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The holidays are upon us, and if you’re looking for gifts, smart home devices are an increasingly popular choice. Amazon’s annual fall event brought announcements of dozens of new Amazon products and Alexa featuresas usual, including our new favorite Amazon Echo smart speaker. Also new are a host of new Alexa-compatible devices. In 2020 alone, popular camera developer Wyze, for example, has released Wyze Cam v3, Wyze Cam Outdoor, Wyze Thermostat, Wyze Video Doorbell, Wyze Robot Vacuum, Wyze Sprinkler Controller, and, incredibly, plus.
Alexa has long dominated when it comes to smart home integration, and this year Amazon’s voice assistant is bringing even more impressive integrations to your countertop. This list is periodically updated, so check back frequently for the most up-to-date recommendations.
Chris Monroe / CNET
Amazon’s Echo Dot with Clock was our favorite Alexa speaker before, but with this year’s new product line, the fourth-gen flagship Echo speaker gets the nod. At $ 100, the new spheroidal speaker is a bit more expensive than the $ 50 fourth-generation Echo Dot, but the sound quality improvements and some cool smart home features justify the additional cost.
The new shape sets Amazon’s new Echo speaker apart. While the 3rd gen Echo offered a barely perceptible sound quality improvement over its predecessor, the 4th gen ball-shaped version has noticeably better audio output, including respectable bass for a speaker in its range. of prices.
On the smart home front, the fourth-gen Echo also has a built-in Zigbee receiver, which carries a feature from the now-defunct Amazon Echo Plus. The Zigbee receiver enables the new Echo to function as a smart home connectivity point for Zigbee-compatible light bulbs, plugs and other accessories. That means you can use the Echo itself as a hub, without the need for an additional piece of hardware to bring those devices online.
The new Echo Dot has the same shape as the new Echo speaker, but the improvement over the third-gen Echo Dot isn’t very apparent. It’s $ 50 too, where you can regularly find the third-gen Echo Dot still on sale for $ 30 or less. Read our Amazon Echo (2020) review.
Wyze
The third-gen Wyze Cam, like its previous versions, costs an incredibly low $ 20, but it’s one of our favorite cameras overall, despite the price. It comes with a weatherproof housing, sharper night vision than its predecessor, a wider field of view, a loud siren, and more, including 14-day video clip storage and a built-in microSD card slot for local storage.
If you have an Echo Show smart display, you can also launch the Wyze Cam signal to the display with a simple voice command.
The Wyze Cam is available to pre-order now and shipping is scheduled for mid-November. Read our Wyze Cam (2020) review.
Lauren Routt / CNET
Ring’s $ 80 Peephole Cam is a one-of-a-kind product for the Amazon-owned business. Rather than mounting it to a door frame or some other place on the side of the door, the peephole camera replaces a traditional peephole.
That means this product is perfect for people who live in apartments who want a smart doorbell, but don’t want to deal with a wired device, or mess up a door frame for installation. None of Ring’s main competitors offer this type of perfect solution for apartment dwellers, making this doorbell particularly innovative alongside the other devices available today.
Not only that, but the Peephole Cam has the easiest installation of all the doorbells I have tested to date. It also has advanced Alexa integration. Yes, you can watch the live stream on an Amazon smart screen, but you can also chat with whoever is at your door via the built-in speaker on the smart screen with the command, “Alexa, open the front door.“
That two-way talk feature via an Alexa smart display is unique to Ring devices.
Other notable Ring doorbells include the $ 199 Battery or Wired Ring Video Doorbell 2 and the $ 249 Ring Video Doorbell Pro Wired. Read our Ring Peephole Cam review.
Chris Monroe / CNET
The Ecobee Smart Thermostat is a $ 249 connected thermostat. This model replaces the Ecobee4 Smart Thermostat, but has many of the same great features.
Control your smart thermostat through the Ecobee app and use voice commands from Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri to adjust the temperature of your smart thermostat. It’s the Alexa voice control that really stands out here though, as the thermostat has a built-in Alexa smart speaker.
That means you don’t need a separate Echo device – just plug in your thermostat, enable the speaker, and start asking Alexa questions. Read our Ecobee SmartThermostat review.
Chris Monroe / CNET
Amazon Echo Show 8 is the latest smart display from Amazon. For $ 130 (though it’s 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 bid, whether it’s asking her to play music, broadcast the weather, or just tell you a joke. And since it’s a smart display, it also offers advanced support for Alexa-enabled security cameras.
Ask Alexa to “answer the front door” when someone calls your Ring Peephole Cam and you can watch the live feed on your Show 8, and speak to the person directly from the smart screen. Read our Amazon Echo Show 8 review.
Chris Monroe / CNET
The August Wi-Fi Smart Lock is a great smart lock. Fits most standard deadbolts, so you don’t have to deal with complicated installation. Built-in Wi-Fi makes it possible to access and control your smart lock remotely via the Android or iOS app without the need for an August Connect module.
This product also comes with an open / close sensor, called the DoorSense, which connects to the door where the Wi-Fi smart lock is installed. That way the app can not only tell you if the door is locked or unlocked, but also if the door is open or closed.
August Wi-Fi Smart Lock works with Alexa, so you can lock and unlock your door from an Alexa-enabled smart speaker using your voice. Read our August Wi-Fi Smart Lock review.
Chris Monroe / CNET
SimpliSafe is a robust DIY home security system with a ton of accessories, so you can scale the system as needed. The starter kit costs $ 210 for the hub, keyboard, key fob, a motion sensor, and a door / window sensor.
SimpliSafe also works with Alexa, so you can arm the system and check its status with simple voice commands.
SimpliSafe doesn’t 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.
Tyler Lizenby / CNET
The latest version of the Philips Hue White LED works with ZigBee and Bluetooth. The addition of Bluetooth is important to Philips Hue, because it means you don’t need a Philips hub for these smart bulbs to work.
Instead, smart bulbs plug directly into your phone and work with voice commands from Alexa. Ask Alexa to turn on the lights in the living room or dim the lights in the dining room to 70%.
Philips Hue White LEDs are just $ 15 each, which means you don’t have to spend a ton of cash for these simple Alexa-enabled bulbs. Read our Philips Hue White LED article.
Chris Monroe / CNET
The TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini is a great name for a small smart plug that costs only $ 14. A smart plug like this connects via your Wi-Fi connection directly to a wall outlet and converts your lamps, fans and other non-smart devices in smart devices.
Use the TP-Link app to connect and control devices, or sign up Amazon Alexa and use your voice. Say “Alexa, turn on the reading lamp” to let the Plug Mini smart plug control connected devices with ease. Read our TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini review.
Chris Monroe / CNET
The Amazon Echo Flex is a small smart speaker that plugs directly into a power outlet. For $ 25, it offers all the intelligence of Alexa, plus a USB port for add-on modules like a motion detector and night light.
As the name suggests, the Flex can accommodate many functions, helping to strengthen the security of your home and expand Alexa’s listening range for when you need help in the less central corners of your home.
The addition of a motion sensor also means that Alexa can create automations based on your movement, turn on lights when you enter a room, or deliver the morning news when you sit down for breakfast. Read our Amazon Echo Flex review.
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Alexa’s landscape
Amazon’s voice assistant makes it easy to control devices in your home, set timers, and figure out how long your commute will take to the office. But privacy has become a growing concern as smart speakers and displays grow in popularity.
Reports that Amazon maintains transcripts of your voice conversationsEven after the Alexa audio recordings were removed, it raised concerns about user privacy. Senator Chris Coons, Democrat of Delaware, wrote a letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos looking for answers about Amazon’s Alexa user data and how it is stored. Since then, Amazon has introduced the “Alexa, delete everything I said today” feature.. The tech giant says it also working in new ways for clients 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 faced privacy concerns of their own, raising questions about data usage.
Fortunately, Amazon and others seem to be working to regain our trust. Have these privacy concerns kept you from buying a voice assistant (Alexa or otherwise)? Weigh in the comment section below.
Do you still have questions? Read more about Alexa.
