Your smart speaker is not only good for playing music: Alexa can help you eat food, Play games and even offer proactive suggestions these days. But Alexa’s most impressive skills still revolve around the smart house. May Amazon Echo smart speakers and monitors, Alexa can check visitors at your door with Ring, check the speed of your ceiling fan or flip on the connected light bulbs when you enter a room.
Since Amazon introduced its first Echo speaker in 2014, Google Assistant en Siri have jumped on board with their own smart speakers and voice control. But the Alexa voice assistant was the first to campaign for voice integrations in the smart home, and he still has the most integrations across space.
Let’s take a look at the best Alexa devices available today. This list is updated periodically.
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Amazon added an LED clock to its third-gen smart speaker to make the Echo Dot with Clock, and it’s our favorite speaker for the price. Not only does this 2019 third-gen Dot have impressive sound for its modest profile, but it also makes useful information – such as the time, timers and outside temperature – easily visible.
While there are many Amazon Alexa devices to choose from, the Echo Dot leads clockwise with its impressive performance, small footprint and sheer practicality. At just $ 60, this pint-sized smart speaker is an excellent entry point into the world of Amazon Alexa devices. Read our Amazon Echo Dot with Clock Review.
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Although it has a $ 463 price tag, the two-pack Arlo Pro 3 is a great security camera with local storage, high-quality 2K streaming, and Google Assistant and Alexa compatibility. Between its fast alerts and wide suite of features, such as a built-in siren, motion sensor, color night vision and 12x zoom, the Arlo Pro 3 is our favorite high-end smart cam.
You can also view your camera stream on Amazon Echo smart displays, though Arlo’s previous 7-day free event-based cloud storage option is no longer available, so you’ll need to sign up for its monthly plans (starting at $ 3 per month) from footage on the cloud. Read our Arlo Pro 3 review.
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Peepole Cam from $ 80 from Ring is a unique product for the company owned by Amazon. Rather than mounting on a door frame or somewhere else on the side of your door, the Peephole Cam replaces a traditional cow.
This means that this product is perfect for people living in apartments who want a smart doorbell but do not want to use a hardwired device – or else have a door frame removed for installation. None of Ring’s main competitors offers this kind of seamless solution for apartment dwellers, making this clock particularly innovative in addition to the other devices available today.
Not only that, but the Peephole Cam has the easiest installation of any doorbell I have tested so far. It also has advanced Alexa integration. Yes, you can record the live feed on an Amazon smart display, but you can also chat with whoever is at your door via the built-in speaker on the smart display with the command, “Alexa, answer the front door.“
That two-way chat feature via an Alexa smart display is unique to Ring devices.
Other notable Ring doorbells include the battery-powered as hardwired $ 199 Ring Video Doorbell 2 and the hardwired $ 249 Ring Video Doorbell Pro. Read our review of Ring Peephole Cam.
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The Ecobee SmartThermostat is a $ 249 connected thermostat. This model replaces the Ecobee4 smart thermostat, but has many of the same great features.
Control your SmartThermostat via the Ecobee app and use Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri voice commands to adjust the temp of your smart thermostat. It’s Alexa’s voice control that really matters here, because the thermostat itself has a built-in Alexa smart speaker.
That means you do not need a separate Echo device – simply connect your thermostat, activate the speaker and start asking Alexa questions. Read our review of Ecobee SmartThermostat.
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The Amazon Echo Show 8 is Amazon’s latest smart display. For $ 130 (though currently on sale for $ 100), you get an eight-inch screen with the best resolution of any Echo Show yet, a camera shutter and all the smarts of previous Amazon smart displays.
The Echo Show 8 has a built-in Alexa speaker. That means you can use this smart display to ask Alexa to make your bids, whether it’s asking you to play music, tell the weather, or just tell you a joke. And because it’s a smart display, it also offers advanced compatibility with Alexa-enabled security cameras.
Ask Alexa to “answer the front door” when someone calls your Ring Peephole Cam and you can see the live feed on your Show 8 – and actually talk to the person, right from the smart display. Read our review of Amazon Echo Show 8.
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August Wi-Fi Smart Lock is a great smart lock. It retrofits to most standard deadbolts, so you do not have to deal with a complicated installation. The built-in Wi-Fi allows you to remotely access and control your smart lock via the Android or iOS app without the need for an August Connect module.
This product also comes with an open / close sensor called DoorSense – which attaches to the door where your Wi-Fi Smart Lock is installed. That way, the app can not only tell you when the door is locked or unlocked, but also when the door is open or closed.
The August Wi-Fi Smart Lock works with Alexa, allowing you to secure and unlock your door from an Alexa-enabled smart speaker with your voice. Read our review of August’s Wi-Fi Smart Lock.
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SimpliSafe is a sturdy DIY security system with a ton of accessories so you can scale the system as needed. The starter kit costs $ 210 for the hub, keyboard, keypad, one motion sensor and one door / window sensor.
SimpliSafe also works with Alexa, so you can arm the system and check its status with simple voice commands.
SimpliSafe does not require a contract, but monthly fees start at $ 15 to access the app and go up to $ 25 if you want professional monitoring. Read our SimpliSafe review.
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The latest version of the Philips Hue White LED works with ZigBee and Bluetooth. The addition of Bluetooth is important for Philips Hue, as it means you do not need a Philips hub to get these smart lamps working.
Instead, connect the smart lights directly to your phone – and they work with Alexa voice commands. Ask Alexa to turn on the living room lights, or dim the dining room lights to 70%.
Philips Hue White LEDs cost $ 15 each, which means you don’t have to spend a ton of money on these straightforward Alexa-enabled lamps. Read our article on Philips Hue White LED.
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The TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini is a big name for a thin smart plug that costs just $ 14. A smart plug like this connects via your Wi-Fi connection directly to a wall outlet and converts your nonsmart lamps, fans and other gadgets into smart devices.
Use the TP-Link app to connect and control devices – or sign up for Amazon and use your voice. Say, “Alexa, turn on the reading light” to get the Smart Mini plug to check the devices connected to them. Read our review of TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini.
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The Amazon Echo Flex is a sharp smart speaker that plugs directly into an outlet. For $ 25, it offers all of Alexa’s smarts, plus a USB port for additional modules – such as a motion detector and night light.
As the name suggests, the Flex can fit in with many features, helping to enhance your home security and expand the reach of Alexa for listening when you need help in less central corners of your home.
The addition of a motion sensor also means that Alexa can automatically turn on based on your movement, turn on lights when you enter a room, or deliver your morning news when you sit down for breakfast. Read our review of Amazon Echo Flex.
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The Amazon Echo Show 5 helps Alexa take good care of you …
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The Alexa landscape
Amazon’s voice assistant makes it easier to control the devices in your home, set timers and figure out how long your commute to the office will take. But privacy has become an increasing concern as smart speakers and monitors grow in popularity.
Report that Amazon keeps transcripts of your voice calls, even after deleting the Alexa audio recordings, leads to concerns about user privacy. Sen. Chris Coons, a Democrat from Delaware, wrote a letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos seek answers about Amazon’s user data from Amazon and how it is stored. Amazon has since introduced the “Alexa, delete everything I said today” feature. The tech giant says it is too working on new ways for customers to delete their transcripts.
Amazon’s latest smart display, the Echo Show 8, comes with a built-in camera shutter, unlike previous Echo Show devices.
Amazon is not alone. Facebook, Google and other major tech companies have to deal with their own privacy issues, which raises questions about data usage.
Fortunately, Amazon and others seem to be working to regain our trust. Didn’t these privacy concerns keep you from buying a voice assistant (Alexa or otherwise)? Weigh in the comments section below.
Do you still have questions? Read more about Alexa.
