The Best Smart Home Gadgets of 2018

Best Smart Home Hub: Google Home Hub

• $149, store.google.com

The smart home hub gives you the best of everything—a snapshot of the day’s news, a visual of the week’s weather or your calendar on the screen, and the option to tap into Google Photos to see some of your favorite photos while the hub’s not in use. That last feature went live in October 2018, making the hub the photo frame of the future.

Best Speaker: Sonos Beam

• $399, sonos.com

Wish you had a better TV speaker? Sonos’ latest smart speaker is a sleek bar that automatically connects to your TV and remote. Plus it integrates with Amazon Alexa to ask for music, the weather, and much more.  

Best Video Doorbell: SimpliSafe

• $169, simplisafe.com

SimpliSafe partnered with design firm IDEO for their third-generation smart home security system, creating a sleek aesthetic that extends to their smart doorbell.

Best Connected Air Purifier: Dyson Pure Cool

• $449, dyson.com

Dyson’s purifiers don’t come cheap, but there’s a reason. This latest generation automatically purifies and cools a whole room, and shows real-time air quality on the LCD screen.

Best Device for Apple Enthusiasts: Apple Homepod

• $349, apple.com

Apple’s smart home hub finally arrived this year. The Homepod highlights music and sound quality, intending to truly act as a speaker first and a Siri-enabled smart assistant second.

Best Smart Lock: Nest x Yale Smart Lock

• $279, amazon.com

Smart home tech and 177 years of lock-making collide in this smart lock collaboration, launched earlier this year. You can create passcodes for friends and family and lock the door with a quick tap on your way out. The Nest x Yale will even lock itself if you forget.

Best Smart Light: Hue Ascend Collection

• $180, meethue.com

Hue smart lighting has been popular since the advent of smart home technology, especially since it’s such an easy entry point for the average homeowner. Their new Ascend collection is an eye-catcher whether you’re newly integrating smart devices into your home or looking for your latest addition.

Best Smart Home Bundle: Smart Light Starter Kit

• $55, store.google.com

Smart speakers and smart lighting are two of the most widely adapted smart home categories, since they entail two things you can integrate in a tiny rental or just one room in the house. Google and GE collaborated to build this bundle, and the upside isn’t just that the light and Google Home Mini are packaged together. The light bulb can automatically connect to the Google Home app, meaning there’s one fewer setup steps, and you’re that much closer to having an instant smart home.

Best Smart Speaker for Audiophiles: Amazon Echo Sub

• $130, amazon.com

Most digital assistants offer integration with music services, but their sound struggles to fill the room. Add this 100 watt bass-bringer to your existing Echo or stereo pair and you’ll forget about your standalone speakers for good. Best of all, the 6-inch speaker tucks away out of sight, unlike some larger sub systems with footprints the size of end tables. It’s the first serious foray into high-end audio from any of the smarthome hubs, save the Alexa-enabled Sonos Play: One units.