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Best Smart Home Products for 2024 That Aren't Made by Amazon or Google - CNET - Broadlink Data Services, LLC.

February 7, 2024

Updated Jan. 20, 2024 1:00 a.m. PT

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$99 at Apple

Apple Home Pod Mini in white

The best smart speaker

Apple HomePod Mini

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$12 at Amazon

tp-link-kasa-2

The best smart plug

TP-Link Kasa Smart Plug Mini

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$183 at Amazon

honeywell-t9-thermostat-1

The best smart thermostat

Honeywell Home T9 Smart Thermostat

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The best home security camera

Arlo Pro 3

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The best home security system

SimpliSafe

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The best video doorbell

Arlo Video Doorbell

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The best smart lock

August Smart Lock Pro

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When it comes to smart home technology, Amazon and Google are dominating the industry at the moment. In addition to owning popular home security brands like Ring and Blink, Amazon is also continuously expanding its line of Echo smart speakers. Google, on the other hand, now owns Nest and has brought the company further under its control, and has rebranded most of its “Google Home” devices under the new Nest name, like Google Nest Mini, for instance. If you’re on the hunt for smart home devices, there’s a good chance you’re shopping from one of these two companies. 

A lit Wyze lightbulb A lit Wyze lightbulb

Wyze’s $8 bulb is an excellent white light LED. 

Chris Monroe/CNET

That’s part of the purpose of this post — to look at the smart home in a different way and to see what else is out there when you remove the most obvious players. That said, Alexa and Google Assistant are compatible with pretty much every smart home gadget at this point. For better or for worse, this would be an exceptionally short list if we stuck to devices that are entirely independent of Google Assistant and Alexa compatibility. It would be even shorter if we left off products that use backend support from Amazon Web Services or Google Cloud

Larger questions about market consolidation and data stewardship emerge when you go deeper down the rabbit hole on Amazon’s and Google’s omnipresence in our lives. There’s also the question of privacy. Amazon and Google dot headline for misusing user information and collecting health care data without informing people. Amazon’s home security company, Ring, has been the subject of numerous CNET reports for its partnership with over 725 law enforcement agencies across the US

I had to draw a line somewhere for this story, so for the purposes of this product roundup, Amazon, Ring, Blink, Eero, Ecobee, Google and Nest-branded devices are out. 

The brands I list here aren’t impervious to data breaches, either. Apple, which I nominate below for the best smart speaker and the best smart display, had an iPhone security flaw that allowed hackers to gather personal information from websites. An issue with Apple’s FaceTime app made it possible to listen to a person receiving a call, even if they didn’t answer the call.     

Still, this is a particularly great list if you have concerns about the privacy of Amazon and Google products. 

Now that all of that is out of the way, let’s get into this list of the top smart home devices that aren’t made by Amazon or Google.

<div content="LIST ITEM" superlative="The best smart speaker" description="

Apple’s smart speaker — the&nbsp;HomePod&nbsp;– hit stores in early 2018 but is already discontinued. The newer, smaller and smarter HomePod Mini is Apple’s sole smart speaker focus and our favorite pick if you don’t want an Amazon or Google model.

It delivers excellent sound quality and solid, albeit limited, third-party Siri voice integrations for controlling smart home devices. Pair two HomePod Minis together to create a stereo pair or set up multiple speakers throughout your home for multiroom audio.&nbsp;

Read more:&nbsp;The Best Smart Speakers

Even so, the HomePod Mini — much like Apple’s smart home platform, HomeKit — still lags behind Amazon and Google’s ever-growing lineup of branded smart speakers and partnerships with other companies that enable so many integrations with a simple "Alexa" or "Hey, Google" command.&nbsp;

One potential benefit to HomeKit and the HomePod’s slow third-party growth is improved security. &nbsp;

Again, this doesn’t mean Apple is immune to privacy breaches, but its smart home has remained relatively untouched when you consider the Amazon and Google headlines. That makes the HomePod Mini a decent option for someone who’s a bit leery of smart speakers, particularly when it comes to user privacy.&nbsp;

We’re also keeping an eye on crowdfunded smart speakers, like the Mycroft Mark II, which claims to give "you the power of voice while maintaining privacy and data independence."

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The HomePod Mini is Apple’s affordable smart speaker for almost everyone.

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Apple’s smart speaker — the HomePod — hit stores in early 2018 but is already discontinued. The newer, smaller and smarter HomePod Mini is Apple’s sole smart speaker focus and our favorite pick if you don’t want an Amazon or Google model.

It delivers excellent sound quality and solid, albeit limited, third-party Siri voice integrations for controlling smart home devices. Pair two HomePod Minis together to create a stereo pair or set up multiple speakers throughout your home for multiroom audio. 

Read more: The Best Smart Speakers

Even so, the HomePod Mini — much like Apple’s smart home platform, HomeKit — still lags behind Amazon and Google’s ever-growing lineup of branded smart speakers and partnerships with other companies that enable so many integrations with a simple “Alexa” or “Hey, Google” command. 

One potential benefit to HomeKit and the HomePod’s slow third-party growth is improved security.  

Again, this doesn’t mean Apple is immune to privacy breaches, but its smart home has remained relatively untouched when you consider the Amazon and Google headlines. That makes the HomePod Mini a decent option for someone who’s a bit leery of smart speakers, particularly when it comes to user privacy. 

We’re also keeping an eye on crowdfunded smart speakers, like the Mycroft Mark II, which claims to give “you the power of voice while maintaining privacy and data independence.”

Show expert take Show less

If you’ve overlooked the lowly smart plug up until now, you might want to reconsider. The $30 TP-Link Kasa Smart Plug Mini, available for less on Amazon (as of writing this, it’s just $22), makes it incredibly easy to control everyday household devices. 

Connect your smart plug to a wall outlet, then plug in a desk fan, lamp or other small electronic device for easy on/off control straight from your phone — or with an Alexa or Google Assistant voice command. In addition to the Kasa Smart Plug Mini’s reliable performance, I really like that this particular smart plug doesn’t block any other outlets — something that strangely isn’t always the case (including with TP-Link’s own Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug with Energy Monitoring). 

Read more: The Best Smart Plugs

The Kasa Smart Plug Mini can also be set to control a device automatically on a schedule. For example, if you want your entryway lamp to turn on at 6 p.m. and off at 10 p.m., just go to the app and schedule it. As long as your Wi-Fi connection is solid, your TP-Link Kasa Smart Plug Mini will control your devices for you, so you can focus on more important things.

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The Honeywell Home T9 is a nice-looking smart thermostat at a reasonable price, especially because it comes with a remote sensor that tracks temperature, humidity and motion. The remote sensor, called a “Smart Room Sensor,” is powered by two AAA batteries and is supposed to have a 200-foot range. Additional sensors cost $40 each (steep, I know) and you can add up to 20. 

Read more: The Best Smart Thermostats

The Honeywell Home T9 Smart Thermostat is easy to install and the app provides straightforward step-by-step instructions to get it connected to your Wi-Fi and paired to the app. As always, make sure to consult an electrician if you have any questions about how this thermostat will work with your particular home setup. 

If you want to branch out from the app, the T9 thermostat also works with Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands.

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SimpliSafe bridges the gap between professional security systems like Vivint or ADT and standalone home security devices like the Arlo Pro 3 camera. It’s a complete, scalable home security system you install yourself. The $200 “Foundation” security kit comes with basics, including a hub, a keypad, a door/window sensor and a motion sensor. Add extra sensors and other devices as needed.

Read more: The Best Home Security Systems

For $25 per month, you get professional security monitoring from a remote call center and access to the SimpliSafe app where you can also check in on things yourself. Unlike professional security companies, SimpliSafe doesn’t come with an “early termination” fee or lock you into a contract. If you decide to cancel or move, you can either move your system to your new home or cancel without extra charges. 

SimpliSafe’s security system recently underwent a design overhaul making it much easier on the eyes than the last version. Overall, it’s an ideal system for someone craving the accessory options of an ADT without a contract.

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The August Smart Lock Pro is a Bluetooth-enabled smart lock. It comes bundled with a plug-in Connect Wi-Fi module so you can also control your lock beyond Bluetooth range from the August app. Like other locks from August (owned by the same company as Yale), this model retrofits over most deadbolts, making for a simple installation. 

Read more: The Best Smart Locks

In addition to the lock and the Connect module, the Smart Lock Pro kit includes a door sensor and a related feature called “Door Sense.” With this feature, you can confirm whether your door is open or closed and locked or unlocked straight from your phone. The app is easy to use, from following the step-by-step instructions to install your lock to checking whether your door is open or closed, as well as customizing your lock’s feature in the settings menu. The August Smart Lock Pro supports Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri voice commands.

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