There are many devices designed to complement a smart home system. Which means there’s a smart version of pretty much every home device you can think of. In general, these products connect to the internet, so you can control them from your phone via a companion app. Most also work with various forms of voice control.
Many smart home companion apps support scheduling, so you can easily program your devices to perform a certain action at a certain time. After having a bike stolen, for instance, PCMag’s editor Wendy Sheehan Donnell programmed her smart garage door to automatically close every night at a specific time.
With Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, you can set up routines to program your devices to work together and do multiple things at once, like adjust the temperature and lighting when you get home.
With Apple HomeKit, you can control your devices with Siri voice commands, or from an Apple Watch, and create scenes to trigger several devices at the same time.
We have listed some of the best devices in 2021
- Best smart home device overall: Amazon Echo Dot with Clock
- Best home security camera: Arlo Q
- Best smart thermostat: Ecobee SmartThermostat
- Best smart light bulbs: Philips Hue White A19 Starter Kit
- Best smart lock: August Wi-Fi Smart Lock
- Best video doorbell: Nest Hello
- Best smart plug: Wemo WiFi Smart Plug
- Best smart smoke detector: Nest Protect
- Best smart home hub: Samsung SmartThings
- Best smart garage opener: Chamberlain MyQ