As smart home products continue to evolve, what once felt like a gadget from science fiction—or a Disney Channel original movie like Smart House— has now become the norm. Your friend is brushing his teeth with a smart toothbrush. The host of your last party was using Alexa to verbally queue songs. Heck, even your friend’s trusty essential oil diffuser might be a smart product.
While it may be tempting to enhance your home with smart products, individuals may not be enticed to create their own "smart home" simply because of the cost of certain smart products. However, as technology becomes more popular, all you have to do is look harder to find affordable smart products that might fit your lifestyle.
Luckily, this list will make finding the perfect smart home gadget as easy as closing your smart garage door or turning off your smart lights or checking your smart security cameras. All of these are very simple and for reference only. From smart plugs to diffusers and more, here are some of the best smart home products under $35.
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Smart plug extender
As life becomes more connected to technology, so too does life become more connected to wires and charging cables. Having a smart plug extender (which lets you turn outlets and ports on or off independently using a smart device) can make your relationship with your power cord as harmonious as ever.
- Pros: Offers smart outlets and smart USB ports that work with Amazon Alexa and Google Home as well as its own app
- Cons: Three of the outlets are not smart outlets, and some reviewers report the inability to turn outlets and ports on or off independently
Comment: One commenter highlighted that you can give your stores different names in the smart app so you can turn them on or off individually by name.
Dimensions: 3.95 x 1.18 x 6.93 inches
Color: black, white
smart light bulb
Nothing says smart "home" like lights, which you can not only turn on and off from your phone, but also adjust color and brightness via an app.
- Pros: Works with Amazon Alexa and Google Home, dimmable, adjustable colors, can set times and schedules, energy efficient
- Cons: One reviewer reported that some lamps had malfunctioning bulbs
Wattage: 8W LED (equivalent to 75W incandescent bulb)
Color: rainbow, warm white
Smart surveillance camera
Installing security cameras outside to keep an eye on intruders, or inside to check on babies and pets, has long been a way to upgrade your home. Now, with smart security cameras like these, you can check the camera remotely or even pan to an area of your home using just your phone.
- Pros: 1080p HD resolution, pan and tilt camera for viewing, cloud and SD card storage, Amazon Alexa and Google Home functionality
- Cons: Some users report unnecessary motion alerts
Comment: One reviewer highlighted the camera's motion tracking feature, which can track a subject as they move through a field.
Smart diffuser
If you're into creating ~ambience~ with essential oils, this diffuser might up your game significantly. Smart diffusers connect to Wi-Fi, which allows you to turn the diffuser on and off, set schedules, and change lighting.
- Pros: Compatible with any smart device to turn the diffuser on and off, adjust light color and brightness, choose flow intensity and set schedules
- Cons: Based on reviews, Amazon Alexa seems to work better than Google Home
Verdict: "Running it 8 hours a night in my son's room, it lasted 4 days with a full tank before needing to fill it up again!" wrote the reviewer.
color: White
smart scale
If using a scale is part of your daily routine, this smart scale can help you better understand your body data. Since it connects with many health apps, you can also use it to log and track your data.
- Pros: Detects 13 different types of body composition data; works with Apple Health app, Google Fit and Samsung Health
- Cons: At least one reviewer reported the scale broke on first use
Dimensions: 11x11 inches
Color: black, white
Smart dimmer
Gone are the days when lights flickered on and off. With a smart dimmer switch, you can turn your lights on or dim remotely using your phone.
- Pros: Dim lights remotely from anywhere, set a light reminder schedule, compatible with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Microsoft Cortana, iPhone and Android
- Cons: Some reviewers report delays in turning lights on and off
Comment: " Adding an outlet to the Kasa app takes less than a minute," one reviewer wrote.
color: White
Philips Hue smart plug
If you've been wanting to try Philips Hue, the smart lighting system that's become a favorite among TikTok users, this might be the perfect easy upgrade for you. With this smart plug, you can integrate any light bulb into your Philips Hue system, so you can adjust your lighting remotely just like you would with Philips Hue products.
- Pros: Smart fit makes it easy to plug into an outlet, can set timers and schedules, allows any light to be added to the Philips Hue system
- Cons: Some reviewers say the device is too large and doesn't allow for remote dimming of lights
Comments: "Now I can control the string lights outside my patio with my phone. Just what I needed," one commenter wrote.
color: White
Philips Hue LED Candle
Do you always worry if you blew out the candles when you leave the house? With smart candle bulbs, you can set up some mood lighting and still turn them off remotely, so you don't have to worry about that anymore.
- Pros: Works with Amazon Alexa and Google Home, dimmable
- Cons: Some reviewers report a faint buzzing sound from the lights
Comments: "I'm so happy to find 'non-standard' Hue bulbs for my ceiling fan," one reviewer wrote. "I love finding ways to automate things around the home, which only increases ease of use and opportunities to save money/energy."
Color: white atmosphere, white
Lenovo Smart Clock
If you're a fan of gadgets like the Amazon Alexa and Echo, but prefer the more visual component of an alarm clock, this Alexa-compatible clock from Lenovo might be the perfect choice for you. The clock works the same as Alexa, but adds statistics such as time, weather, and date on the home screen.
- Pros: Compatible with Amazon Alexa to set timers, alarms and reminders; displays weather; mute option to turn off microphone; can play audio through Alexa
- Cons: Only compatible with Alexa app
Comments: "Smart, yes, but simple," one review read.
Color: fog blue, red
window alarm
These window alarms detect motion and glass breakage and react with an audible sound, so you can increase your home's security.
- Benefits: Peel and stick to any window, red LED warning light, sounds alarm when break-in is detected
- Cons: Some reviewers warn that the adhesive is very strong and may damage the window when removed
Comment: One commenter stated that the alarm is loud enough to wake them up if it is triggered.
Dimensions: 3 x 3 x 0.67 inches
Smart garage control
Upgrade your picky garage remote with this smart garage control system. You can open or close the door at any time and even set a schedule so you always see the door open when you get home from get off work. Note: This system is also compatible with post-1993 security sensors, so you may not have to worry about any potential issues when closing your door remotely.
- Pros: Compatible with any smartphone, can set opening and closing schedules, can receive activity alerts
- Cons: Some users reported connection issues
Comment: One commenter highlighted the convenience of remote delivery or having guests come in.
Smart bedside lamp
If the distance from your bed to your nightstand feels like a mile away when you try to turn off the lights before bed, this smart bedside lamp can help you set the mood of your room from the comfort of your phone. Use this smart light to adjust color and lighting or set schedules and countdowns to make your life easier.
- Pros: Compatible with Apple HomeKit, Apple Watch, Siri, Amazon Alexa, and Google Assistant; 16 million color settings; adjustable brightness; ability to set a timer, schedule, or countdown
- Cons: Some users report difficulty connecting specifically to HomeKit
Comments: "My wife and I love how easily the room's ambience can be changed," one reviewer wrote.
Dimensions: 3.94×3.94×5.59
Deer dance light strip
Light strips are all the rage among TikTokers. Even if you're looking for something more mature than the common red and blue lighting found on Gen Z ceilings, strategically placed strip lights can be a great way to set up ambient lighting. With smart strip lights, you can choose from multiple color options and brightness settings, set timers, and even sync the lights to music.
- Pros: Offers 16 million color options, can sync with music, can set timers, adjust brightness
- Disadvantages: More suitable for mood lighting.
Comments: Some users reported that the product often fell over
Dimensions: 32.8 feet
Dash smart shelves
If you've ever gone to the grocery store and found yourself completely forgetting something you needed to restock at home, smart shelves could be your lifesaver. Dash smart shelves can detect when a certain item is low on stock, alert you, and even give you the option to automatically order refills through Amazon.
- Pros: Allows you to automatically replenish items through Amazon by detecting out-of-stock times, customizable preferences
- Cons: According to reviews, smart shelves don't record certain items below 10% off, so you may not know when your product is completely depleted before it's too late
Dimensions: 7”x7”; 12”x10”; or 18”x13”
GE smart plug
Once you've given your indoor lighting and gadgets a smart tech treatment, why not upgrade the outside as well? With an outdoor smart plug, you can connect any outdoor device and have the option to turn the outlet on and off individually. So when the weather gets cold and you realize you forgot to turn on your Christmas lights, you can sit back and turn them on remotely, and even set a schedule.
- Pros: Sockets can be turned on and off individually, weatherproof, schedule can be set
- Cons: Some users reported issues connecting and setting up schedules
Comments: One reviewer wrote that they use it for Christmas lights, and another said they can easily stop charging garden tools remotely to avoid overcharging and damaging the battery.
Water leakage detector
Smart water leak detectors can quickly alert you via your phone when water is detected. This gadget is perfect for basements or any other area of your home that may be prone to flooding.
- Pros: Connects to home Wi-Fi, sends smart device alerts and audible alerts when leaks are detected
- Cons: Some reviewers report connectivity issues
Comments: One reviewer said this device saved their life when their water heater leaked.
Dimensions: 3.14 x 3.14 x 1.4 inches
Hummer smart toothbrush
If you've been wanting to jump on the smart toothbrush bandwagon but couldn't justify spending more than $100, the Colgate Buzz might be the next best thing. This toothbrush functions like most smart toothbrushes - it connects to an app that lets you analyze your brushing and adjust your speed.
- Pros: Smart guide ensures proper coverage of all teeth, adjustable pulse, includes timer, Bluetooth connectivity, smart reordering when it’s time to replace brush heads
- Cons: Doesn’t offer different brush softness options
Reviews: " Didn't realize how much I miss brushing my teeth! Wish I had this when I was younger," one reviewer wrote.
Color: blue, cyan
Sonic Smart Toothbrush
The Bitvae Smart Toothbrush is another great option for a smart toothbrush on a budget. The toothbrush comes with eight different brush heads and has an app that analyzes your brushing habits, how long you brush your teeth, and more.
- Pros: Free app for brushing analysis and guidance, adjustable intensity and two- to four-minute timer, pressure sensor to prevent overbrushing, timed reminder to switch sections, includes 8 different toothbrush heads
- Cons: Some users report poor battery life
Comment: One reviewer stated that the toothbrush's pressure sensor allowed them to be a less aggressive brusher, as recommended by their dentist.
Color: black, white
