It can be overwhelming to figure out how far to push your home automation. Do you want to ask Siri to turn on your oven? Do you need a push notification when your laundry is dry? Do you want to see who is at your front door before you answer? It all depends on your needs—how you interact with your virtual assistant, apps, and devices.

The best way to review what smart home technology you require is to approach it by device type. To help you on your way, these are the smart home technologies that we think you should adopt and avoid.

Smart Home Technology to Adopt

These are the smart home technologies that are affordable, perform well, and are worth your time.

1. Smart Speakers and Assistants

Digital assistants are the gateway to smart home automation. To have a device work on voice command, you'll need one of some form. If you’re starting your smart home journey, begin here.

The main options are Alexa by Amazon, Google Assistant, and Apple’s Siri. There are many form factors available, especially for Amazon Echo devices. You can get an inexpensive small speaker, a more powerful large speaker, or an option with a screen.

Amazon smart speaker sitting on a book with the blue listening light on

Whichever brand you choose will dictate the devices you purchase to set up your smart home automation. The good news is you really can’t go wrong.

2. Smart Plugs, Switches, and Light Bulbs

The ability to tell Alexa, Siri, or Google to turn a light on from your couch is at the very core of what makes you want to implement a smart home. It's a luxury of the digital age that never gets old.

In addition to convenience, remote lighting control has many other perks as well. Out for the evening and want your entry lights on when you get home? Ask your assistant to turn them on from your phone or smartwatch. You can even set up a routine to automatically turn lights on or off when it's convenient for you or while you’re on vacation.

Smart rope lighting in a bedroom
Image Credit: GE Lighting

Smart plugs are a great way to control lights or other devices operating on plugs throughout your home. They can be programmed to go on and off via an app or your virtual assistant. You can give them instant commands, or have them operate on a timer or schedule. Smart plugs have plenty of uses—for example, to control lit decorations that you want on during certain hours, or small appliances that you want to turn off when not in use to save electricity.

Smart plugs, switches, and light bulbs are very affordable and easy to install. Integration is becoming increasingly seamless as well, especially with the rollout of the Matter standard.

3. Smart Thermostats

Smart thermostats are a mainstay of the smart home. When the Nest Learning Thermostat released in 2011, it fundamentally changed the way users interacted with their home’s thermostat.

Want to manually control your home’s HVAC system from anywhere, or make your home more eco-friendly and save on heating and cooling costs? These products are for you.

Amazon Smart Thermostat
Amazon Smart Thermostat

The Amazon Smart Thermostat is currently one of the most affordable thermostats that work with Alexa. It's not as advanced as some Nest and Ecobee models, but it makes up for that with an aggressive price and Alexa Hunches that automatically set up your desired temperature. You can also adjust the temperatures from anywhere using the Alexa app.

Smart thermostats come in all sorts of price points with features to match. For example, Amazon has a budget friendly thermostat, the Amazon Smart Thermostat, but affordable options are also available from the likes of Ecobee and Google Nest.

4. Robot Vacuums

Who doesn’t want their house vacuumed every day with little effort? Robot vacuums have made the move from a fringe luxury to the mainstream. The original iRobot Roombas now have tough competition from brands like Eufy and Shark.

Spatial recognition tech has improved to the point that robot vacuums can operate in tight spaces without frequently getting stuck. Alexa integration and self-emptying options have made it easy for users to set and forget them. It's the perfect time to invest in a robot vacuum.

5. Smart Cameras and Doorbells

Internet-connected camera systems and video doorbells have become user-friendly enough to be commonplace in the homes of most tech-savvy people. They are easy to set up, maintain, use, and they provide a lot of value.

Blink Video doorbell
Image Credit: Blink Smart Security

The ability to see and interact with visitors at your door (wherever you may be) is game-changing. Videos from popular Ring and Nest doorbells are easy to save and share with law enforcement or neighbors in the case of theft or other concerns. The same goes for security camera footage.

There are many options available, from Amazon’s Ring or Blink systems, to Google’s Nest range. It's hard to go wrong.

Smart Home Technology to Avoid

It's not all golden when it comes to smart home technology. For most homeowners, these are the devices not worth investing in—at least not until the market matures or the price lowers.

1. Smart TVs

Virtually all new TVs sold today come equipped with internet connectivity and smart functionality. However, there are many reasons not to buy a smart TV, like security risks, slow performance, and frustrating interfaces.

Netflix app on a smart TV

With streaming boxes and sticks like Amazon Fire TV, Roku, and Apple TV (which provide smart functionality to any TV), it makes more sense to choose your TV based on picture quality, cost, and reliability rather than its smart capabilities.

2. Smart Scales

Smart scales are by no means a new technology, but more devices continue to enter the market at lower prices. However, many users describe frustrating experiences in set up and use.

To offer a picture of your overall health, these connected scales need an app for more advanced display and tracking. Unfortunately, many of the apps associated with these scales are buggy. For example, users of the inexpensive but popular Xiaomi Mi Composition Scale 2 report difficulty keeping scales connected to the app via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

Elsewhere, Fitbit’s Aria 2 scale presents an interesting option, since it comes as a piece of the larger Fitbit universe. However, users still report setup headaches. It also only tracks weight, BMI, and body fat percentage, lacking the advanced health metrics that drive many toward a smart scale.

3. Smart Mattresses

Smart mattresses take a large piece of furniture and add a layer of technology. They typically use embedded sensors to see what is happening with your body while you sleep—like sleep position, body temperature, heart rate, and snoring.

The main downside of smart mattresses is the cost. They typically begin at a couple of thousand dollars, going all the way up to a five-figure price tag. A hefty cost for the average user. If you’re looking to monitor ongoing sleep issues, you may find them worth the cost. Otherwise, it's probably best to wait for the price to drop before you adopt this technology.

4. Smart Appliances

While you may be happy buying an Alexa-enabled air fryer for under $200, you might want to hold off on purchasing large and pricey appliances simply because they offer smart capabilities.

picture of open refrigerator

If it's important for you to have your refrigerator know what you’re low on and automatically add those items to your shopping list, then by all means buy that smart refrigerator. However, with the pace at which technology is evolving, it's likely that the next best thing will emerge and make your pricey appliance obsolete well before you’ve gotten your money’s worth.

The typical lifespan of a large appliance is north of 10 years. If you do go with a smart appliance, check with the manufacturer to ensure that they plan to offer support (including security updates) for a period you’re satisfied with.

5. Smart Toilets

Smart toilets are another way to take a simple object, connect it to the internet, and have it cost thousands. Most of these new, fancy toilets offer features like remote controls with LED screens, heated seats, apps to control your settings, ambient lighting, bidets, and more.

best smart toilets
Image Credit: dadao/Shutterstock

CES 2023 saw new toilet bowl sensors announced, with the purpose of analyzing urine for potential health concerns. If you consider yourself a toilet superuser, there are plenty of great smart toilets to buy. However, for the average user, wait and see how the technology evolves and for the prices to come down.

Your Smart Home, Your Choice

Most of our recommendations are based on cost, longevity, and stage of technology. For instance, it's easier to pick a smart speaker when they are known to be reliable, and are available in a variety of forms and prices. The products we suggest avoiding are mainly because of hefty price tags, questionable usability, or unknown long-term support.

But, at the end of the day, it's up to you. If you want to splash the cash and be at the forefront of smart home innovation, don't hold back.