5 smart home gadgets I actually recommend, after years of testing

As you can see from this photo, I love using the Kasa Smart Plug Ultra Mini 15A for my Christmas tree and holiday lights. This smart plug is ideal for use with various plug-in devices, offering the convenience of automation and remote control. 

I also use smart plugs for other devices, such as older lamps, fans, and even my flat iron, so I can always ensure they're turned off from wherever I am. 

Also: Your smart plug is seriously underutilized: 7 ways I've programmed mine to automate my home

One of the Kasa smart plug's best features is its compact design, which requires less space than other popular smart plugs. Its small size means it leaves enough real estate so you can plug in other devices right next to it. 

The Kasa smart plug is reasonably priced at $11. Alternatively, you can purchase a two-pack for just $17.

The Aqara T2 E26 is one of the most reliable smart bulbs I've tested. It supports Zigbee and Thread, and is compatible with Matter when paired with an Aqara hub. The LED bulb can go up to 1,100 lumens and features a broad spectrum of white shades, from 2,000K to 9,000K. 

I use my Aqara smart bulb on a lamp in my bedroom, and it turns on at dusk on a schedule. It's also part of my routines, so I can ask Siri to turn off all the bedroom lights each night, or say, "Alexa, bedtime."

Also: Unplugging these 7 common household devices greatly reduced my electricity bill

Having tested many brands of smart bulbs, the Aqara stands out for its dependability. It never randomly disconnects on me, unlike other smart bulbs, and hasn't caused any issues during operation. It's definitely become my favorite because of its consistency.

This is, by far, my favorite video doorbell ever. I've tested many different offerings from different brands, yet I always keep this one on my front door. The reasons I love it so much include the dual cameras, 2K resolution, Delivery Guard to track your packages, and the fact that it doesn't require monthly fees to access these features.

The Eufy Video Doorbell E340 can be set up using existing wired connections or wirelessly, thanks to its built-in rechargeable battery. It features 8 GB of built-in storage, roughly equivalent to about 2 months of footage. You can get a HomeBase S380 for expanded local storage and AI features. The HomeBase also functions as a chime, but you can also use an Echo device as one. Eufy also features a Minibase Chime, which can be purchased separately. 

Review: This video doorbell camera successfully replaced my Ring with no subscription

The front-facing camera provides a full view of visitors at your front door, while the downward-facing camera tracks your packages. The doorbell alerts you when a package is delivered, and when you open the live view, you can tap on each package to see the exact time it arrived. You can set up the Eufy E340 video doorbell to ring an alarm when someone approaches or picks up your packages, or even alert you if they're left outside past a certain time.

The Ting Smart Sensor is such a simple and effective device that I couldn't help but recommend it, especially if you have an older home. You simply plug in your Ting, connect it to the mobile app, and wait a while until your device learns your home's patterns. 

A Ting sensor can detect scintillations, or minuscule sparks, in wiring damaged by construction, aging, or incorrect installation. The sensor detects these early warning signs and alerts you to them so you can correct them before they become a bigger problem, like a tripped breaker or a fire. 

Review: This tiny device quietly monitors your home for electrical hazards

Aside from giving me insights into my home's electrical safety, I also love the Ting device because it alerts me immediately when there is an outage and provides valuable insights into nearby outages and risks. I have a full EcoFlow home backup system, yet the Ting app is much quicker at sending me outage notifications than the EcoFlow app. 

When I've been out of town and checking on my home, Ting notifies me of any severe thunderstorm warnings that could affect our power and shows me a detailed history of when the power went out and when it was restored. 

The Lockly Visage Zeno Series is the best smart lock I've tested. It features facial recognition, unlocking your door as soon as you come into view, making it more secure than entering a passcode. Lockly ensures your facial recognition data is encrypted and stored in the smart lock, so it doesn't get sent to cloud servers.

And if you still want to use a keycode for entry, this smart lock features Lockly's PIN Genie technology, which scrambles the keypad numbers so onlookers can't guess your passcode.

This smart lock earned ZDNET's Editors' Choice award for outstanding performance, and also supports Apple Home Key, fingerprint, physical key, and remote unlocking without a hub or subscription. 

Review: I switched to a Wi-Fi-enabled smart lock with facial recognition

The only problem with this smart lock is that you have to be willing to splurge. It's priced steeply at $350, and it's so good that it rarely goes on sale. However, the $350 price tag gets you the best smart lock I've tested and two rechargeable batteries, so you can swap them out when one is drained. 

I'm a smart home tech reviewer who covers a lot of devices that automate daily tasks, including robot vacuums, robot mowers, and other smart device categories. Notably, not all of these devices are worth your hard-earned money, so I only recommend the ones I've tested that have proven to meet or exceed expectations. 

For this story, I chose only the smart home devices that have become my personal favorites, especially having tested dozens of these types of gadgets.

A smart home hub is the central command center for your smart devices. Smart home hubs connect to your network either via Wi-Fi or ethernet and then connect to multiple smart home devices via other connectivity protocols, like Matter, Thread, Zigbee, or Z-Wave.

You could connect 20 smart bulbs to your Wi-Fi network, which may slow it down due to congestion. With a smart home hub, you can connect the single hub to your Wi-Fi, then connect the 20 smart bulbs to the hub via Zigbee.

Having a smart home hub also potentially means local control for your smart devices, depending on the hub, so you could still control your smart home devices even if your internet connection goes down.

A hub isn't always required for a smart home setup, but having one ensures your different devices are able to communicate with each other without congesting your Wi-Fi network. 

Many smart devices work without a hub and connect directly to your Wi-Fi, like the Lockly Visage Zeno Series smart lock, while others let you use a hub to connect to, like the Aqara T2 smart bulb.