According to Amazon, Alexa’s engagement has quadrupled in the past four years, and more people than ever are using voice assistant to cook, play music, and even control their smart home devices. With Amazon Echo smart displays and speakersAlexa can monitor visitors at your door with ring, control the speed of your ceiling fan or turn on the Philips Hue lights when you enter a room.
Since Amazon introduced its first Echo speaker in 2014, Google Assistant and Siri They have come on board with their own smart speakers and voice control. But Alexa’s voice assistant was the first to defend voice integrations in the smart home, and it still has most of the integrations across the space.
Let’s take a look at the best Alexa devices available today.
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Amazon added an LED clock to its 3rd generation smart speaker to create the Echo Dot with Clock, and it’s our favorite speaker for the price. This 2019 3rd Generation Dot not only boasts impressive sound for its modest profile, but also makes useful information such as time, timers, and outside temperature easily visible.
While there are plenty of Amazon Alexa devices to choose from, the Echo Dot with Clock leads with its impressive performance, small size, and great practicality. At just $ 60, this pint-sized smart speaker is a great entry point into the world of Amazon Alexa devices. Read the Amazon Echo Dot with Clock review.
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Although priced at $ 463, the two-pack Arlo Pro 3 is a great security camera with local storage, high-quality 2K streaming, and compatibility with Google Assistant and Alexa. Between its quick alerts and extensive feature set, such as a built-in siren, motion sensor, color night vision, and 12x zoom, the Arlo Pro 3 is our favorite high-end smart camera.
You can also watch your camera stream on Amazon Echo smart displays, though Arlo’s free 7-day event-based cloud storage option is no longer available, so you’ll need to sign up for their monthly plans (starting $ 3 per month) to store images in the cloud. Read the Arlo Pro 3 review.
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Ring’s $ 80 Peephole Cam is a one-of-a-kind product for the Amazon-owned company. Instead of mounting it to a door frame or somewhere next to the door, the peephole replaces a traditional peephole.
That means this product is perfect for apartment people who want a smart doorbell, but don’t want to deal with a wired device, or otherwise mess up a door frame for installation. None of Ring’s major competitors offer this kind of perfect solution for apartment dwellers, making this doorbell particularly innovative along with the other devices available today.
Not only that, but the Peephole Cam has the easiest installation of any doorbell I’ve tested to date. It also has advanced Alexa integration. Yes, you can get the live stream on an Amazon smart screen, but you can also chat with whoever is at your door through the built-in speaker on the smart screen with command, “Alexa, answer the front door.“
This two-way conversation function through an Alexa smart screen is exclusive to Ring devices.
Other notable doorbells: the $ 199 Battery Operated or Wired Ring Video Doorbell 2 and the $ 249 Wired Ring Video Doorbell Pro. Read the Ring Peephole Cam review.
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The Ecobee Smart Thermostat is a connected thermostat for $ 249. This model replaces the Ecobee4 Smart Thermostat, but it has many of the same great features.
Control your SmartThermostat through the Ecobee app and use the voice commands Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri to adjust the temperature of your smart thermostat. However, it’s Alexa’s voice control that really stands out here, as the thermostat itself has a built-in Alexa smart speaker.
That means you don’t need a separate Echo device – just plug in your thermostat, turn on the speaker, and start asking Alexa questions. Read the Ecobee SmartThermostat review.
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The Amazon Echo Show 8 is Amazon’s latest smart display. For $ 130 (although it’s currently on sale for $ 100), you get an eight-inch display with the best resolution of any Echo Show to date, a camera shutter, and all the intelligence from Amazon’s previous 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 offer, whether it’s asking you to play music, stream the weather, or just tell you a joke. And since it’s a smart display, it also offers advanced compatibility with Alexa-enabled security cameras.
Ask Alexa to “answer the front door” when someone taps your Ring Peephole Cam and can watch the live stream on their Show 8, and really speak to the person, right from the smart screen. Read the Amazon Echo Show 8 review.
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The August Wi-Fi Smart Lock is a great smart lock. Fits most standard locks, so you don’t have to deal with complicated installation. Built-in Wi-Fi allows you to access and control your smart lock remotely through 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 if the door is locked or unlocked, but also if the door is open or closed.
The August Wi-Fi Smart Lock works with Alexa, so you can lock and unlock your door from an Alexa Smart Speaker using your voice. Read the August review of Smart Lock with Wi-Fi.
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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 center, the keyboard, the 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 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 the SimpliSafe review.
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The latest version of the Philips Hue White LED works with ZigBee and Bluetooth. Incorporating 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 connect directly to your phone, and they work with Alexa’s voice commands. 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 cost just $ 15 each, meaning you don’t have to spend a ton of cash for these Alexa-enabled bulbs. Read the Philips Hue White LED article.
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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 through your Wi-Fi connection directly to an electrical outlet and converts your Non-smart lamps, fans, and other devices in smart devices.
Use the TP-Link app to connect and control devices, or get Amazon Alexa ready and use your voice. Say “Alexa, turn on the reading lamp” to get the Plug Mini smart plug to control the devices connected to it with ease. Read the TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Mini Connection review.
Read more: The best smart plugs for 2020
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The Amazon Echo Flex is a small smart speaker that plugs directly into an electrical outlet. For $ 25, it offers all of Alexa’s intelligence, plus a USB port for add-on modules like a motion detector and nightlight.
As the name implies, the Flex can adapt to many functions, helping to strengthen the security of your home and extend the hearing range of Alexa for when you need help in the less central corners of your home.
Adding a motion sensor also means Alexa can create automations based on your movement, turn on the lights when you enter a room, or deliver your morning news when you sit down to breakfast. Read CNET’s review of the Echo Flex.
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The Amazon Echo Show 5 helps Alexa fit perfectly into her …
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Alexa’s landscape
Amazon’s voice assistant makes it easier to monitor devices in your home, set timers, and find out how long your trip to the office will take. But privacy has become a growing concern as smart speakers and displays grow in popularity.
Reports that Amazon saves transcripts of your voice conversationsEven after deleting the audio recordings from Alexa, it raised concerns about user privacy. Senator Chris Coons, a Democrat from Delaware, wrote a letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos Looking for answers about Amazon’s Alexa user data and how it’s stored. Since then, Amazon introduced the “Alexa, delete everything I said today” feature.. The tech giant says that it too 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 their own privacy concerns, prompting questions about data usage.
Fortunately, Amazon and others appear to be working to regain our trust. Have these privacy concerns prevented you from buying a voice assistant (Alexa or not)? Consider the comment section below.
Still have questions? Read more about Alexa.
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Originally published in 2019 and regularly updated.
