Best Prime Big Deal Days Sales on Smart Home Products

The Arlo Essential 2K (VMC3050-100NAS) is one of Arlo’s most budget-friendly security cameras. It performs well in our tests and features a built-in spotlight, a siren, and voice/app control via Amazon Alexa and Google Home. Additional features, such as activity zones, person detection, and cloud video storage, require an Arlo Secure subscription.

The Ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced is one of the company’s newer smart thermostats. It performs well in our tests for manual operation and offers an array of smart features, but it’s not as proficient at learning your routine and making adjustments automatically. It features a new radar-based occupancy sensor and works with Amazon Alexa, Apple Home, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings for voice and app control. It doesn’t come with one of Ecobee’s wireless temperature sensors (called SmartSensors), but you can buy those separately in a two-pack for $100 at Best Buy and Ecobee.

The TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Slim EP25 is one of the most versatile smart plugs on the market. It offers energy monitoring and compatibility with all four major smart home systems: Amazon Alexa, Apple Home, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings. Based on our expert evaluations, it’s also very easy to use and set up, and it offers decent data security. This four-pack is down to the lowest price we’ve seen for it.

The TP-Link Tapo D210 is one of the most affordable doorbell cameras in our ratings, and it outperforms many of the more expensive models. The doorbell is battery-powered, meaning you don’t have to mess with doorbell wires, and it comes with a plug-in doorbell chime in the box. Features include activity zones, color night vision, local video storage on up to a 512GB microSD card (not included), person detection, pre-recorded responses to ask visitors to leave a message, and voice/app control via Amazon Alexa and Google Home. Best of all, none of these features requires a subscription.

One of the best (and least expensive!) doorbell cameras you can buy, the TP-Link Tapo D130 offers a bunch of features—even without a subscription. These include 24/7 recording with local video storage on a microSD card (up to 512 gigabytes, sold separately), AI object recognition (for people, vehicles, packages, and pets), activity zones, and color night vision. This model needs low-voltage doorbell wiring for power. Cloud video storage is available via subscription.

The TP-Link Kasa Smart KL125 smart bulb offers the best deal of the 10 smart lightbulbs we evaluated. It has a great array of colors and dimming performance that come close to the pricier Philips Hue. The bulb also works with Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings for voice and/or app control. These bulbs are only a few dollars more than their Black Friday prices right now.

For a smart light switch that just works without fail, you can’t beat Lutron Caséta. Sure, it’s pricey, but these switches are easy to install and set up, and they’re one of the few options that don’t require a neutral wire. (Good news for people in homes built before the ‘80s). Amazon has two starter kits still discounted to about their Prime Day prices. The Original Kit includes the Lutron hub, one dimmer switch, and one wireless remote. This Deluxe Kit includes the Lutron hub, two dimmer switches, and two wireless remotes.

To make your holiday light display really pop this year, consider the Twinkly Strings. I tried out these lights a few years ago and found them to be a fun way to put on an elaborate light show. The lights connect to WiFi, so you can customize them from your smartphone, but they also work with Amazon Alexa, Apple Home, and Google Home. You can currently get a 250 LED color set for over 50 percent off with the on-page coupon, or a 600 LED set that can display colors and pure white light for 30 percent off. The 250 LED set can display white light by blending its colors, but it can’t display pure white light as it lacks the dedicated white LEDs found in the other set.

As the name suggests, the Yale Assure Lock 2 is the successor to the Yale Assure Lock SL. This keyless model performs well in our tests, holding up against kick-ins and attacks from a cordless drill. It’s very easy to set up, connect to WiFi, and control remotely when you’re not home. With the included Yale WiFi Smart Module (an $80 value), it also supports Amazon Alexa, Apple Home, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings.

The Google Nest Cam with Floodlight offers impeccable video quality, strong data security, and speedy response times. Its features include activity zones to control what areas in front of the camera trigger recording, app/voice control (via Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings), and free object detection for people, animals, and vehicles. That last feature is a big deal because most competitors charge you a subscription for it. Cloud video storage and additional features require a Google Home Premium subscription.

In our survey-based owner satisfaction ratings of home security systems, SimpliSafe scores well both as a professionally monitored system and a self-monitored system. Our members report that SimpliSafe provides good value for the money, transparent prices, and great tech support.

The Rachio Smart Hose Timer is a great way to keep your plants or lawn watered. Best of all, it uses local weather data to skip watering sessions when it rains. This timer offers a polished app experience, responsive controls to manually water your yard, and a straightforward—albeit long—setup process. That might not sound special, but it’s a tall order for smart hose timers, most of which can be buggy and use apps that look like they shipped with the very first iPhone. This Rachio timer is on sale for 28 percent off its usual list price.

The Eve Water Guard is a great leak detector, but it only works for Apple Home users at this time. When it detects water, it triggers a siren and sends you a smartphone alert. The device plugs into an outlet for continuous power and comes with a 6.5-foot water-sensing cable that you can run from the detector along floors and around pipes. To increase the reach, you can add a 6.5-foot cable extension for $20.

If you want to monitor a handful of trouble spots in your home, the X-Sense Wi-Fi Water Leak Detector SWS54 provides the best bang for your buck. You get a hub with a siren and three wireless sensors you can place throughout your home. The sensors are unique in that they can detect both water standing on the floor, and water that drips on them from exposed pipes or other sources. Each sensor has a siren, too, allowing you to easily identify the source of an alert without checking the X-Sense app. This is $5 more than the best price.

If you’re looking for a home smart speaker that delivers strong sound at a modest price, consider the Sonos Era 100. It replaces the classic Sonos One, but unlike its monophonic predecessor, it features single-box stereo capability, so you can get spacious sound from one speaker with a modest footprint. Like most Sonos products, the Era 100 is easy to set up and use and can easily be integrated into a Sonos multiroom system. It also comes with Amazon Alexa built in, so you can control other smart home devices with your voice.

For more deals on smart speakers, see our guide to the best Amazon Prime Big Deal Days sales on tech.

The Meross MSG100 is the best smart garage door opener controller from my at-home evaluation. It’s relatively easy to set up and install, and works flawlessly with all of the major smart-home systems (Amazon Alexa, Apple Home, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings).

The Airthings View Plus 2960 is a top performer in our tests of indoor air quality monitors. It’s very quick to set up, and you can easily view real-time readings through a smartphone app or a built-in display. The app also logs historical data from the monitor’s sensors. Unlike many other monitors, the Airthings claims to detect radon, a colorless, odorless, radioactive gas that can seep from the ground into a home. (CR hasn’t tested this function.)