25 high-tech smart home gifts to upgrade their life

An affordable, effective smart camera

Wyze Cam, $25.98, available at Amazon

Don't let the low price fool you: This tiny security camera is one of the best that money can buy, and it makes a great stocking stuffer. It shoots 1080p video, which you can access from your phone, and will send an alert if it spots an intruder. 

A smart power strip

Wireless Smart Power Strip, $29.99, available at Monoprice

This power strip consists of four outlets and two USB ports which you can individually turn on and off, and automate using Alexa and Google Assistant. It can turn anything that's plugged into it into a smart device. 

A smart, switch-pressing robot

SwitchBot, $29, available at Amazon

Some devices can't just be automated with a smart plug because you need to push a button to turn them on. Enter the SwitchBot, an adorable button-pushing robot. Using Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri, you can tell it to turn on your light switch, or press the "on" button on your fan, coffeemaker, air conditioner, or anything else.

A smart plug to automate almost anything

WeMo Mini, $29.99

A smart plug makes a great stocking stuffer, and the WeMo Mini is one of the best you can buy. It has a compact design, and you can automate it with Alexa, Google Assistant, and HomeKit. 

An Amazon Echo that doubles as a clock

Echo Dot with Clock, $59.99, available at Amazon

Amazon's newest Echo Dot is a neat little smart speaker and alarm clock hybrid that won't take up much space on a nightstand or coffee table. It sounds great for such a small device, and you can ask Amazon's smart voice-activated assistant Alexa to interact with a variety of smart devices in a home, like turn off lights, adjust the temperature on your smart thermostats, and set burglar alarms. 

It's a great little gift for to replace an ancient alarm clock. It's on the pricier side at $60, but it's bound to be better than anything your friends or relatives currently use. 

A Tile for often misplaced items

Tile Pro, $25, available at Amazon

This is the "Pro" version of Tiles, which are Bluetooth trackers that can be attached to things like phones, luggage, bags, electronics. The major difference between the pro version is longer range and a louder ring. As for pet-tracking, Tile doesn't suggest you do that with the Pro. Rather, the standard Tile Mate is more suitable for pets. 

The Tile Pro has a 400-foot wireless Bluetooth range, and even if it's out of Bluetooth range, you can use Tile's crowd-finding network that draws from other people's Tile devices, which can pinpoint where the lost item is via the Tile mobile app. It's resistant to water so it can take a splash and some rain, and it has a replaceable battery with a one-year battery life. 

A mini smart speaker from Google

Google Nest Mini, $29.99, available at Best Buy

Google's Nest Mini is the mini version of Google's Nest smart speaker lineup, and its low price and compact footprint means it's a great place to start if you want to see whether your friend or relative are ready to use and like smart home devices. Likewise, it can be a good addition for someone who's already embraced smart devices — it can be placed in a room that doesn't already have a smart speaker for little cost. Just make sure that person is using the Google ecosystem for their smart devices. 

With the Nest Mini, you can ask a wide range of questions, as well as tell Google Assistant to do certain things, like turn off smart lights, turn on the burglar alarm, or play music or a podcast. There's so much these smart speakers can do.

A smart clock that can do much more

Lenovo Smart Clock, $79.99, available at Lenovo

Google Assistant doesn't only come in speakers; it also comes in small alarm clocks with smart displays, including this one. The Google Assistant-equipped Lenovo Smart Clock uses a combination of lights and sounds to wake you up. You can choose from a number of different alarms and visual elements. 

A 4K-ready streaming dongle

Roku Premier 4K, $39.99, available at Best Buy

You can't realy go wrong with any of the 4K media streamers, but if we had to pick one, it would be the Roku. That's because it's not affiliated with any company in particular, and it doesn't get tangled up with inter-company disputes, like we saw with Amazon and Google when YouTube become unavailable for Amazon Fire TV customers. 

Streaming devices will all come with the most popular streaming apps like Netflix, Hulu, HBO, and so on. For Amazon Prime Video on a Chromecast, however, it's a little different — and herein lies my reasoning to get a Roku, which lets you watch anything on any service, even Apple's TV streaming channel. If you want to gift someone a 4K streaming device, let it be the Roku. It's also one of the cheapest 4K streamers, too. 

A smart padlock with a fingerprint scanner

Tapplock Lite, $39, available at Amazon

For anyone who goes to the gym, school, or anywhere else you need to place valuables in a locker, a smart padlock is a great present. You can unlock this one with just your fingerprint —no key or combination necessary.

A smart home hub from Google with a display

Google Nest Hub, $99.99, available at Best Buy

This device is one of our favorite smart displays, and one of the cheaper ones you can buy. You can use its 7-inch screen to watch YouTube videos, follow along with recipes and other tutorials, or read song lyrics. You can also use it to control all of your Google Assistant-compatible smart devices.

A remote for all of your smart devices

Harmony 665, $69.99, available at Logitech

A universal remote can be a god-send for a smart-home owner who wants an easy way to control all their different devices. The Harmony 665 can control a number of tech products, including lights, plugs, smart locks, and even cable boxes, all in one easy place.

The new Google Nest Audio smart speaker

Google Nest Audio, $99.99, available at Best Buy

A Google Assistant speaker like the new Google Nest Audio can introduce your friend or relatives to the world of smart-homes and smart devices. You can read the full review of the Google Nest Audio here. 

An Amazon smart display

Echo Show 8, $104.99, available at Amazon

Amazon makes a number of different Echo Show smart displays, from the $59.99 miniature Echo Show 5 to the full-sized, booming, $229.99 Echo Show 2nd-Gen. For gifting, the $79.99 Echo Show 8 is the best combination of price and quality. It sports most of the features of the larger Echo Show, including a bright 8-inch screen, a webcam, and Amazon Alexa built-in. You can use the touchscreen to watch videos, browse the internet, and control your smart-home devices, and can also use the camera to video chat.

A smart precision cooker for sous vide

Anova Nano Precision Cooker, $124.89, available at Walmart

Any chef, even one who's not too tech-savvy, will appreciate the gift of a smart sous vide. Just place your ingredients in a sealed container, drop the container into hot water with the Anova, and the device will do the rest — it's an easy way to fit cooking into a busy schedule.

A smart lighting starter kit with dimmer switches

Lutron Caseta Wireless Smart Lighting Dimmer Switch Starter Kit, $99.95, available at The Home Depot

These are smart dimmer switches you can automate, or control remotely with Lutron's app or smart assistants like Amazon's Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple HomeKit. They're the kind of smart device that work perfectly with smart assistants.

The prospect of swapping out your light switches for smart dimmers might be intimidating, but this starter kit has everything your friend or relative will need, and Lutron's smartphone app will guide them step-by-step through the process.

A smart lighting bulb kit

Philips Hue White & Color Ambiance LED Starter Kit, $149.99, available at Best Buy

Gift this to a friend who wants to equip a full apartment or house with smart lights. This kit includes three bulbs that can change from white to a range of colors, which you can control with Alexa, Google Assistant, and HomeKit, and a Philips Hue Bridge that connects them to your router. You can automate the bulbs with timers and schedules, and create gorgeous lighting effects. With the Philips Hue Sync feature, they can even sync up with the audio of your music, movies, or games. The kit also comes with a smart dimmer switch for the bulbs. 

A straight-up Amazon smart speaker

Amazon Echo 4th-Gen, $99.99, available at Amazon

Amazon's Echo Dots are a cool gift, but if you're shopping at a higher price point, the Echo 4th-Gen is a bigger smart speaker with a much deeper sound. It comes in three different colors, so you can purchase the one that best fits your friend's or relative's decor. 

Built into the Echo 4th-Gen is Amazon's smart voice assistant, Alexa, which can answer a variety of basic questions like weather, facts, and sports scores. Alexa on the Echo can also control smart home devices light lights, thermostats, and alarms with your voice. 

A vanity mirror with Alexa

iHome Alexa Vanity Mirror, $99.99, available at Kohl's

Gift this to any friend who enjoys makeup, hairstyling, or skin care. It's a vanity mirror with Alexa built in, and it will look great in any modern bathroom. They'll be able to easily play music, hear the traffic reports, or play around with Amazon's voice assistant while getting ready for the day.

A smart face mask for all occasions

Foreo UFO Smart Face Mask, $299, available at Foreo

Any beauty or skincare enthusiast will appreciate this smart face mask. Foreo makes a number of face masks for different occasions; there's one for nighttime, one for the morning, one customized for relaxation, and many more. Place one on the device and select the type in the Foreo app. The UFO will guide you through a customized application process that's super relaxing and feels great.

The absolute best-sounding Alexa speaker

Sonos One, $199, available at Best Buy

The Sonos One is the absolute best-sounding Alexa speaker you can buy for anyone who wants truly premium audio. It's also a great gift for anyone who already has other Sonos speakers, as it will integrate with them for a multi-room audio experience.

A colorful smart light strip

Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance Light strip, $79.97, available at The Home Depot

This gift will help a friend or relative add a splash of color and light to their house. You can place it under stairs, behind a TV, or under a desk, and it creates a very cool, almost futuristic effect. (If your recipient is confused, tell them to look at pictures online for ideas of where to put it.)

A smart wall lighting kit

Nanoleaf Canvas Smarter Kit, $199, available at The Home Depot

The Nanoleaf Canvas is a truly customizable smart-home gift. It comes with nine smart LED panels, which your friend or relative can stick on their wall in any pattern they please. Together, the panels can display hundreds of color schemes, and create truly stunning effects; they can flicker, strobe, cycle, sync to your music, and more. There are even some cute games built in.

A smart doorbell with video recording

Ring Video Doorbell 3, $199.99, available at Amazon

Video doorbells might sound weird to give as a gift, but this one makes a perfect present because there's nothing intimidating about the setup process — it's battery-powered and rechargeable, so your friend doesn't need to fiddle with any wires, and they can stick it onto their door in about five minutes. It's also possible to hook it up to your doorbell's existing wiring, too. 

You can monitor the ring's 1080p video feed from your smartphone, and it can send an alert when someone approaches the door. All it needs is a home's WiFi connection. 

A smart vacuum with smartphone support

Shark Ion R85, $329.99, available at Amazon

Many people think of robot vacuums as a luxury purchase, but this is one of the best ones you can buy and it's only $199.99. The R85 can suck up pet hair, crumbs, dust, and anything else it might find on your floor, and is easy to set up and control with the connected smartphone app.