Home automation is one of the latest trends, and smart home gadgets can help you realise it. For example, you want to turn on the lights with your smartphone or lock your doors wirelessly. Now, you can make your home more functional and secure with the right choices of smart home appliances that utilise IoT technology.

With the increasing market of smart home appliances and brands, you might be confused about what gadgets you must invest in and what you shouldn’t. This guide covers all the mandatory smart home devices that can make your home more habitable and comfortable.

Check out some mandatory smart home gadgets you should own in 2023 and beyond.

Best Smart Home Gadgets to Buy

Smart Data Recovery experts remind us to check the compatibility of any device before including it in your home’s ecosystem. Otherwise, newly bought smart home gadgets might not connect to your existing ecosystem due to mismatched protocols and integrations.

Additionally, we recommend sticking to branded and recognised smart home gadgets. Off-brand devices may appear cool but lack the sustainability and security measures you seek. Let’s get started with the top smart home gadgets you can consider.

1. Linksys Atlas Max Wi-Fi 6E Tri-Band Mesh System

The internet connection must be omnipresent around your house before proceeding to any IoT device installation and setup. Thus, invest in a high-quality and promising mesh Wi-Fi system. The Linksys Atlas Max 6E can encompass a large area.

As a result, you will hardly find any dead zone around your house. You can plug and play your connected devices as this tri-band mesh Wi-Fi system can cover up to 9000 square feet. Surprisingly, you can connect up to 200 devices simultaneously to this mesh system.

Here are some in-general specifications you should be aware of about Linksys Atlas Max:

• Range: 9000 square feet
• Ethernet Ports Availability: 4 x Gigabit LAN, 1 x 5 Gigabit WAN
• MU-MIMO Support: Yes, 4 x 4
• USB Ports Availability: 1 x USB 3.0 Port
• Security Protocol: WPA3 Personal
• Speed: 8400 Mbps total, up to 4804 Mbps on a single band
• Memory or Chipset: 1 GB RAM, 2.2GHz Quad-Core Processor
• Wireless Network Standard: Wi-Fi 6E or 80.11AX

Moreover, we have come across the following pros of owning the Linksys Atlas Max 6E Mesh system:

• Huge coverage area
• Excellent Wi-Fi strength
• Latest Wi-Fi standard
• Brilliant phone support and remote connectivity
• 3-year warranty included

However, you can avoid this Wi-Fi mesh system for the following reasons:

• One of the most expensive mesh router systems
• Reportedly, buggy applications and user interactions

2. Amazon Echo Dot

Smart speakers are among the most significant gadgets that a smart home requires. Honestly, a home can’t be truly smart until and unless it owns a smart speaker. What should you choose with the increasing demand for Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant?

Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant are vastly compatible with smart gadgets such as light bulbs, vacuum cleaners, and appliances. If you prefer Nest appliances and shop on Amazon more frequently, then an Alexa-powered smart speaker should be the best for you.

In that case, we prefer Amazon Echo Dot. This Alexa-powered smart speaker has built-in Eero technology. In addition, you will find LED displays on higher-end Amazon Echo Dot speakers. The best part of the Amazon Echo Dot is its deep bass and crystal-clear highs.

On a related note, you can pair your Amazon Music, Spotify Premium, or Apple Music subscriptions with this Echo Dot device. You can connect other devices to the Echo Dot with its Bluetooth connection.

Enjoy hands-free voice control all over your home with your Echo Dot since you can turn on or off lights, control the temperature of your room, and more with this gadget. The latest Echo Dot variants have a clock, temperature sensor and a motion detector.

So far, you will get the following advantages of having an Amazon Echo Dot:

• Lots of features
• Brilliant ecosystem support
• Pocket-friendly rates

However, you can face the following cons:

• Limited connectivity options
• Not-so-superior sound quality

Alternatives to the Amazon Echo Dot

Perhaps you prefer listening to YouTube Music and have more Google devices at home. Hence, you can opt for Google Nest Audio speakers for your home. Otherwise, you can opt for Siri-enabled smart speakers if you have iOS devices. For example, you can own an Apple HomePod system.

Alternatively, you can check out Sonos Era 100 because it delivers high-quality audio. You can even tune the device into the room acoustics using the iOS app. Additionally, the speaker is compatible with other music streaming services such as Pandora and Spotify.

The prime advantage of buying a Sonos Era 100 speaker is that you can set up a multi-room audio ecosystem. In addition, you can build a home theatre as Sonos Era 100 is easily integrated with Sonos soundbars.

3. Wyze Cam V3

Smart home gadgets must amplify your house’s security. So, you must not neglect the importance of indoor and outdoor security cameras. You can catch intruders or monitor your children or pets while away by installing the best Wi-Fi-enabled security camera at your premises.

Wyze Cam V3 is one of the best home security cameras that offers a wide range of features. For instance, you will get the following features and functions with Wyze Cam V3:

• Compatible as both indoor and outdoor camera
• Customised motion detection zones
• Alerts you over the phone whenever it detects any kind of motion
• Colour Night vision
• All-around-clock video recording
• Support included for a 32GB microSD card

So far, we have noticed the following pros of Wyze Cam V3:

• It can store videos on its free cloud storage. So, you don’t necessarily have to get a subscription.
• Additionally, you can access the video of the last 14 days on the dedicated application.

However, the drawbacks of the free cloud storage of Wyze Cam V3 are:

• The free account can record and hold only 12-second-long clips every 5 minutes.
• You must upgrade to a Cam Plus subscription to expand the recording unlimitedly.
• On a related note, only Cam Plus subscribers can alert you while detecting a motion or person. A Cam Plus subscription costs $15 per year or $2 monthly.

Alternatives to Wyze Cam V3

Are you looking for truly wireless security cameras for your smart home innovation? Then, you might like Blink indoor and outdoor cameras. They operate on AA batteries, so you can plug them anywhere you want.

On the other hand, you can install a video doorbell that will enhance your security. Arlo’s Essential Video Doorbell tops our recommendation list. Additionally, this doorbell camera supports Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple HomeKit ecosystems.

This doorbell camera can easily distinguish between the motions of an animal, a delivery person, a vehicle, or a package. Thus, it can notify you accordingly.

4. Capstone’s Thin Cast Touchscreen Smart Mirror

So far, we have been talking about some fundamental smart home devices. Have you ever thought about turning your mirror into a smart one? If you are interested in such a unique device, check out Capstone Thin Cast Touch Screen Smart Mirror.

This Android OS-powered mirror has built-in speakers and a touch display. Additionally, you will experience no bloatware and install Android apps on it. Here’s everything you must know about Thin Cast:

• Touch screen-enabled mirror
• Both Android and iOS smartphone screen mirroring
• Power bank support included
• Bluetooth-powered
• Built-in speakers

Therefore, you might note the following reasons to invest in it:

• Streaming sounds on YouTube and other compatible apps
• Its wardrobe version is perfect for your closet or wardrobe
• Whereas the standard version suits your bathroom

However, you won’t get gyroscopic and other motion-detected features of apps available on this Thin Cast touch-screen mirror.

5. Philips Hue

Your smart home technology will remain incomplete if you don’t buy smart light bulbs. The major benefit of using smart lights is controlling them remotely. So, you can add a touch of automation to your home through your voice or taps on a specific app.

In addition, you can create the right ambience for your room by selecting the right hues for the smart bulb. Our favourite under the smart bulb category is Philips Hue. You can purchase a Philips White and colour Ambience LED Smart Button Starter Kit. Moreover, the kit has the following features to offer:

• The kit has 3 60W LED bulbs, a Smart Button, and a Hue hub.
• Additionally, you can select from 50 lights.
• The kit lets you select the colour and brightness of light bulbs.
• You can also experiment with the colour temperature and shades.

On a related note, here are the pros of choosing the Philips Hue Kit:

• Most smart home ecosystems support Philips Hue
• Flexible and sustainable bulbs for your home
• Doesn’t slow down your internet connection
• Pretty much affordable

However, its mobile app might not seem friendly. In that situation, you can buy TP-Link Kasa Smart Light Bulbs.

6. Google Nest Hub (2nd Generation)/ Nest Hub Max

A smart display rather than your smartphone might be necessary for tech-savvies like you. Besides streaming your favourite content, you can attend video calls on such smart displays. Google Nest Hub (Second Generation) is one of our favourites under this category.

Google Nest Hub lets you easily view images using Google Photos. In addition, it is a 7-inch screen, and the smart algorithm makes this gadget the perfect photo frame for your room. Moreover, the algorithm can ditch blurry and low-quality photos and choose only the high-end images to display on your Google Nest Hub.

However, this smart display lacks a camera. Consequently, you can maximise your bedroom’s or other room’s privacy. If you prefer a smart display with a camera for attending video conferences, then Nest Hub Max should be on your radar. This display supports Zoom, Google Meet, Google Duo, and more applications.

On the other hand, here are the advantages of buying a Google Nest Hub Max:

• An optional face-tracking feature that focuses on your face during video calls
• The Face Match feature remembers individual members of a family and shows particular calendar events
• Convenient gestures to control the smart display

However, you can prefer Nest Hub Max over Nest Hub (Second Generation) if you want superior audio output.

7. Eve Energy

A smart plug will complete a fundamental smart home. That’s why we have mentioned Eve Energy. Now, you can easily automate your home with this gadget. This smart home gadget has lots of features, such as

• Control plugged-in devices
• Keep an eye on your energy usage
• Bluetooth enabled

However, we have noticed the following perks of buying an Eve Energy smart plug:

• Outstanding energy monitoring and efficiency guaranteed
• Comes with Thread support
• Compatible with Apple HomeKit

On the other hand, you can avoid Eve Energy plugs if:

• You prefer affordable smart plugs.
• Your home ecosystem supports Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa devices. Eve Energy plugs support Apple HomeKit or Siri only.

What Else Can You Get for Your Smart Home?

You can invest in August Smart Lock Pro if you prioritise wireless door locks. Additionally, this smart lock supports all major ecosystems and requires a simple installation process. Apart from these, you can make home cleaning easy and scheduled with iRobot Roomba S9+.

For more luxury living, you can check out SwitchBot Smart Curtain Robot, Amazon Smart Programmable Thermostat, etc. Not to mention brands are creating a signature lifestyle by innovating efficient smart home gadgets every other day. So, choose your smart home devices according to your preferences and ultimate requirements.