With so many gadgets available, finding the best smart home products can be tough. But we’re here to help. Check out our favorite smart home devices of 2022.
Smart home devices allow you to take control of your home and lifestyle using only a few web-connected devices. With hardware like smart speakers and displays, you can stream your favorite music, access your daily calendar, set reminders and alarms, and even make video calls to friends and family. And with products like the Amazon Echo speaker and Google Nest Audio, you can even control and customize the other smart home devices in your home, from door locks to security cameras. If you’ve been thinking about adding some automation to your residence and are unsure of where to start, we’ve put together this guide to highlight all of the best smart home devices you can buy right now. The first thing you’ll want to get is a virtual assistant to help you control your smart devices with just your voice. You can opt for a smart speaker, which only has audio, or you can go with a smart display, which has a touchscreen that lets you visually interact with your assistant as well. The Amazon Echo is Amazon’s smart speaker that features Alexa, Amazon’s virtual assistant. The Echo 4th Generation has excellent sound quality, so you can clearly hear your playlist from music streaming services like Amazon Music, Apple Music, or iHeart Radio. The redesigned Echo 4 retails for $100, and it comes in charcoal, twilight blue, and glacier white. Amazon’s latest smart speaker also functions as a Zigbee hub, allowing you to control other Zigbee-specific smart home gear, such as lights, locks, and cameras. If you want a more affordable Echo speaker, the Echo Dot with Clock retails for only $60 and does almost everything the Echo does, except its speakers aren’t quite as powerful and it doesn’t have a Zigbee hub. The Dot with Clock has an LED display on the front face that can show you the time, the weather, or a timer. One of the reasons these gadgets should be on your smart home shopping list is that they work with many of the other products you buy. Alexa responds to short commands that make life easier and more fun. You can set alarms, ask questions, order pizza, shop, play games, and more — just by using your voice. Plus, compatible gadgets let you depend on Alexa to tweak aspects of your smart home by doing things like turning down the thermostat or turning on a light. If you’d prefer a smart display that has a screen and lets you make video calls, see song lyrics, and watch your security camera and video doorbell feeds, the Echo Show 5 is a great option because it’s even more affordable than a regular Echo speaker. The Show 5 is a compact display, though. If you’re looking for a larger screen, the Echo Show 15 may be a better option. Capable of being wall-mounted for either landscape or portrait viewing, Amazon’s Show 15 features customizable widgets, interactive smart device controls, and a host of other great Alexa-powered tricks and abilities. On the other hand, maybe you’d rather go with a smart speaker not associated with Amazon, but love the easy-to-move design of the Echo Dot. In that case, look no further than the streamlined Nest Mini. The Nest Mini (2nd Gen) has an eco-friendly design, and it comes in chalk, charcoal, a bright coral color, or a bright blue color. Similar in size and shape to the Echo Dot (3rd Gen), the Nest Mini 2 is powered by Google Assistant, which, in many ways, is smarter than Alexa. The multilingual assistant can control your smart devices, create a shopping list, answer questions, and much more. Plus, it connects to oodles of smart home devices for voice control. However, Alexa is compatible with more smart devices. Want a larger, louder speaker? The Nest Audio is Google’s newest smart speaker. Featuring premium sound, adaptive audio, and an attractive design, you can find Google’s premium smart speaker in chalk, charcoal, sage, sand, and sky. If you want a Google Assistant-powered smart display, we really like the Nest Hub Max.
