Smart home tech is meant to make your life simpler — say, by turning off the lights when you leave for work or turning up the heat before you get home. The trick of course is not only picking the right gear, but picking it up at a reasonable price. We’re here with some of the better smart home products we can recommend hunting ahead of Black Friday.

See also: The best smart home devices you can buy

These deals cover a range of categories, such as lights, plugs, and displays. And while smart home tech can sometimes get expensive, there should be at least one thing on this list that makes for an affordable gift.

2nd-Gen Google Nest Hub two-pack for $20 off

One of the best aspects of Google’s platform is its display UI. While it takes a minute to get used to, it quickly becomes easy to get info at a glance, control smart home accessories without disrupting family, or even watch services like Netflix and YouTube. If you have Google-connected cameras, a display makes things much easier to check in on. The second-generation Nest Hub even adds sleep tracking into the mix. Sam’s Club is selling a two-pack for $179.98, $20 off what that would cost from Google.

Kasa Smart Plug 2-pack for 37% off

Smart plugs are sometimes overlooked as an accessory option for the simple reason that they’re less sexy. But they’re also incredibly flexible since you can control power on just about anything with an AC adapter, linking them to automations based on time, sensors, and conditions. Kasa’s plugs connect via Wi-Fi and work with both Alexa and Google setups. You can snag a pair for $12.69 — $7.30 less than normal.

Lifx Color A19 for 30% off

Lifx bulbs are typically considered some of the best out there. Its highest-end models — like this one — hit 1100 lumens, making them far brighter than most rivals. They also use Wi-Fi instead of Bluetooth, which means they can be set up independently, no hub required. The Lifx Color A19 supports Alexa, Google, and HomeKit, and it’s temporarily $3 off at $46.99.

August Smart Lock for 22% off

Locks are another underrated smart home accessory to look out for around Black Friday. They can automatically lock and unlock as people come and go, and make it possible to let family and guests in when you’re not home. Heck, they can sometimes be a nice fallback if you forget your keys entirely. On its own the August Smart Lock uses Bluetooth, requiring an Android device or an iPhone, but you can optionally pair an August Wi-Fi bridge for Alexa and Google Home support. Amazon is offering a dark gray Lock for $117.26  — $32.73 off its $149.99 MSRP.

2nd-Gen Amazon Echo Show 5 and Blink Mini camera bundle for 24% off

Bigger Echo Shows can be worth getting, but for most people, the Echo Show 5 is probably the best choice. It’s perfect as a bedside or office companion, with all the key features of its fellow Alexa-enabled displays, only in a smaller and quieter package. Amazon seems really eager to spur Black Friday sales, since you can get a second-gen model for $89.99 with a free Blink Mini indoor security camera included — that’s just $5 more than Amazon is charging for a Show 5 on its own.

Wyze Cam Pan V2 and three months of Cam Plus

Simply put, it’s hard to beat the value of Wyze when it comes to home security. Each Wyze Cam comes with 14 days of free incident recording in the cloud, so the company’s subscriptions mainly unlock features like person and package detection. The cameras themselves are also surprisingly cheap for the quality, making it hard to justify more expensive products from Ring or Nest.

The Wyze Cam Pan V2 is an indoor model that scans 360 degrees horizontally and 93 degrees up and down, with options like motion tracking and support for both Alexa and Google. At Amazon, a bundle with a three-month Cam Plus subscription is $52.83. That’s only $3.12 less than usual, but it’s still a steal considering that some individual cameras top $100 without a subscription.

Neato Botvac D6 for $100 off

Neato’s big selling point is that unlike Roombas and other rivals, its own robot vacuums use a D-shaped design that lets it dig into corners. The D6 occupies a sweet spot in the Neato lineup, capable of handling pet hair and multiple floor maps without the cost of top-end vacuums. It also has a 120-minute battery and supports Alexa and Google in addition to phone control. It’s going for $349.99 — $100 off its base price. 

Source link