The best thing about the Amazon Echo family of devices and Amazon Alexa is the seemingly endless integration with many popular and emerging smart home devices. Smart home tech is becoming a more accessible and popular way of upgrading your current household setup. All things considered, here is a smorgasbord of some of the best Alexa-compatible smart home tools that work with your Amazon Echo device:
Smart plug times six
TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Power Strip
TP-Link’s Kasa Smart WiFi Power Strip features 6 AC outlets and three 2.4A USB charging ports. While the USB ports are always-on, the AC outlets are all individually managed, allowing for independent control of devices attached to the strip via your Echo device.
$70 at Amazon
Alexa, show the front door camera
Ring Video Doorbell
The Ring Video Doorbell works with the Echo Spot and Echo Show to show you who is near your doorbell, with a horizontal field of view of 180 degrees and a vertical FOV of 110 degrees, plus the ability to power the doorbell via your existing wiring or via an independent battery, the Ring Video Doorbell is a perfect starting point for smart home security.
From $200 at Amazon
Gotta Keep Watch
Amazon Cloud Cam
Being able to keep your home safe from anywhere is easy with the Amazon Cloud Cam. You can even use your Fire TV, Fire Tablet, Echo Spot or Echo Show to monitor your cameras while in the house. In addition, the Amazon Cloud Cam can now respond to specific sounds, such as a baby’s crying or glass breaking.
$120 at Amazon
Alexa, Turn on My Television!
TCL S517
The TCL S517 is the newest entry into TCL’s mid-range 4K Ultra HD televisions, and it’s highly recommended for applications from gaming to movie watching to PC monitor applications and more. The new Roku Skill for Alexa allows you to control your television from your Echo devices.
From $300 at Amazon
Automatic Clean
iRobot Roomba 690
The Roomba 690 by iRobot is the perfect cleaning solution for your smart home, and with the Roomba Alexa skill, you can send start, stop and pause cleaning commands to your Roomba from any of your Echo devices.
$279 at Amazon
Alexa, lock the door
August Smart Lock Pro + Connect
The August Smart Lock Pro is the best smart lock for both homeowners and renters, as it connects to the inside of your existing deadbolt set up. Once set up, just ask Alexa to lock or unlock the door. Additionally, with the August Home App, your door locks and unlocks when it detects you either coming or going from your home, as well as allowing keyless access to those who need it.
From $213 at Amazon
Light up your life
Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance A19 3 Bulb Starter Kit
The Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance 3-bulb Starter Kit is a 16 million color lighting accessory that will brighten up anyone’s home. You can ask Alexa to change your lights to any color you wish, dim your lights, or set a lighting scene via the Philips Hue Alexa skill.
$165 at Amazon
Alexa, Play Music in the Bedroom
Sonos Play:1 Bluetooth Speaker
Sonos is a premium brand, but the Play:1 series of Smart Speakers is worth it, with it’s crisp sound and stereo functionality when paired with a second Play:1 speaker. Installing the Sonos skill for Alexa will let you play and control the music on your Sonos Play:1 with commands such as “Alexa, play ‘Nutmeg’ by Ghostface Killah in the living room.”
From $149 at Amazon
Keep your lawn fresh
Rachio 8-Zone Smart Sprinkler Controller
Homeowners will benefit from being able to manage their lawn’s health via Alexa commands with the Rachio 8-Zone Smart Sprinkler Controller. Use commands such as “Alexa, ask Rachio to water the front lawn” to manage the daily watering of your precious lawn without having to leave your home.
From $148 at Amazon
Envelope your home in WiFi
TP-Link Deco Whole Home Mesh WiFi System
Big homes need more than a standard wifi setup, and this is where a mesh network like the TP-Link Deco comes into play. The integration with Alexa enables Deco owners to control different aspects of their home network, including opening and closing guest networks, managing QoS modes and turning the onboard LEDs on and off.
From $175 at Amazon
Stream hard, game harder
NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 Dual Band WiFi Router
The NETGEAR Nighthawk line of routers is built with gaming, streaming and mobile devices in mind, With Dynamic Quality of Service, the Nighthawk will detect what device you’re using and prioritize bandwidth for that device. It also can be controlled via the NETGEAR skill for Alexa for managing basic options on your router.
$110 at Amazon
Ask Xbox to Launch The Division 2
Xbox One X Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 Bundle
The Xbox One X features a 4K Ultra HD Blu-Ray drive, as well as the ability to play some of the latest and best games in Native 4K resolution with HDR support. Additionally, the Xbox One X features HDMI passthrough for your cable or satellite service as well as Voice Assistant support via the official Xbox skill for Alexa.
From $449 at Amazon
Keep it comfortable
Nest Learning Thermostat
Central Heating and Air can be a godsend to those who live in varied climates, and when it comes to saving energy, having a good thermostat can help with that. The Nest Learning Thermostat can learn your habits as you use it and can be controlled using the Nest Thermostat skill for Alexa.
From $208 at Amazon
One system for them all
Logitech Harmony Elite
For those users who want a simple solution to a smart home setup in places like the living room or their man cave or she shed without having to buy a bunch of smart plugs and other smart devices, the Logitech Harmony Elite can do the job, with the help of Alexa voice commands via the Logitech Harmony skill.
$270 at Amazon
Alexa, microwave popcorn
AmazonBasics Microwave
Granted you still have to physically place your items in the microwave, having a voice-controlled microwave can make multi-tasking in the kitchen easier. The AmazonBasics Microwave can make popping popcorn or reheating leftovers easier with its programmed functions that can be invoked by any Alexa-powered device.
From $60 at Amazon
As someone who invests in the Alexa-enhanced smart home experience, my setup includes the TCL S517 4K UHD Roku TV, the Xbox One X and the Philips Hue White and Ambiance bulbs. I like being able to switch between the different inputs and applications on my Roku TV by using my Amazon Echo Show, as well as launching right into a game or starting up OneGuide to watch TV on the Xbox One without having to back out into the “My Games and Apps” menu. With the Philips Hue lights, it’s just as simple as asking Alexa to set a scene such as “Nightlight” or “Concentrate,” as well as changing the light color to anything your imagination can come up with or dimming the lights to match what you’re doing.
Beyond that simple setup, the August Smart Lock Pro + Connect is one of the best smart deadbolts that money can buy for one-touch or location-based locking and unlocking of your door, and the Ring Video Doorbell 2 can help keep you and your family safe, no matter where you might be in the world. It doesn’t matter if you buy some or all of these devices to help automate your home, there is no doubt that these smart home devices will enrich your life in myriad ways.
