These Smart Home Gadgets Will Change Your Life

You might as well call yourself Inspector Gadget because you’re gonna want ‘em all.

1. The Amazon Echo Show 5 is the best bedside alarm clock you can get right now. You can watch videos on it, play music, ask it questions, browse the web, make video calls, set alarms and much more. It also has a camera cover built-in to protect your privacy.

Amazon / Via amazon.com

Promising review: "I bought this primarily to use as an alarm clock and it's rather obvious that is what Amazon had in mind with this smart device. It was incredibly easy to connect to my WiFi, setup, and personalize with my own photos. You have options on selecting the clock face. Whole process took about 40 minutes. Be prepared to input your wifi password, and answer a few questions to complete setup. The speakers are rich....as good as the Echo (2nd gen) in my living room. It does everything a normal Echo product does (tells me jokes, answers questions, controls my connected smart devices, etc.). I used to have to shout at Alexa to turn off lights in the house from bed, but no more. I can speak softly to this little gem and I'm fast asleep." —Daktari

Get if from Amazon for $89.99.

2. WeMo smart plugs are insanely easy to set up and are super versatile. You can use them with any smart home platform, be it Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa. You can plug practically anything into the outlet and make it instantly controllable via your phone and other devices.

Amazon/WeMo / Via amazon.com

Promising review: “This is a really cool gadget. It was my first try at smart lighting and it couldn't be easier. You download the app follow the instructions and the next thing you know, your light is being turned on and off remotely as if you were there. We went out one day not realizing that it was getting dark and we didn't leave any lights on. I just opened the app on my phone and turned on the light while we were out and about. It was nice to come home to a house that had a light on. With the app you can add more wemo devices in other rooms and control them individually, however you choose. Highly recommended.” —MsPilates

Get it from Amazon for $21.48.

3. Apple TV HD and Apple TV 4K are the best streaming boxes you can buy. They come with the Siri remote, which lets you control your tv with your voice and swipe around your content with the built-in touchpad.

Amazon/Apple / Via amazon.com

You can stream just about anything with the Apple TV and even more starting this fall with new services like Apple TV+ and Disney+. I can’t forget to mention that you can download apps and games too. You can even pair a game controller with it!

Promising review: “ This is a really neat device. I’ve been wanting one for a long time, hesitated to buy one, but I did and I’ve been using it every day since I bought it. Great product, works well, and allows me to watch movies and so much more very easily. Worth the money!” —Tyler Evans

Get them from Amazon; Apple TV HD for $149.99 and Apple TV 4K for $199.99.

4. Logitech’s Logi Circle 2 is an essential smart home utility. You can place it almost anywhere because it includes a variety of mounts. It can handle water and dust like a champ meaning you can place it outside too.

Amazon/Logitech / Via amazon.com

If you want to, you can even use it wirelessly so that it can be easily moved around the house. It integrates with Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, and Amazon Alexa so regardless of your choice of platform you can keep an eye on your things.

Promising review: “We bought one along with the window attachment for a window by the front door. We love it. It is perfect for our needs. Very easy to set up. A feature I was not aware of is that it has a nice option to see a day in review that is a little video it creates showing all activity that day at a speed up pace. We recommend this product and purchased a second one because we like it so much.” —Ann B

Get it from Amazon for $179.99.

5. Anker’s dual pad wireless charger lets you drop two devices on it at once. You can have one charger for you and your partner or toss your phone and AirPods on there together.

Amazon/Anker / Via amazon.com

Promising review: “Works really great, my mom and I charge our phones on it. I have an iPhone XS Max and she has a Samsung 9. A light comes on when your phone is charging so you know. I would really recommend it!!” —Kiara

Get it from Amazon for $59.99.

6. Google’s WiFi system is really easy to set up and fits right into any space in your home. Just download the app and follow the steps to get it set up.

Amazon/Google / Via amazon.com

You can add additional WiFi pucks to your home to extend your network and strengthen connections too. Parents can even limit their kids’ internet time by disconnecting their device connections remotely.

Promising review: “Very sleek and modern looking for leaving out in the open. More compact and higher powered than most other routers. We were having such trouble with our internet (snails pace) and turns out it was the older, less optimal router we were using. Once we switched, we saw soaring better coverage and our internet speed was back to where it should be. This router lets you see what devices are connected (good for security reasons), lets you allow visitors onto their own channel (again, security-you never have to give out your wifi password again!) and you can prioritize which devices get the wifi the fastest. It fixed our problems, is a wonderful and dependable Google product and is a great device for the money.“ —Sarah

Get it from Amazon for $98.97.

With these gadgets you’ll be closer than ever before to living in a Disney Channel Original Movie.

The Walt Disney Company / Via media.giphy.com