Best smart home devices of 2023

When it comes to keeping the bad things out and protecting the good things inside, you can’t beat this smart lock. The Ultraloq U-Bolt Pro has the best features and unlocking options of all the smart locks we’ve tested, plus it's reasonably priced.

The U-Bolt Pro comes with built-in Wi-Fi, which allows it to connect to your home network, in turn allowing you to lock and unlock your door remotely via the app or even using Alexa or Google Assistant.

See all of our picks for the best smart door locks.

Though Ring takes the cake for the best budget video doorbell, the Nest Doorbell (Battery) is our pick for the best smart doorbell overall.

It isn't the cheapest model available, but considering you don't need to pay a monthly subscription fee to get great features like smart motion detection and three hours of cloud storage, it's still a good deal. And if you do end up wanting more cloud storage, Nest Aware plans are some of the cheapest, starting at $9 per month.

See all of our picks for the best smart video doorbells.

The Arlo Pro 4 is cute as a button and smarter than your average security cam. Arlo packs a lot into this little camera—it works inside and outdoors, is compatible with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit, Samsung SmartThings, and IFTTT, and picks up the smallest details thanks to 2K resolution.

But all of those perks come at a price. The Arlo Pro 4 is more expensive than a lot of other wireless security cameras, particularly if you want cloud storage, which costs an additional $4.49 to $14.99 per month, depending on the number of cameras.

Not convinced? See all of our picks for the best home security cameras.

Smart plugs turn anything you plug into them into a smart appliance. The TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug stands out because of its size. Many smart plugs cover both of your outlets, so you end up with one snappy smart outlet instead of two boring ones.

Plus, the TP-Link Kasa plays well with Amazon Alexa and Google Home smart speakers, meaning you can use voice commands to control your devices. You can also set schedules to turn devices on or off at certain times, and your smart plug also monitors energy consumption.

We’re suckers for a smart light bulb, and Philips Hue bulbs shine a bit brighter in terms of features and easy use. But don’t worry—you’re in charge when it comes to the actual brightness (and, on certain models, the colour). All it takes to illuminate things is the mobile app or a voice command for Siri, Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant.

With the Phillips Hue app, you can also set lights to be illuminated as you walk in the door, or dimmed as you head to bed.

Though Philips Hue smart bulbs are by no means the cheapest on the market, they do offer the best quality and widest smart home compatibility.

There’s so much to stream and so little time. Make your next bingeing marathon easy with the Chromecast with Google TV. This little baby turns your dumb TV into a smart TV in an instant and allows you to use voice commands via Google Assistant to control your TV.

It comes with an all-new remote control that can essentially replace your TV remote and a smart interface that learns your viewing behaviour and offers tailored recommendations.

There's also a 4K version for under $100, so you can watch all of your favourites in sharp, Ultra HD.

Google Nest Protect talks to you instead of chirping, sends notifications straight to your phone, and watches out for carbon monoxide, fire, and smoke. Why wouldn’t we love it? There's a wired and a battery-powered version, and both are easy to install.

The biggest drawback is the price. It's definitely one of the most expensive smoke detectors out there, and at around $170 each, it can get pricey if you need multiple smoke alarms.

For more information, read our full Nest Protect review.