The best smart home gadgets to buy in 2026
Cameras, plugs, sensors, vacuums and speakers that make a home smarter without a pile of subscriptions.
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Smart Speakers & Displays
Amazon Echo (Alexa+)
New~$100
Cheap, ubiquitous hub for the new Alexa+ assistant; ads-adjacent nudging is the Amazon tax.
Check price on AmazonSmart Plugs & Switches
TP-Link Tapo / Kasa Smart Plug (Matter)
~$10–15
The unglamorous best first buy — automate any dumb appliance for the price of lunch.
Check price on AmazonSensors & Hubs
Aqara Matter Sensor Kit
~$15–20 each
Cheap door/motion Matter sensors that finally work across Alexa, Google and Apple without a proprietary hub.
Check price on AmazonSecurity Cameras
Aqara Camera Hub G5 Pro
New~$130
Doubles as a Matter/Thread hub with local AI detection; setup is fiddlier than a Ring.
Check price on AmazonRobot Vacuums
Roborock Self-Empty Robot Vacuum
New~$500–900
2026 models map and auto-empty well; you're paying for the dock, and they still choke on cords.
Check price on AmazonBluetooth Trackers
Apple AirTag 2
New~$29
Longer-range Precision Finding and a louder speaker; still the best tracker for iPhone, useless on Android.
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