5 Budget Smart Home Accessories That Can Make Your Home Feel Luxurious – BGR

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If you have been mulling over getting smart gadgets to turn your home high-tech, but putting it off because of how expensive all smart home devices seem — there is good news. As smart home tech has become more popular over the years, you can find products in all price segments. You don’t necessarily need to spend the big bucks to buy smart home accessories that not only add convenience to your daily life but also boost your home’s connectivity and accessibility.

Moreover, when you’re building a smart home from scratch, it’s best to start small and with relatively affordable products to familiarize yourself with how things work, their pain points, and figure out if you like having more tech in your home. You can always add more indoor and outdoor smart home devices when your budget allows or you spot a deal. So, here are some of the best yet affordable starter smart home accessories that can make you feel like you’re living in a high-tech home.

With features like motion detection, sunrise detection, and voice control, this LED Smart Light Bulb from WiZ Connected is one of the easiest ways to add a bit of smartness to your home. It doesn’t need any complex setups but still makes everything convenient. It’s also Matter Certified, and you can control it with your favorite smart home platform: Amazon Alexa, Apple Home, or Google Home. The smart bulb offers tons of customizations, and you can choose from millions of color shades to light up your space.

It also fits in standard light fixtures, removing the need for an adapter or fixture replacement. Moreover, there is support for dimming and a music sync mode. A few things to note are that you’ll need at least two WiZ devices in a room to use the bulb’s motion detection feature, there’s Alexa integration for sunrise to sunset routines, and you’ll have to connect the bulb to a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network. The WiZ LED Smart Light Bulb costs just under $13 for a pack of one or $76 for a six-pack.

If you’re into aromatherapy or you simply like a house that smells pleasant, this Smart Wi-Fi Essential Oil Diffuser from Asakuki can be a great addition to your budget smart home setup. It features a clean and elegant design with seven built-in LEDs, allowing you to change its color as per your mood or the room’s aesthetic. You can also dim or turn off the lights when needed. 

It has a 500 ml capacity for an extended runtime. However, the company doesn’t include any essential oils with the diffuser, so you’ll have to use your own. With the right oils, it can help create a calming atmosphere in your home using a fine mist of water, created with ultrasonic vibrations. The Asakuki diffuser also supports Alexa for voice control and has an accompanying app. You can use the app to change the LED color, set the level of mist, assign timers, and create schedules.

A smart speaker is another useful little gadget that’s an essential addition to any smart home. It not only makes it easier to control compatible smart home devices with your voice but also works as your digital assistant. Amazon’s Echo Dot is an excellent smart speaker that you can get on a budget. It uses Alexa to answer your queries (with Alexa+ available as an early access feature) and control compatible smart home devices, such as the WiZ LED Smart LED Bulb. The latest iteration includes built-in motion and temperature sensors that can work in conjunction with Alexa to trigger specific routines.

The temperature sensor can also share its reading with your Amazon Smart Thermostat for automatic climate control. You can pair multiple Echo Dot units to create a stereo setup, or you can use it as a Wi-Fi mesh network satellite if you use Eero’s mesh systems. It will set you back $50 before any discounts — which are often available. You can choose from three color options to suit your decor. If you don’t want to spend a whole lot on a smart speaker, the Echo Dot punches well above its weight for the price.

A great smart home product from TP-Link’s sub-brand Tapo is the D225 Smart Video Doorbell Camera. While it’s slightly more expensive than our other recommendations, it doesn’t require any monthly subscription and allows you to store your video data locally for privacy. You can choose from battery-only or battery plus hardwire variants depending on your needs. That said, the hardwired variant is typically a better option for most people as it supports 24/7 continuous recording. The D225records in 2K resolution for crisp and clear video, and offers a 180-degree field of view to avoid any possible blind spots.

It also includes support for a ring call feature that essentially triggers a call to your phone when someone presses the bell, and you can talk to them without having to open the Tapo app. Plus, there is AI integration for person, package, or vehicle identification. Other features include IP66 dust and water resistance to handle any weather events, color night vision with the included spotlight, and two-way audio for easy conversation with the person on the other side of the door. Finally, it can work with Alexa and Google Assistant to show you the camera feed in real-time.

Replacing your existing outlet with its smarter counterpart can be a hassle and a time-consuming endeavor. One solid alternative to this is to use smart plugs that essentially convert your existing outlets into smart outlets. TP-Link’s Kasa Smart Plug Mini is reasonably priced and comes with a bunch of helpful features, including energy consumption monitoring. You can get a pack of four for $50, but it’s often discounted to $40 or less.

It also has a relatively compact design, and enables you to turn the outlet on or off with your favorite voice assistant and the official Kasa app. Additionally, you can set schedules, timers, away mode, and group controls with other compatible Kasa devices. It can handle up to 15A of maximum load and has a flame-retardant shell for safety. Unfortunately, like many other similar smart home products, it only connects to the 2.4GHz Wi-Fi band.

While picking the best smart home accessories that are also affordable, we looked at products that have a large number of positive reviews and have shown long-term reliability. We focused on a relatively low barrier to entry, not just on the price front but also in terms of tech know-how. All our recommendations also aim to add convenience to your daily lives without being too in-your-face. Finally, we selected products that are a good choice for those users who either don’t have any smart home tech or are in the early days of their setup.