Here at Tom's Guide, we review and test out the best smart home devices throughout the year. From the best smart lights to smart thermostats, these connected gadgets are rapidly evolving thanks to advanced sensors and AI learning capabilities that identify your habits. This helps them automatically create a more convenient and connected living space.
You can see this in something as simple as the way the best robot vacuums study your environment and suggest cleaning schedules. On the other hand, a smart thermostat or motion sensor adjusts climate and lighting when you enter or leave a room. Meanwhile, the rise of universal protocol Matter connects each device seamlessly so they're easy to control and talk regardless of brand. With all of these advancements, we're not far off from the ambient, self-serving smart home of the future.
More than nifty controls or personalization, we're close to the always-anticipating smart home that's ready to meet your needs before you even know you have them. Here’s a room-by-room look at how you can use smart home technology in your house today and where it will likely go in the future.
Living Room: Your central entertainment and control hub
Smart TVs and Entertainment Systems
With Google, LG, and Samsung's latest TVs moonlighting as smart home hubs, you’ll find these big ultra-high-definition panels useful beyond shows and games. AI-driven recommendation engines like those found on the new Google TV experience will curate personalized content to save you time on picking out what to watch. Meanwhile, you can check the status of laundry or a meal in the oven at a glance. Even better: you can pull up security camera feeds on the fly and have live picture-in-picture views pop up on the screen when someone rings your video doorbell. The streaming devices below to add smart home controls to your existing TVs.
Smart speakers and displays
Voice assistants like Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri are integrated into our daily routines, controlling everything from lighting and temperature to the content on your TV. Now, they're more versatile with built-in sensors that can trigger smart home automations when a room's temperature or occupancy changes. In the future, more smart speakers will provide immersive sound experiences that adapt to the room's acoustics, much like the Apple HomePod or Bose’s smart soundbars do today. On the other hand, smart displays feature cameras for surveillance and video calls while pulling up visual information on the fly.
Augmented & Virtual Reality entertainment
AR and VR headsets like today’s Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest 3 will change how we interact with our living spaces. These can help you create a massive private virtual theater, immersive gaming experiences, and even host virtual social gatherings in simulated spaces. If you don't want to cut off your real-world surroundings, their AR cameras overlay digital avatars and objects atop your current environment. We're not too far off from the meetings in sci-fi movies where counsel members meet in the same room via hologram thanks to mixed reality.
Kitchen: Wine & dine easier while keeping an eye on your cooks
Smarter appliances
Many modern appliances have built-in screens to keep track of notes or entertainment, but this basic functionality is just the start. Samsung’s latest Bespoke fridges show off the power of AI to monitor contents, suggest recipes based on available ingredients, and automatically order groceries. Smart ovens and stoves feature precise temperature controls, voice activation, and the ability to follow recipes step-by-step based on information sent over from the fridge. That way, these advanced cooking appliances can take the work out of baking for you.
AI-powered cooking
AI assistants can help plan meals based on dietary preferences and nutritional needs. They can also suggest dishes based on what ingredients are available in the kitchen. You can plan meals based on what’s going bad first and sort through suggestions to maximize your dollar and reduce food waste.
Once you have a recipe you can send it over to your smart appliances to have them free up your time for other activities while cooking for you. The BriskIt AI Origin 580 smart grill is a great example of an appliance that already does this using its Vera generative AI system. Smart temperature probes adjust cook temperatures at different stages so all you have to do is pull and season the meat when you get a notification.
Bedroom: Rest and recover in your customized sanctuary
Automated light and climate control
Smart lighting systems like those from Phillips Hue and LIFX can mimic natural sunlight or skies to give your bedroom some atmosphere and help regulate your circadian rhythm before bed or waking up. Smart thermostats ensure bedroom climates remain at the ideal temperature for sleeping without wasting energy. Google’s Nest Smart Learning Thermostat is a great example of this as it monitors your habits to keep your climate to your preferences on its own.
You can use devices like air purifiers, white noise machines, and aromatherapy diffusers to create a more soothing environment for rest and relaxation. Smart humidifiers can ensure the proper amount of moisture is in the air to help you sleep lighter and cooler, while air purifiers remove pollutants to breathe easier. Amazon’s smart indoor air quality monitor is a cheap way to check your levels.
Smart mattresses and sleep tracking systems
Smart mattresses like those made popular by SleepNumber are equipped with sensors that monitor sleep patterns, adjust firmness, and even adjust temperature. You don't need a fancy bed to get a detailed health report. Sleep trackers provide insights into your sleep quality with advanced sensors that identify patterns, monitor your breathing, and measure heart rate. Information from the tracker is then sent to an accompanying app and used to figure out your sleep stages — like light, deep and REM sleep. Withings' excellent Sleep Tracking Pad does this right now and slips under your mattress without disrupting your current setup.
Bathroom: Spa and health oasis
Vital monitoring
Smart scales, toilets, and other bathroom fixtures will track health metrics such as weight, body composition, hydration levels, and more, providing valuable data to help maintain wellness. I'm looking forward to Withings' upcoming U-Scan urine tracker (currently pending FDA approval), which sits in your toilet to monitor cycles, nutrition, and water. This immediately provides a snapshot of your body’s biomarkers and detects if anything is off balance to give you actionable advice to improve your health.
Smart showers and mirrors
You can customize water temperature, pressure, and lighting settings, to step into the perfect bathing experience without touching a knob. Kohler's new Anthem+ digital panel provides smart shower controls, but in future iterations, AI could tell it your preferred temperatures and times. Smart bathtubs going forward may include more advanced hydrotherapy and massage functions.
Meanwhile, smart mirrors equipped with touchscreens, cameras, and internet connectivity can analyze your face to provide personalized skincare advice, display news and weather updates, and even act as virtual fitness trainers.
Backyard: Automated outdoor living space
Outdoor entertainment
Smart outdoor lighting systems will adjust color or brightness based on natural light levels, creating the perfect ambiance for hosting evenings in the yard. With now 4K or even 8K outdoor TVs, weather-resistant speakers, and projectors you can turn your backyard into a full-blown entertainment hub. This is perfect for movie nights, sports events, and parties. Smart home app controls and voice commands make controlling your setup effortless.
Automated Lawn Care
Robotic lawn mowers will maintain the lawn with precision, cutting grass to your desired length and navigating around obstacles like flowerbeds. Meanwhile, smart irrigation systems will monitor soil moisture and weather conditions to optimize watering schedules for greener lawns and gardens while conserving water. Your phone’s cameras and sensors will use AI to monitor the growth of your garden, identify plant types and alert you to any issues with plants or pests.
Smart exterior security
Advanced security cameras with multi-point motion sensors and onboard AI can watch out for threats before they even reach your home while cutting down on false alerts. SimpliSafe uses AI on its outdoor security cameras to determine real-time threats and sends footage of any suspicious activity to live agents who can ward off trespassers or dispatch help.
The best smart locks let you send codes to friends or family running chores like watering a plant or feeding your cat. If you need to let a service provider you can simply unlock the door for them from across the country. Plus you can get a log of activity when a door opens or closes and if its left ajar. This eliminates the worry of wondering if you left the door unlocked.
