20 Best Smart Home Gifts (2023 Update)

I replaced a bunch of Gosund smart plugs with these TP-Link Kasa and am glad I did. The setup was easier – no messing around setting up a 2.4ghz wifi network (which is all gosund would even see). These just start blinking and the app asks you to switch your wireless connection to the TP-Link plug network which the plug just created, then it asks you to switch back to your home network, it asks you to name the plug, and it's done. The actual usage is far smoother than gosund as well. The response time is instant – TP-Link's networking experience really shows. We use them for various lamps, and when I tap the button for an action the lamps are all on, instantly. With gosund there was a noticeable lag, and some clicking, and slightly different timings – I always thought it was just the lamps taking longer to light up but maybe gosund was doing them one at a time or something – they all came on within a few seconds sure, but with these TP-Link it is all simultaneous and instant. The smart switches to replace light switches work just as well – in fact that's why I swapped out these plugs – I just had three TP-Link Kasa smart switches installed (after reading a lot of reviews) and loved them – they look very nice and modern, easy to set up, and super responsive. The Kasa app I had to install for the light switches also felt a lot slicker than the gosund or SmartLife apps I was using for the smart plugs, and rather than try to consolidate kasa+gosund under yet another interface I figured I'd just try these and use the Kasa app. No ragrets.Adam

These plugs are great! I replaced the old fashioned mechanical timer plugs with these. You can control them from your phone and they have great features – schedule and a separate timer function. Really great! No need to buy a hub or any other supporting items!! This is the second time I bought them because they work so well! Lastly, I should add that I also use Hue lights which are also FANTASTIC! However, I wanted something a bit more cost effective and I these Kasa plugs are a nice complement to the Hue system I have (despite having to use 2 separate apps).EvaD

So easy to set up! They integrate well with other smart gadgets and brands. I use them for my many plant grow lights set up in my basement—convenient on and off from the app on my smartphone or coordinated with Alexa voice. I also use them for household conveniences like lights and heaters. I love customizing the labels on the app using my own photos or choosing from existing icons. I’ll likely buy more!DocDub

Purchased the Thermostat to use in an outbuilding/garage. The building has Propane Forced Hot Air Heating. Two challenges, both able to be addressed, but not optimal. First, this thermostat requires a "C" line/power wire from the heater. My Garage Heater only has two wires, therefore a 24v power supply (amazon) is needed to power the thermostat. Second, the thermostat only allows the lowest temperture to be set to 50 degree's. There is a work around, as an emergency setting that gets activated if the thermostat control is turned off – I was able to set that temp to 40 degree's as a work around. I am fairly certain these limitations were outlined in the fine print that I did not read prior to ordering the thermostat (but was forced to find at installation time). Other than these initial set up challenges, I very much like the thermostat and it's ease.Shady Knoll Customs

Cons: Missing some 'major' features for a smart device. Mess install compared to Nest 1. Screen info – this should be more configurable to show what I want to show at the thermostat. Ex: Weather, current temp and set temps, temps from other sensors. 2. Rules do not allow changing the temp!!! I can set a 'profile' like Home/Away/Sleep, but not just change the set temps…odd. 3. Install of my Nest was very simple. Install of the Wyze required a c-adapter. With my unit in the attic, this was messy. Plus, it did not work with the c-adapter. I ended up having to rewire my unit's complete thermostat wire to get the Wyze to work (removed the need for the adapter) Pros: Simple use. Seems to keep house more even and seems to heat quicker 1. Easy to use once installed 2. Not sure why, but seems the heat is warmer and heats the house quicker. Also seems to keep the house more level across rooms.Wyzeish

Not five stars only because of price. I think this is a bit too expensive, but it does work properly and does more than I read about or expected. I did have a blue wire so the connections were a breeze. I really like that I can set the accuracy and deviation on the temp and humidity. Just put a known accurate thermometer or humidistat by this unit, allow to stabilize, then adjust to match on your phone app. One thing I really like is the connection to Alexa. If I say "Alexa, what is the temperature" she announces the outside temp. If I say"Alexa what is the t-stat temp" she tells me the temp in the room where the t-stat is located. If I say, "Alexa, what is the t-stat set to", she announces that setting. Obviously, I can do all manner of programming and special features, but since I'm home most of the day "retired", I just tell Alexa what I want as I feel too hot or too cold. I turn the heat basically off by setting a very cool bedtime temp, usually below 60, and sometimes I forget to set that on the way to bed. Very convenient to just tell Alexa from in my bed to set it down. I need to experiment with a program setting to do that for me. I'm sure it will. I'm currently experimenting with the fan delay after preheat, just trying to see if I can minimize the little bit of cold air that gets delivered from the cold ducts each time the heat cycles on. We shall see. Overall, I'm a retired 'techno-nerd' and love having devices like this to play with and keep me not only comfortable but entertained as well. My Wyze wish list has a simple (read affordable) garage door "momentary action" inching switch. Wyze, please consider this.Tom

Terrible product. I bought 2 units for the house and both units had to be replaced within a month of installation. Customer service with brilliant is horrible and it takes 3-5 days to get a replacement when it controls all the lights in that room.Steven

Everything you need to fuel your smart home aspirations. Missing some popular smart home partner compatibility but they are adding new all the time. Customer service responds quickly to any questions.Prime

With energy prices and summer temperatures inching higher by the day, there's never been a better time to explore smart HVAC thermostats. I've been using a Google Nest Thermostat E for the past two years, and while I've been satisfied with it overall, I've had my eye on ecobee thermostats as a possible upgrade, mainly for the superior room sensors and Apple HomeKit compatibility. When ecobee released their latest top-line model — the Smart Thermostat Premium — I was anxious to give it a try. Unboxing the Smart Thermostat Premium was truly a joy. Not only was there next to no plastic packaging, ecobee has gone the extra step to make their packaging from renewable and recyclable materials without making things feel cheap. No, this packing felt premium in every way, and most importantly, the thermostat and its components are tightly-packed and safe in transit. The Smart Thermostat Premium itself is absolutely premium in construction. It's a large metal-and-glass device with a surprising amount of heft to it, very different than the weightless Nest Thermostat E I was replacing. All the components in the package looked and felt similarly premium, and I appreciate that this model includes a room sensor and thermostat backplate as well as a power extender kit for those that may need it. The thermostat really is a beast, covering nearly the same surface area as the Nest and its backplate together. Definitely check the dimensions if you're at all concerned with spacing. I opted to use the included backplate to cover multiple holes from previous thermostats and while the backplate itself is simple white plastic it adds a nice dimension to the thermostat and coordinates well with nearby light switches, helping to balance out the stark black-and-gray appearance of the ecobee. Because I replaced an existing smart thermostat and was fortunate enough to have a live "c" wire in the wall already, installation was a breeze. Even if I'd had to use the included power extender kit I'm confident I would have still been in good shape, as ecobee's app walks you through the process with clear, step-by-step instructions. Please be sure to consult the ecobee website and compatibility checker before you purchase, but as long as you have moderate DIY skills and access to your HVAC system's wiring, you should have little trouble. ecobee's setup process includes registering for an account and adding your thermostat to HomeKit (if you're using an iOS device), both of which are pretty straightforward. Again, the app walks you through everything to get you up and running. Once setup is complete you're presented with the standard ecobee app interface and not much else, and as a first-time ecobee user I would have appreciated the inclusion of further tutorials on changing settings and whatnot, although the app and thermostat interface is relatively straightforward. To get things going I referred to ecobee's online support pages, which include a wealth of knowledge and FAQs explaining every aspect of their products and services. Definitely plan on paying their website a visit to get the most out of your ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium experience. Since I'm coming from ecobee's largest competitor (Google Nest), I'll use my review to compare and contrast my experiences with both, as this might help you decide which device fits your needs or whether to switch to ecobee. ecobee's thermostat screen and app interfaces are nearly identical, offering complete control no matter which one you use. This stands in contrast to Nest, where, due to its design, has pretty different interfaces in the Nest/Google Home app and on the thermostat itself. It's hard to beat the turn of a Nest's dial to change the temperature, but doing literally anything else requires pressing and turning motions to access menus. It's fine once you get the hang of it, but it takes longer to find what you want, and guests/first-time users may have no idea where to start. The ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium uses an all-touchscreen interface with no physical buttons. The resting thermostat faces shows you the outdoor temp, indoor temp, time and system status (a blue ring for AC, red for heat etc.), which changes to the user menu as you approach the device. The animations and graphics are pretty gorgeous on this high-resolution screen, and a quick tap of each icon will give you a good idea of what it does — perfect for guests who may not know where to start. This default user screen displays your HVAC mode, setpoint, current program (Home, Away, Sleep, Vacation), indoor temp and humidity and, in a thermostat first, indoor air quality. My Nest Thermostat E showed only a blank screen from a distance and revealed just setpoint, temp and system mode upon approach. A note on that indoor air quality sensor: while it's a pretty neat inclusion and one of ecobee's marquee features for this model, it's based only on estimated VOC and CO2 levels. These are important components of air quality buz4teen

One of the memories seared into my mind at a young age was my father’s obsession with the house’s thermostat. Several times per hour, he would dial in the most minute adjustments to make sure we weren’t wasting a single ounce of energy, and any deviations from his settings needed management approval from my mother as well. Once I became a first-time homeowner as an adult, I completely understood his obsession after receiving my first electric bill in AC season. While I tried my best to micromanage my existing thermostat, I decided to jump into the world of smart thermostats where ecobee is an established name. I knew little about them besides some recommendations from friends, but I took the plunge and the new ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced blew away my expectations. Dad, I’m afraid you’ve been laid off. Note that this and most smart thermostats operate on 24-volt HVAC wiring. Not all systems will be compatible. You can verify compatibility on ecobee’s website by entering which wires run to your existing thermostat. – Installation & Setup **ALWAYS turn off the main circuit breaker to your furnace and AC system before installing or replacing a thermostat.** The ease of installing any new thermostat will be completely dependent on existing wiring and your HVAC system’s capabilities. Nominally, smart thermostats would be installed on a 5-wire system (R, G, W, Y, and C wires) common to most newer homes. Ecobee’s website includes a compatibility checker based on what wires are running to your current thermostat, and they include a Power Extension Kit (PEK) with the Smart Thermostat Enhanced to adapt to 4-wire, 3-wire, and some 2-wire systems to avoid running additional wiring in your walls. The only instructions in the box direct you to the app (which requires you to create or log in to an ecobee account, much to my annoyance) for illustrated guidance. At first I was disappointed as a paper manual is a handy resource, but the sheer number of variables in thermostat wiring means the app provides better guidance to your situation without a large book covering all possible circumstances. Following the app’s guidance on my four-wire thermostat system, installation was much easier than I anticipated. I’m a very basic handyman that was originally planning to call an electrician (and indeed, you can locate an ecobee-recommended one right within the app if you decide against DIY at any point) considering I had a four-wire system, but in under 40 minutes I was up and running using the PEK to adapt to my existing wiring. The included trim plate is large enough to cover pretty much all prior holes and exposed drywall, and has a built-in level to ensure perfect mounting. Once installed, the ecobee will begin its first-time setup and initial sensor calibration. Setup is done mostly on the thermostat, with synchronization to the ecobee app completed afterward. The calibration takes about 15-20 minutes to complete, and during this time no cooling or heating equipment will run – don’t install it when it’s unbearably hot or cold! – Heating & Cooling The ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced does a phenomenal job reducing the amount of time either the furnace or AC system will run. The temperature sensor is much better calibrated than the 15-year-old, battery-operated thermostat it replaced, accurately reading room temperature and humidity to determine what needs to run to reach your desired comfort levels. One of the neater features to reduce system runtime is that the ecobee predicts how much residual heat or cold air is sitting in the ductwork of a forced air system, and can run only the fan to push that air into the home for a small temperature adjustment without needing to reactivate the furnace or air conditioner. This same principle applies to boiler systems – it will run only the pump to circulate still-warm water through your radiators or baseboards until the temperature falls below threshold. Further energy savings are possible with eco+ modes, toggleable either on the thermostat or in-app. These promise up to 20% energy savings by allowing temperature or humidity to vary slightly, only running equipment when absolutely necessary. I’ve been running eco+ enhanced mode for the past week, with early summer heat usually making my old thermostat run the AC often. With the ecobee I’ve hardly had the AC run as indoor temperatures remained between 72 and 74 degrees fahrenheit. Manually setting the AC, heat, or fan to run for a short period is pretty simple – after a button press or two, the ecobee will run the systems for a specified period before returning to nominal ranges. – Smart Features The headline feature of ecobee thermostats is their Home/Away/Vacation modes. Using a proximity sensor in the thermostat or its room sensors in conjunction with the app, ecobee thermostats can predict when the home or certain rooms are occupied and run the HVAC system appropriately. This includes geofencing options, so that the systemTurbolence

Ecobee advanced thermostat Overview: The Ecobee advanced thermostat is a sleek little unit that is smart, though exactly all of what it does still seems slightly mysterious to me. The regular smart thermostat features are obvious—but not all that different from a standard programmable thermostat. The wifi just allows this one to be programmed and adjusted from an app, not just from the base, and to be changeable from your mobile device at virtually anytime. It also has a raft of “smart” eco settings that are supposed to lower your energy bill—this is the more mysterious part of the device. Overall, there were some hiccups getting things going, but it seems to function correctly. Whether it’s entirely worth its high price tag probably depends on whether you want to employ all of its functionality. I’ll explain that, as much as I understand it, below. Detailed accounting: First off: installation of the Ecobee is not too difficult, especially if you’ve ever swapped out a thermostat before. Our setup is a little special, because we happen to have a) two zones in the house, controlled by two separate thermostats; and b) a heat pump and a/c. The two zone feature does not matter too much—it just means that if we were really invested in the Ecobee’s promising features, we’d probably need two. Instead, we have a different smart thermostat that we had previously installed, which has fewer features but also talks to wifi and is controllable with an app. The heat pump deal is slightly trickier to setup and wire properly, but the app mostly guides you through this alright. Our other smart thermostat asked fewer questions about the settings on the heat pump, and had a booklet to consult, but Ecobee lets you know what the defaults are and that mostly seems right. I did find it annoying that there is so little documentation in the box. The install process demands that you download the app and go through the process with it. However, this actually is a little tricky because if you’ve taken pictures with your phone while mapping the wires (which in fact the app encourages you to do) it’s a bit of a pain to navigate in and out of the app to make sure you’re doing everything right. We got everything connected correctly, but we must have set something wrong the first two times we initialized the dang thing because it wouldn’t save the settings I added and it also started pumping hot air out of the vents instead of cool, even though the unit said it was on “cool.” This is very annoying at 11 at night when it’s still 80 degrees outside. The first 45 minutes of using this thing nearly led to one of the adults in the home ripping the thing off the wall and tossing it out of the window, insisting it should get a 1 star review because app-based instructions are terrible. Ultimately, selecting a different starting option (I believe setting the HVAC unit as “off” initially, and then to cool once the thermostat had initialized) seemed to finally work and cool air started churning out. Once setup, the unit seems to have accepted the modifications made to the auto settings. The device can be programmed for “sleep,” “away,” and “home.” These can have certain hours attached to them, and set temps for cooling and heating, so that no matter the season, the Ecobee should operate with little difficulty. This is a little strange for us, because unless we are “away” on a trip, even the “away” setting would need to remain close to the normal “home” setting because we have dogs and I don’t want them to roast during the summer even if we’re not home. Also, one of us works from home and the other is often home during the summer, so again, we’re perhaps not maximally equipped to take advantage of these settings. However, if we went away for a week and took the pups, it would be nice to be able to set the thermostat to, say, 88 or 90 in the summer and save a bit, but then be able to turn the units on again when we were an hour or two from home, starting the cooling process before we arrived to the hot house. This is something we can currently do, however, as well with our cheaper smart thermostat that is in zone 1. It does allow you to save an entire schedule for the week. So if you work during the week and everyone is out of the house during the day, you can set schedules for every day and/or a weekend schedule. There is a huge amount of individualization that you can add in, and if you’re a busy family who will always be home Tuesdays by 5, but who will have ballgames or band practices keeping everyone out until 7 on Wednesday, you can fine tune your home and away setup however will work best, and change it whenever you want. There are also “eco+” settings for the unit. These are supposed to maximize your energy savings. There are some options you can select or deselect for these settings, and again, the unit is supposed to figure out how to keep your HVAC running optimally while saving energy and money. I have no real clue if this works, or how muchCrazyDogPeople

In the process of going back to my old thermostat. Extremely disappointed and frustrated with this product. The modem is 10 feet away and it stop picking up the wifi. The battery dies whenever it wants and it doesn't ever fully charge. It shuts off middle of the night. It is putting my family in danger by not working during the coldest part of this winter. Whats the point of a "smart thermostat " that doesn't connect to the app or to the internet. I wouldn't suggest this product to anyone.Zeb Empath

The description indicates that this model will work f you have a second stage of either heating (W2) or cooling (Y2). However, upon unboxing, I found that it DOES NOT have slots for both W2 or Y2. For most people, this will work. However, if you have a higher-end system with multiple zones, this will not despite the misleading description stating that it will. Super irritated at what is essentially dishonesty. Pull your current T stat and make sure you do not have (W2) or (Y2) wires before buying.Matthew

Buy with caution. Although advertised as not needing a "C" wire unless advised by the app, it will not work without a C wire. When I installed, the app did not mention I needed a C wire for my heat only installation, but after several months of use my furnace started cycling on and off. Repairman came and immediately focused on the thermostat. After a through checkup of the furnace, he confirmed it was the thermostat. Replaced it with a Sensi and all is well. The Sensi works because it has 2 AA batteries while the Nest tries to recharge it's own. Without a C wire the Nest battery looses charge and thus causes the furnace to cycle. Asked Nest if they would issue a refund for the thermostat (which I got at a reduced price from electric company) and I would eat the service call. After several months they said no without reason.FortFun

Was looking for straightforward smart home control system that was specifically suited for both HomeKit and Sonos, and this fit the bill perfectly. Will be adding additional units to the system.Josh

The camera doesn't function like one would expect: similar to a Ring doorbell. Instead Even my 5' 2" spouse has to lean down to be seen. The intercom in only half duplex meaning it works like a walkie-talkie. If one of the users leaves their mic open and the other speaks at the same time there is horrible feedback. For this price I would have expected a whole lot more!Will

I own a few smart home products like Ring doorbell and cameras, August lock, Hue lights, and a couple Sonos speakers. Was looking for a way to make it easier to control everything and automate my home (my wife and kids have trouble using it all). These in-wall touchscreens from Brilliant are great. A bit pricey, but totally worth it if you want to build a smart home that works for your entire family. I installed 2 of them and now everyone can answer the door, control music, and activate lighting scenes using the touchscreens. I also like that Brilliant lets me control everything using their app. Systems like this with in-wall touchscreens used to cost a lot more. Glad to see an option from Brilliant that most homeowners can finally afford.smarthomedad

This is the best smartswitch! Reliable and intuitive LED lighting. We have a few of these around the house and they are all working great. We've never had an issue with them, unlike other brands, plus they have the best indicator lights that we've used. It has a blue LED backlight to let you know it is connected, which lets you find it in the dark. It also has a green LED backlight to let you know the switch is on, helpful for outdoor lights, ceiling fans, and lights in large rooms.FastSS

Easy enough install. It does need a hot, load and neutral wire for proper installation. It was problematic trying to hook up to wi-fi due to my network. I would suggest turning off 5GHz frequency if you have a (mesh) wi-fi 6 router. Once the 5GHz was turned off paired up to the app no problem. Very easy to program. This switch will work as a normal on/off switch if your wi-fi goes down. I would have given a 5 star but the switch has a less expensive 2.4GHz chip installed which won't allow it to hook up to a mesh network.Johng

I just got two of these. One for the bedroom and one for the kitchen. I kind of want another for the bathrooms to play the music. The speakers are pretty great, loud and clear. Love that I don’t need my phone to cast. Struggling to access Netflix or Hulu without it just controlling my Roku tv and turning it on. I see that others can play both directly on the screen but even with Hulu (only for now) linked, it still activates it on my tv. I got YouTube to play (not YouTube TV, which is an app option on the Hub or in Google Home) by selecting a media option to “show recommended videos) but I didn’t see where I can type in what I want to watch on YT. Will keep playing with it and watching videos online to see what other functions. Don’t plan to use the motion sense, currently, so no opinion there.Cassandre

Why did I expect anything else? It'll be that way until they suddenly kill off the feature some day. That's just how they work.I already had a Nest Hub (1st gen), so I didn't need this one. But it has this fancy new sleep tracking feature, and I have severe sleep issues. When they put it on sale, I could no longer resistSetup was easy. A bit too easy, I suspected. I was right. A few seconds of lying in your bed motionless is not enough to calibrate a the software to recognize when you're sleeping vs when you're not. Despite multiple calibrations, it still gets it wrong.Any time I am within it's view, it thinks I'm in bed. Sitting up on the side of the bed, standing beside the bed, walking back and forth on the other side of the room, all = in bed. Even when I really am in bed, it gets my awake/asleep times wrong. These mistakes happen consistently. It is of no use for sleep tracking.Plus, if you have sleep tracking turned on, you can forget ever using it like normal Nest Hub.Walt

This is my first time having any sort of smart home device. So, I dont have any other brands or earlier versions to compare to. That being said, I do like this nest device. Aesthetically its nice, the charcoal color is appealing and the screen is a nice size. The graphics seem pretty good – I like to leave it on the picture slide show and use the images option on there so I can see pretty landscapes and animals and such. It seems pretty easy if I wanted to set it to use my own pictures though. The sound quality is decent – its certainly not the best audio out there (nor would I have expected it to be), but it works well and I have used it to play music and its been enjoyable listening to it. So far I've mainly linked it with my Spotify for music, but I have had some difficulty in getting it to play the Siriusxm music. I linked my account using the Google home app (required to set the nest up), but haven't had success getting it to play. I set up users for myself and another household member and we were both able to set it up easily and get it to play our own Spotify accounts. I have it synced to show my calendar, but haven't set it to do calls yet. Again these seem to be easy features. I haven't tried to watch anything on it yet, but I'd imagine it would be nice. I've used the Google assistant with ease "ok google" recognizes my voice no problem and I do like the ability to say it from across the room. I don't have smart home compatible stuff like a smart thermostat or lights or anything as I'm living in an older house at the moment, but again, it seems like an easy set up process and is supposed to be compatible with a ton of smart home brands/items. I think this is a handy device and is easy to get set up if you've got a Google account.Lizzy

The Nest Mini (2nd Generation) usually responds immediately but sometimes disconnects, not too often though. I know it's not my router because only certain devices have connection issues. The Nest Mini (2nd Generation) also becomes glitchy when streaming music with iPhone using iTunes or Spotify. Spotify does a better job though. If I purchased a sub to Apple music I'm sure it wouldn't disconnect ever, lol. It seems that apps not owned by Apple don't run so good on their devices and vice versa. You have to hit the media button in the Google home app to connect to speakers. They like to disappear or disconnect. I wouldn't recommend for streaming music or audio from TV all the time. Google needs people to be subservient so you have to say "Hey Google" to get it's attention every time and can't give the device a name you prefer.Tony

It's nice. Kind of an ugly color, more like a dirty light pumpkin than coral like it looks but that's fine. What I was most disappointed with is you can't play specific songs without a paid service. It give you playlists on a few different sites but I had issues connecting to them. It can't always tell me what song is playing on its own playlist. I migrated from Alexa (who is not the smartest for questions lol) in hopes this would be a "smarter" replacement for my Mom but it's not proving to to be the best for my Mom's simple needs which is play Ave Maria lol and ask for basketball game scores and basic questions. All of which, Alexa can do. I assume it would be very conveinent for someone using all the google services like myself but my Mom can't figure out email so that's not her. I had difficulty creating a list of fav songsthefairiegirl

Pros: Screen looks nice. Voice control works with smart lights. Cons: Touch screen is terribly unresponsive by today's standards. Very unintuitive to set up properly so I gave up.As an example of its logic, at one point it only lets you get to a setting by using voice control but then only lets you choose the following option using touch control. As it's also sluggish in operation you can easily hit the wrong touch button and then there's no option to go back. So you have to start again with a completely illogical sequence.Hence the following examples of things I don't like, may be due to not having been set up properly.Anyway, it only reads my main Google calendar not my sub or associated calenders, which makes it useless to check my agenda.I can't set up the screen to show exactly what I want e.g. agenda on one half, notifications on the other.I can't show photos from my local server only those that are stored on Google Photos. I can only show a single Google Photo album album as a screen saver not all my Google photos.The voice commands are not intuitive so you'll have to memorize any you want to use. In other words it will only be useful if you intend to use the voice commands frequently enough to remember them.The automated routines (morning, evening, etc) are another example of big tech companies thinking they know what we want to do better than we know.Mine nearly went into the bin after several hours of trying to get it to do anything useful. I've kept it but only ever use it to turn my smart lights on and off.David

After some problems with a google smart device I decided to try their competitors. Wow am I glad I did. After looking at the different Alexa devices I found one with some pretty nice features. This (Mine is in a beautiful blue color) seemed to have everything I was looking for. Other than the general ‘smart speaker’ abilities, this came with a digital clock that shows behind the front of the speaker with a light blue glow. On the top of the Echo, there are 4 button; 2 of them adjust the volume, 1 is a mute button and the last helps to connect to wifi and other settings. While those were the features that made me choose this Alexa Echo I was pleasantly surprised to see that, when asked about the weather, it not only verbalizes the answer but displays it as well. Now, for my favorite feature: once connected with my Ring Doorbell and other smart devices on the Alexa App (and without setting this up) Alexa is able to verbally notify me when someone rings the doorbell. Overall, I am loving my choice of Echo and so much happier after switching to Alexa.heather.n

This was a pretty garbage device from the second I got it. I’ll be the first to admit despising an admission of it, but even Siri is better than this thing. Just a constant of ‘I’m having trouble playing that right now, try again later’ but for everything. The speaker quality was decent at best, it was all nothing but mid-range. The high and low ends were extremely washed out. What you see here is what you get. A talking bowling ball. I was extremely dissatisfied with this product over the entire year I had it, minus two months where it wouldn’t function at all, claiming issues with software updates, but wouldn’t connect to the app to actually perform the update, even Amazon couldn’t help, but lo and behold it actually worked one day. In conclusion, save your money, and get a good Bluetooth speaker to hook to your phone, or one of the Apple devices similar, it’ll save you the inconvenience.Seth

I read a bunch of the reviews left for this product and felt I should leave 'real" feedback because some of what is written by others is patently false. This is an absolutely great product. Here's why: 1-form factor-Great design. Taken from the Apple playbook, the softball-shaped and sized unit blends nicely in any environment. I like the color choices. I have a blue one and got my wife a white one. Both look very cool on the night table. The somewhat muted display goes from very bright (10) to off. It can be changed with a voice command or will change automatically based on ambient light in the room. 2-Sound- Look-this is no audiophile component. It's small size limits the quality of the sound. No big subwoofer so bass is focused and present but obviously lacks power. We are not moving a lot of air with this little speaker. That said, this is a very passable sound system and is pleasant to listen to. I requested ZZ Top's "loaded"-a tough lift for any music system, and it sounded absolutely good. 3-All of the Alexa stuff-Yes-dim the lights or turn them off. Get a few Amazon smart plugs and you can do all kinds of stuff. Make your coffee and toast in the AM, turn on or off virtually any appliance plugged in. 4-Super easy set-up-Get the Alexa app and follow the instructions andthis is literally plug and play. Reviewers claiming difficult set-up make me wonder. If this is difficult, you will have difficulty tying your shoes. So, in summation, Amazon has created a near perfect melding of form and function. Stream podcasts, or your favorite radio or TV shows. It's applications seem limitless. For the price, it's a no-brainer.riffs246

I bought this to replace my previous "Home" device. It had been playing up and was out of warranty. This was on offer and why I purchased. Overall it's a good device. Small screen but you see what you pay for before you pay for it in most cases; they're not trying to hide anything. The resolution is pretty decent, and it does allow you to watch things on Youtube from your account (I've not tried it across non Google services). The speaker will pick up the words as you're asking them and they appear on the screen so you can see if it's misunderstood why/what it mis heard. It does seem to have an improved microphone though as the Home device I had which was first gen would regularly not understand what I'd said even if it was the same instruction (eg; what's the weather/play whatever radio station or so on). It apparently can make calls, but I've not tested this. It's a small screen if you do, but far larger than a phone! The screen itself you can flick from left to right to see other things. On the screen, I actually really appreciate the adaptive brightness it has which seems to work in reverse of a phone. On the Nest it actually gets dimmer with it's surroundings; so if you turn out the lights it dims right down which would make it suitable for a bedroom, though it never completely goes off so will always show the time. I've no idea if this can be changed or not as I've not seen any need to try. Will play Spotify and also Apple Music! It does require you to use the app to change which service you want to set your preference to though. I have still been able to play things from Spotify even though I've already set mine to play from Apple Music. As long as you say where to play from, it seems to work.bigblackcat

Pros: Screen looks nice. Voice control works with smart lights. Cons: Touch screen is terribly unresponsive by today's standards. Very unintuitive to set up properly so I gave up.As an example of its logic, at one point it only lets you get to a setting by using voice control but then only lets you choose the following option using touch control. As it's also sluggish in operation you can easily hit the wrong touch button and then there's no option to go back. So you have to start again with a completely illogical sequence.Hence the following examples of things I don't like, may be due to not having been set up properly.Anyway, it only reads my main Google calendar not my sub or associated calenders, which makes it useless to check my agenda.I can't set up the screen to show exactly what I want e.g. agenda on one half, notifications on the other.I can't show photos from my local server only those that are stored on Google Photos. I can only show a single Google Photo album album as a screen saver not all my Google photos.The voice commands are not intuitive so you'll have to memorize any you want to use. In other words it will only be useful if you intend to use the voice commands frequently enough to remember them.The automated routines (morning, evening, etc) are another example of big tech companies thinking they know what we want to do better than we know.Mine nearly went into the bin after several hours of trying to get it to do anything useful. I've kept it but only ever use it to turn my smart lights on and off.David

I regret buying my Nest Hub Smart Display. When I tell it to turn on a light or smart plug, it'll often take 4-5 seconds–long enough for me to think it didn't register. Which it also frequently fails at. So I'm either having to repeat myself or giving the command again right as it starts while standing in the dark like a fool. These are various smart home devices that worked nearly instantaneously with competitor smart speakers. The microphone sensitivity seems way worse than the competitor I've had or even the Google Nest Mini. If you go to the main dashboard of the device, it includes advertisements for games. I've found no way to customize the dashboard to include only what I want. Some people don't mind, but I'm a personality type that likes to organize things in a way that makes sense to my mind. Or at least, not have a sizable chunk of a small screen occupied by ads for something I will never ever want. On a device I thought I owned. A digital personal assistant that nags or tries to upsell me isn't my idea of a utopian future. Which is why I got rid of competitor speakers after too many unrelated advertisements that I don't want to hear when setting a timer or asking the weather. The Google assistant is better, but just the other day I asked it to turn on a certain smart plug. It misunderstood and went on to launching a long advertisement about smart thermostats available from Google. It was even so helpful to send a link to purchasing it from Google to my phone. I asked for none of that! Have had the device sometimes freeze. One time I had to factory reset it to get it to work again properly. I wish I would not have made this purchase and won't be purchasing any other Google smart home devices.Ben

I bought this product in March as I really needed the peace of mind being able to control my hvac while being away as I rescue and rehab animals. My home getting too cold or too hot could be lethal to the animals. All was working well until the weather got cold. For some reason there is an issue with the software on the thermostat that sometimes when the program you set changes to the next temperature level, there’s a possibility it disconnects from the furnace. It will state it’s on, when you look at the app and the thermostat, however when you’re actually in the home the furnace is not on. I found a work around to reset to get the furnace to work. (Which in turn makes sense that it’s the thermostat not the furnace as it functions fine after this work around) I would have to switch the thermostat mode from “heat” to “cool” then back to “heat”. It then works just fine. The customer service support was dancing around the issue and kept sending my logs just further proving my issue, stating it was the furnace malfunctioning.

I purchased this overpriced thermostat for piece of mind, and now I’m paranoid all day worried if my home is actually being heated while I’m at work. NEEDLESS to say, I will not be using this faulty equipment anymore and will be purchasing a different, more reliable brand for my needs. One that cares for their customers.Stella Wisniewski

If you want a good-looking thermostat with remote sensors that you can use from your phone, this is a fine choice. It also stores your use data, which is great. Just realize that it’s not easy to save money by installing a “smart” thermostat. I bought another system (SwitchBot meter and hub) to track just exactly what the Ecobee was doing. My conclusion is that you should not use the automatic staging setting. Instead, use manual staging because the Ecobee is not as smart as it thinks it is. It was somehow getting stuck and would run the fan without doing anything else while telling me that it was. Also, be careful about the minimum temperature for running the compressor instead of just using auxiliary heat immediately. If your system runs forever because the Ecobee won’t let it use the auxiliary heat that it needs, are you still saving money?Alex

1. It is difficult to setup and troubleshoot since some settings are only available on a person's web account, others only on the phone app, and still others only on the device itself. Why aren't all settings available in one place, preferably the phone app? 2. The device display is confusing. It appears to show the heating range but actually it is a combination of the heating and cooling temps in one graphic. This information is not useful. It would be better to have the info in two separate ranges, maybe showing only the applicable range; such as the heating temperature range when the furnace is being used or the cooling temperature range when the air conditioner is being used. 3. Finding answers to questions and problems is difficult. A good source would naturally be a searchable user's manual available through the app but it is not easy to find or use. I couldn't figure out why my furnace was overheating the house to 85°F in the middle of the night. Turns out, an extra sensor accidentally fell into the garbage and was taken out with the trash. Since the Ecobee averages temps among sensors, it was averaging the outside and inside temps and trying to heat up the house since it was cold outside. I had to figure out this on my own since I couldn't get assistance online or from the app. Overall this could be a nice piece of equipment but it isn't terribly user-friendly and help isn't easy to find.Tkbb61

I replaced a bunch of Gosund smart plugs with these TP-Link Kasa and am glad I did. The setup was easier – no messing around setting up a 2.4ghz wifi network (which is all gosund would even see). These just start blinking and the app asks you to switch your wireless connection to the TP-Link plug network which the plug just created, then it asks you to switch back to your home network, it asks you to name the plug, and it's done. The actual usage is far smoother than gosund as well. The response time is instant – TP-Link's networking experience really shows. We use them for various lamps, and when I tap the button for an action the lamps are all on, instantly. With gosund there was a noticeable lag, and some clicking, and slightly different timings – I always thought it was just the lamps taking longer to light up but maybe gosund was doing them one at a time or something – they all came on within a few seconds sure, but with these TP-Link it is all simultaneous and instant. The smart switches to replace light switches work just as well – in fact that's why I swapped out these plugs – I just had three TP-Link Kasa smart switches installed (after reading a lot of reviews) and loved them – they look very nice and modern, easy to set up, and super responsive. The Kasa app I had to install for the light switches also felt a lot slicker than the gosund or SmartLife apps I was using for the smart plugs, and rather than try to consolidate kasa+gosund under yet another interface I figured I'd just try these and use the Kasa app. No ragrets.Adam

These plugs are great! I replaced the old fashioned mechanical timer plugs with these. You can control them from your phone and they have great features – schedule and a separate timer function. Really great! No need to buy a hub or any other supporting items!! This is the second time I bought them because they work so well! Lastly, I should add that I also use Hue lights which are also FANTASTIC! However, I wanted something a bit more cost effective and I these Kasa plugs are a nice complement to the Hue system I have (despite having to use 2 separate apps).EvaD

So easy to set up! They integrate well with other smart gadgets and brands. I use them for my many plant grow lights set up in my basement—convenient on and off from the app on my smartphone or coordinated with Alexa voice. I also use them for household conveniences like lights and heaters. I love customizing the labels on the app using my own photos or choosing from existing icons. I’ll likely buy more!DocDub

I've been very impressed with this system and what comes in the box is a great mix for the first time setting one up. I have a lot of windows on my lower level so I will be purchasing a 6 pack of sensors but I like that additional items can be purchased separately so I'm not stuck in some specific package. I work in software development so I'm very techy but this system was incredibly simple to set up and the app guides through each step so even if you aren't great with technology I don't think you should have any concerns on that piece. One area non-tech people would struggle with is moving all of their existing non-security devices (like you phone, computer, smart TV, etc) to using this WiFi…if you go that route. It is great because the Alarm Pro router (the big device) has excellent WiFi, pairs incredibly easily with the WiFi extender (one of the other devices in the box) which will solve most issues if your house doesn't have good WiFi coverage, AND it has backup cell service built in which could cover all your devices. Meaning, if your normal internet from Xfinity, AT&T, etc, goes out then it automatically switches to use the built in cellular backup and you won't even notice other than it'll be slower speed. You do have to pay if you go over 3gb which you likely will if the outage is long, but it's nice to have it available. I already have a great router and tons of devices connected that I don't want to change to a new router so this system is plugged into my other router and just being used for the Ring security devices. The only downside is if my internet has an outage I won't be backed up but I'm ok with that and it made the setup really simple so I don't need to do anything to my existing devices. As far as the security system goes, I love it! the sensors respond immediately, setup took just a couple minutes per sensor, and I've had no false alarms. You can also customize everything so for example during the day I have the system disarmed so there will be no alarms but I still get beeps when a door/window is open (you can customize the tone or if there is a sound for each sensor which is great). I set the schedule to arm the alarm at night automatically and I can control which sensors will sound the alarm and how long before the alarm sounds so if I forget and open a door late then I hear a quiet notification for awhile before the loud alarm wakes up my kid. The only thing I don't love about this is that it is kind of odd requiring two apps, one for the alarm portion and one for the router/WiFi. It makes sense because this is combining two independent (Amazon owned) company devices into one, and they make it clear when to switch between the two apps so it's not terrible and at least means they are two apps that function very well instead of messy broken stuff in one app. But for example the Ring app will let you change how bright the blue circle LED is (which is pretty bright by default) but then to turn off the white LED which is an inch away on the same device you need to go to the eero app. A lot of devices won't let you customize these things so I'm not going to complain, just an example of how some small areas can be a little strange using two apps for the same device. Overall this is certainly a 5 star system. I love that I can add monitoring if I want (costs $ but is cheap compared to others) or leave it as just a system for me to monitor (free). I think it's also wise to go with Ring because they keep adding more devices and innovating so you don't have to worry about the system becoming obsolete in a couple years, it is worth getting!JonC

This alarm kit comes with a decent amount of features- key pad, four contact sensors, motion Detector and a range extender. From what I had read, the eero Wi-Fi 6 router has great reviews for speed but did not realize it only covers up to 1500 square feet. Which depending on the size of your house- that might not be adequate. Unfortunately that has been the case with our house. But they do offer eero extenders which are also sold separately. I personally had a tough time with set up, as I am not that skilled with technology, and using the two different apps became confusing during the process. The keypad is easy to use, and I really like that there is the opportunity to have access to alerting local police, emergency responders, and 24/7 professional monitoring (with additional subscription) but I still this this is a great option if you can afford the addition subscription. Also, it will send notifications right to your phone. I really like that there are no commitments and it can be month to month. A lot more affordable than other security options! The base and the keypad both give off a siren noise when the alarm is set off. The base sound is a lot louder than the keypad so it can easily be heard. Just by testing the system it seems accurate and I have more peace of mind when it is installed. Additionally, the sensor pieces are easy to set up and easy to change locations without much effort which is a really nice feature. The key pad can be plugged in or used wirelessly which is a great feature! It’s also cool that you can adjust the keypad settings in the ring app easily. I personally did not like that our internet had to be set up through the router that came with it. For me, this was a disadvantage as it didn’t provide enough coverage that we needed for the size of our home. Due to that reason I had disconnected it until we are able to purchase the additional extenders.Ginger20

I'll start by saying that technically this works as an alarm. Why it has to be its own router to push all your home's WiFi devices through I will never know. I got past this requirement by setting it up in bridge mode as a secondary router and splitting the alarm system and all my smart home devices, including Ring cameras, off onto a 2.4 ghz band isolated network basically functioning as a separate VLAN and kept all my internet traffic and Windows based devices and TVs on my main router at 5 ghz. All that being said, I am an IT professional and the average buyer could not and should not be expected to go through all this. As laid out in the Eero's instructions the user is expected to route everything through it (capped at 300 mbps btw) and get rid of their existing router, relying on the alarm to support their LAN. Not ideal, especially if, like me, you work from home and pay extra for gig speed internet. Just a bad design and an example of a company trying to put you on rails to rely on them alone. My home already had an existing Ring integration when I purchased it, which I built off of and expanded, which is why I went through all this, but if you are starting from scratch I would recommend another alarm solution that doesn't require the average customer to put so much faith in the hands of Ring/Eero/Amazon.TmcD

Super easy product to install. Excellent choice to satisfy the most basic home security needs even with the un-monitored option. Only reason this did not get 5 stars is due to the delay in alerting. All other aspects are good. When you trip any of the devices – Ring Doorbell, motion sensor, door trip, etc., it takes at least 10-15 seconds before the alert hits the app and let's you know. In the event of a break in, that's potentially a lifetime. Not sure if it has to do with the cloud component, but highly suspect it is. If that's the case, Ring should offer a small local storage option that then moves the data to the cloud so they can continue to make their money by forcing you to sign up for their cloud service option. When it comes to home security, I want to know the instant movement is picked-up so I have time to react to the situation. This much of a delay doesn't meet that mark. I could use cans and a string and get better results. So if you're looking for real time, move on. If near real time works for you and a delay is acceptable, this is a great option. I also had to purchase Alexa as the Ring system doesn't support Google Nest.Jill S

Ring’s reputation in video doorbells is incomparable, but I did not realize the company produced alarm systems as well! After using this 2nd Generation Ring Alarm (5 piece kit), I understand how Ring rightly earned its prestige as the premier manufacturer of home security systems! The installation of this system was surprisingly quick and simple— merely download app, plug, stick, and turn on! I was pleasantly surprised that there was no charge for using the Ring app! However, I definitely recommend purchasing the Ring Protect Plus Plan if it is not cost prohibitive (It does include a complimentary month to try out for yourself as well.) As for the device, I thought the keypad was intuitive with its picture icons and its simplicity in contacting either fire department, police, or medical help with just the push of the corresponding button. The design of all the components is modern, sleek, and unobtrusive. The alarm siren is rightfully loud and blaring. I love the seamless integration with Alexa Echo enabled products as our home is already using them— this is definitely one of my favorite features! Lastly, I appreciate that different generations of Ring systems and products are all compatible—a major convenience if I choose to add more products in the future. Overall, I highly recommend this product! It gives me peace of mind during these uncertain times for my family and my home, especially when I’m away.Ticowjw8

I got this system 2 years ago at Costco and I love it. It’s affordable and works great in apartments, duplexes, and houses as I have lived in each category with this alarm system. The alarm itself when triggered is very loud and I found out by mistake when I lived in apartments. You can monitor the system yourself or pay a monthly fee of around $10 I believe for professional monitoring. In the phone app you can check the systems and each sensor in your house to see if they are open or closed and you can manually set the system to armed or disarmed when you aren’t even near your home (I armed the system from over 400 miles away a few times while visiting family). I also love that anytime the windows or doors are opened the system sends an alert to my phone about which sensor has been tripped. Great product and I highly recommend it.madison .c

It just keeps getting better. Noticeably improved sound, wifi mesh expansion from the start, if you happen to have Eero wifi, and Amazon stuck with the same shape, alleviating the obsolescence of mounts when you upgrade? That's awesome, especially since the Eero 6 +/Pro gear is so expensive (as are all the brands).JayF

This alexa has changed everything, our family loves playing music on speakers and alexa was definitely a huge change to how we used to listen to music. We got smart lights and outlets to connect to it as well and whenever we forget to turn off a light we’re able to simply turn it off via the app. I’ve had this product for over 8 months and nothing has failed, and it works incredible, I recommend it to anyone looking to make their life a little easier.vanessaxo

Bought this item for safety reasons – if I fall or can't get to a phone in an emergency, I can ask Alexa to call for help. Even brought one to work in case I am there alone. Other than that, it's pretty neat to be able to ask Alexa for information, even jokes, or to use as an alarm clock. Would recommend.RoseannA

Works really well, and the Shelly products are highly recommended for home-assistant installations. I use it opnly as an energy monitoring system, not as a switch. Picture attached.Unknown author

Great device for home automation or just general power consumption tracking. Has over current protection and also over heating protection. I hooked these up to home assistant and the integration works incredibly well. I installed about 6 of these throughout my house behind the plug sockets. Easy to install, just google a diagram 😀Jurgens

I received the product about a month ago, and I absolutely loveeeeee it! The price is extremely reasonable for what you get. I will definitely recommend this to friends for future purposes. You will not be disappointed.Dessy254

The wireless essential oil diffuser is indeed a very satisfying product. I'm so grateful to have this in my possession. There's so many goodies about this product and it meets all the stars for my review. In my opinion, the diffuser is great for relaxing, alleviating anxiety, and reducing stress. It's very quiet and the colors are all so beautiful. My daughter fell in love with it as soon as I hooked it up, now we all smiling. You have to get it to see the beauty for yourself. Remember, it's important to read the directions before assembling the product.DNG1

Absolutely love this diffuser. I’ve had others the past, but this one is so much better. Love the different color lights, and the fact that I can turn it on while away from is lovely. I was a little bummed that I had to purchase my own essential oil, something like this at least a small size sample of an oil. To give an idea of what can and can not be used. I had to google to find out if any kind of oil can be used. I do not have Alexa so the voice part of it I can not use, but other than that it works perfectly. I can’t wait to get more scents to put in the air. Last about 12 hours which is great. Wonderful product!Keekee