Best Smart Home Devices of 2025

3 days ago 2

From smart lighting to doorbells, there are countless smart home devices out there, and it can be difficult to choose. You also have to decide which platform to use for your smart home -- options include Apple Home, Google Home, Amazon Alexa or sticking with a home security brand. CNET's reviewers are always on the watch for new home gadgets that are worth the setup and money, so you can find the right tech answers.

Best Smart Home Devices of 2025
Best smart speaker
The other best smart speaker
Best smart display for Google Assistant
GE Cync Dynamic Effects Smart Bulb BR30
Best smart plug
Best smart thermostat
Best outdoor security camera
Best DIY home security system
Best video doorbell
Best smart lock
Best outdoor floodlight camera
Best smart display for Alexa
Best smart leak detector
Best smart air-quality monitor
How we test smart home devices
How to choose the best smart home device
More smart home devices we recommend

Read more: Best Smart Home Gifts for 2025

Now, we're rounding up some of our favorite picks, from lighting to thermostats, that we've used in our own homes. Take a look to see what your home may need and what features these connected devices can add, even to the most unlikely places.

Pros

Latest in room-filling sound from Amazon
Alexa Plus capabilities
Sensors to customize volume

Cons

Alexa Plus costs $20 if you aren't a Prime subscriber
The Death Star-like design is a little weird

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.

Pros

Decent sound from small speaker
Wall-mountable
Fun color choices

Google's Nest Mini smart speaker isn't as powerful as the new Echo, but it's a great budget-friendly option for Google users.

The audio quality in the Nest Mini is respectable, given its price and profile. It also has a wall-mounting notch on the underside, if that's what you're into. An interesting presence detection method that uses the speaker and microphone to determine your proximity to the Nest Mini helps it trigger LED indicators that help you make better sense of the otherwise obscured physical volume controls. And with Google's Gemini for Home upgrades, these Nest speakers are getting even better with a subscription. Think of this speaker as an excellent desk companion, especially if you prefer using Google Home as a control app for your smart home.

Pros

Quick gesture support
Sleep tracking
Improved audio quality

Cons

Sleep tracking will cost at some point
No camera for video calling

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 good sound. We were iffy on Google Assistant and its error-prone activations in the past, but now that Assistant has been replaced by Gemini for Home and its new capabilities, we have no reservations in recommending this display.

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.

Pros

Four-quadrant color bulb for limitless customization
User-friendly app
Google and Alexa support

Cons

Pricey for a singe bulb

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.

Pros

Affordable
Works with multiple smart home platforms
Flexible scheduling and timing features

Cons

Not HomeKit compatible

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 2025

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.

Pros

Beautiful design and animations
Learning features to automatically adjust temperatures
Eco mode
Monthly reports
In-depth app controls
Satellite sensor

At CNET we're big 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.

Pros

Wide, 160-degree field
Built-in spotlight
Excellent night vision and zoom
Great smart home support
AI detection features
Very good app UI

Cons

Subscription needed for all features
Settings can be overwhelming for new users

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.

Pros

Reasonable pricing
Helpful extras
Includes a range extender

Cons

Limited smart home integrations
Range extender may be unnecessary

Ring's latest home security system beats the competition for two simple reasons: It's surprisingly affordable, with the eight-piece kit for $300 and competitive device-by-device pricing, and it offers a ton of value for that price. Not only do you get a range extender included, but you also get a Z-Wave radio for a variety of smart devices, cellular backup, local processing and storage, backup internet (in case of power or internet outages) and much more than in your standard DIY security array.

Monthly subscriptions range from $5 to $20 a month, which is on the lower end of the DIY home security spectrum, and it includes more smarts than most such subscriptions. If you're looking to give yourself a solid base to start building out a smart and secure home, you can't do much better than the Ring Alarm Kit.

Pros

Easy installation
Wide viewing angle
Good night vision

Cons

Subscription required
A bit bulky

Many of Arlo's cameras are expensive if not overpriced but the Arlo 2K Video Doorbell is much more reasonable. Not because of a lack of build quality or features.

The Arlo 2K Video Doorbell is priced well, it performs well and the Arlo Smart cloud service is competitively priced, starting at just $3 per month. With Arlo Smart, you get a ton of features, from advanced motion alerts to 30 days of cloud storage and much more.

You'll get a 180-degree viewing angle and a 1:1 aspect ratio to show packages left at your door. A built-in siren helps it function in part as a security camera, too.

Read more: Best Video Doorbells of 2025

We've tested dozens of video doorbells over the years, and also like options such as the simple, compact battery-powered Nest Doorbell, so if you're hesitant we encourage you to explore your options.

Pros

Sturdy, high-tech lock design
Access options include Apple Watch, keypad and hands-free smartphone sensing
Smart home compatibility with various platforms
Autolocking and home routine support
Multiple options for appearance

Cons

Requires a separate module for Wi-Fi

Smart locks are one of the simplests, 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.

Pros

Extremely bright lights
No subscription needed
Panning camera with AI tracking

Cons

Has to be hardwired
Expensive

Eufy has been making some really impressive security cameras lately, like the Eufy S350, and the Eufy S330 Floodlight Camera is just as great. It has all of the things we want from an outdoor security camera, such as extremely bright floodlights, crystal clear video, smart tracking and compatibility with all three major voice platforms.

With its 3,000 lumens of power, you can illuminate your entire backyard. It's also dimmable, which is useful if you still want your neighbors to like you. What might be a negative for some is the requirement for the Eufy S330 Floodlight Camera to be hardwired. With as many smart features and powerful lights, constant power is a must. If you can make the power needs work, this is a fantastic option for your outdoor space -- and you won't need to pay for a subscription to use all the features.

Pros

Larger 11-inch screen
Upgraded spatial audio
Alexa Plus is a better voice assistant
Broad smart home compatibility, including live views from security cameras

Cons

Alexa Plus is pricey without a Prime subscription

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.

Pros

Compact design
App support for alerts
Also detects freezing conditions
Two-year battery life

Cons

Eufy's specific model needs a HomeBase for full functionality

Leak detectors occupy a small but important role in the smart home, sending phone alerts and activating sirens when they detect pooling or dripping water. These tiny devices can fit nearly anywhere, like under sinks or behind toilets, and have batteries that can last for years. They're often part of security systems, but we've tested stand-alone versions like this Eufy model that only needs a HomeBase to work, as well as this solo model from SwitchBot. Either way, they are excellent gadgets for your home toolkit.

Pros

In-depth readings on CO2 levels, temperature, humidity and more
Highly portable
Works with or without the app
Many setting adjustment options

Cons

A monitor with this many capabilities is a bit expensive, usually over $50

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 sun room or greenhouse, put it by the fireplace and much more, depending on your needs.

Wyze dual camera mounting on a wood table.

Since this is a diverse group of products, there isn't one set procedure we follow. (A test for a smart home display will tell you nothing about a mesh router.) Everything on this list (and the category-specific best lists) went through hands-on testing.

There are more commonalities, too. Where possible and relevant, we gather data in a standardized and empirical way. For testing Wi-Fi routers, that includes repeating the same speed test at a series of standard distances in the same house for each router that's tested.

For other categories, the testing is more experiential. For devices like smart thermostats, smart speakers, smart plugs and smart home displays, we install and use them in the ways you would. When testing the second-gen Google Nest Hub, our reviewer conducted a two-week test of its sleep-tracking function in addition to its more obvious around-the-house capabilities.

Relevant company policies also factor into our reviews of these devices, especially when it comes to privacy concerns. Bringing a device into your home that can watch or listen to you or your neighbors comes with corresponding privacy concerns. CNET works to understand the company's privacy policies, make them easy to understand and takes privacy questions directly to the companies like Ring and Google when the answers aren't obvious.

Choosing the best smart home devices is a bit different than choosing headphones or a streaming service, since smart devices are often meant to be integrated into a smart home ecosystem. That means one of your first considerations should be compatibility. Consider devices that will work with the same voice assistant. CNET recommends both Google Assistant and Amazon's Alexa as two of the best centerpieces for a smart home.

The other things to consider are your goals and your needs. Are you interested in connecting and automating as much of your house as possible? Then go all in on a connected home. If your problem is one person leaving their bedroom light on when they leave the house, a smart light bulb might do the trick.

Not to get all philosophical, but that depends on how you define worth. Smart home devices can add a layer of convenience to your life you'd be hard-pressed to achieve without them. Left a light on? Ask Google to turn it off. Need to add something to your grocery list? Tell Alexa.

Smart home devices can save you money, too. The best example of this is a smart thermostat, which can save you 10% on your energy bills if you program them right. Other devices like smart bulbs and smart plugs that you can schedule or shut off remotely can keep you from wasting energy when you're away. Motion sensors connected to your lights can do the same trick.

Connecting smart devices at home is, generally relatively simple. Smart plugs, pet cams or smart light bulbs set up and connect easily. Even most devices with more involved installations, like smart thermostats, can be installed without too much fuss. (Although calling a professional is always a good idea if you're unsure of yourself.)

If you're looking for the best smart home hub and assistant, CNET has recognized Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa as two of the leading options. Both support thousands of devices, so you're bound to find an option to fit your needs.

Greater connectivity among smart home devices is (likely) going to arrive soon. Matter, a project that aims to provide greater connectivity across smart home brands, is creeping closer to its debut. The frequently delayed effort has sign-on from some of the biggest smart home companies, although it's always best to confirm a device you're considering is compatible and not count on future developments.

Google, Amazon and Apple get the most attention for their smart home hubs and speakers, but plenty of other companies are making top-of-the-line products that can be incorporated into a smart home ecosystem.

Sonos is listed on CNET's best smart speakers, while Wyze is among the best smart plugs as well as offering great smart lightbulbs. Many companies, like Sonos, have made smart versions of products they've long made. Honeywell makes a quality smart thermostat and several of the best smart locks come from companies that have made locks for decades.

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