A faucet timer that waters the garden on a schedule and skips the day it's about to rain—WeatherSense pulls the local forecast and adjusts automatically, all controlled from the app through the included Wi-Fi hub, and it's EPA WaterSense certified. It works with Alexa. The thing to plan around: the bundled hub has to stay in range indoors, so a far-flung yard can hit a connectivity gap.

The Outdoor 4 XR exists for one reason: range. Its Sync Module XR runs cameras on the 900MHz band instead of Wi-Fi alone, which Blink rates at up to 1,000 feet open-air (400 typical)—four times farther—with 20% quicker live-view access and up to 70% fewer disconnects. That's the answer for sheds, driveways, and far corners where standard cameras drop out. You still get up to two years on the included lithium AAs at distance, control of up to 10 devices from the app, and a choice of cloud storage or local recording to a MicroSD card. For large or congested properties, this is the version that holds up.

The value pick in the 4K Fire Stick line. The Select trims back from the Max but keeps what most people actually use: 4K Ultra HD with HDR10+, fast-enough performance, and Alexa voice search to launch and find shows by talking instead of scrolling. Every major app is here—Prime Video, Netflix, YouTube, Disney+, Apple TV+, HBO Max, Hulu, Peacock—alongside free ad-supported content, and Alexa+ adds more natural, conversational search. It doubles as a light smart-home remote for lights, weather, and music. If you want real 4K HDR without paying for the Max's extra speed and features, the Select hits the essentials at a lower price.

A value-priced 50-inch set for a main room, with Fire TV baked in so there's no stick to add or hide. The panel does 4K Ultra HD with HDR10 for a wider range of color and contrast, and upscales your existing HD content toward 4K. Because the smart platform is built in, you go straight to Prime Video, Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max, plus free ad-supported channels from Tubi and Pluto TV. It doubles as a smart-home hub, showing camera feeds and controlling lights and thermostats, and supports AirPlay. DTS Virtual-X adds dimension to the speakers, and HDMI eARC passes full-resolution audio to a soundbar when you want better.

The clever little robot that makes a 'dumb' device smart without rewiring anything—it mechanically presses any rocker switch or appliance button, installs with included adhesive in seconds, and runs up to 600 days on Bluetooth. Great for the coffee maker or a wall switch you can't replace. Two limits: it's Bluetooth-only until you add a SwitchBot Hub, and it can't work toggle or touch switches.

The cheapest way to make a dumb mini-split, window, or portable AC act like a Nest. It learns your unit's infrared remote, then adds Wi-Fi scheduling and geofencing so the room is cool when you walk in and off when you leave. Works with Alexa, Google, and Siri. Two caveats: it only works with AC units that have an IR remote, and its temperature reading comes from the controller's spot on the wall rather than across the room.

The Matter badge is what sets this Tapo mini apart: instead of locking you into one app, it joins Apple Home, Alexa, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings natively, so you can run it from whichever ecosystem you already live in. Matter also brings smooth local control, meaning it keeps responding over your LAN even if your home internet drops, and it's positioned to stay compatible as the standard evolves. The compact, flame-retardant body avoids blocking the neighboring outlet and carries UL certification plus a two-year warranty. Bluetooth onboarding makes setup quick, and beyond app and voice control you get the usual scheduling and timers for lamps, fans, and seasonal lights.

Blink's most affordable wireless camera, and the value play is real: up to two years on the included Energizer lithium AAs means you're not on a charging treadmill. You get 1080p live view, infrared night vision, two-way audio, and dual-zone motion detection through the app, plus a five-camera kit with a Sync Module Core to cover a property cheaply. Two caveats to go in clear-eyed: the Core has no local storage, so footage lives in the cloud on a Blink subscription after the 30-day trial, and person detection is a paid feature too. Add a Sync Module XR or 2 to store clips yourself. Works with Alexa.

The do-everything cooker, now app-connected—ten functions including pressure cook, slow cook, sous vide, and yogurt in one 6-quart pot, with the Instant Connect app guiding you step by step and a WhisperQuiet release that drops the alarming hiss. It's the single appliance that replaces a shelf of them. The honest take: the Wi-Fi is more novelty than necessity, and setup adds friction if you just want a pressure cooker.

A genuinely cheap plug that does something most don't—reports real-time, per-device energy use so you can find the space heater or old fridge quietly running up the bill. It does the usual scheduling and timers, works with Alexa and Google, and feeds into Emporia's wider whole-home energy ecosystem. Limits: single outlet, 2.4GHz only, the data lives in Emporia's app, and there's no Matter or HomeKit.

The most complete air monitor most homes can buy—seven sensors including radon, PM2.5, CO2, VOCs, humidity, and pressure, all cable-free on battery with Wi-Fi sync and an e-ink display you can read at a glance. It's the device that tells you whether your bedroom air is actually making you sleep worse. Two notes: it's a premium price, and radon needs weeks of data before its reading is trustworthy.

TP-Link's budget pick for indoor monitoring, and a smart one if you'd rather not pay a monthly fee. It's a wired pan/tilt cam shooting 1080p, run from the Tapo or Kasa app over 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, with motion and sound alerts day or night out to about 30 feet and a patrol mode that sweeps the room. Storage is the draw: it records continuously to a local microSD card up to 256GB with no subscription, or you can add a Kasa Care plan for 30 days of history and extra features if you prefer cloud. Smart Actions can trigger other Kasa devices, like flipping on a lamp when motion is detected.

Restaurant-perfect doneness made foolproof—1,100 watts and an 8-liter-per-minute flow rate heat a big batch fast, a dual-band Wi-Fi connection and two-line touchscreen let you start and monitor from the app, and the clamp fits most pots you already own. It's how you nail a steak edge to edge every time. The learning curve is real: sous vide means vacuum bags and long, patient cook times.

Most indoor cameras stare at one fixed angle; this Ring moves. You drive a smooth 360-degree pan plus up-and-down tilt straight from the app, so a single camera can sweep a whole room instead of leaving blind spots. HD video with color night vision keeps the picture clear around the clock, and Live View with two-way talk lets you check in and respond in real time. Setup is genuinely plug-and-place — no wiring, no fuss. Bear in mind it's corded for power, so it stays put on a flat surface, and the AI-powered alerts plus scrolling back through saved video require a Ring Protect subscription. Works with Alexa, too.

One of the safest cheap smart plugs you can buy, and the ultra-mini body is the reason: it's small enough that it won't crowd out the second outlet on a duplex receptacle. No hub required, just 2.4GHz Wi-Fi and the Kasa app. From there you control lamps, fans, humidifiers, or holiday lights by voice through Alexa or Google Assistant, on a timer or countdown schedule, or remotely from your phone. Kasa's track record is the quiet selling point, with a large installed base, UL safety certification, and a two-year warranty. It does only what a smart plug should, and does it reliably.

The hub that finally brings your RF-remote ceiling fans, fireplaces, and shades into the smart home—it learns the signals from the remotes you already have, no rewiring, then exposes them to Alexa and Google for voice and schedules. It's the fix for the fan that never had an app. The single limitation to confirm first: it only works with devices that already use a compatible RF or IR remote.