Trust me: Smart home devices make awesome home upgrades as well as handy gifts for the person who has everything. But they’re not all created equal. I’ve been testing home devices for years, and I watch for several factors before I recommend them to people, including real-world results for saving money and energy, daily uses that actually make my life easier and features that help protect our privacy.
Here are my favorite devices that pass the test and are available for big discounts during Amazon’s October Prime Day. They include budget items that cost less than dinner and high-end additions, if you want to spend more to get the best. See what your home could use, below.
A tiny, LED indicator light lets you know the status of your smart plug and if it’s rebooting or shut down. / Molly Price/CNET
Smart plugs with extra tricks
Tapo Smart Plug 2-pack
Get it now
Expert Take
Smart plugs make great first-time home upgrades, adding app-based scheduling and remote control for typically just $10 to $15. They work especially well with common household appliances, including something as simple as a lamp.
Tapo’s two-pack option is one of my favorites for an important reason: It also adds energy monitoring, which few plugs have but is handy for spotting energy hogs around your home, such as those hungry space heaters you may have brought out for cold weather.
Bottom Line
Tapo’s plugs are both an easy and cheap upgrade, but my favorite extra is the energy monitoring option.
Humidity management could even lead to savings. / Tyler Lacoma/CNET
The prettiest, most cost-saving home upgrade
Google Nest Learning Thermostat (4th gen)
Get it now
Expert Take
If I had my way, everyone would get a smart thermostat for Christmas. These devices are a major improvement over old heating and cooling controls. They offer eco and vacation modes, easier scheduling through apps, voice controls and algorithms that learn when the house is active or quiet and adjust automatically.
Many smart thermostats pay for themselves within a year or two with energy savings. My Nest model eventually did, and it’s one of the fanciest around, with a dazzling dial display and optional connections to other appliances, too.
Bottom Line
It really exists — a thermostat that pays for itself through energy savings while also making heating easier to manage. Plus, it looks great doing it.
Nanoleaf has a few unique tricks for easy holiday setups. / Nanoleaf
Holiday lights done right, and more
Nanoleaf Smart String Lights, Indoor
Get it now
Expert Take
If your tired old holiday lights are due for an upgrade, consider these discounted smart lights. Their durable LEDs can display any color you choose through the app, and multiple lengths are available, with the best deal on the extra-long version. The app also lets you set dynamic effects, sync the lights to music or create your own patterns.
With virtually limitless colors and themes, you can use these lights for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s and any other color-themed event. That means they can stay up year-round if you really want to get the most out of them.
Bottom Line
Choose every color, pattern and theme with these durable smart lights, making them useful for holidays and year-round events.
Zafro’s fan has excellent app controls and more. / Zafro
You won’t believe how good cool air feels
Zafro Smart Tower Fan
Get it now
Expert Take
After testing airflow and more, we can confirm that Zafro’s smart fan is one of the best we’ve ever found, with detailed speed and direction controls, plus up to a 43-foot reach. Do you know how handy it is to control a fan with your voice or a phone app when you’re across the room? It’s very, very nice.
The fan includes timers, modes such as a smart sleep setting so it won’t disturb light sleepers and plenty more choices. You won’t believe how much of a difference this upgrade can make.
Bottom Line
This fan did the best in our airflow tests, and has smart features you’ll love — especially when things get hot.
What’s the best choice?
My Prime picks can work in all types of homes, depending on what you need. My personal favorite is probably the Nest thermostat because I watched mine pay for itself across a few years of use, but that’s not an upgrade everyone wants to spend money on. Another favorite is the Tapo smart plug pack, because Tapo is one of the very few smart plug makers that offer energy monitoring, which is also nice for saving energy when you’re using something like a space heater or my Zafro tower fan pick.
More from CNET
Should I wait until Prime Day?
The best parts of these smart home deals are likely to kick in on Prime Day, so I’d say it’s worth waiting a day or two to see how much you can save. Just keep this list bookmarked so you remember what models to get.
