You don’t have to be a tech wiz or even a fan of gadgets to enjoy the convenience of having smart home devices around your home. Right now, anyone can start a smart home journey with less than $10 by buying something as simple as a smart plug. The simplicity of controlling it with an app makes it accessible to almost everyone with a smartphone. Must read:
The best cheap tech gifts for under $100The best cheap tech gifts under $75The best cheap tech gifts under $50The best cheap tech gifts under $25
The best smart home gifts available
These are the top 12 gift ideas for smart home devices for anyone, from your significant other to a neighbor. Read on to find something for whoever you’re shopping for, as well as the best deals on smart home gifts below.
The best deals on smart home gifts right now
Here are some of the best deals on smart home devices happening right now. We’ll keep this updated with the latest deals as they come up:
Why they’ll love it
If you know someone who loves birdwatching, this is the gift for them. The Bird Buddy’s camera captures images when a bird stops by for a bite to eat, and sends users a notification with photos and video footage. The app can even identify the bird species for you. This device, which is available for pre-order right now, can help your friends or relatives feed birds and watch them up close. It also helps track bird migration and population data, to find better ways to protect them. All you have to do is charge the camera and connect it to Wi-Fi via the Bird Buddy app. After that, it’s the same as a normal bird feeder: simply fill the feeder with food and place it outside. Review: The backyard birdcam you didn’t know you needed It’s one of the best keyless entry options for upgrading your existing door lock. It only replaces the thumb-turn on the inside of your door, so you can keep your existing lock (and extra deadbolt), too.
Why they’ll love it
Even though they can keep their existing key, they definitely won’t need it. You can schedule the device to automatically unlock when you get home and lock behind you when the door is closed. The August app allows you to set up different options, where you can share different key codes with whoever needs access to your home, like a housecleaner or dog-walker, and edit how long the lock waits to lock for you. It’s also compatible with Alexa, Google Home, SmartThings, and Philips Hue.
Why they’ll love it
They can be set to schedules, like plugging in your Nana’s coffeemaker to one so it comes on automatically every day at 7 a.m. Or be controlled from your phone no matter where you are, perfect for that sister that always forgets if she unplugged the curling iron before she left the house. These smart plugs also support automation with other compatible devices. If you wanted to get fancier, you could add a motion sensor outside Nana’s bedroom door, so the smart plug only turns the coffeemaker on in the mornings when motion is detected from Nana leaving her room. Review: I got the $3.49 smart plug on Prime Day. Here’s how it went
Why they’ll love it
This tiny, coin-shaped device can help you remotely track just about anything it can be attached to, even your bike. You can keep track of it via the Find My app on your iPhone or iPad, or ask Siri to play a sound on your AirTag so you can easily find it nearby. If you lose whatever your AirTag has attached to away from home, you can put it in Lost Mode, so you’ll get tracking notifications when it’s detected in the Find My app. AirTags are IP67 certified, making them water and weatherproof for versatility of use. If your forgetful partner, friend, coworker, or family member has an iPhone 11 or newer, this is the best gift for them. Also: How to securely attach your Apple AirTag to things – without breaking the bank
Why they’ll love it
Sure to set the mood for any occasion, these strip lights are built with 150 LED beads that you can control via the Govee Home mobile app. The self-stick adhesive backing is reinforced with five clips for an easy and secure installation. The app lets you choose from over 64 scene effects or create your own, letting you have a thoroughly customizable experience with over 16 million colors. Plus, the device will synchronize to music for the ultimate party-hosting experience. These light strips are the perfect addition to your little brother’s parties that he always says he’s going to invite you to but never does. But it’s okay because you still love him, even if he doesn’t think you’re cool anymore. Also: The best smart lights of 2022 That appreciation comes with care – or what others around me like to call “control,” for some reason. I take great care of my home’s temperature so as not to overwork the HVAC system and not end up paying too much in energy bills. The answer to this is a smart thermostat.
Why they’ll love it
This Ecobee smart thermostat comes with a separate temperature sensor that you can place in another room, and it has a built-in air quality monitor and smoke detector. It’s also Energy Star-certified, claiming to save you up to 26% a year in heating and cooling costs with temperature optimization and occupancy sensing. It will even alert you when you need to change your air filters. If you have a partner or parent that is always hogging the thermostat and replying “get a blanket” when you complain it’s too cold, this is the gift for them. Also: Ecobee Smart Thermostat vs Nest Learning Thermostat
Why they’ll love it
Whether you have a clean freak in your life or you are the clean freak, you’ll be glad to learn that this robot vacuum also has a mopping feature. Plus, it fully maps its route in your home and comes equipped with strong battery life. However, the powerful suction and self-emptying features take the cake. The vacuum cleans your floors and empties its bin into a 2.5-liter dust bag that can hold up to 45 days of dirt and dust from your floors. I don’t even want to see what 45 days of dust looks like but, also, I kind of do. Review: Dreametech D10 review
Why they’ll love it
This little robot connects to your phone via the Bluetooth SwitchBot app. It can turn on lights and press buttons for almost anything, like a coffeemaker, fan, computer, or printer. If you add a SwitchBot Hub, you can control it from your phone via Wi-Fi no matter where you are. Plus, it’s compatible with Alexa and Google Home for voice control capabilities. This bot is small enough to be placed almost anywhere. You can let your teenager decide what to use it for – even if it’s simply to turn off a light or fan without having to get out of bed. Also: SwitchBot Blind Tilt: The simplest way to automate existing blinds
Why they’ll love it
The smart bulbs enable you to choose between millions of bright colors to set the party mood. They complement holiday decorations nicely, and there’s no need to buy special color light bulbs for every special occasion. Simply schedule the color you want: Orange or purple for Halloween and Red or green for Christmas, for example. The millions of bright colors to choose from are sure to set the party mood and work as a complement to any holiday decoration. No need to buy color light bulbs, just set this up and easily set them to turn on with a schedule on the color you want; orange or purple for Halloween, or red or green for Christmas, for example. The white tones ranging from 2000K to 7000K make these dimmable 1300 lumens bulbs the perfect outdoor light for the rest of the year. If your gift recipient is a huge fan of holiday decorating, you could also throw a smart outdoor plug into the gift. Also: What are the best outdoor security floodlights and are solar ones any good? This includes the Caseta smart dimmer switch and Pico remote kit, as well as the Lutron Smart Bridge to connect it all to the internet. This dimmer and remote make it so users can keep their existing light bulbs and fixtures and make them smarter from the source: the light switch on the wall. The dimmer replaces an existing light switch with no neutral wire required, making it easy to install in almost any home.
Why they’ll love it
This is a highly compatible smart switch, easily controlled through Alexa, Google Home, HomeKit, SmartThings, and Ring, with the included hub. The hub supports up to 75 Lutron switches, so this is the perfect starter kit for a high-quality smart home. It’s also not going to overload your Wi-Fi network. If someone ends up adding these smart switches all over their house, each one will connect to the hub, which can simply use an ethernet cable to get online. This is a major difference from individually Wi-Fi-connected smart switches. My kids love asking Alexa and Siri questions and jokes – especially asking them to turn on “party mode,” which triggers our living room’s lights to change colors and start playing the Trolls soundtrack. This new Echo Dot Kids with parental controls is perfect for that.
Why they’ll love it
The 5th-generation Echo Dot Kids is a visually attractive speaker, with an Owl or Dragon character on the speaker, and it’s the perfect addition to a playroom. Visuals aside, kids will also love Alexa’s capabilities. You’ll love The Echo Dot Kids for its parental controls, too. Alexa can intelligently filter explicit songs and ensure kid-friendly responses. The Parent Dashboard can also control daily time limits, see recent activity, and lock emergency contacts for the kids to call in an emergency. This device works as a smart voice assistant, an Eero Wi-Fi extender, and as an electronic educator for children. Your kids can ask Alexa questions and jokes, buying you 20 minutes to read this article, among other ZDNET gift guides.
Why they’ll love it
This kit doesn’t require a monthly subscription and the HomeBase 2 stores video locally in the hub. Plus, users can choose to add more Eufy Security cameras to the system down the line. Your gift recipient will sleep soundly with this all-connected system protecting them. The HomeBase 2 plays a 100dB alarm when the system is armed and a sensor is triggered. It’s the perfect gift to get your paranoid, safety-concerned neighbor, so they can stop texting you at 3 in the morning wondering if you also heard that noise in the backyard. Also: Eufy Edge Security System hands-on: The most advanced security cameras yet? It’s also important to consider that not everyone has the same skills and knowledge to operate the latest technologies, so we wanted to gather a variety of gifts that can work for most users. Price and affordability also played a role in helping us select these gift ideas. We know every dollar saved is appreciated during these times.
Does it need a hub? If a hub is required to use a smart device that you’re gifting to someone else, I’d recommend buying it as part of the gift, unless the recipient already has one. If you want to give someone a SwitchBot Bot and they don’t have a Hub, then they won’t be able to control it through their phone when they’re away, which may affect whether they’ll use the gift or not. This is especially true for Philips Hue devices that won’t connect to Wi-Fi unless you also have the Hue Bridge. Don’t give someone a single Philips Hue bulb unless they already have a hub or are planning to buy it.Will they need a subscription to use it? Brands like Ring are notorious for requiring a subscription to unlock its devices’ capabilities, so that’s something to consider when choosing a gift. Otherwise, you’ll be gifting someone the burden of a monthly subscription instead.Will they actually use this? If you know someone that’s getting into smart home automation and has a HomePod mini, for example, look into brands that are readily compatible with HomeKit. The same is true for the rest of the home automation systems. Just because a device is “smart” doesn’t mean someone will be able to easily use it, so consider how tech-savvy the recipient is before choosing a gift for them.
Also ensure you’re using WPA2 or WPA3 security protocol standards, as this will add another layer of security. Anything connected to the internet is at risk of being hacked, to be honest. But there are steps you can take to protect your information, like strong passwords, keeping the firmware on your devices up-to-date, and taking advantage of two-factor authentication when possible. But gifts can come in all shapes and sizes, so we also rounded up the best gifts by category, price, and retailer – plus, the hottest tech toys for kids in 2023. Gifts by category
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Gifts by price
The best cheap tech gifts under $100The best cheap tech gifts under $75The best cheap tech gifts under $50The best cheap tech gifts under $25
Gifts by retailer Gifts for kids
