Smart Home

In our continued mission to uncover the best Black Friday deals even before they go live and ensure folks have a good shot at scoring the lowest prices on the most sought-after gear, next up is the all-new 4th generation Google Nest Learning Thermostat. Alongside all of the new Pixel gear that debuted this past summer that will being seeing deep price drops starting this week, Google’s latest Nest Thermostat will also be joining the party after finally getting a major overhaul and redesign for the first time in nearly a decade. We are touching down to make sure you are fully aware of the upcoming price drop and to ensure you don’t get sucked in to an inferior deal before it goes live. 

While we are still a few days away from the start of Amazon’s official Black Friday Week Sale, it tends to start the deals on its in-house gear early and we just spotted some fresh new Blink smart home offers. Amazon’s Blink brand delivers some of the more affordable gear in the smart home space and some of its just got a whole lot lower. The latest Blink Video Doorbell, for example, is now down at just $29.99 with free shipping for Prime members or in orders over $35. That’s a straight up 50% price drop from the regular $60 list price and the lowest we can find. 

Back in August, my partner and I decided to invest in Whisker’s Litter-Robot 3, which I raved about in my subsequent review that you can check out here. While there was a bit of a learning curve for my sweet furbaby, he has since adjusted and all the problems that we were dealing with in his first few months since adopting him have become a thing of the past. That’s why, when given the chance to try out Whisker’s newest model, the Litter-Robot 4, with the add-on LitterHopper, I jumped at the chance to find out just how much the company has improved upon its previous designs. Not only has it been an even more comprehensive addition to my home, but it also expanded and improved many of the things I felt were missing from its predecessor. Head below to learn more about Whisker’s Litter-Robot 4, the next stage of smart, self-cleaning litter boxes that should be in the home of every cat owner.

Alongside all of the other early holiday deals Amazon is offering (you’ll find the highlights waiting down below), it is also now serving up a notable bundle that includes the All-new Ring Battery Doorbell with a Ring Indoor Cam 2nd Gen thrown in for $79.99 shipped. Regularly $140, this is $60 or 42% off savings and the lowest price we can find. This deal is on par with the price we tracked for the fall Prime Day event as well. 

Segway Navimow is introducing the world to its new X3 series of robot lawn mowers that are designed to provide autonomous lawn care support for medium to large yards. Presentations of this new model in the United States begin today at the Equip Expo in Louisville, Kentucky through October 18, with pre-orders only open to dealers and distributors at the moment. This new premium model is a follow-up to its i110N predecessor that tosses out boundary wire needs with expanded functionality to tackle professional and homeowner needs to maintain up to 2.5 acres of land. Head below to continue learning more about this all-new entry into the autonomous lawn care market.

As part of the Prime Big Deal Days event, the official Petcube Amazon storefront is now offering a series of solid deals on its intelligent dedicated pet smart cameras. Alongside some of the even more affordable models, below, one standout here is the brand’s Petcube Play 2 Wi-Fi Pet Camera with the onboard laser toy at $63.99 shipped. While this one tends to fetch $80 these days, it would have costed you $199 through most of last year. You’re looking at up to $136 below that and at 20% under the more recent going rate. 

The Aqara Prime Big Deal Days discounts are now in full effect, delivering some of the best prices of the year on its most affordable smart lock solutions as well as the best price ever on the brand new Apple Home Key Smart Lock U300 with fingerprint reader and a whole lot more. The deals also carry over to the brand’s intelligent HomeKit Secure Video gear like the the smart Camera E1 and the Video Doorbell G4 to keep a closer eye on your precious abode at a major discount. Head below for a closer look at the Aqara Prime Big Deal Days offers. 

After debuting in mid-August as some of the most affordable smart video doorbells from brands we trust and feature around here, the new TP-Link Tapo D120 and D225 have now hit new all-time lows on Amazon. The more affordable TP-Link Tapo D120 as now dropped from the regular $70 price tag down to $46.99 shipped and the dual-powered (more on this below) Tapo D225 has now fallen to $79.99 shipped from the regular $100 price tag. We did see launch deals at $51 and $85 back in August, but today’s offers undercut both to deliver the best we have seen yet. 

Amazon is now offering a relatively rare deal on the Eve Motion Sensor with Matter down at $39.95 shipped. This is a regularly $50 intelligent motion sensor that is now seeing a solid 20% price to deliver one of the lowest prices we have tracked this year. This model did drop to $35 for a couple days during the July Prime Day sale, but it rarely goes on sale outside of holiday events like that and has otherwise held strong between $45 and $48 for all off 2024 outside of a brief stint at $40 back in February. 

Amazon’s early Prime Big Deal Days are now live, and now joining the Ring offers we featured already, it’s time for the Blink deals. Amazon’s Blink smart home brand delivers some particularly aggressive and competitive pricing and it all just got even lower. You can now score the 2024 Blink Mini 2 smart camera for just $19.99 with free shipping for Prime members or in orders over $35. This is a regularly $40 camera we came away impressed with after going hands-on that is now seeing a straight up 50% price drop to mark a return to the July Prime Day price and the all-time low. 

One of the latest releases from Govee is putting its smart multi-color lighting treatment up on the table or nightstand, complete with Matter support. The new Govee Table Lamp 2 delivers on a similar smartphone and smart home-controlled lighting experience, just with an all-new design featuring 360-degree lighting and a clear base that allows it to standout from many of the no-name options you’ll find on Amazon. Now available for purchase with some launch deals, we will take a deeper dive down below. 

The official Govee Amazon storefront is now offering a notable limited-time Lightning deal on its smart Alexa/Google Assistant RGBIC Floor Lamp at $59.98 shipped. Regularly $100, this is 40% off the going rate, the lowest we have seen in months, and on par with the previous price drop we spotted back in May. This certainly isn’t the latest model in the lineup, but if you’re looking to secure the similar floor lamp from the brand with Matter support, it’s going to cost you $124.99 shipped on sale from the usual $160 price tag right now – check out our launch coverage from earlier this year on this model if you’re interested. 

The new Eve Light Switch with Matter is debuting today. In the brand’s continued effort to future-proof its popular HomeKit smart home ecosystem, today Eve is launching its Light Switch with Matter, allowing the switch to be controlled directly via iOS 18 on iPhone 15 Pro and the new iPhone 16 devices without a home hub and play nice with the rest of the Matter gear in your setup. This, much like what we saw with its smart Weather Station back in July, also means the brand is serving up a free Matter firmware upgrade for existing owners of the third-generation Eve Light Switch via the Eve app. 

Today only, as part of its Deals of the Day, Best Buy is now offering a 3-pack of TP-Link Tapo Smart Plug Minis with Matter down at $24.99 shipped. A solid option considering this pack usually fetches $50 at Best Buy, but you can score a very similar 3-pack over at Amazon right now for $21.99 with free shipping for Prime members or in orders over $25. Both options carry that mini form-factor (the Amazon option is even smaller) as well as official Matter support, but you’re paying less via Amazon at $7.33 per plug. 

Nanoleaf, one of our favorite smart wall lighting brands anywhere, is ready to launch its next-generation offering known as Nanoleaf Blocks. Delivering “mix-and-match smart lighting system,” they are to allow users to create a “completely custom lighting display like never before.” Pre-orders are set to go live starting today and you can get a rundown of what you’re in for down below. 

Alongside all of today’s exciting new gear coming out of IFA 2024, Lockly’s new Zeno Series smart locks featuring facial recognition and Apple Home Key access are ready for prime time. The brand is expanding its already extensive collection of smart locks with four new HomeKit-ready models, complete with the handy Apple Watch and iPhone Home Key action. Scope them out below. 

Not long ago, my partner and I brought home a young cat (named Kraydor the Wizard Boy, FYI, and not by me) after he was having trouble getting adopted from our local shelter. Among these first few months, he has been having some…issues with using the litter box – primarily, he refused to use it if it was not immediately cleaned after every use. We had started him off with some pellets that had been recently introduced in our home to fight the odors that linger from typical litter while keeping our floors from being covered in scattered bits. After he instead began relieving himself in random places around the apartment, we tried clumping litter, as our other cat has always preferred it and it allowed Kraydor to better bury his business out of sight, and hopefully out of mind longer than his next visit. This did not work, however, so in a last ditch attempt to save our sanity from having to clean the box every few hours (he’s young and goes regularly), we instead decided to bite the bullet on Whisker’s Litter-Robot 3 Connect, a smart, self-cleaning litter box that manages the worst part of cat companionship.

Just after the debut of the new 4th Gen Google Nest Learning Thermostat and joining ongoing all-time lows on the Google’s wireless Nest video doorbells, Amazon and Best Buy are now offering solid discounts on the Google Nest Cam with Floodlight. Regularly $279, you can land one at Amazon or Best Buy for $209 shipped to deliver 25% in savings. This is the second-lowest total we have tracked on Amazon this year, coming within $10 of the 2024 low there. 

Joining the rest of the Eve Labor Day smart home deals, Amazon is also offering the brand’s 6.6-foot HomeKit Light Strip down at $39.99 shipped. Regularly $80, this is as much as 50% off the MSRP and the lowest price we can find. It has more typically been selling for between $50 and $60 at Amazon over the last several months, but today’s offer is the lowest we have tracked since May, coming within $10 of the Amazon all-time low – we have only seen it go for less twice there. 

Amazon Labor Day deals are now in full swing, featuring notable price drops on its smart Echo Spot, Dot, and Pop speakers alongside its Echo Show smart displays, Game Pass Ultimate-ready Fire TV Sticks, Alexa earbuds, and more. We have already rounded up many of our favorite Labor Day deals from all retailers and brands across a huge collection of product categories, from Apple gear and Samsung tech to smart home, e-bikes, charging gear, fashion brands, and more. That’s on top of some our favorite early Labor Day deals you can score for under $30, but for now we are focusing on the in-house Amazon tech and you’ll find the best of it waiting down below.

Welcome to our collection of the best Labor Day deals under $30. While Labor Day typically ushers in big-time price drops on more pricey gear like smart TVs and Apple tech, home appliances, and e-bikes, and we have certainly featured offers on all of those things, we thought it would be helpful to put the spotlight on some of the less expensive gear we love that is seeing notable deals ahead of Labor Day weekend too. Spread across a range of product categories, from charging and smart home gear to travel companion gadgets, mini smart speakers, and some grilling accessories, you’ll find some of our favorite Labor Day deals for under $30 highlighted down below, alongside the rest of the deals we have been tracking all week.

Just after featuring the return of Prime Day pricing on the Eve Flare HomeKit smart lamp, we are ready to highlight more of the brand’s Labor Day deals starting with the Eve Weather HomeKit outdoor weather station at $59.95 shipped. While the new Matter-equipped version is still sitting at the full $80 price tag, this version is essentially identical just with a focus on Apple’s smart home ecosystem. Now 25% off the regular $80 price tag, this is $5 below the best prices we have tracked this year outside of a quick drop to $50 for Prime Day. 

Just after the brand revealed its new and quite affordable smart video doorbell solutions yesterday with launch deals starting at $51, a solid offer on its Tapo Smart Wi-Fi Outdoor Plug with Matter has returned. As part of its Deals of the Day, Best Buy is once again offering the Matter-equipped outdoor smart plug down at just $17.99. Shipping is free for My Best Buy members (free to join here) or opt for free in-store pickup. Regularly $30, this is matching our previous mention at 40% off the going rate. This model is very similar to the variant you’ll find on Amazon that is currently selling for a touch more at $20 Prime shipped. But either way, you’re looking at some of the brand’s latest and greatest in outdoor Matter solutions, ready to make your outdoor electronics a far easier and more convenient setup to control at more than affordable prices.  

Today, well-known smart home brand TP-Link is expanding its Tapo lineup with a pair of new modestly-pricey smart doorbell models. The new releases land with the flagship Tapo D225 and the value-packed Tapo D210, both featuring the brand’s Ring Call feature, free AI detection, local storage up to 512GB, color night vision, and integration with third-party voice assistant. Now available for purchase with 15% launch discounts, the brand’s first dual-powered smart video doorbell, the Tapo D225 lands at $84.99 by way of the on-page coupon via Amazon, while the Tapo D210 is now selling for just $51 shipped. Head below for more details. 

The Aqara U100 smart lock has been a popular Apple Home Key choice around here, and to round out the lineup for 2024, the brand has now launched the new entry-level U50 and latest U200 models to bookend the lineup. Delivering some of the most feature-packed solutions for home owners firmly planted in the Apple smart ecosystem, there is now an Aqara smart lock for anyone at various price points, all with advanced unlocking and security features, long-lasting battery life, and weather resistant designs. But which is the best model for you?

Eve, one of our favorite HomeKit-ready smart home brands, just debuted its new Matter-equipped smart Weather Station and we are now tracking the first chance to save. The new Matter model debuted last Thursday at $80 what essentially the same wonderful design and tech as the previous, and still viable on HomeKit model, just with official Matter support in two. Regularly $80, you can score on for $60.29 shipped, or 25% off the MSRP to deliver the very first chance to save on the Matter edition. Just remember, folks who already have the HomeKit model are eligible for a FREE Matter firmware upgrade. 

The new smart Eve Weather Station with Matter is making its debut today. The popular smart home brand has been steadily introducing multi-platform Matter standard to its range of popular smart home gear over the last couple of years, including its Matter smart plug, Eve Energy Outlet, and Motion Sensor, among others, and its Weather Station has now joined the party. The new Eve Weather Station with Matter is now available for purchase at the same price as the previous version – the HomeKit model remains in the lineup and Eve is offering up a free Matter firmware upgrade for existing devices.

Aqara is a one-stop shop smart home ecosystem, integrating with all of the major platforms, delivering Apple HomeKey support to your front door, and supporting advanced, yet easy to use automations across all of it. From its HomeKit Secure Video doorbell to its U50 Apple Home Key smart lock, over to its indoor camera monitoring systems, and its Presence Sensor FP2 to trigger automations and notifications across just about all of it, the brand delivers a powerful all-in-one solution for folks looking to increase the intelligence, security, and convenience of their living space. And that’s all without having to worry about which pieces of gear are compatible with the next – it all just plays nicely with one another and the big-time Prime Day deals have arrived on much of it. Head below for a closer look.

As part of its early Prime Day deals, and just after the debut of the sweet All-new 2024 Amazon Echo Spot smart speaker with display (it is seeing a massive price drop for Prime members right now too), we are now tracking the best price yet on the All-new Blink Mini 2 smart camera. This regular $40 smart camera debuted earlier this year just after we had a chance to give it a test run ahead of launch, but today’s deal at $19.95 shipped for Prime members is the very best yet. There has been some notable one-day offers at Best Buy that undercut the previous $30 low at Amazon, but nothing quite as low as the straight up 50% drop we are tracking ahead of Prime Day this year – it could drop lower next week, but it’s very hard to believe at a price like this. 

Courtesy of its Deals of the Day, Best Buy is offering the Aiper Scuba N1 Cordless Robotic Pool Cleaner for $509.99 shipped through the rest of the day. Normally going for $600, with a higher $700 MSRP direct from the manufacturer, this deal is already starting off $100 lower at Best Buy. This is only the second official discount that we have tracked since its release in March, with April seeing the first price cuts down to the former $550 low. Today’s deal comes in as a $90 markdown ($190 off its original MSRP) and carves out a new all-time low. It even currently beats Aiper’s website where it is discounted to a higher $650 rate.

Update: Amazon has issued and official press release for the brand new Echo Spot smart speaker with additional details. You’ll find them down below.

Amongst all of the now live early Prime Day deals on Amazon in-house tech, the retail giant has just delivered a new 2024 iteration of the Echo Spot seemingly out of nowhere. This smart speaker is essentially an updated version of the previous-generation Spot, taking on a more elevated form-factor similar to what we see on the entry-level Echo Pop. The new 2024 Amazon Echo Spot features all of the Alexa voice control prowess you would expect, but adds a customizable nightstand or desktop-ready display to the experience. The new speaker seems to have just went live on Amazon with a discounted launch deal marking it down from the $80 MSRP to just $44.99 shipped for Prime members as part of its early Prime Day offers – there’s no telling how long this deal might last. 

It doesn’t matter if you’re after gear for your smartphone, tablet, or just some helpful accessories for around the office or on the go, this is the place to find all of the best markdowns leading up to July 4th. From MagSafe power banks to 3-in-1 chargers, Mac keyboards, and Siri-enabled smart fans, there’s bound to be something in there that catches your eye. So keep on reading to find the very best July 4th deals we’ve spotted so far.

If you have a couple of pets running around your home like I do, once you clean floors, it doesn’t take very long for hair and small messes to build back up. This is why daily robot vacuum cleanings have been a game changer for me. Rarely do I even get to see a mess appear, let alone stick around and get worse over subsequent days. After reviewing one of ECOVACS’ best robot vacuum cleaners, it was time to have a look at what its sub-brand, Yeedi, could do. Continue reading to learn about unboxing, performance, and some of the quirks I have run into while reviewing this unit.

Amazon’s Blink smart home brand is one we have featured around here for quite some time, delivering a breadth of relatively affordable smart camera systems and video doorbells for Alexa users. After just getting a chance to go hands-on with its latest release, the Blink Mini 2 indoor and/or outdoor solution, today the brand is expanding its offerings on the software side of things. Blink Moments is a new “video viewing experience that automatically combines clips captured across Blink cameras into a streamlined video,” and it will be rolling out globally in the “coming weeks.” 

I bought my first smart light bulb well over a decade ago now. Over time, I’ve tried countless brands of smart bulbs, smart plugs to control lamps, and have even swapped out light switches for smart ones. Now my home has a mixture of all those things, and I would have it no other way. I’ve generally leaned on Philips Hue for smart bulbs because they’re one of the most platform-agnostic solutions out there, but the arrival of Matter has changed the game. This paved the way for me to eventually try out a 4-pack of Linkind Matter-enabled smart light bulbs at an incredibly low price. Continue reading for my hands-on impressions as part of the latest entry to the Tested with 9to5Toys series.

Trying to choose the perfect Robot vacuum and/or mop in today’s market can be quite an overwhelming experience. Without extensive knowledge of companies or their designs, it can seem like there is always some new or alternate feature that gets in the way of making any final decisions. If you had asked me years ago which models are best for everyday cleaning solutions without needing to babysit it, I’d likely have said that the big brand robots all sport similar performances – especially in the era of “bumper bots.”

In 2024, however, my sentiments towards preferable models has definitely shifted and solidified around a few key brands that are truly putting out innovative changes with each new robot. One of the most advanced – and absolute favorites that I’ve interacted with – has been the brand new Yeedi M12 PRO+ that I’ve gotten to know over these past weeks. Yeedi has truly outdone itself with this model, and deserves a moment to take a bow for their endeavors here. Below, you’ll find a breakdown of its features, what to expect during setup, as well as my personal impressions alongside a few key tips to keep in mind when installing it in your home (especially because, as amazing and life-changing as this tech has been, it is not perfect, just like every other elevated model worth your consideration).

Joining ongoing price drops on its Matter-equipped permanent outdoor smart lights, the multi smart home platform Govee deals continue today with some rope and strip lights. First up, the official Govee Amazon storefront is now offering its latest model M1 RGBIC LED Strip Lights with Matter at $39.99 shipped. Regularly $60, this is another 33% price drop from the going rate for the lowest price we can find. The $20 deal matches our previous mention and marks a return to last year’s holiday offer. And much like last time, you’ll also find the longer 16.4-foot run at $69.99 shipped down from the regular $100 price tag. Head below for more details. 

Folks looking to add to their growing Ring smart ecosystem, or perhaps looking to setup a modest camera-based setup in one fell swoop, will want to scope out today’s bundle deal. Amazon will sell you the latest Ring Indoor Cam and a wireless Ring Video Doorbell for $79.99 shipped today. This bundle typically sells for $140, saving you a straight up 43% to match the lowest price we have tracked on this package. You also have the choice of landing this pair at $60 off with both the Satin Nickel (silver) model Video Doorbell or the Venetian Bronze variant. And considering this doorbell regularly sells for $100 on its own, you’re clearly scoring a serious deal here. Head below for more details. 

Update: Govee’s official official Amazon storefront is now offering a new low on its brand new Matter smart Floor Lamp 2 at $119.99 shipped. This is a Lightning deal and it’s selling out quick, go, go, go! Details below in original post.

A few days ago, we covered the launch of the brand new Govee Matter smart Floor Lamp 2 alongside the new enhancements it brings to the experience, and now the first deal has arrived. The brand’s official Amazon storefront is now offering an on-page coupon to knock the total down to $129.99 shipped. Regularly $150, this is, as we mentioned, the very first chance to save and a subsequent Amazon all-time low. Now featuring the multi-platform smart home Matter support we all know and love, the brand has also introduced a series of other upgrades with the Floor Lamp 2 we will go over down below. 

With what feels like a never ending list of robotic vacuums on the market, it’s actually quite difficult to find something that fully automates the manual labor involved in cleaning floors. Face it, there aren’t very many physical day-to-day activities that robots can actually do for us (yet), but cleaning floors is an area where there is arguably the most hope, thanks to countless companies innovating year after year.

Having spent some time with the new ECOVACS DEEBOT T30S Combo, I am more convinced than ever that we’re headed in the right direction in this product category. ECOVACS really has thought of everything with this lineup, from a robot that can vacuum and mop, to the inclusion of a powerful handheld vacuum for one-off situations, it’s incredibly versatile and ready for just about anything. I’ve tested all sorts of settings on this vacuum, and down below I’ll detail unboxing, the setup experience, app features, and overall performance of the unit.

We’re seeing some new Amazon lows on a few Govee smart fans now up to $47 off courtesy of the brand’s official Amazon storefront. Our favorite happens to be this GoveeLife 36-inch Smart Tower Fan for $67.49 shipped once the on-page 20% off coupon has been clipped and code 6FFDEVJT is applied at checkout. Typically sold at $90, this is the very first time it has fallen to this low of a price. For further comparison, the best offer until now has been $70. With support for Siri Shortcuts, Alexa, Google Assistant, and more, this Govee offering paves the way towards an even smarter home. With it you’ll be able to circulate air with either a couple of taps or using your voice with a compatible smart speaker. The motor can achieve 1,500 RPM which circulates air at up to 25 feet per second. There’s also support for 75-degree oscillation, ensuring a large area can benefit from its capabilities. Keep on reading to find yet a discounted Govee smart switch on sale that can control this fan and more.

Amazon is now offering some notable deals on its Ring smart home gear starting with the wireless Ring Stick Up Cam Battery at $69.99 shipped. Regularly $100, this is 30% off the going rate and the lowest price we can find. Today’s deal lands on par with our previous mention and has only been beaten out once all year for a couple days when it dropped to $60 – it is now at the second-lowest price we have tracked. Head below for a closer look at the specs on the latest Ring Stick Up Cam Battery and more deals. 

ECOVACS has been a major player in the robotic cleaning game for a long while, and remains one of our favorites. I just recently had a chance to go hands-on with one of the brand’s latest flagship solutions, the ECOVACS DEEBOT X2 Combo – an all-in-one robotic cleaning system with auto-empty and auto mop washing, alongside an included hand vacuum, and it is simply fantastic…the best one I’ve tested out yet. But today, the brand is ready to officially unveil its next release known as the ECOVACS DEEBOT T30S Combo, a cleaning system designed to deliver much of the same amenities and technological advancements of the ECOVACS DEEBOT X2 Combo at a lower price point with even more power and some interesting Apple Watch and iOS integrations. Now available for purchase on Amazon with up to $150 in savings, you can get a breakdown of the DEEBOT T30S below. 

Enbrighten is setting the vibes for Eternity with the latest expansion to its smart lighting lineup. One trend we have been seeing among smart home lighting brands over the last several months is the release of smart permanent outdoor lighting – app- and voice-controlled lighting sets designed to be installed on the outside of your home or in outdoor spaces that are made to stay there, year-round. Many of which are geared towards delivering ambiance of all sorts, from soft white illumination to vibrant and colorful themed vibes for the holidays, and the latest comes by way of the new Enbrighten Eternity Lights. Now available for purchase, all of the details are waiting down below. 

After debuting its latest and most powerful smart video doorbell back in February, Ring is ready to unveil its new smart Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam today. Since introducing the “world’s first video doorbell” more than 10 years ago, Ring has continued to be a major player in the smart home space and today it is ready to introduce its latest innovation with the Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam at $79.99 shipped. Now available for purchase at Amazon, you’ll want to head below for a complete breakdown of what to expect from the brand’s latest.