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Wondering what to buy for that tech head in your family or circle of friends? This year, give them the gift of the Internet of Things (IoT) by helping them expand their smart home. This holiday season, there’s a bevy of smart home tech to choose from at major discounts, including LED light bulbs, thermostats, locks, and even bird feeders. And while the prices of most things continue to rise, smart home devices are becoming more affordable as technology advances, making them reasonably priced gift options. Ahead, learn about the best smart home gifts for the techie in your life.
Smart Home Gifts Under $30
Kasa Smart Plug Mini 15A
Kasa’s Smart Plug Mini 15A offers one of the most affordable ways to turn ordinary lamps and electronics into smart devices, making it a stocking stuffer for those looking to expand their smart home. You can set on/off schedules via the app and track energy use, and it works with Apple HomeKit, Alexa, and Google Home. We found this kit, which comes with four plugs, to be the best smart plugs you can buy in our tested review of smart plugs.
What our tester says: “As with other Kasa Smart devices, setting up these plugs was a breeze. I was able to set up both plugs in just a few minutes, and I quickly programmed a schedule for the fan we positioned on the dog’s crate during warm days.” –Tom Scalisi, Product Reviews tester and writer.
Kasa Smart Plug Mini 15A
Buy at AmazonKasa Smart Light Switch HS200
Kasa’s Smart Light Switch HS200 offers a more permanent smart lighting solution than smart bulbs, making it a great gift for DIYers comfortable with basic electrical work. You can control lights remotely via the Kasa app, set schedules for when you’re away, and use voice commands with Alexa, Google Assistant, or Apple HomeKit.
Kasa Smart Light Switch HS200
Buy at AmazonWyze 1100 Lumen Color-Changing Smart Bulb
There are smart color-changing light bulbs, and then there’s Wyze’s color-changing smart bulb. The bulb isn’t as cheap as LED smart bulbs go, but you won’t find a better light bulb when it comes to the vibrancy and richness of its colors, even at lower light levels.
What our tester says: “The Wyze color-changing LED bulb produces rich, beautiful colors in virtually any hue you can imagine. During testing, I witnessed no fading or loss in the vibrancy of the colors, even when dimming to very low brightness levels, which the bulb had no problem doing.” –Tony Carrick, Product Reviews tester and writer.
Wyze Color-Changing Smart Bulb
Buy at AmazonPhilips Hue Dimmer Switch
Philips Hue’s dimmer switch offers a simple way to control smart lights without pulling out a phone or using voice commands. This battery-powered switch mounts on the wall with included adhesive or screws, or you can use it as a handheld remote. It controls up to 10 Hue bulbs at once with four programmable buttons for on, off, dimming up, and dimming down.
Philips Hue Dimmer Switch
Buy at AmazonTapo TP-Link 2K QHD Security Camera
The Tapo TP-Link indoor/outdoor security camera is effective and affordable, making it the perfect gift for friends or family members looking to add a security camera to monitor the inside or outside of the home. It produces clear 2K video, includes built-in dual spotlights for better viewing in low lighting, and comes equipped with two-way audio and AI object and people detection.
Tapo TP-Link 2K QHD Security Camera
Buy at AmazonKasa Smart Outdoor Plug EP40
Kasa’s Smart Outdoor Plug EP40 offers a weatherproof way to control outdoor lighting, holiday decorations, and landscaping features. The IP64 weather-resistant housing protects against rain, snow, and dust, making it ideal for year-round outdoor use. You can control it remotely via the Kasa app, set timers and schedules, and it works with Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple HomeKit.
Kasa Smart Outdoor Plug
Buy at AmazonSmart Home Gifts Under $100
Govee Water Leak Detector (5-Pack)
Govee’s water leak detector 5-pack makes a thoughtful gift for any homeowner looking to protect their home from costly water damage. These compact sensors send instant alerts to your phone when they detect moisture, allowing you to respond quickly to leaks from water heaters, washing machines, sump pumps, or burst pipes. The sensors work with the Govee Home app and integrate with Alexa and Google Assistant for voice notifications.
Govee Water Leak Detector (5-Pack)
Buy at AmazonTP-Link Kasa Smart Plug with Energy Monitoring EP25 (4-Pack)
TP-Link’s Kasa EP25 smart plugs take home automation a step further by tracking exactly how much energy your devices consume. Unlike basic smart plugs, these monitor real-time and historical energy usage through the Kasa app, helping you identify energy hogs and reduce electricity costs. The 4-pack is Matter-compatible, ensuring these plugs will work with future smart home standards, making them a smart investment for anyone building or expanding their connected home.
TP-Link Kasa Smart Plug with Monitoring
Buy at AmazonMeross Smart Garage Door Remote
This smart garage door controller can turn an ordinary garage door opener into a smart one. It’s far more affordable than replacing the entire opener and without all the inconvenience that installing a completely new garage door opener requires, making it a good gift for those with burgeoning smart homes. It’s compatible with more than 200 garage door opener brands and works with most smart home systems, including Apple HomeKit, Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant.
Meross Smart Garage Door Remote
Buy at AmazonGovee LED Strip Light
Govee’s LED strip lights offer a simple way to add task lighting to your kitchen countertops, illuminate objects on built-in shelves or add mood lighting to a room. With a whopping 60 LEDs per meter, the Govee M1 lights create significantly more light intensity than most strips. This light strip is feature rich, with the ability to run 17 different animation effects, sync to sounds, and control colors on 20 separate segments of the strip. And it works with the most common smart home platforms, including Google Assistant, Alexa, and Apple HomeKit.
Govee LED Strip Light M1
Buy at AmazonAmazon Echo Dot (5th Gen.)
Amazon’s Echo Dot is a great gift idea for a number of reasons. It comes equipped with all the standard features you’ll find on the Amazon Echo, and even though it’s small, still offers great sound quality. You can use the Echo Dot to listen to music, control other smart devices with voice commands, such as smart light bulbs and outlets, make calls, and set alarms and reminders. Best yet, it costs half the price of the larger Echo, making it a more affordable gift for both kids and adults.
Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen)
Buy at AmazonSmart Home Gifts Under $200
Amazon Smart Thermostat
Amazon’s smart thermostat offers one of the most affordable ways to upgrade from a standard thermostat to a smart one. While it may lack the high-end features you’ll find on much pricier smart thermostats, you can control this model with voice through various smart home devices and access robust control through the Amazon Alexa app. The thermostat even uses an AI function called Hunches to change the temperature setting when it senses, or “has a hunch,” that you aren’t home or are sleeping.
What our tester says: “Hunches is one of my favorite features on the Amazon smart thermostat. With Hunches, Alexa determines whether you’re home, away, or asleep based on the location of your phone and your interactions with other Alexa devices then sets the thermostat accordingly. The feature works very well and is a great advanced feature on one of the most affordable smart thermostats you can buy.” –Tony Carrick, Product Reviews tester and writer.
Amazon Smart Thermostat
Buy at AmazonArlo Essential XL Security Camera
Arlo’s Essential XL security camera, which works with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, offers excellent quality at a price that’s surprisingly affordable. You can upgrade the already-impressive 2K video quality to 4K by paying Arlo’s monthly subscription if needed. There’s also a remote siren, color night vision, and a broad 130-degree field of view, along with cool advanced features, including object detection and smart zones.
What our tester says: “The Arlo XL stands out with its sturdy build and sleek, modern design that sets it apart from other security cameras on the market. The 2K camera quality is already impressive, capturing sharp and clear footage, but the option to upgrade to 4K with a subscription takes it to another level, offering exceptional detail for those who want the best in security visuals.” –Paul Rankin, Product Reviews tester and writer.
Arlo Essential XL Security Camera
Buy at AmazonGoogle Nest Hub
At the heart of any smart home is the hub, and few are better than this one from Google Nest. Its 7-inch display screen displays footage from home security footage. You can also use it to deliver reminders, video chat with friends and family, and even stream TV from a variety of services, including Netflix and Spotify. It even has a sensing chip that tracks sleep when set up in a bedroom.
AeroGarden Harvest
The AeroGarden Harvest brings fresh herb gardening indoors year-round, making it an ideal gift for home cooks and gardening enthusiasts. This compact hydroponic system uses automated LED grow lights and reminds you when to add water and nutrients, taking the guesswork out of indoor gardening. It can grow up to six different herbs, lettuce, or vegetables simultaneously, with pods germinating in just days.
AeroGarden Harvest
Buy at AmazonRing Video Doorbell (Wireless)
Ring’s wireless video doorbell offers an affordable way to upgrade your home security without the hassle of dealing with existing doorbell wiring. It captures clear 1080p HD video and sends instant alerts to your phone when someone presses the doorbell or triggers the motion sensors. You can also use two-way audio to speak with visitors even when you’re not home.
Ring Battery Video Doorbell
Buy at AmazonGoogle Nest Doorbell
Google Nest’s doorbell is a great gift for someone who has yet to upgrade their doorbell from a traditional model. Our testers found the Google Nest to be far and away the best doorbell camera out there, thanks to its sleek design, high definition video, and top-notch sound quality. It also comes in multiple colors and you can customize the doorbell sound to suit the season.
What our tester says: “The Google Nest doorbell combines stunning design with top-tier performance, making it the best on the market. Installation is simple, aided by an intuitive smartphone app, and its video feed is unmatched—crystal clear, lag-free, and offering excellent coverage. After testing several brands, this is the one I chose for my front door.” —Paul Rankin, Product Reviews tester and writer
Google Nest Doorbell
Buy at AmazonNETVUE by Birdfy Smart Bird Feeder with Camera
This smart bird feeder has a built-in 1080p camera with color night vision and 8x magnification, so that bird lover in your life can spy on their feathered friends close-up and in high definition. When paired with the Birdfy app, the camera can alert the user when the feeder receives visitors, and it uses AI to identify bird species. Users can also access an online community of bird nerds, with whom they can share their favorite bird videos. The camera connects via WiFi and the feeder comes equipped with solar panels that constantly recharge the camera on sunny days.
NETVUE by Birdfy Smart Bird Feeder with Camera
Buy at AmazonPremium Smart Home Gifts $150+
Levoit Core 400S Smart Air Purifier
The Levoit Core 400S makes a thoughtful gift for anyone concerned about indoor air quality. This smart air purifier uses a true HEPA filter to capture 99.97% of airborne particles, including dust, pollen, pet dander, and smoke in rooms up to 403 square feet. You can control it remotely via the VeSync app, set schedules, and monitor air quality in real time. It also works with Alexa and Google Assistant for voice control, and its quiet operation makes it ideal for bedrooms and living spaces.
Levoit Core 400S Smart Air Purifier
Buy at AmazonAmbient Weather WS-2902C WiFi Smart Weather Station
The Ambient Weather makes an excellent gift for the weather enthusiast, gardener, or DIYer who wants hyper-local weather data right from their own backyard. This comprehensive weather station measures temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, rainfall, UV, and solar radiation, transmitting real-time data to your phone via WiFi.
Ambient Weather WS-2902C WiFi Smart Weather Station
Buy at AmazonGoogle Nest Learning Thermostat (3rd Generation)
Help a friend or family member get a handle on their energy usage by giving them the gift of one of the best smart thermostats out there. This learning thermostat tracks user trends and uses geo fencing to set that just-right temperature that keeps the house comfortable while saving energy. It also has one of the most beautiful full color displays you’ll find on a thermostat.
What our tester says: “I love the many ways Google Nest allows you to optimize your energy use. For example, you can choose whether to have the thermostat begin heating or cooling before you arrive home or wait until you walk in the door to save energy. There’s also a setting that continues to run the fan after turning off the AC to maximize the circulation of cold air it produces.”–Tony Carrick, Product Reviews tester and writer.
Google Nest Learning Thermostat
Buy at AmazonSchlage Encode Smart Lock
Give the gift of better home security with this tough yet attractive Schlage smart lock. With its attractive styling and trim options, it’s one of the more aesthetically pleasing smart locks you can add to your front door. It’s also one of the most secure, thanks to a grade 1 ANSI rating.
What our tester says: “Encode is the rare smart lock that offers excellent security and looks good doing it. It’s a beautiful lock that you won’t mind gracing your front door, has an easy-to-use keypad, and offers the highest level of security you can buy for a residential lock.”–Tony Carrick, Product Reviews tester and writer.
