28 Best Smart Home Gifts for Every Kind of Home

The Echo Show 5 is the smart display for a nightstand: a clock that shows the weather, a sunrise alarm and a quick way to see who rang the Ring doorbell without unlocking a phone. It is also an easy video-call device for grandparents who find tablets fiddly.

The Fire TV Stick 4K Max quietly turns the TV into part of the smart home: ask the remote to dim the lights for a movie, or pull up the doorbell camera on the big screen when a delivery arrives. It is a strong gift for anyone still using a slow built-in TV app.

The Aura Carver is the smart home gift for parents or grandparents who would never ask for a gadget. You preload it with photos, and the whole family keeps adding new ones from their phones, so the frame on the kitchen counter keeps refreshing without them touching a thing.

The Echo Dot is the easiest first step into a smart home, and this generation now doubles as the hub that the other gadgets on this list connect to. Give it to someone who has never owned a smart speaker and they can set timers, play music and turn on a smart plug the same afternoon.

If you are giving one smart home gift, make it the Echo Show 8. It becomes the kitchen command center: the family calendar, recipes, doorbell video and a tap-to-control panel for every light and lock in the house. Its built-in hub means the rest of the gadgets on this page pair straight to it.

Philips Hue is the smart lighting system people grow into, and the starter kit includes the bridge that every Hue light needs. Set lamps to warm automatically at sunset and fade up as an alarm in the morning; once they live with it, they will buy more bulbs on their own.

The Hue Play bars are the upgrade for a movie fan or gamer who already has (or is getting) the Hue starter kit. Placed behind the TV, they glow in sync with the screen, which makes a regular living room feel like a home theater. Note they need the Hue Bridge.

Govee strip lights are the smart home gift teens and college students actually want. They stick under a bed frame, desk or shelf and pulse with music, and at under $25 they are an easy add-on for a gamer or anyone decorating a dorm room.

A smart floor lamp is the no-installation way to add mood lighting to a rented apartment. This Govee lamp fills a dark corner with warm white for reading or color for a party, and it answers to Alexa or Google out of the box.

Nanoleaf Shapes are the smart home gift that doubles as art. For a streamer, gamer or design lover, a wall of glowing hexagons becomes the backdrop of their room, and they can rearrange the layout whenever they want something new.

Lutron Caseta is what smart home enthusiasts recommend to friends who want switches that simply work. This kit is ideal for a homeowner with a light that should have had a second switch, such as at the top of the stairs. Pair it with the Lutron Smart Hub for app and voice control.

A video doorbell is one of the most-used smart home gifts, and this Ring runs on battery so renters and homeowners alike can install it in minutes. It is perfect for someone who gets lots of deliveries or lives alone and wants to see who is at the door before opening it.

The Ring Indoor Cam is the pet parent's favorite: check on the dog from the office, or talk to the cat through the speaker. At around $25 it is an affordable add-on to a doorbell gift.

Blink Outdoor 4 is the right camera when there is no outlet nearby, such as a back gate, shed or side yard. Two years on a set of batteries means the recipient will mostly forget it is there until it catches something.

Wyze Cam v4 is the value camera for tinkerers and new parents. Use it as a baby or pet monitor indoors, or move it outside under an eave; local microSD recording means no monthly fee is required.

The Schlage Encode suits a homeowner who wants to stop hiding a spare key under the mat. Give dog walkers and cleaners their own codes, check the app to confirm the kids got home, and lock up remotely when someone forgets.

The August lock is the smart lock for renters, because it mounts over the existing deadbolt and leaves the outside of the door untouched. The door unlocks as they walk up with groceries and locks itself behind them.

For a homeowner with a dark driveway or backyard, the Ring Floodlight Cam does two jobs at once: it lights the path when someone comes home late and records anything that moves. It installs where an existing outdoor light is mounted.

The 4th-gen Nest is the thermostat for a new homeowner who wants their heating bill to shrink without thinking about it. The included room sensor fixes the classic problem of a cold bedroom when the hallway thermostat thinks the house is warm.

ecobee Essential is the more affordable thermostat pick, a great housewarming gift for someone who wants to change the heat from bed. Check their system on ecobee's compatibility tool before giving it.

Roborock is the robot vacuum smart home fans rate highest, and this model empties itself for weeks at a time. Pet owners and busy parents can schedule it to run while everyone is out and come home to clean floors.

A smart air purifier suits allergy sufferers and pet owners. The Levoit ramps up automatically when someone cooks or the dog sheds, and it can be scheduled from the app to run before they get home.

Smart plugs are the gateway smart home gift: plug in a lamp, say goodnight to Alexa and the house goes dark. A four-pack lets someone try it in several rooms, and nothing needs to be wired.

The Rachio 3 is the smart home gift for the person proud of their lawn. It replaces a confusing sprinkler dial with an app and skips watering when it rains, so the yard stays green and the water bill drops.

The SwitchBot Bot is a fun gift for the gadget lover in a rental. Stick it beside an old coffee machine button or a light switch you cannot replace, and it presses it on a schedule. It is the kind of hack people show off to guests.

Waking up to curtains opening on their own feels like a hotel upgrade. This SwitchBot set clips onto rods they already own, and the included hub also controls the button pusher above, which makes it a great pairing.

For anyone who has driven back home just to check whether the garage was closed, this meross controller is the fix. It retrofits the opener they already own and sends an alert if the door is left open.

Leak sensors are the unglamorous smart home gift that can save a homeowner thousands. Place them under the water heater, washing machine and kitchen sink, and an alert reaches the phone the moment water appears.