The Best Smart Home Devices of 2024

Make your home more efficient with these smart products

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We've researched and reviewed the best smart home devices based on ease of setup and how well they integrate with other devices, cost, and additional features. 

in this article

Best Smart Smoke/Carbon Monoxide Detector

Google Nest Protect Smoke & CO Alarm

Google Nest Protect Smoke & CO Alarm 2nd Generation

Amazon

Pros
  • Alerts both vocally and via a notification

  • Easy integration with Nest products

  • Performs routine self tests

Cons
  • Works better as a team than standalone

  • Expensive, especially if you’re buying multiples

If you’re looking for a combined smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector, the Nest Protect may be just what you need. Part of the Google Nest smart home family, it integrates easily with other Nest products and gives you the peace of mind that your home is safe. The Protect ensures you know what’s happening in an emergency—it changes color when something concerning is detected. It alerts you vocally as to the location of the smoke or carbon monoxide. It also sends an alert to your phone, a convenient feature if you’re not home. 

The Protect goes above and beyond your standard home fire alarm, detecting heat, humidity, carbon monoxide, and fast and slow-burning fires. If you set off the alarm accidentally, such as while cooking dinner, you can quickly turn it off via the app. 

Protect also performs routine self-tests, making sure it’s functioning correctly. The setup process is also easy; you’ll need to screw the base plate into the ceiling, attach the Protect, and then sync it with your phone. While the Protect is undoubtedly more expensive than your run-of-the-mill smoke alarm, its effectiveness and ease of use make it the best smart home alarm on the market—especially if you’re already using Google Nest. 

Best Smart Display with Google Assistant

Google Nest Hub 2nd Gen

Google Nest Hub 2nd Generation

B&H

Pros
  • Great screen and stylish design

  • Intuitive and easy to use

  • Broad compatibility with smart devices

Cons
  • No camera

  • Limited compatibility with apps

The Google Nest Hub (2nd Gen) contains what we love about the original model, offering Google Assistant and a sleek, modern design that will look right in place in any room. The Hub is more affordable than the Amazon Echo Show and is compatible with thousands of smart devices. This allows it to control your lights, thermostat, or smart home features vocally or with the touch of a button.

It offers a 7-inch screen that looks similar to a tablet, giving you touchscreen controls. Use it to enjoy YouTube Music, cook as Google talks you through the recipe, or display your images as a digital photo album. It’s worth noting that even though it looks like your tablet, it has limited connectivity with apps, a design shortcoming.

We love that the Hub is not only a control for your smart home, but it doubles as a personal assistant. Customize it with the daily news and weather, or have it display your first appointment, ensuring you don’t miss a thing.

Best Smart Thermostat

Google Nest Learning Thermostat

Google Nest Learning Thermostat

 Amazon

Pros
  • Quickly learns your preferences

  • Support monitoring from smart home

  • Automatic scheduling

Cons
  • Requires some installation

  • Not compatible with Apple HomeKit

The Google Nest Learning Thermostat optimizes the heating and cooling of your home and also learns your preferences and times when you’re not home, adjusting accordingly. For example, if you’re out all day, the Nest will adapt your usage while you’re away to save on energy bills. Or, if you tend to turn the heat up at night in winter, it will start to do so automatically. It works in conjunction with Nest’s temperature sensors, sold separately, that the Nest can use to ensure heating is working as best it can. 

The system is easily controlled from your phone, allowing you to view usage reports to see how much energy you consume. The Nest isn’t compatible with Apple HomeKit, but for Google fans, it’s one of the best thermostats and will change how you heat and cool your home. Installation can be tricky, so many homeowners prefer to have it installed by their HVAC contractor.

Runner-Up, Best Thermostat

Ecobee Smart Thermostat with Voice Control

Ecobee Smart Thermostat with Voice Control

 Amazon

Pros
  • Automatic temperature adjustment

  • SmartSensor included

  • Full compatibility with Alexa

Cons
  • Interface can be buggy

  • Design may be a bit large for some

The Ecobee Smart Thermostat with Voice Control is a top choice for your home thermostat needs, thanks to a large touchscreen, Alexa integration, and the inclusion of a SmartSensor—something its competition, the Nest Learning, only offers as a separate purchase. Use the Ecobee to control your home's heat, but for rooms with a SmartSensor, it can also adjust temperatures automatically based on the number of people in the room, a neat feature. It does a great job of keeping temperatures steady, making it easy to control your home’s heating needs, even in challenging areas like basements or bedrooms at the far end of the house. 

The Ecobee’s display also doubles as a smart speaker, with built-in Bluetooth to stream Spotify, plus you can pair it with external speakers for boosted audio quality. We also like that the Ecobee can easily integrate with many other home systems, including Apple HomeKit, Samsung SmartThings, IFTTT, Google Assistant, and Amazon. The display screen is quite large, which may be off-putting for some, but its ease of use makes it worth the size.

Best Smart Plug

Amazon Smart Plug

Amazon Smart Plug

Amazon

Pros
  • Simple and convenient design

  • Supports Alexa

  • Affordable

Cons
  • Only works with Amazon Alexa

  • Only one outlet on each smart plug

A smart plus is an easy way to transform any device or appliance, like a coffee maker or lamp, into a smart device. Once plugged into a smart plug, the devices can be controlled by your smartphone. One of the best smart plugs on the market is the Amazon Smart Plug, an affordable and easy-to-use device that plugs into your power outlet. You then plug your device into the smart plug. You can purchase as many as you need for your home, but note that only one outlet is provided for each plug, which limits their use. We love that the plugs are slim, easily fitting behind tables or kitchen appliances. 

The Smart Plug is only compatible with Alexa, but it’s your best choice if you already use the Amazon ecosystem. However, with Alexa, you can control any device via voice controls or digitally, plus you can use Amazon’s Alexa app if you don’t already have a home hub. As long as your Wi-Fi works, controlling your entire home is simple with smart plugs—plug them in, connect via the app, and go away. They are a great way to dip your toes in smart home technology if it’s new to you, as the simplicity and low price are great entries into the market. 

Best Robot Vacuum

iRobot Roomba s9+ 9550 Robot Vacuum

Amazon iRobot Roomba s9+ 9550 Wi-Fi Connected Robot Vacuum

Amazon

Pros
  • Holds up to 30 bins of dust

  • D-shape body for edge cleaning

  • Lots of options for custom programming

Cons
  • Expensive

  • Works best with Braava smart mop

The iRobot Roomba S9+ is the company’s top-of-the-line cleaning robot that hopes its convenience outweighs its cost. Vacuuming is a chore many of us hate, making robot vacuums one of the more desirable pieces of smart home tech. If you can look past the steep price, the S9+ handles housekeeping, so you don’t have to: Its docking port serves as a charger and empties its dustbin. It can also hold up to 30 bins of dust and dirt, so you don’t need to empty it after each use. 

Unlike previous models, the S9+ has a D-shaped body, ideal for reaching all the corners and crevices of your room. It uses something called PerfectEdge technology to ensure no spots are missed, using sensors to guide the robot tightly along your walls. Through the iRobot app, you’ll be able to customize when each room is cleaned, and the robot’s Smart Mappings help it learn the layout of your house so it knows where to go and how to tell different areas apart. There are plenty of options to program and customize, with the S9+ designed with budding programmers in mind. The S9+ is meant to be paired with iRobot’s Braava Jet M6, which mops up after the Roomba has vacuumed.

Best Smart Mop

iRobot Ultimate Robot Mop

iRobot Braava Jet M6 Robot Mop

Amazon

Pros
  • Can easily mop large spaces

  • Great navigation skills

  • Quiet and small 

Cons
  • Works best with Roomba S9+

  • Big messes may require manual scrubbing

You may benefit from a robot map if your home is mainly tile or wood rather than carpet. Similar in functionality to a robot vacuum but for mopping, the iRobot Braava Jet M6 is one of the best smart home tools for wet cleaning your floors. The M6 can easily tackle sticky spills, kitchen grease, and other messes throughout multiple rooms, and it can clean up to 1,000 square feet in each session.

It navigates easily and operates quietly, a great feature if you’re trying to relax or get work done while using the mop. Thanks to its smart mapping technology, the M6 learns the different rooms in your house and navigates between them based on the cleaning schedule you set in the iRoomba app. It can also be paired with the iRobot Roomba S9+ to commence mopping after the Roomba has finished vacuuming.

While there’s no getting around the fact that this is the most expensive mop you’ll ever buy, it works amazingly well. It makes life easier by doing the dirty work for you—the M6 pairs with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant for voice control. 

Best Smart Light System

Philips LED Smart Bulb

Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance A19 E26 LED Smart Bulb

Amazon

Pros
  • Connect up to 50 bulbs to one hub

  • App to customize lighting

  • Plenty of options to automate home lighting

Cons
  • Pricy

  • Take some getting used to

If you want to set up a smart home lighting system, the Philips Hue system could be what you need. A smart home lighting system is an investment, as it requires a hub—the Hue is no exception. You’ll want the Philips Hue with Bridge to control your entire home, giving you control of up to 50 bulbs per hub. The Hue provides an easy setup, an intuitive app, and plenty of customization apps—with the Hue, your only limit for your home lighting is your imagination, with seemingly endless options to automate and personalize your lighting. 

There’s a reason it’s one of the most popular home lighting systems: users love the ability to adjust brightness, color, and timing and even create lightning scenes to dim and alter their home lighting over the day. Controlling your lighting system via an app may take some time, but it’ll soon become natural. While the Hue is an investment, it’s an all-in-one smart lighting solution that suits many homeowners. 

Best Doorbell

Remo+ RemoBell S Smart Video Doorbell Camera

Remo+ RemoBell S

Amazon

Pros
  • Two-way talk

  • HD video and night mode for better visibility

  • Connects via your existing doorbell wiring

Cons
  • App can be confusing

  • Video quality isn’t always the best 

With the Remo+ RemoBell S WiFi Video Doorbell Camera, you get an affordable doorbell that’s simple to install and lets you see who’s outside, no matter where you are. Even better, you can have a two-way conversation, ideal for telling the mail carrier where to leave a package or letting the neighbor know when you’ll be home. The Remo system connects through your doorbell wiring, so installation isn’t overly complex. 

With this smart doorbell, you can send alerts to your phone each time the bell rings or whenever motion is detected̦—plus, you can enjoy live streaming of your front door anytime. Up to five users can have access—helpful for families—and the system is compatible with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT. If you’re purchasing the Remo, note that the app itself can be confusing, so it may take some time to wrap your head around all its features. However, for the price, it’s hard to beat this one for value for money and usefulness. 

What to Look for When Buying Smart Home Devices 

Consumers have never had so many smart home options.

You can set up a home hub through popular systems like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple HomeKit, which allow you to control your home's functions, including kitchen appliances, vacuums, home lighting, and smoke detectors, with a voice command or the touch of a button.

Ecosystem

The most critical factor to consider when purchasing a device for your smart home is whether or not it’ll work with your existing setup. Whether you select Amazon Alexa, a Google Home, or Apple’s Siri to be the controller for your devices, you’ll want to ensure your new gadgets can communicate. As the Matter standard (which allows devices to communicate across ecosystems) becomes more ubiquitous, this will become less of a concern.

Hub vs. no hub

Some devices (such as Philips' Hue lighting system) require a central hub to communicate on your Wi-Fi network. Be sure to check whether or not specific products need you to purchase an additional hub or will work right out of the box.

Smartphone apps

Most smart home devices will need to be set up via your smartphone. Be sure to check whether the device you’re purchasing has an app available for your device of choice before buying.

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