animals. And when there’s motion detected, you’ll get notified on your phone of who or what’s there. You can set the camera to only let you know when someone is around your home. You’ll be able to communicate with whoever’s there as there’s two-way audio. And in case of an emergency, you can activate the loud built-in siren.

If you want unlimited cloud storage that lasts 30 days, you can upgrade to the Arlo Secure plan. The plan starts at $3/month but gives you full access to all the camera’s features, so it’s worth getting. When you’re on the plan, you can access all stored videos and audio recordings anytime.