You can easily set up your devices to carry out a specific action at a particular time by using one of the many smart home companion applications that allow scheduling. For instance, Wendy Sheehan Donnell, editor of PCMag, set her smart garage door to automatically close each night at a specific time after having a bike stolen.

You can create routines to configure your gadgets to cooperate and carry out many tasks at once using Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, such as adjusting the lighting and thermostat when you return home. With Apple HomeKit, you can build scenes to activate several devices simultaneously and control your devices with Siri voice commands or via an Apple Watch. You can connect different internet-connected gadgets and quickly programme them to respond to real-world events using IFTTT, a service that is backed by many of the leading smart home brand names. For example, you could enable your lights to switch on automatically at sunset.

Here is a list of the top smart home products we’ve tested for each room of the house. Because there are so many items, we’ve divided them by area to keep things organised, but most of these devices can be used almost anyplace.

Additionally, keep coming back soon because we frequently test new goods and include them in this list.

Creating a well-lit and secure entrance in the front yard

Before you even enter the front door, technology welcomes you to the ultimate smart house. The front yard is home to some of the most beneficial linked house technology.

You’ll need some outdoor-friendly smart lights to light up your home. The Ring Smart Lighting System is a great alternative since it enables you to build a network of security lights for your home’s outside that are activated by motion. You can add extras like floodlights, step lights, spotlights, and pathway lights as necessary.

The majority of Ring’s smart lighting accessories are battery-operated, making them easy to install. Each one functions independently as a motion-activated light, but you must connect them to a Ring Bridge to make them smart. Once connected, you can use Alexa voice commands or the Ring app on your phone to operate the lights. You can even build groups of lights so that they all turn on when one detects motion and connect them to Ring security cameras like the Stickup Cam Battery. Once connected, you can programme the camera to start recording when a light senses motion.