Short on time? Start here. These are our curated picks — the best place to begin based on what you want your smart home to do.
Best picks by goal
- Build your first smart home — start with Smart Home Devices.
- Automate the everyday — set up Home Automation.
- Protect your home — explore Smart Home Security.
- Upgrade your workspace — build a better Home Office Setup.
- Stay private online — lock things down with VPN & Privacy.
Our standout picks right now
If you just want the single item we would buy in each category today, these are the ones that won our hands-on testing. Each links to the full review, where we break down the price, trade-offs, and who it is (and is not) for.
- Video doorbell — the Ring Battery Doorbell Plus gives you sharp head-to-toe video with no monthly fee required. Torn between ecosystems? Read our Ring vs Nest doorbell head-to-head.
- Smart lock — the Schlage Encode Plus pairs Grade 1 security with Apple Home Key tap-to-unlock.
- Smart thermostat — the Ecobee Premium leads our thermostat comparison for features and real energy savings.
- Security camera — the no-fee Eufy vs Arlo showdown covers the systems we trust for local, subscription-free footage.
- Home-office chair — the Herman Miller Aeron is still the back-saving benchmark, paired best with the Uplift V2 standing desk.
- Webcam — the Logitech Brio 4K is our top pick for video calls that actually look professional.
- VPN — see the winners in our best VPNs for a home network guide before you subscribe.
Best picks by budget
Your budget decides where to start more than any single product does, so here is how we would spend at four common price points — each links to the guide that goes deeper.
- Under $50 to dip a toe in — a smart plug, a bulb, and a mini speaker are enough to automate lights and voice control. Our best cheap smart home devices under $50 guide shows the exact combo we buy first.
- Renting on a tight budget — skip anything that needs drilling or a hub. See the no-damage, landlord-friendly kit in our best smart home devices for renters roundup.
- Around $500 for a real starter home — add a video doorbell, a couple of cameras, and a thermostat. Our breakdown of how much a smart home actually costs maps every line item so nothing surprises you.
- Under $1,000 for the whole home office — if working from home is the priority, our home office setup under $1,000 pairs a supportive chair, a sit-stand desk, and a sharp webcam without overspending.
Whatever you spend, buy in the order you will actually use things — comfort and security pay off daily, while extra automations are easy to layer on later once the basics earn their keep.
How we choose our best picks
A product only earns a spot here after we have lived with it. We buy or long-term borrow the gear, install it in a real home the way you would, and judge it on the things that matter after the honeymoon wears off: setup friction, day-to-day reliability, app quality, and the true cost of ownership once subscriptions and add-ons are counted. We weigh each pick against the closest competitors rather than in isolation, favor devices that work across ecosystems and do not lock you in, and flag any monthly fees up front. When a better option launches or a favorite drops in quality, we revise these picks — so it is worth bookmarking this page and checking back before a big purchase.
Every pick is grounded in our independent reviews, and we update them as we test new gear. Questions? Contact us.