17 smart devices under $100 that will transform your home
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The past few years, smart home technology has grown drastically in popularity, which means more smart devices are being sold at incredibly affordable prices. These gadgets can help with small everyday problems, acting as a personal assistant, helping you stream your favorite media, and assisting with cooking perfectly.
The best part? You don't even have to spend too much. Today, you can get some of the top smart gadgets—all brimming with cool, helpful functionality—for less than $100. Just like that, the smart home you've always wanted is within reach.
1. The newly updated Echo Dot
Amazon recently gave its oh-so popular Echo Dot a makeover, and it looks better than ever. The updated Alexa-controlled smart gadget has an improved speaker, making it easier for you to make calls, play music, control other smart gadgets, and more. It's also the most inexpensive of the bunch, making it the most affordable Echo to add to your home.
Get the Echo Dot 3rd-gen. Smart Speaker on Amazon for $49.99
2. Our favorite affordable smart switch
There are a lot of smart outlets on the market, but the one that earned the title of Best Affordable Smart Plug is the Eufy Smart Plug Mini, which offers seamless integration with both Alexa and Google Assistant. Just plug it into an outlet, then plug in a light, fan, appliance, or whatever you want and you'll be able to control that item from your phone.
Get the Eufy Smart Plug Mini on Amazon for $22.99
3. An older, but still awesome, video doorbell
The latest and greatest smart video doorbells will cost you well over $100, but you can scoop up an older version of the popular $200 Ring Video Doorbell 2 (our top choice) for a reasonable price. This highly rated smart video doorbell, which we also found completely satisfactory in our tests, provides 720HD video, two-way talk, Alexa integration, and more—really all the basics you need!
Get the Ring WiFi Enabled Video Doorbell on Amazon for $99.99
4. An all-seeing indoor camera
Keeping an eye on your home has never been easier thanks to this cool indoor security camera, which took home our award for Best Value. The video quality, night vision, and two-way talk features are great, and you can pan and tilt this bad boy right from your phone.
Get the YI Dome Indoor Security Surveillance System on Amazon for $29.99
5. A top-performing smart dimmer switch
Perfect the ambiance in your home with a smart dimmer switch like this one. Lutron's smart dimmer came out on top in our testing, earning itself the title of Best Smart In-Wall Dimmer Switch. It’s proof you don’t have to pay an arm and a leg to get the best products!
Get the Lutron Caseta Wireless Smart Lighting Dimmer Switch Starter Kit on Amazon for $71.48
6. A petite air quality monitor
How cute is this little air monitor? Just plug it into any outlet in your home, and it will monitor for chemicals, CO2, humidity, and temperature. Plus, it can even automatically control other devices like fans and humidifiers to keep the air in your home comfortable and exactly how you prefer it.
Get the Awair Glow on Amazon for $99
7. An improved version of the popular key finder
Many people like the functionality of Tile Mate trackers, but one of the major downsides was that the old versions poop out after about a year. The company heard this woe, and they recently released a new Tile Mate with a replaceable battery, so you can always locate your keys, wallet, or phone without having to buy and re-sync the same device over and over again.
Get the Tile Mate with Replaceable Battery on Amazon for $23.63
8. A standalone smart light bulb
If you want to try a smart light bulb out, but don’t want to invest in a hub, we suggest you noodle around with this option from TP-Link. It’s dimmable, Alexa-compatible, and highly rated by thousands of users!
Get the TP-Link Kasa Smart WiFi LED Light Bulb on Amazon for $22.95
9. Our favorite streaming device
For a high-quality, user-friendly streaming device that’s affordable to boot, you can’t go wrong with the Roku Ultra. This little gadget lets you watch all your favorite shows on Netflix and Hulu in 4K, and it was crowned our Best Streaming Device of the year thanks to its user-friendly interface and other awesome features.
Get the Roku Ultra on Amazon for $89.99
10. An affordable door and window monitor
Want to make sure no one is sneaking in your windows (or maybe that the kids aren’t sneaking out)? You can get a two-pack of Ring Contact Sensors for doors or windows for less than $40, but keep in mind you'll need the Ring alarm base station to go with them. You can't buy it on its own, but Amazon sells a home security kit starting at $199 for the 5-piece set that includes the base, one sensor, a motion detector, a keypad, and even a free Echo Dot.
Get the Ring Contact Sensor, 2-Pack on Amazon for $39.99
11. A smart light starter kit
If you’re looking for a more comprehensive smart lighting system, you can’t go wrong with the Philips Hue Starter Kit. With two smart bulbs and a hub to control them, it has everything you need to install smart lighting throughout your home and be well on your way to saving energy!
Get the Philips Hue White A19 Smart Bulb Starter Kit on Amazon for $65.92
12. A smart meat thermometer
Become a Grill Master Supreme with this smart digital meat thermometer. Just pop the probe into whatever you’re cooking, select the meat and how well you want it done, and your phone will let you know when that juicy steak or bacon-wrapped turkey leg is cooked to perfection.
Get the Weber iGrill 2 Thermometer on Amazon for $66.99
If you don't care about having an app to cook meat, there are plenty of other digital meat thermometers we love.
13. Amazon’s own streaming device
This little device has over 36,000 5-star reviews, so it’s got to be doing something right. All you have to do is plug it into your TV and the Amazon Fire TV Stick will let you stream all sorts of shows, movies, and games, even in 4K if you have a 4K TV. Plus, it's one of the most affordable streaming options out there and is especially perfect if you're a fan of Amazon Video content like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
Get the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K for $49.99
14. An Echo with a screen
Want your Amazon Echo to have a screen where you can video chat, watch the news, and check in on your smart doorbell? Then you’ll love the Echo Show 5, the latest compact smart speaker with a screen from Amazon's Echo lineup. We love its blend of mid-range price and high-end features, especially that it's the most affordable Echo with a screen.
Get the Echo Show 5 on Amazon for $89.99
15. A smart garage door opener
You’ll never have to stress about whether you remembered to close the garage door again with this smart gadget. Not only will you receive alerts when the door is opened or closed, you can also control your garage door from anywhere if you did forget again.
Get the MyQ Smart Garage Door Opener on Amazon for $43.17
16. An all-in-one entertainment hub
Get ready for movie night with the touch of a button! The Logitech Harmony Hub allows you to control up to eight entertainment devices right from your phone, and you can create customized activities like “Date Night” or “Family Night” that complete several actions at once for a streamlined home entertainment experience.
Get the Logitech Harmony Hub on Amazon for $65
17. The smart water bottle I swear by
nullI’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again: smart water bottles are underappreciated. I, for one, never used to drink enough water on a daily basis, which is why the Hidrate Spark has become a staple in my life. It keeps my skin looking radiant and my head from aching—and the price recently dropped too. Win-win-win.
Get the Hidrate Spark 2.0A Smart Water Bottle on Amazon for $45
Prices are accurate at the time this article was published, but may change over time.
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