I test smart home devices for a living—Prime Day just put 7 of my favorite gadgets on sale

Kasa Matter Smart Plugs w/ Energy Monitoring: was $39 now $21 @ Amazon
Kasa's compact smart plug plays nice with all of the major smart home platforms including Apple HomeKit, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Samsung Smart Things. I use mine to control my underbed light strips—when my Echo Spot's occupancy sensor detects motion after 7 PM it turns them on automatically when I enter the room. You can also use these plugs with things like lamps, fans, or even your coffee maker.

Tapo C120 2K Security Camera: was $39 now $24 @ Amazon
Tapo's C120 camera features an easy-to-mount or stand magnetic base with outdoor capabilities. It's similar to the Wyze Cam v4 but doesn't lock any functionality behind a paywall. This includes free AI smart detection (pets, people, and vehicles) and doesn't need a cooldown period between notifications. Its sharp 2K picture offers vibrant colors and sharp text. Plus, its included sound detection makes for an excellent pet or baby camera as it notifies you of cries, barks, meows, and breaking glass.

Kasa Full Color Smart Bulbs (4-Pack): was $39 now $20 @ Amazon
These customizable bulbs pump out plenty of light and can display more than 16 million colors. Just pair them with your network and you can link them up with Alexa and Google Assistant for routines or voice commands. I use mine as a DIY sunrise alarm clock, scheduling them to brighten to wake me up in the morning and gradually dimming down slowly after sunset to kickstart my sleep routine. 

Echo Spot (2024): was $79 now $44 @ Amazon
Amazon’s Echo Spot alarm clock doubles as a discrete smart speaker for your bedroom. It sounds great and ditches the cameras found on the Echo Show lineup of smart displays for full privacy but its smaller screen loses out on displaying media. Instead, this basic LCD display can show the time, weather, and album cover art with large colorful icons. I use its occupancy sensor to turn on lights and play music when I enter my bedroom after work.

Amazon Smart Air Quality Monitor: was $69 now $46 @ Amazon
Keep an eye on indoor air quality in an easy-to-understand score. This gadget sucks in air to break down humidity, harmful particles, and temperature to rate the quality of your environment. You can use it to kick off routines like turning on your Alexa-enabled devices such as air purifiers, dehumidifiers, and fans when the indoor air quality drops too low. In my Amazon Smart Air Quality Monitor review, I found that it's sensitive enough to detect even the most subtle changes in the air such as when my dog uses a wee-wee pad or someone's vaping in the room.

August Wi-Fi Smart Lock: was $229 now $117 @ Amazon
The August Wi-Fi Smart Lock has been at the top of our best smart locks page for a while, and with good reason. This sleek conversion smart lock replaces the interior portion of your door lock so you can still use your original key if you want to. You can control it and view activity remotely. I appreciate that it automatically locks and unlocks your door when you leave or arrive back home and that it works seamlessly with every major smart home system. This lets you tie it to other smart home devices so it can automatically turn your entryway and living room lights on. 

Shark IQ robot vacuum: was $380 now $279 @ Amazon
This self-emptying robot stands out for its 45 days of debris storage. I schedule mine to clean up when I step out at night so I never have to see or hear it until it's time to dump the plastic base out. In my Shark IQ review, I found its immense suction power has had no trouble removing my dog's fur from my wood floors or carpet and cleans up little kitchen messes like dropped onions or fine powders with ease. Shark's app is super easy to use and I've connected it with my Alexa account to send the IQ out on a whim. You can name individual rooms and create no-go zones to clean only specific areas.