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Want to upgrade your smart home tech? Luckily for you, making your home smarter doesn't mean breaking the bank. Here are my picks for the top smart home tech, all under $200. Budgeters, rejoice!
If you're in need of some new smart home tech, but don't want to spend a fortune, now is the time to consider upgrading your gear. All of my picks for top smart home tech are under $200 regular price, but some of these gadgets may see additional discounts on Labor Day and Black Friday.
Without further adieu, here are my picks for the best smart home tech under $200:
Smart Plugs
Smart plugs are a handy, affordable addition to any smart home setup. There are two that make my list for the best smart plugs.
We’ll start first with the WeMo Mini Smart Plug. This is hands down my favorite smart plug. It’s designed so you can still use the other outlet, hence 'mini'. You can control whatever you plug into it by using your mobile device or your favorite voice assistant.
My second choice for a smart plug would be Amazon's Smart Plug. This guy has a good everyday price of $25.
Smart Speakers
Oh, where to begin when discussing smart speakers? Should you go for something in Amazon's Echo line, or are you a Google loyalist? I’m not going to get into which is better here, as they both have their pros depending on your use and the ecosystem you live and work in.
The standard go-to smart speaker that should make everyone's list of best smart home tech is the 4th Generation Echo Dot. The Echo Dot wins in my books for certain categories like the music options that come with a Prime membership.
With that said, Google also has a great lineup of smart speakers as well, but you can’t really find them on Amazon. The Google Nest Mini is comparable in price to the Echo Dot.
I have both an Echo Dot and an old-school (now discontinued) Google Home, and I live in perfect harmony between the two ecosystems.
WiFi Extender
If you're running smart devices throughout your home, your number one priority should be connectivity. After all, you want all your devices to work, no matter where they are located in your home. Enter, a WiFi extender.
My pick for the best WiFi extender goes to the TP-Link AC1750 WiFi Extender. This unit has 3 antennas that provides fast dual-band WiFi access and would work great if you’re streaming video or gaming in 4K. Plus, it comes with a gigabit ethernet port and many wifi extenders do not.
Smart Lights
Warning: I’m slightly obsessed with smart lights. More specifically, the Philips Hue bulbs.
The Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance Smart Bulb (2-Pack) is my all-time favorite smart light. The Philips Hue bulbs provide you with literally millions of color choices that you can control from your mobile device or with your voice (after an easy setup with your favorite smart speaker mentioned above).
Being able to change the colors is really fun, but if you don't like fun you can snag these Philips Hue White Ambiance Smart Bulbs. They have all the same smart features, they just don’t change colors.
If you want a Hue Bridge and a smart button, then this Philips Hue Starter Kit is for you. This kit comes with three bulbs, a smart button, and a Hue Bridge all for $180. Plus Amazon is running a 15% off coupon for a limited time.
Smart Garage Door Opener
Okay, this pick is for anyone (like me) who constantly forgets to put the garage door down.
The MyQ Smart Garage Door Opener will send alerts when the door is opened or closed. It allows you to control your door from anywhere, and schedule a specific time to automatically close your garage door.
Automatic Pet Feeder
If you've got a pet, this an automatic feeder is the ultimate smart home game-changer.
My top choice for an automatic pet feeder is the PetSafe Smart Feed Pet Feeder.
We use this for our cat Dora and it allows us to set a customized feeding schedule for her. You can use the app to customize the times, frequency, and portions. Plus, the PetSafe is great if you have a cat like ours who otherwise scarfs her food down because you can either feed your pet through the day or you can feed a larger portion but have it dispense slowly from the feeder.
You’ll get push notifications to tell you your pet has been fed, so if you’re out of town, you’ll be assured your furbaby has gotten dinner. You’ll also get notifications if there is any type of error with the feeder, like if you’re running low on food. And, of course, the PetSafe feeder is even compatible with your Amazon assistant. And, as if it couldn't get any better, the bowl, bowl holder and lid are top rack dishwasher safe for easy cleaning.
Digital Picture Frame
This last smart-home device will by far be the prettiest addition to your home.
If you're in the market for a digital picture frame, look no further than an Aura Digital Frame. They have a few to choose from, but my favorite model is the Carver. If you're into a different look, the Mason is also quite nice.
Giving an Aura Digital Frame as a gift is super easy. You can preload a frame with photos to give your family or friends and you don’t even have to open the box to do so. Simply scan a bar code on the box and your Aura app walks you through adding whatever photos you want. You can even add a little personal message that will be displayed too. How neat is that?
You can also add family and friends to your frame so they can add photos directly to your frame from anywhere in the world so you can stay connected from afar.
Plus, Aura frames allow you to view live photos too. So as soon as the live photo appears on your screen, it’ll play and then pause at the frame you selected from your live photo. And of course, they work with your Amazon assistant.
Quick List: The best smart home tech under $200:
Amazon Smart Plug
So those are my picks for the best smart home tech under $200! What do you think of my choices for top smart home tech? What are some of your fave smart home gadgets? Happy smart home tech shopping!