Smart Home · $$$ · premium
The best premium smart home
Paying more only makes sense when the extra buys something you can feel. These 9 smart home products sit in the $$$ · premium tier and earned a buy verdict in one of our comparisons. 8 of them won their whole comparison outright. We publish price tiers, not prices: the live price is one click away on each listing.
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Best Smart Thermostats of 2026: Honest Picks and One to Skip · Won the comparison
Google Nest Learning Thermostat (4th gen)
A readable display and genuine auto-scheduling make it the easiest smart thermostat to live with.
Best for: Most homes that want a thermostat that schedules itself and installs without wiring drama.
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The Best Mid-Range Robot Vacuums in 2026 (and the One to Skip) · Won the comparison
Ecovacs Deebot T80S OMNI
The best all-around cleaner short of flagship money, with near-flagship carpet and mop performance.
Best for: Homes with pets and mixed carpet/hard floors that want the strongest cleaning and real mopping for the money
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The Best Outdoor Security Cameras: Wide Coverage Without the Monthly Trap · Won the comparison
Reolink Argus 4 Pro
The widest and sharpest no-subscription camera, provided you feed it enough storage and signal.
Best for: People who want the widest, sharpest coverage from a single unit and refuse to pay a subscription.
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The Best Smart Light Bulbs: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) · Won the comparison
Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance A19 (75W)
Still the gold standard: the brightest, most accurate, most reliable color bulb you can screw into a lamp.
Best for: Anyone building whole-home smart lighting who values reliability and color quality over upfront savings
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The Best Smart Locks: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) · Won the comparison
Schlage Encode Plus Smart WiFi Deadbolt
The most secure of the group, with hub-free Wi-Fi and Apple Home Key baked in.
Best for: Apple households that want the strongest security and don't want to manage a hub.
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The Best Smart Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Detectors: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) · Won the comparison
First Alert SC5 Smart Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarm
The de facto successor to the old Google smart alarm, with phone alerts and Google Home compatibility.
Best for: Anyone already running a Google/Nest home who wants smart alerts that work with Google Home.
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The Best Smart Speakers: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) · Won the comparison
Sonos Era 100
The best-sounding smart speaker you can buy at this size, with Alexa on board and multi-room chops nobody else matches.
Best for: Anyone who wants a smart speaker that's a genuinely good music speaker first - especially mixed Apple/Amazon households.
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The Best Smart Water Leak Detectors: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) · Won the comparison
Moen Flo Smart Water Shutoff
The only pick here that can actually stop a flood while you're away, not just tell you about it.
Best for: Homeowners who want true whole-home protection and peace of mind while traveling, and don't mind hiring a plumber.
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The Best Smart Displays: 4 Compared (and One to Skip)
Amazon Echo Show 15
A wall-sized family command center with built-in Fire TV, for people who want the display to be the hub of the house.
Best for: Busy families who want one large, glanceable organization and entertainment hub in a central room.
Tiers are relative within each comparison: a premium pick sits in the upper tier of its own comparison, and we only list the ones whose extra cost earned a buy rather than an "it depends". Every verdict synthesizes independent testing and owner reports, not our own lab. How we review.