The 10 best smart home devices in the world right now

Giving your gaff the gift of gadgets is pretty much a no-brainer: it’ll cut your heating bills, keep your four walls secure and put a technicolour light show just a tap away. Thing is, the world of smart home tech can be a bit of an urban jungle. Don’t know your Hue from your Nest? Allow us to help. Here are the 10 best smart home gadgets in the world right now – in reverse order.

10) Nanoleaf Aurora + Rhythm

If you’re looking for some smart lights that’ll outshine your neighbour’s Philips Hue setup, look no further. The modular Auroras might not be as practical as other smart lights, but your dinner guests, kids and inner gadget child will love them. Pricey, yes, but clip together a bunch and you’ll have a wall-spanning snake of smart light triangles that, paired with the optional sound-sensitive rhythm module, will be a real party-starter.

9) Ikea Trådfri smart lighting

The Trådfri range is classic Ikea: simple, good value and strangely addictive. If you pick up some bulbs with your armful of Marketplace goodies and meatball lunch, you won’t be disappointed. Less clever than the likes of the Philips Hue system (with limited compatibility with other systems), Trådfri’s basic controller-bulb kit is a great starting point if you just want a taster of smart lighting without the faff of hubs and smartphone apps.

8) Google Home Mini

Google now has an impulse-buy assistant to rival the Echo Dot – and it’s called the Home Mini. Priced at just £49/US$49, it’s the friendliest and most knowledgeable mini smart speaker around. Amazon’s Echo Dot might be the better all-rounder, but with a sweet design, decent sound quality and strong smart home support, if you’re invested in Google Services (such as Photos, Calendar and Chromecasts) the Home Mini is the one to go for.

7) Google Wifi

Building a smart home around most routers can feel like trying to run a spaceship on AA batteries. Google’s Wifi is here to change that: its mesh system acts like a harmonious group of barbershop singers. Easy to set up and offering excellent coverage, it might be overkill for a small flat – but there’s no doubt that this smart puck will deliver a Wi-Fi experience that’ll make your old router look like a tech dinosaur.

6) Netgear Arlo Pro

This little white camera is weatherproof, wireless and battery-powered, records in 720p HD and comes with seven days of rolling video stored in the cloud for free. It’s also super easy to set up and has a really robust Wi-Fi connection. It’s not as smart as some rivals, but geofencing is easy to set up and there’s IFTTT integration, too – all of which helps to make it one of favourite all-round security cameras.

5) Amazon Echo Dot

One of the best bargains in tech right now, Amazon’s Echo Dot is a step into the smart home future. At just £40/US$50, it’s almost too cheap. If you have any smart home systems at all then it’ll change the way you interact with them. If you listen to music at all then it’ll make you listen to more of it. And if you’re an early adopter who just has to try out gadgets at the forefront of new tech revolutions, you’ll fall in love with it so quickly that within days you’ll be unable to imagine life without it.

4) Philips Hue

Every bit the Sonos of smart lighting, Philips’ Hue system is the best lighting system around. While it might be expensive, continual development means it gets smarter by the day, while broad support for other systems makes it appealing for anyone who wants to go whole hog with their smart home. What’s more, the variety of bulbs and lighting solutions available makes it far more than just a gimmick, as does an excellent and very usable app.

3) Nest 3.0

The Nest 3.0 is not a dramatic reinvention, but it didn’t need to be: this is still the best-looking smart thermostat on the market. That, paired with a nicely-designed app and some self-scheduling smarts, is enough to put the Nest 3.0 near the head of the field. A big display, a lovely build and very usable app make it the easiest way to get into smart heating.

2) Netatmo Welcome

Want to keep an eye on your smart pad while you’re away? The Netatmo Welcome offers an abundance of features and storage options over its competition, while remaining incredibly easy to use. Setup is an absolute breeze, while bonus features, such as face recognition, alarm detection and Apple Watch support, make the Welcome feel far more advanced than its security cam rivals.

1) Tado Smart Thermostat

Tado has blossomed into the most versatile smart heating system you can buy right now. Alone, the Smart Thermostat remains a good buy, giving you geofencing and a polished app with weather detection, smart scheduling and compatibility with Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit and IFTTT. But if you want to embrace the real benefits of smart heating, Tado also gives you the option of zonal control from its Smart Radiator Thermostats. While this can be a pricey initial outlay, it pays you back in heating savings and the ability to talk to your radiators.