When it comes to smart home ecosystems, Amazon Alexa is at the top of the class. Not only can you create incredible routines and automate hundreds of tasks, but the number of Alexa-compatible gadgets seems to grow larger by the day. Better yet, Amazon is committed to making many of its hubs work seamlessly with the Matter standard — which should only make things more exciting throughout 2023.
The Echo Pop is another great option. It’s the lowest-priced smart speaker in the Echo family, yet still gives you access to the Alexa voice assistant. It also sounds surprisingly great, although its audio gets a bit muddy at higher volumes. But for a cheap smart speaker, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better option.
The best Alexa-compatible lights LEDs are taking over the world, and they represent one of the easiest ways to start smartening up your home. Some smart lights require an external bridge to connect to Alexa, but others just need to be screwed in like an ordinary bulb. When you purchase a smart light bulb, the manufacturer will usually state whether or not a separate bridge is required. Typically, you can schedule most smart lights to turn off at a certain time every night.
It takes a bit more effort, but Lutron Caséta in-wall dimmers are a reliable way to turn your lights on or off or get varying degrees of brightness. You can do all that with voice commands through Alexa and group them so you don’t have to turn off individual switches in succession. You will need to install an included smart bridge for these bulbs to work.
Billed simply as the Amazon Smart Thermostat, this cost-friendly device uses Alexa to automatically adjust the temperature and build customized schedules for powering your HVAC on and off based on when you’re home or away. It’s a great first step into the world of smart thermostats, although consider taking a look at our list of the best thermostats when you’re ready to up your game.
The best Alexa-compatible security cameras One big reason people start getting smart devices for their homes is security, so there is no shortage of security cameras that let you do DIY monitoring of your property. As we mentioned, the newest Echo Shows can also tap into security cam feeds whenever you want