Prime Day smart home deals are great
Amazon Prime Day Deals: Robot Vacuum Spectroscopy, Video Doorbells and Security Cameras at 200 Off Amazon, and Ring at 100 Off Amazon
One of the best times to buy a smart device is during Amazon’s Prime Day events. Amazon is more than happy to chuck tons of deals your way in an effort to convince you to adopt an Echo smart speaker or smart display and put one (or a dozen) in your home.
The top-of-the-line models of robot vacuums don’t always see discounts, but they are still seeing decent sales. My advice is to buy a bot that is on sale because they are always on sale. The X2 Omni is already $200 off, and Ecovacs launched it last week. It is an impressive machine, one that is better at getting into corners than many other rounder bots.
The higher-end Ring smart security cameras are also getting deep discounts: the Ring Pro 2 video doorbell and Ring Floodlight Cam Wired Pro add radar motion detection and better video quality over the base models. These rarely go on sale, and are now seeing up to $100 off.
Amazon Smart Plug: An Ecobee-like Smart Home for Around-The-House Utilities in the Smart Home Ecosystem
The cheapest robot vacuum on the market is the Roborock Q5 Plus that can empty itself and has a map and virtual keep out zones. It’s a good choice for homes with a lot of carpet because it’s the only one that doesn’t have a mop.
One of the smartest ways to get started with the smart home is to use the Echo, which has a built-in smart home hub. It is also a smart speaker, a Matter controller, Thread border router, and a Zigbee bridge that can connect all your gadgets to your smart home.
The Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium does a lot. The smart thermostat is able to adjust it based on whether you live at home or away, and also has an indoor air quality monitor, smart speaker and a hub for Ecobee.
Yes, it’s kind of a small Trojan horse to ensure you’re hooked on Amazon’s smart home ecosystem, but many of these devices offer some handy utility when it comes to around-the-house helpfulness — like playing music in multiple rooms, getting weather and news alerts, making video calls, and controlling connected devices like smart light bulbs via voice commands.
The Echo Show 5 is the same size and has the same mics, speaker system and sound quality.
The smart device has a motor within its cylindrical base that allows it to spin around to find you, so you can always view the screen. It’s the best smart display for making video calls. To read our review, click here.
Amazon’s apt-titled Smart Plug doesn’t require a hub and lets you add Alexa functionality to any outlet, allowing you to control a range of devices with just your voice.
Roomba s9 Plus, Ring Floodlight Cam Wired Pro, and Blink Video Doorbell: Two-year Audio and Motion-Activated Buzzer for Smart Home Devices
The Roomba i4, which is virtually identical to the Roomba i3 Evo, cleans just as well as the j7 but won’t avoid clutter and doesn’t have app-enabled clean zones or keep-out zones.
The iRobot Roomba s9 Plus has a square front to more efficiently sweep away debris, as well as filters to eliminate pet hair, mold, pollen and dust mite allergens.
The Ring Floodlight Cam Wired Pro delivers high-quality video with adjustable, accurate motion detection, 2,000 lumens of light, and a good digital zoom. It only works with the Ring or Amazon.com voice assistant apps, and does not represent any other smart home platform.
Blink’s Video Doorbell is the best if you’re looking a budget-friendly buzzer that offers motion-activated recording and alerts, night vision, two-way audio, and up to two years of battery life.
