Best Cyber Monday Smart Home Deals

If you want to ditch your house keys entirely, check out this keyless Yale Assure smart lock. It performs exceptionally well in all our lab tests, with great resistance to kick-ins, drilling, and lock picking. It comes with the Yale Connect WiFi Bridge (worth $80) to connect the lock to WiFi and features remote control, an access log, voice control (via Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit/Siri, and Google Assistant), electronic keys, and a door open/close sensor.

CR’s test results: Yale Assure YRD256-CBA-619 smart door lock

The Arlo Pro 3 is one of the top-scoring security cameras in our ratings, offering terrific video quality, data security, and response time. It records 2K HDR video and offers color night vision via its integrated spotlight, voice control (via Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit/Siri, and Google Assistant), two-way audio, and a siren. With an Arlo Smart plan, you’ll also get cloud video storage, monitoring zones, and detection of people, animals, vehicles, and packages. This deal from Amazon gets you a three-camera kit for $250 off its list price, which is a great deal for these impressive cameras.

CR’s test results: Arlo Pro 3 wireless security camera

The Ring Stick Up Cam (third-generation) is a terrific little security camera that can be placed indoors or out. It offers impressive video quality and response time, as well as strong data security, in our lab tests. It records 1080p HD video and features monitoring zones, voice control via Amazon Alexa, and two-way audio to speak with visitors. With a Ring Protect plan, you’ll get 60 days of cloud video storage, person detection, and periodic photo snapshots between video clips.

CR’s test results: Ring Stick Up Cam (third-generation) wireless security camera

The Ecobee Smart Thermostat with Voice Control is a top-performer in our tests, offering easy-to-use controls, decent automation of your heating and cooling, and plenty of smart features. This model doubles as an Amazon Alexa smart speaker and features a touch screen, voice control via Apple HomeKit/Siri and Google Assistant, and the ability to learn your routine. It also comes with a wireless temperature sensor that can be put in other rooms away from the thermostat to more accurately heat and cool them (additional sensors are sold separately).

CR's test results: Ecobee Smart Thermostat With Voice Control

The Google Nest Learning Thermostat, now in its third generation, is still one of the very best smart thermostats available. In our tests, it earns high marks for its automation and smart features, which can help you save money on your energy bill. It also features an occupancy sensor (to know whether you’re home or away) and voice control via Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

This thermostat is $50 off its list price at Lowe’s, and Costco is offering the same price and throwing in a free Nest Temperature Sensor, usually $39, which you can use to more precisely heat and cool a room that is far away from the thermostat.

CR’s test results: Nest Learning Thermostat

The Arlo Video Doorbell performs decently in our tests, with superb data security, but so-so video quality and response time. It records HDR video and offers geofencing, monitoring zones, and voice control via Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. With an Arlo Smart plan, you’ll also get cloud video storage, and detection of people, animals, vehicles, and packages. This doorbell is available for $50 off its typical price, making it a great alternative to Ring’s $100 model.

CR's test results: Arlo Video Doorbell

The Google Nest Hello is one of the best video doorbells you can buy, and it’s $50 off for Black Friday. In our tests, it offers superb video quality, data security, and response time. This model records 1080p HDR video, works with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant for voice control, offers person detection, and works with existing hardwired doorbell chimes. The Hello does need to be hardwired for power, though, so you’ll need to consider battery-powered models if your home lacks doorbell wiring. With a Nest Aware subscription, you can get cloud video storage, monitoring zones to focus on or block out specific areas of the camera’s view, facial recognition, and package detection.

CR's test results: Nest Hello

The Ring Video Doorbell 3 does quite well in our tests, with strong video quality and data security. Its response time is a little sluggish, though. Still, this doorbell can be battery-powered or hardwired, and it offers 1080p HDR video, voice control via Amazon Alexa, and monitoring zones. With a Ring Protect plan, you’ll get 60 days of cloud video storage, person detection, more customizable monitoring zones, and periodic photo snapshots between video clips. Best Buy and Lowe’s are selling the doorbell for $60 off, while Amazon is selling it for $50 and throwing in a free Amazon Echo Show 5, $90, which you can use to answer the door with a simple voice command.

CR's test results: Ring Video Doorbell 3

The Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus performs identically to the Ring Video Doorbell 3 in our tests, with strong video quality and data security, and offers almost all of the same features. So what’s the difference? The 3 Plus features “pre-roll video” that gives you a four-second clip of what happened before the doorbell detected motion. With a Ring Protect plan, you’ll get 60 days of cloud video storage, person detection, highly customizable monitoring zones, and periodic photo snapshots between video clips. This doorbell is on sale for $70 off its list price, but Amazon has a special deal only available through Alexa that gets you the doorbell for $100 off (making it cheaper than the Ring Video Doorbell 3). To get the deal, you have to order through your smart speaker by saying “Alexa, order a Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus.”

CR's test results: Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus

Ring’s original full HD doorbell is a bit on the old side, but it’s still a decent option if you want a hardwired model with free, customizable motion zones. In our tests, the Ring Video Doorbell Pro doesn’t offer the greatest video quality, but it does have great response time and data security. The doorbell works with Amazon Alexa for voice control, and with a Ring Protect plan, you’ll get 60 days of cloud video storage, person detection, and periodic photo snapshots between video clips. While Amazon is taking $80 off, Costco is doing the same and adding a free one-year subscription to the Ring Protect Plus plan, $100.

CR's test results: Ring Video Doorbell Pro

The newest Echo looks radically different from its predecessors, with globelike styling replacing the now-iconic cylinders. Its smart speaker capabilities haven't changed much, mostly because the Echo, like all smart speakers, relies on the company's cloud servers to do the digital heavy lifting.

The Echo is improved with a new Zigbee smart home hub that allows you to control compatible devices without using an app. The sound quality is also noticeably better than the previous version’s, with better bass and clearer trebles.

If you listen to a lot of music, you might consider the more expensive but even better-sounding Echo Studio.

CR's test results: Amazon Echo (4th generation)

The latest version of the Echo Dot features new styling, a spherical look that's a shrunken version of the larger and more expensive Echo, which is also new. In terms of smart speaker performance, the Dot hasn't changed much from its hockey-pucklike predecessor, and still works about as well as the company's more expensive models. That's because most of Alexa's heavy-duty artificial intelligence work is done on Amazon's cloud servers. Which makes the Dot a good value in that regard. Music is another story. Our testers find the newest Dot to sound somewhat better than its predecessors, with slightly clearer highs and a bit more bass. However, the Dot is still best for listening close-by to a podcast rather than for filling a room with music.

CR's test results: Amazon Echo Dot (4th generation)