Reviewed Insider: Essential smart home guide
Welcome to Reviewed Insider, the new monthly newsletter just for subscribers. This exclusive newsletter includes detailed expert reviews on hundreds of personally-tested products from the Reviewed lab, so you can know your stuff.
"Smart home." You've probably heard the phrase. Maybe you've even purchased a smart home gadget yourself. The Amazon Echo smart speaker alone is in millions of homes, and that's not counting the doorbells, sprinklers, water leak detectors, and dozens of other everyday devices that are now connected to the internet.
We say "connected" rather than "smart" because it all comes down to quality. If you spend $200 on a new thermostat and can't figure out how to turn up the heat, that's hardly what you'd call smart.
That's why Reviewed spent hundreds of hours in our test labs this year with the best (and sometimes the worst!) smart home products.
If you're ready to upgrade your home, here are some guides to get you started:
If you already own an Amazon Alexa device, we've compiled the essential list of everything that works with it.
A smart plug adds peace of mind without blowing the budget. Did you turn off that coffee maker? With a tap on your smartphone, you can shut it off even if you're away from home. We tested 12 of the top-selling smart plugs in our lab.
Worried about basement leaks this winter? A connected water leak detector can alert you when you no matter where you're traveling. Our winner is simple, affordable, and runs on AA batteries.
Deterring package theft is just one of the benefits that a smart video doorbell provides. Our tests proved that none of them are perfect (yet), but at least one earned our recommendation for its reliability and speed.
Want to cut down on heating bills this winter? We've got 10 products to locate drafty spots, monitor your energy consumption, and only heat the areas that need it.
And don't forget that Black Friday is coming. All this season, Reviewed is here to help with gift guides and deals on products that are actually worth buying. Bookmark gifts.usatoday.com or follow us on Facebook @reviewed for expert daily coverage.