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The holidays are a hell of a time for consumption—and I’m not just talking about food. This year, the gift that keeps on giving is showing off how good of a friend you really are.
Put down that gift card. Don’t even dare wrap those socks in a bow. This is your year to shine, and what better way to do that than gifting some equally practical and wondrous pieces of smart home tech.
To make it easy for you, I’ve put together a list of smart home devices that’ll be sure to win you the most-thoughtful-gift-giver award. Not to mention, some sweet Black Friday discounts to help you pull the trigger.
Smart Home Assistant
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Whether you opt for an Amazon Echo or Google Home, you’re doing a friend a favor. The choice lies in whether your friend’s a one-click shopper or whispers “hey Google” when you’re not looking. Either way, both systems are equally effective. Both devices are even designed to integrate easily into an existing smart hub too. Neat!
Black Friday Deal: Get the Google Home Mini 2nd Gen for only $29 or this Echo Dot for 25% off at $44.99.
Smart Security
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This is one bandwagon that everyone should get on. Doorbell Cameras are the definition of versatile: they connect to your phone, fend off porch pirates, surveil your front door, and allow for two-way talk (which is more fun than it sounds). 2019 brought us a whole slew of options, with the most well-known being the Amazon-owned Ring and Google’s Nest Hello.
For more robust security, try the wireless Arlo Pro home security camera. With cloud storage, night vision and two-way audio, it’s like a portable version of a doorbell camera. In this case, it’s up to you to place it indoors, outdoors, mounted, hidden or in plain sight.
Another option worth considering is indoor surveillance, like with this nifty USB wall charger that doubles as a discreet security camera. And before you ask, it does in fact charge.
READ MORE: The Best Black Friday deals you can get right now
One often passed up device is the smart lock. I mean, I don’t blame anyone. Homes come with house keys, not cameras. With this logic in mind, you can see how most opt for the camera. This is where you come in. Fill in the gap by placing a keyless gadget under the tree this year.
Although there is a range of choices, take a look at the August brand. Its options include keypads for the kiddos, Alexa-compatible locks, z-wave technology for smart home integration, and a simple, affordable design that connects to your phone.
Black Friday Deal: Google is shaving $80 off of a Nest Hello, while Amazon is discounting its Ring depending on the gen and model (like this one). The wall charger security camera is on sale for $59.99. Lastly, August is selling its Smart Lock pro + Connect at 30% off.
Smart Utility
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This utilitarian gift option gives more than some holiday cheer, it saves—on utilities that is. A few on the market are even capable of “learning”. To be clear, it’s not the Westworld-dystopian-robot-intelligence kind of learning. Its purpose is more clearly refined.
For example, do you like it toasty in the morning? How about a bit cooler during your evening Netflix binge? Devices like the Google Nest, Honeywell Lyric, and Ecobee thermostats automatically adjust over time to fit anyone’s individual preferences.
Now, here’s something you didn’t know you wanted to top with a bow. A smart water leak detector is a gamechanger, people. Instead of coming home to a surprise flood, these devices send immediate warnings when a leak begins or a pipe starts freezing.
Some gift ideas for that peace of mind include the pricey, but powerful Phyn smart water assistant, the more affordable and comparable Honeywell Lyric Wi-Fi Water Leak and Freeze Detector, and the Alexa-compatible Flume water monitor.
Black Friday Deal: Grab the Google Nest for $70 off, the Ecobee Smart Thermostat for $50 off, or the Honeywell T5+ for $32 off.
Smart Bulbs
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The smart bulb is easily the most underrated smart device out there— hands down. The most well-known bulb is the Philips Hue. Without flipping a single switch, these babies give you an insane amount of color options to set to your mood.
Feeling glum? Turn it to a nice, stormy blue. Feeling festive? Set one bulb to red and the other to green. Even better, tell your home assistant to do it.
Black Friday Deal: Get the Philips Hue starter kit for 25% off.
Smart Plugs
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No, smart plugs are not the smart home equivalent of socks. At first glance they don’t look that appealing as a gift, but here’s why you should reconsider.
The plugs can be configured by giving individual “dumb” fixtures names such as “lamp” or “tv.” Then take it up a notch by grouping these fixtures with a name like “living room.” Use your phone or link them up to a smart assistant. Voila! Another reason to stay on the couch.
Not sure which one is best? Try these affordable Wyze Smart Plugs.
Black Friday Deal: No deal, but come on. It’s already cheap.
Smart Kitchen Gear
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Ever heard of a smart thermometer? Thanks to the ability to monitor cooking time and temperature right from your phone, this wireless tool by MEATER will give any carnivore juicy, meaty perfection every single time.
Imagine not having to keep an eye on the grill ever again.
Another idea is delivering luxurious convenience with a home assistant-controlled smart coffee maker. You could have your giftee make their own coffee like a peasant, but why would you?.
Or for the friend that always seems strapped for time, the only worthy gift is the Smart WiFi Instant Pot. This piece of machinery is marketed as eight appliances in one, doing everything from slow cooking to cake baking. The only physical task you have to do is place ingredients in the pot—the rest is managed on an app.
Black Friday Deal: Get the Instant Pot for about 20% off.
Smart Pet Tech
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I’ve seen pet people go to incredible lengths for their pets, so gifting their furry children something is equal to gifting the owner something for themselves. Go ahead and kill two birds with one stone by giving them a Petcube treat tossing camera for the dog lovers or a laser pointer cube for the cat parents. Or maybe even go for a smart pet feeder. It’s great for those who spend more time away from home than in it.
Black Friday Deal: Amazon is selling the Petnet for half price and the Petcube for about 30% off.
Smart Sprinkler System
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The lawn: Either it’s a cathartic hobby or an ever-patchy nightmare. Regardless, you will be thanked for the lush grass and money saved from that new wirelessly controlled sprinkler system hub. The Rachio brand is particularly sweet because it factors in weather forecasts to determine whether the lawn is worth watering on any particular day.
No lawn? There’s even something for highrise dwellers, like plant sensors and indoor plant irrigators.
Black Friday Deal: Get nearly 20% off the Rachio at Lowes. Amazon has some pretty sweet discounts too.
Alright, what do you think? Did we miss anything? If there’s something you would like to see on this list, let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.
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Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. Click here for more.
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