15 smart home gadgets for you or anyone on your list

Take advantage of this year’s holiday sales and upgrade your home. Smart gadget prices are dropping, so why not invest in your house?

Start with something simple and easy to handle, like smart bulbs. Or upgrade your older tech by purchasing a smart thermostat.

Not sure where to begin? Check out our list of smart home gadgets that will change your life.

1. Smarten up your thermostat

Amazon smart thermostat

Use your Echo to control this Amazon Smart Thermostat. It is Energy Star certified and can be controlled with another Alexa device. Set a timer so you wake up to a warm home in the winter months or a cooler one in the summer. Track and manage the settings with the Alexa app on your smartphone to lower your electric bill each month.

Promising review: "Installs and sets up in minutes. Has all of the smart features you could want, and at a fraction of the price of some other smart thermostats. A+"

Buy Now

$79.99 on Amazon.com

2. Smart coffee? Sign us up!

Keurig K-Supreme Plus

This Keurig smart coffee maker recognizes your K-Cup pod and customizes brew strength so you get the best flavor every time. Just load your K-Cup the night before and create a schedule so you wake to the aroma of freshly made coffee in the morning. Customize your settings and choose between five flavor strengths, six temperatures, five cup sizes and even a brew-over-ice setting.

Promising review: "Coffee maker is compact, easy to use, easy to connect to Wi-Fi and many many adjustments to make your cup of coffee exactly the way you want it brewed. You can even choose the temp of the hot water for your cup of Joe. Would buy again."

Buy Now

$177.95 on Amazon.com

3. Smart tech for the whole family

Kasa smart plug

These smart plugs are perfect for night lights, fans, holiday lighting, kitchen appliances and more. Remotely turn off the power on your slow cooker, turn on lights before you enter your home and more. Its components are made to be fire-retardant and decrease the risks of electric shocks. And you can even use Alexa or Google Assistant to control them verbally.

Promising review: "This is the second time I purchased these Wi-Fi outlets. They are so easy to set up and integrate with Alexia. I’m planning on using them to turn my Christmas lights on and off. Additionally we are going on vacation for two weeks and I am programming them to turn my lights on and off so it looks like we’re at home. Love them and will probably purchase more."

Buy Now

$26.99 on Amazon.com

4. Boost your garage door's IQ

myQ Chamberlain smart garage control

Do you ever get halfway to work and wonder whether you closed the garage door on your way out? Now you don't have to worry about it or waste time turning around to double-check. This myQ Chamberlain smart garage control allows you to set a schedule or use your smartphone to open and close the door whenever you want from wherever you are.

Promising review: "This was an incredibly easy install. ... Directions on phone app are very easy to understand and follow. I was impressed with the price for a unit which provides great value. Make sure the internet connection will reach your garage. ... From easy to expert level, this is easy, beginner level install."

Buy Now

$29.98 on Amazon.com

5. These are some 'bright' lights - get it?

Govee smart LED strip lights

OK, cringey header aside, these smart LED strip lights are perfect for adding something extra to your smart TV or computer monitor. Set up a cool backlight or create a fun environment for photoshoots. Decorate your home, patio or yard with these color-changing LED bulbs that can light up with the beat when it senses music. Control them with Alexa or use your smartphone as a remote.

Promising review: "I love it! Now my workstation looks good! I would get one for my room. The app is responsive and can setup a time to turn on and a time to turn off. You can even set the colors you like."

Buy Now

$25.00 on Amazon.com

6. Hydration is always smart

Hidrate Spark 3 smart water bottle

Do you always forget to drink your water? This smart water bottle will glow when it's time to take a sip. You can sync your water intake with your smartphone to keep track of how much water you're drinking each day. It also syncs with most fitness apps, so you don't need to download any extra water or hydrating applications that will take up room on your phone.

Promising review: "I’ve always been a big water drinker, but sometimes I do slack. My cousin had one and I thought it was super cool. We now compete with each other. I love it! I get to keep track now of how much I drink, and If I slack it lights up to remind me to drink more."

Buy Now

$59.95 on Amazon.com

7. Smarter cooking

Traeger Grills Pro Series 780 wood pellet grill and smoker

Who says you can only have a barbecue in the summer? This winter, invite friends and family to enjoy grilled or smoked meat cooked on your Traeger Grills Pro Series. This wood pellet grill and smoker can be controlled with Alexa and offers six cooking settings. You can braise, roast, bake, smoke, grill and barbecue on porcelain grill grates that are easy to clean. It is large enough to accommodate 34 burgers, six rib racks or six whole chickens.

Promising review: "This is an excellent smoker and produces mouth watering results. The item was packaged very well and easy to assemble. The wi-fire feature allows you to monitor you temp and lets you know when it has completed warm up or cool down. The recipes are really helpful, if you are considering this product I would encourage you to buy it."

Buy Now

$999.99 on Amazon.com

8. Smart speakers are the best

Echo Dot (5th Gen)

The Echo Dot has been a popular home smart speaker over the years, and now the 5th generation can be yours. This smart speaker can play music and set timers, Alexa can tell you jokes and give you the weather forecast, and you can control most of your other smart home gadgets with this one little speaker.

Promising review: "I purchased two of these to achieve true stereo. The updated spherical design is a great update to the column design. Although the speakers are physically small they are relatively heavy. The sound quality is superb and the volume is more than adequate. Set up was easy using the app. These are great addition to my family room."

Buy Now

$34.99 on Amazon.com

9. Warm drinks all through winter

Ember Temperature Control smart mug

Are you a sipper? Or maybe your office is always so cold that your drink cools down before you've had a chance to finish it. This Ember smart mug is the perfect way to ensure your hot beverages stay warm to the last drop. Warm your cooled drink between 120-145 degrees, or keep your hot beverage from falling below 120 degrees. The mug can hold 14 ounces of liquid and rests on a charging coaster. Keep your drink nice and hot for up to 80 minutes.

Promising review: "I received my Ember mug as a gift, and have since gifted numerous Embers to friends and family. Keeping my coffee and tea at a constant temperature has made drinking these beverages much more enjoyable. The mugs are very simple to set up and use. I love my Ember."

Buy Now

$145.99 on Amazon.com

10. These are some intelligent bulbs

Kasa smart light bulbs

Who wants plain Jane lighting when they can have dimmable multicolor LEDs? These bulbs have a 2-year warranty and can be voice-controlled with Alexa or Google Assistant. Use the remote control or download the app and manage the lights from your phone. Create timers and schedules so the lights are on, even when you're not home.

Promising review: "Great for home automation. I have 6 of these lights in our home. I use Google assistant to control them with voice commands. I have then scheduled to turn off automatically I have a few of them scheduled to come on at sunset so we never come home from work to a dark house."

Buy Now

$19.99 on Amazon.com

11. Smart gardening

AeroGarden White Harvest indoor hydroponic garden

If you have a green thumb or want to find out if you have one, try this AeroGarden Indoor Hydroponic Garden. It comes with six seed pods — Genovese basil, curly parsley, dill, thyme, Thai basil and mint — that you can grow up to 12-inches tall with this soil-free indoor garden. The control panel tells you when your plants need water and when to add plant food, that's included in the kit. Live in an area that doesn't get much sunlight? No problem. This kit comes with LED Grow Lights to enjoy fresh herbs all year round.

Promising review: "I bought this for my husband who is a great cook. I bought him the herb set. We were both impressed with the amount of product that came from it and we were living in a townhouse so we don’t have a lot of room to grow plants This was perfect for him"

Buy Now

$79.95 on Amazon.com

12. Time to get smarter with your tech

Tile Mate Essentials Bluetooth trackers

Are you tired of losing all your stuff? These Tile Mate Essentials have Bluetooth trackers to find your keys, wallet, remote control, luggage or even your pet. If your devices or pets roam outside Bluetooth range, use the Tile app to find the most recent location. With a simple button press, the Tile can emit a sound to make locating your items easier.

Promising review: "Heaven sent! Bought a few for each of our camera bags. Best decision I made because of the beta alarm in the app if you get too far from the tile. Saved our gear!"

Buy Now

$74.99 on Amazon.com

13. Listen the smart way

Victrola vintage suitcase record player

Who says vintage can't be cool? This record player comes in a portable suitcase and features built-in speakers, Bluetooth capabilities, a line output for CD players and other devices and a 3-speed record player. Choose between turquoise, red, aqua turquoise, black, black velvet, blue coral, brown, camo, cognac, denim, emerald green or farmhouse oatmeal.

Promising review: "I absolutely love it!! Been trying to get a record player for a while now. I can finally play my records I got from my grandmother."

Buy Now

$43.99 on Amazon.com

14. Smart living

BISSELL air320 Max smart air purifier

If you suffer from allergies or live in a dusty or dirty area, this 3-stage filtration system is the perfect air purifier for your home or office. It includes a fabric pre-filter, carbon filter and an H13 HEPA filter to catch everything from pet odors to large and fine particles. It doesn't require much energy and runs quietly. Trust this air purifier to capture 99.97% of particles 0.3 microns and smaller.

Promising review: "We love our unit. We have found that it makes the air very crisp and clean, gets rid of our food smells and is very easy to use. ... The size is perfect for our 2,500 sq feet office and it blends into our decor perfectly. We can't imagine going without it now."

Buy Now

$339.99 on Amazon.com

15. Smart ways to save

Orbit 21004 B-hyve smart hose

If you live in a dry climate, you're no stranger to paying extra for water use. With this B-hyve smart hose, you can set a timer to water your plants or ensure the hose is turned off. The built-in flow meter lets you track how much water you use by the gallon or time of day. Never let your water bill catch you by surprise ever again with this handy faucet timer and tracker.

Promising review: "This was the best Wi-Fi connected smart timer. I like the ability to control it from anywhere in the world over internet. Schedule your programs or go for smart watering based on the weather conditions. I bought two and planning to buy one more to attach one at each end of the splitter."

Buy Now

$64.99 on Amazon.com

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