Best Amazon Prime Day Smart Home Deals on Smart Thermostats, Security Cameras, and More

The Arlo Essential 2K (VMC3050-100NAS) is one of Arlo’s newer, more 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 Arlo Pro 5S is one of the company’s higher-end security cameras. It’s weatherproof and battery-powered, allowing you to place it just about anywhere on your property within WiFi range. It offers decent video quality and features color night vision, a built-in siren, and two-way audio. Additional features like AI object detection and activity zones require an Arlo Secure subscription.

The well-rated Ring Indoor Cam 2nd gen features a manual camera shutter for privacy, two-way audio, activity zones, color night vision, a built-in siren, and voice/app control via Amazon Alexa. It also comes in a fun colors: pink and starlight (a dull gold). Cloud video storage and features such as person detection require a subscription.

The TP-Link Tapo C120 is an affordable outdoor security camera that offers impeccable performance for its price. It also offers a ton of features and doesn’t require a subscription to take advantage of them. Those features include activity zones, AI alerts (for people, pets, and vehicles), color night vision, two-way audio, built-in spotlights, and local video storage using up to a 512GB microSD card (not included).

The TP-Link Tapo C420S2 performs well across the board in our tests for video quality, response time, data security, and smart features. This two-camera kit’s features include color night vision, person detection, pet detection, vehicle detection, a built-in siren, and free local video storage on up to a 256GB microSD card. Cloud video storage is also available with a subscription.

The TP-Link Tapo MagCam C425, back to its best price, is a compact, battery-powered security camera that performs well in our tests. It offers local storage with up to a 512-gigabyte microSD card (sold separately) and features person detection, pet detection, vehicle detection, monitoring zones, and more. Best of all, you don’t need a subscription to use any of these features. TP-Link also sells a $40 solar panel that can be connected to the camera to keep its battery charged.

The Wyze Cam V4 is a tiny, yet mighty, security camera that works indoors and out. It offers great video quality and speedy response times for motion alerts. It works with Amazon Alexa and Google Home, but cloud video storage and certain features require a Wyze Cam 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.

Google’s newest smart thermostat, the Nest Learning Thermostat 4th gen, comes with a remote temperature sensor that you can place in another room to balance heating and cooling. It’s one of just a few Matter-compatible smart thermostats on the market, meaning it works with any major smart home system, including Apple Home.

Do you ever wish you could control your window AC from your phone? The Sensibo Air allows you to do just that. It’s a smart thermostat that works with any window AC that comes with a remote control. In our tests, it’s very easy to set up and use, and it features robust app controls. (On the downside, there are no physical controls or screen on the device.) The device features a humidity sensor, geofencing, and compatibility with all four major smart-home systems (Amazon Alexa, Apple Home, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings). Amazon is discounting a 1-pack and a 3-pack (for people with multiple window AC units) by more than 20 percent.

Among the best outdoor smart plugs you can buy, the TP-Link Kasa EP40 is fairly easy to set up and even easier to use, based on our expert evaluations, offering voice/app control via Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings. The plug’s two outlets can be controlled independently.

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

The Amazon Smart Plug is essentially an accessory for consumers who use Amazon Echo speakers and Alexa to run their smart home, because it’s managed entirely from the Alexa app and doesn’t work with other smart home systems. It performs quite well in our tests of the best smart plugs, with our experts finding it very easy to set up and use. It also provides strong data security.

The TP-Link Tapo D210 is one of the most affordable doorbell cameras in our ratings and it performs better than many more expensive cameras. This 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. Its 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 require a subscription.

The Arlo Video Doorbell 2K is one of the best video doorbells you can buy. It provides the flexibility to install it wherever you need it. You can run it using the rechargeable battery or hardwire it to a home’s doorbell wiring for continuous power. Features include geofencing and voice/app control via Amazon Alexa and Google Home. Cloud video storage and additional features (such as alerts for people, packages, animals, and vehicles) require an Arlo Secure subscription. The price has fallen $30 below the previous best price at Amazon.

In addition to two cameras (one aimed out at visitors, the other down at packages), the Eufy Video Doorbell E340 packs a ton of features, including color night vision (thanks to built-in spotlights), person detection, package detection, and 8 gigabytes of memory to store video locally. Eufy also offers optional cloud video storage subscriptions. The model can be powered with a rechargeable battery pack or low-voltage doorbell wiring.

The Google Nest Video Doorbell (Battery) offers impressive data security, speedy response times, and decent video quality in our lab tests. It’s also one of few video doorbells to give you monitoring zones, object recognition (of people, packages, animals, and vehicles), and 3 free hours of cloud video storage without a monthly subscription. Cloud video storage and additional features (such as facial recognition) require a Google Nest Aware subscription.

The Ring Battery Doorbell (2024 Release) is Ring’s entry-level battery doorbell. It performs well in our tests, offering especially speedy response times for alerts and decent video quality. Its features include motion zones, schedules for alerts, and voice/app control via Amazon Alexa. Cloud video storage and additional features (such as person detection) require a Ring Home 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. The model needs low-voltage doorbell wiring for power. Cloud video storage is available via a subscription. This doorbell is 25 percent off its list price, and it’s such a great product that any discount is worth taking.

While it’s expensive, the Philips Hue smart bulb was hands-down the easiest to work with and offered the most impressive performance in our home evaluation of the best smart lightbulbs. The bulb generates bright, vivid colors and displays a good range of color temperatures, plus it works with Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings when paired to a compatible smart speaker or hub. It can be used on its own via Bluetooth, but requires the Philips Hue Bridge for Apple Home integration and additional functionality. Amazon has a handful of Philips Hue bundles on sale for about 20 to 40 percent off.

The TP-Link Kasa Smart KL125 smart bulb offers the best deal of the 10 smart lightbulbs we evaluated. It retails for $15 per bulb and 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 back down to their Black Friday prices. You can buy one bulb for $7 or two bulbs for $12.

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 discounted for Prime Day. 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.

The Govee Permanent Outdoor Lights 2 are a great solution to the annual routine of putting up holiday lights. You mount them once and leave them up year-round. They can display dozens of different lighting patterns for every holiday you can imagine, and when you’re not in a holiday  season they can be used as white accent lights for your home. In my evaluation, the lights were very easy to set up and worked with every major smart home platform thanks to the Matter standard. Amazon is discounting 50-foot, 100-foot, and 150-foot sets of these lights in both black and white finishes by about 30 percent.

To make your holiday light display really pop this year, consider the Twinkly Strings. We 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 200 LED color set for 49 percent off, or a 600 LED set that can display colors and pure white light for 12 percent off. The 200 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.

Want an easy-to-install floodlight camera? The Blink Outdoor 4 Floodlight Camera runs on batteries and offers great video quality. Features include activity zones, voice/app control via Amazon Alexa, and up to 5 minutes of continuous live streaming at a time. You can also store footage locally, without a subscription, by using the included Blink Sync Module 2 (worth $50) and plugging in a USB flash drive (sold separately).

The Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight Camera can run off either a rechargeable battery or plug-in power cord, sold separately for $50, which connects to the bottom of the camera and can run up to 25 feet to connect to an outlet. It performs quite well in our lab tests, includes a siren, and offers voice/app control with all four major platforms: Amazon Alexa, Apple Home (with an Arlo Pro Smart Hub, sold separately), Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings. Additional features, such as activity zones, person detection, and cloud video storage, require an Arlo Secure subscription.

The Floodlight Cam E340 is one of Eufy’s dual-camera models, meaning it has a 3K wide-angle camera and a 2K telephoto camera that work together to give you up to 8x zoom. It’s also one of the few motorized pan-and-tilt floodlight cameras available today, allowing you to easily check the camera’s surroundings. It receives top scores for video quality and response time in our tests. Its list of features includes local video storage with up to a 128-gigabyte microSD card (sold separately), motion tracking to follow subjects as they move around your home, and 24/7 video recording (not just recording when motion is detected).

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 Nest Aware subscription.

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.

Interested in a smart lock but don’t like hubs and dongles? The August WiFi Smart Lock connects directly to WiFi, no hub needed. It’s also a retrofit model, meaning it replaces only the interior side of your deadbolt so you can keep your existing keys. It performs quite well in our tests, including those for ease of remote access and convenience. Features include auto-locking and unlocking, access logs, electronic keys, and a door sensor.

The Schlage Encode Plus supports Apple Home Key, which lets you unlock your door with a tap from an Apple Watch or iPhone (similar to Apple Pay). The Encode Plus performs well in our brute-force tests for kick-ins and drilling, but it’s somewhat susceptible to lock-picking. Features include an access log, auto-locking, electronic keys, a tamper alarm, and compatibility with voice assistants and smart home apps, including Amazon Alexa, Apple Home, and Google Home.

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. For Prime Day, SimpliSafe is discounting system starter kits by about 50 percent at Amazon and Best Buy.

Ring Alarm (2nd Gen) starter kits are on sale for 40 to 50 percent off this Prime Day, with the 5-piece kit hitting an all-time low price of $100. Ring receives high scores in our home security system owner satisfaction ratings, whether you go with professional monitoring or monitor it yourself. The system requires a $5 per month subscription to receive smartphone alerts when the alarm goes off, but it works with Amazon Alexa (for voice control) and Ring video doorbells and security cameras.

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.

The Rachio 3 8ZULW-C is a solid sprinkler controller that’s easy to connect to WiFi and highly responsive to local forecasts. It lost a few points in our tests because the wiring instructions are unclear, and it lacks a backup battery and weatherproof casing. (A weatherproof enclosure is sold separately for $30.) It works with up to eight sprinkler zones; four-zone and 16-zone versions are also available.

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 $3 more than the best price.

The Meross MSG100 is the best smart garage door opener controller from our 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. 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.) This is about the lowest price we’ve seen for this product.