Best Amazon Prime Day Smart Home Deals on Smart Thermostats, Smart Locks, and More

The sleek Honeywell Home T9 RCHT9510WF comes with a wireless remote temperature sensor for more precise heating and cooling throughout your home and offers a number of other features, including geofencing, a built-in occupancy sensor, a touch screen, vacation scheduling, and voice and app control via Amazon Alexa, Google Home/Assistant, Apple Home/Siri, and Samsung SmartThings. The thermostat does a great job of automating your heating and cooling (and has great manual control, too). Additional temperature sensors cost $40 each or $75 for a two-pack and are available at Amazon, Best Buy, and Honeywell Home. Amazon and Walmart are both discounting this thermostat for Prime Day.

The Google Nest Learning Thermostat has been around for a while, but it remains one of the top models in our ratings, thanks to its impeccable automation skills. It also offers a ton of smart features, including an occupancy sensor, geofencing, and voice and app control via Amazon Alexa, Google Home/Assistant, and Samsung SmartThings. One note: If your current thermostat lacks a C-wire, you might also need Google’s wiring adapter to complete installation. That’s sold separately for $25 at Amazon, Google, and Walmart.

The Ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced is one of the company’s newer smart thermostats. It features a new radar-based occupancy sensor and works with Amazon Alexa, Apple Home/Siri, Google Home/Assistant, and Samsung SmartThings for voice and app control. It performs well in our tests for manual operation and offers an array of smart features, but it’s less proficient at learning your routine and making adjustments automatically.  It doesn’t come with one of Ecobee’s wireless temperature sensors (called SmartSensors), but you can buy them separately in a two-pack for $100 at Best Buy and Ecobee.

The TP-Link Kasa Smart KL125 smart bulb offers the best deal of the 10 smart lightbulbs we evaluated last year. It retails for $15 per bulb and has a great array of colors and dimming performance that come close to what you get from the pricier Philips Hue. The bulb works with Amazon Alexa, Google Home/Assistant, and Samsung SmartThings for voice and/or app control.

The Amazon Smart Plug is essentially an accessory for consumers who use Amazon Echo speakers and Alexa to run their smart home, because it’s managed entirely from the Alexa app and doesn’t work with other smart home systems. It performs quite well in our tests of the best smart plugs, with our experts finding it very easy to set up and use, as well as offering strong data security.

The TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Slim EP25 is very easy to use and set up based on our expert evaluations, and it offers decent data security. It’s also one of the most versatile smart plugs on the market, offering energy monitoring and compatibility with all four major smart home systems: Amazon Alexa, Apple Home/Siri, Google Home/Assitant, and Samsung SmartThings. This four-pack is just $33 for Prime Day, netting you a savings of more than 30 percent.

The Aqara Camera E1 is a strong performer, especially for video quality and response time of alerts. It can store footage on a microSD card (up to 512 gigabytes; sold separately) and features person detection, monitoring zones to focus alerts on certain areas, motorized pan-and-tilt so you can remotely change the camera’s view, voice and app control with smart home systems (Amazon Alexa, Apple Home/Siri, and Google Home/Assistant), a privacy mode that will point the camera at a wall or ceiling, and support for faster WiFi 6 routers.

The compact, battery-powered TP-Link Tapo MagCam C425 performs well in our tests and offers local storage via microSD card (up to 512 gigabytes; sold separately). The “bullet-style” camera features person detection, pet detection, vehicle detection, monitoring zones, color night vision (even when the built-in spotlights are off), a built-in siren, and voice and app control via Amazon Alexa and Google Home/Assistant. Best of all, you don’t need to sign up for a subscription to use any of these features. TP-Link also sells a $40 solar panel that can be connected to the camera to keep the battery charged. Note that you need to apply the on-page coupon to get the full 50 percent discount.

The Arlo Video Doorbell 2K is one of the best video doorbells you can buy. It receives top scores in almost all of our tests and provides the flexibility to install it wherever you need it. You can run it using the rechargeable battery or hardwire it to a home’s doorbell wiring for continuous power. Features include monitoring zones to block out nuisance alerts (like cars moving down a busy street), geofencing, and voice/app control via Amazon Alexa and Google Home/Assistant. Cloud video storage and additional features (such as alerts for people, packages, animals, and vehicles) require an Arlo Secure subscription.

The Google Nest Video Doorbell (Battery) offers impressive data security, speedy response times, and decent video quality in our lab tests. It’s also one of few video doorbells to give you monitoring zones, object recognition (of people, packages, animals, and vehicles), and 3 free hours of cloud video storage without a monthly subscription. The doorbell works with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant and can be wired to a doorbell circuit for continuous power. Cloud video storage and additional features (such as facial recognition) require a Google Nest Aware subscription.

One of Ring’s newer models, the Battery Doorbell Plus doesn’t earn top scores for video quality, but it does provide strong data security, speedy alerts, and quick-loading live video feeds. Features include color night vision, a rechargeable and swappable battery pack, monitoring zones, and voice/app control via Amazon Alexa. Cloud video storage and additional features (such as person alerts) require a Ring Protect subscription.

One of the best options with built-in WiFi, the Eufy Smart Lock Touch & WiFi S230 performs well in our brute force tests for kick-ins, lock-picking, and drilling. Features include a fingerprint scanner for one-touch unlocking, a touchscreen keypad for PIN codes, auto-locking, an access log, and voice control via Amazon Alexa and Google Home/Assistant. See this hands-on review for more information.

The Yale Assure Lock SL uses the smart lock platform of sister company August, complete with a Yale-branded smartphone app almost identical to August’s. That means Yale offers many of the same features, too, including remote control, an access log, voice control (via Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit/Siri, and Google Assistant), electronic keys, and a door open/close sensor. To use them all, you need Yale’s version of the August Connect WiFi adapter, included here at no extra charge. The keyless lock is impossible to pick and, in our tests, it’s very resistant to kick-ins, too.

As the name suggests, the Yale Assure Lock 2 is the successor to the Yale Assure Lock SL. This keyless model performs well in our tests, holding up against kick-ins and attacks from a cordless drill. It’s very easy to set up, connect to WiFi, and control remotely when you’re not home. Out of the box, it works with Apple Home/Siri and offers Bluetooth connectivity. But it also comes with the Yale WiFi Smart Module and DoorSense open/close sensor—an $80 value at no extra charge. The module adds WiFi connectivity along with extra features such as remote control from your smartphone and integrations with voice assistants and smart home apps (Amazon Alexa, Google Home/Assistant, and Samsung SmartThings). Amazon currently has the best discount on this smart lock when you use the 15 percent off on-page coupon.

The Arlo Comprehensive Smart Home Security System is one of the newer entrants to the DIY alarm system market and its hardware is unusual compared to that of other systems. Instead of offering a variety of sensors, it uses one with eight different functions. That includes detecting motion, opening/closing of doors and windows, water leaks, tilting of garage doors and windows, freezing temperatures, ambient light changes, and the sounds of smoke and CO alarms going off. Even the keypad sensor hub can detect motion and smoke/CO alarm sounds. In our tests, the Arlo system receives strong scores for security essentials, data security, ease of setup, ease of use, and motion detection. You can monitor the system yourself or pay a subscription fee for professional monitoring. Two Arlo starter kits are on sale for about 35 percent off their list prices.

The Ring Alarm (2nd Gen) is one of the best DIY home security systems in our ratings, performing well in our tests for ease of setup, ease of use, data security, security essentials, and more. The system requires a $5 per month subscription to function, but it works with Amazon Alexa (for voice control) and Ring video doorbells and security cameras, allowing you to set them to automatically record any activity when the alarm goes off. Sign up for professional monitoring ($20 per month) and you’ll receive 180 days’ worth of cloud video storage for Ring cameras and doorbells. Amazon is discounting a handful of Ring Alarm bundles for Prime Day by about 40 percent.

The SimpliSafe security system is one of the best options for DIYers, according to our lab tests. It works with SimpliSafe’s security cameras, the CR-tested SimpliSafe Doorbell Pro SS3 video doorbell, and the company’s smart lock, of course, but you can purchase extra contact and motion sensors, too. Opt for self-monitoring or pay a subscription fee for professional help. Multiple SimpliSafe bundles are on sale at 50 percent off. The pricier 7-piece and 9-piece kits include security cameras.

The Blink Wired Floodlight Cam is one of the newer entrants to the market. In our tests, it receives superb scores for video quality and response time and a solid score for data security. Features include a siren, monitoring zones, voice/app control via Amazon Alexa, and up to 5 minutes of continuous live streaming. You can store footage locally without a subscription if you purchase a Blink Sync Module 2, $35, and plug in a USB flash drive. Cloud video storage and other features (such as person detection) require a Blink Subscription Plan.

The Floodlight Cam E340 is one of Eufy’s dual-camera models. It has a 3K wide-angle camera and a 2K telephoto camera that work together to give you up to 8x zoom. It’s also one of the few motorized pan-and-tilt floodlight cameras available today, allowing you to easily check the camera’s surroundings. In our tests, it receives top scores for video quality and response time. Its laundry list of features includes local video storage with up to a 128-gigabyte microSD card (sold separately), monitoring zones, person detection, pet detection, vehicle detection, motion tracking to follow subjects as they move around your home, color night vision using the built-in 2,000-lumen floodlights, 24/7 video recording (not just recording when motion is detected), a built-in siren, voice and app control via Amazon Alexa and Google Home/Assistant, and support for WiFi 6 wireless routers.

The D-Link DCH-S1621KT Wi-Fi Water Leak Sensor and Alarm Starter Kit gives you a slick app experience and speedy alerts, plus two types of leak detectors for the price of one. The plug-in detector comes with a roughly 5-foot extension cable and uses a roughly 20-inch cord to detect water. It also acts as a hub for a separate, white puck-shaped detector. That means you can place the two units in different rooms and cover multiple trouble spots in your home. Additional puck-shaped detectors cost $25. You can connect up to 16 of them to one hub.

The Rachio Smart Hose Timer Starter Kit offers a polished app experience, responsive controls to manually water your yard, and a straightforward, albeit long, setup process. That might not sound like much, but it’s a tall order for smart hose timers, most of which can be buggy and use apps that look like they shipped with the very first iPhone. When we evaluated the Rachio hose timer last year, it wasn’t compatible with any smart home systems, but it now works with Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri, and Google Home/Assistant.

The Rachio 3 8ZULW-C is a solid sprinkler controller that’s easy to connect to WiFi and highly responsive to local forecasts. It lost a few points in our tests because the wiring instructions are unclear, and it lacks a backup battery and weatherproof casing. (A weatherproof enclosure is sold separately for $30.) In addition to app controls, the model features manual controls and voice control via Amazon Alexa, Google Home/Assistant, and Samsung SmartThings. It works with up to eight sprinkler zones; four-zone and 16-zone versions are also available.

If you want to monitor a handful of trouble spots in your home, the X-Sense Wi-Fi Water Leak Detector SWS54 provides the best bang for your buck. You get a hub with a siren and three wireless sensors you can place throughout your home. The sensors are unique in that they can detect water on the ground and water that drips on them from, say, exposed pipes. The sensors each have a siren, too, allowing you to easily identify the source of an alert without checking the X-Sense app.

The Airthings View Plus 2960 is a top performer in our tests. It’s very quick to set up, and you can easily view real-time readings through a smartphone app or a built-in display. The app also logs historical data from the monitor’s sensors. Unlike many other monitors, the Airthings claims to detect radon, a colorless, odorless, radioactive gas that can seep from the ground into a home. (CR didn’t test this function.) The monitor describes your home’s air quality using simple terms like “good” and “poor.” You can power the model with six AA batteries or plug it into an outlet. It also works with Amazon Alexa and Google Home/Assistant, so you can ask those voice assistants for current readings.

The Meross MSG100 is the best smart garage door opener controller from our at-home evaluation. It’s relatively easy to set up and install and works flawlessly with all of the major smart home systems (Amazon Alexa, Apple Home/Siri, Google Home/Assistant, and Samsung SmartThings). With the on-page coupon, this device is now $5 less than its already low price from last year’s Prime Day sale.