Amazon’s newest smart speakers come with spatial audio and other sound enhancements, which are especially noticeable in the powerful Echo Studio. With the Alexa app, this smart speaker can connect to a wide variety of services, from your favorite music streaming option to Uber, food delivery apps and more. Alexa can also connect with many smart home devices and control them with a voice command, including lights, locks and smart plugs. You can even pair two Studios and connect them to a compatible TV for theater sound.

One of the big highlights of this new speaker is Alexa Plus, a more advanced AI version of the voice assistant that’s free for Prime users, but otherwise costs $20 per month. Alexa Plus is a cheerier and generally more informative voice assistant with expanded capabilities, a generally strong upgrade compared to past versions of Alexa, so if you’ve been looking for a voice assistant to help out around the home, this is a good time to jump in.

In 2026, Google canceled the Nest Mini, dropped the Nest name from its speakers and released its first new smart speaker in years, the Google Home Speaker. It’s a significant upgrade, and I was particularly impressed with the audio quality, which beat out similar $100 speakers. The design is also pleasing, with invisible tap-to-control features and quick connections with the Google Home app, including voice commands for other connected smart devices. You can connect it with multiple streaming services, from Tidal and Spotify to Netflix.

This speaker is made with Gemini for Home in mind. The voice assistant is an improvement on Google Assistant, but it’s not quite as good as the benefits of Alexa Plus. If you want to unlock the full AI features, like answering questions about what your security cameras saw, it will cost around $20. I’m not sure that price is worth it for the average user, but it’s not necessary to enjoy this well-rounded speaker. 

Amazon may have introduced the smart display with the Echo Show, but Google refined the concept with its Nest Hub line, which reached its apex with the Nest Hub Max, a 10-inch smart display that also has strong sound. Again, Gemini for Home has notable improvements over Google Assistant, although it still has some work to do and more advanced AI subscriptions require higher monthly fees.

The Nest Hub Max will show you your spoken commands so you know Google heard you correctly, it can deftly walk you through a recipe from popular cooking websites and it works seamlessly with Google-supported smart home cameras and video doorbells to display their camera feeds onscreen. You can use it as a side browsing screen, a home control hub or anything else you need.

Smart bulbs come in many sizes, but almost all are made to fit the existing light sockets around your home. One of our favorites is this LED floodlight model from GE Cync, ideal for kitchens, entryways, living rooms and other big spaces with floodlights. Unlike other color smart bulbs, this GE Cync bulb has four quadrants that you can switch between any colors you want for an overlapping or complementary effect, giving your space whatever vibe you desire with just one bulb. It supports scheduling, voice commands and other smart bulb tricks that come in handy when you’re busy. We also found the GE Cync app particularly easy to use and really like that it has both Alexa and Google support. It’s the most complete smart light option we’ve found if you are looking for a floodlight.

We often point to smart plugs as the entry point for anyone interested in trying out a connected home device. They’re cheap, they’re simple to install and they perform a function that’s pretty easy to grasp, toggling power on and off remotely. 

Read more: Best Smart Plugs of 2026

You can find a lot of smart plugs out there. TP-Link’s Kasa Mini is our favorite. It includes a single outlet that connects to your network via Wi-Fi. The app is well-designed and lets you program the plug to turn on or off on a schedule or even based on your location. It works with Google Home and Alexa, and it doesn’t cover the adjacent outlet on a standard two-outlet wall fixture.

At CNET we’re fans of how smart thermostats can save us money and make home temps easier to manage, but there are many choices and only room for one thermostat in your home. We love this Nest learning thermostat not only for its dazzling animations, but also for how it streamlines your savings with scheduling, eco modes and presence sensors that learn when your home is active and when it’s quiet.

You also get monthly reports tracking your energy use and showing you how to save. Even a pricey thermostat can pay for itself over a year or two with this kind of cost cutting — and your guests may just stop and stare at how pretty it looks. This particular model also comes with a satellite sensor to get temperature readings in especially hot or cold places to help control the thermostat more precisely.

Ordinary space heaters are energy hogs, hard to use and fire hazards that need constant attention. This Kelvin heater is the opposite: a smart radiant heater with little to no fire risk that mounts on a wall like a work of art. The app, which can connect to Alexa and Google Home, makes it easy to control from anywhere, set schedules and monitor your energy savings.

The radiant heat design takes a little while to heat up a room, so I set mine to come on an hour or so before people will be around. The only thing to keep in mind is that installation will take a bit of planning, since it mounts permanently on a wall. Otherwise, it’s one of the smartest heaters I’ve seen.

The Arlo Pro 6 outdoor security camera is the latest upgrades to Arlo’s outdoor, wireless line of cameras. The design is better than ever, the 2K resolution is crystal clear, and the 160-degree field of view is enough to easily capture a whole yard or driveway. Arlo also offers strong smart home support and an option for an extended battery pack.

There’s one catch — Arlo’s cam requires a subscription to unlock video storage and its handy AI features, including the ability to recognize flames or provide event captions to summarize what happened when motion detection was activated. That costs at least $8 per month to activate, which means this camera is mostly for those who don’t mind a subscription. If you don’t like that, we have a guide on the best security cameras with no subscriptions, too.

Arlo’s nimble security system shows up on my recommendations for DIY systems and the best security for renters, among others. While it only has a hub and two sensors, that makes setup easy and those sensors are actually eight-in-one models that can sense everything from access/opening to smoke, temperature, water leaks, motion and more.

You can put these all-purpose sensors anywhere you want to target a problem or have them handle multiple jobs at once, and switch placement if your needs change. One of my favorite parts is that, unlike so many Arlo devices, you don’t really need a subscription to get most of the alerts on your phone, just for professional home monitoring.

Not everyone needs a full security system or multiple sensors. This Aqara sensor is one of the most advanced alternatives I’ve tested. On broad platforms like Apple Home or Google Home, it can sense open/close states of any door, window, or similar spot without the need to position two magnetic halves like older sensors. 

Using Aqara’s app, these sensors capabilities multiply. They can detect and report tilting, vibration, tampering and much more, allowing you to put the sensor on drawers, safes, mailboxes and so on. It’s also quite affordable at around $30. 

The trick is that you need a Matter hub to enable these abilities. Devices on this list like the Echo Show, as well as HomePods, Apple TVs, Nest Hubs and so on, can act as Matter devices. For full support, you’ll need an Aqara hub or Aqara camera hub, so expect these extra costs for this do-it-all sensor. Fortunately, no subscriptions are needed.

Thanks to the 2K resolution upgrade and Gemini for Home’s AI features, this is one of the most advanced video doorbells I’ve seen, ideal for a big front door upgrade. Gemini offers interesting value here with the ability to describe captured video events for you, give you daily summaries of what it noticed in your front yard and more.

However, don’t feel like you have to pet for the extra AI features. The free version of this doorbell is quite impressive, offering basic animal, person and package detection as well as six free hours of cloud storage, giving you time to peruse.

The only downside of this doorbell is that there’s no battery version and not everyone has wiring in the right place for a video model. If that’s an issue the 2nd-gen version of the Nest Doorbell is wireless and has many of the same advantages.

Smart bulbs are easy to install anywhere, but Ikea’s smart lamp is something a bit more special. This glowing doughnut can sit on a shelf or hang from a wall, its durable plastic cover producing a gentle glow that you can adjust for brightness or any color you want.

Since it’s fully Matter compatible, it will work with your existing apps like Apple Home, Google Home and Alexa, with setup taking under a minute. There’s also a tiny remote control you can set up, too. However, for full smart features you will need a Matter hub, which can be anything from an Echo Show to a Nest Hub, new Apple TV or Ikea’s own Dirigera Hub.

Smart locks are one of the simplest, most effective ways to get started with home security. We like this Yale lock for its wealth of access options, including an app, Apple Watch and keypad. Yale’s lock is durable and did very well in all our tests — plus it offers integrations with other smart home platforms. Features like auto-locking and temporary passes for guests make the lock even more useful.

Note that will you need a separate module to enable Wi-Fi for this lock, which is pretty important for remote control. If you don’t want anything extra, plenty of other smart locks have Wi-Fi built in, including retrofit models that are easier to install on your current deadbolt.

If you’re a fan of Alexa and particularly the upgraded Alexa Plus conversational AI (free with an Amazon Prime subscription, otherwise $20), then this new 11-inch Echo Show could be the ideal hub for your smart home. It includes spatial audio upgrades and a larger screen that’s even better for catching up on streaming videos or TV shows while you’re working. Like Echo speakers, the display can answer questions, set reminders, make calls (video calls in this case) and control smart home technology. The upgraded Alexa Plus is also friendly and more capable than before, although you will need to connect your streaming services to get the most use out of this device. We like models like these for our kitchens and computer setups or similar areas.

Eufy’s floodlight camera is one of the best if you want lots of illumination; this floodlight camera provides 2,000 lumens with its customizable LED panels and offers a sharp 2K resolution for videos. Plus, Eufy is one of the best brands for saving money. You get AI features like human recognition for free and local storage options if you want to avoid cloud storage fees.

Eufy’s app is a little too cluttered and salesy for my taste, but the company has made improvements to it in recent years. Note that this is a hardwired model, which means you’ll need a junction box and a bit of wiring work to install it. I actually prefer this for floodlights because your existing floodlights typically have junction boxes anyway, and batteries run out very quickly when supplying this kind of lighting. However, if you don’t have any junction boxes, check my list of the best cams with lights for other options that could work. 

Most outdoor smart lights require an outdoor outlet, which limits placements. Govee’s option uses a solar panel to charge up the lights for a night’s performance. I’ve tried it in my backyard, and it really does work. Plus, Govee’s app offers dozens and dozens of different scenes to schedule or play with, from pulsing colors to gentle radiance in any hue you want. You can even ask an AI assistant to whip up a new color pattern or sync the lights to music. 

The 33-foot string uses large durable bulbs made for outdoor spaces, but they will only cover a limited area. The good news is that you can put them anywhere as long as the panel gets some sunlight, including patios, porches, balconies, eaves and fences. To save battery life, you usually need to reconnect with Bluetooth when you want to change or update these lights. 

I have two favorite leak detectors out of those I’ve tested: Eufy’s water sensor and SwitchBot’s leak detector. But while Eufy’s model is more capable, it also requires an additional hub to work, so SwitchBot’s model is better for newcomers. It’s a simple wireless sensor you can set up in a few minutes and place anywhere you need. 

These sensors excel at detecting leaks under sinks, by water heaters, near spas, beside washing machines, in crawlspaces and much more. They can sound sirens and send alerts to your phone so you can catch problems before they become disasters. My SwitchBot version lasted for nearly two years before I needed to change the batteries. 

SwitchBot’s air quality monitoring tracks temperature, humidity and CO2 levels right out of the box. You can put it anywhere you like to get fast readings, and connect it to the app to adjust settings, choose the update frequency and see if you’d like to get phone alerts. You can put it in your kitchen to see how your gas stove affects the air quality, mount it in a sunroom or greenhouse, put it by the fireplace and much more, depending on your needs.

If you’re looking for a fan with more advanced capabilities than your typical breeze-maker, Zafro proved one of our favorites. It offers app controls, tested well in airflow performance and offers oscillation adjustments so you can control exactly how much space it covers. It also supports voice commands if you prefer that to using your phone, and includes four speed modes. Unlike some of the advanced smart fans we’ve tested, it’s also under $100. 

It’s difficult to pick just one pet device out of the many pet-focused cameras, feeding stations, litterboxes and other choices. But this Petkit model does a little of everything and does it well, making it my first recommendation when you don’t know what to get. 

The extra-large 5-liter pet fountain uses two tanks to fill and empty, so water stays clean much longer than a usual fountain (though there’s a small filter to occasionally replace) while still providing that constant movement that many small pets prefer. 

This model also has a 140-degree AI camera angled toward the floor to protect privacy. The camera is well-suited to watching for and recognizing your pets and for providing updates on when they’re drinking. You can get a subscription to add more features like an event history, but it’s not really necessary. 

Extra features let you use the app to watch live views, refresh the water, perform a cleanout, set flushing schedules and (my favorite) heat the water to a specific temperature if pets prefer warmer drinks. It’s also the most silent pet fountain I’ve ever tested.