The best smart home gadgets for your first apartment

Thick walls, weird layouts and other factors can make home WiFi reception spotty. If you’re experiencing dead zones in your apartment, a WiFi extender might help. TP-Link’s AC1200 RE315 is our favorite budget pick: it covers 1,500 square feet and delivers speeds of up to 1,200Mbps – plenty fast for streaming and working from home. It also has a built-in Ethernet port, which should provide an even more reliable connection to essential tech like your TV or game console.

A security camera can be useful not only for deterring porch pirates, but also for capturing irrefutable proof of wrongdoing. Blink sells a range of indoor and outdoor home security gear, but its 1080p Mini 2 camera is a solid choice for keeping an eye on pets or potential unwelcome guests in the dead of night. Its IP65-rated design is weather-resistant enough to survive indoors or out (it even has a built-in spotlight for better recording color video at night), plus it supports motion detection alerts and two-way audio. As Blink is an Amazon subsidiary, the Mini 2 also works well with Alexa, so it’s a sensible choice for families who already own an Echo speaker. Just be aware that features like cloud storage and person detection are locked behind a subscription fee. And to save video locally, you need to add Blink’s Sync Module 2 and a USB thumb drive. Still, for less than $50, the Mini 2 is a better value than most cams. — J.D.

I found the tackiest, most amazing lamp in the lobby of one of my first apartment buildings and I still cherish it to this day — but its rotary switch is extremely hard to turn. I’ve since plugged it into one of Kasa’s EP25 Smart Plugs and now it automatically comes on just before sunset and goes off when I say goodnight to Alexa (or ask it to turn off the “ugly lamp”). Many smart plugs out there will do this, but the EP25 is the top performer from our guide because we found it connects easily, works reliably and is compatible with all four major smart home platforms.

You can think of the Echo Show 5 as the command center for your automated home. Amazon tweaked their smallest display in 2023 to be a little faster and a little bassier than its predecessor, and it’s still a good smart display for a compact space. It shows footage from your connected cameras and grants voice control over your smart plugs and other devices. Plus, it’ll play your music or podcasts, tell you the weather and even stream your favorite show (just note that the Netflix app isn’t supported).

Connected bulbs might be the easiest way to turn your analog home into a “smart” one. A single smart light can ensure you never walk into a dark apartment again. You can set schedules for your daily routines or make it look like you’re home when you’re not. Being able to turn things off with just your voice or via an app can save you from getting out of bed when you’re ready to crash. Our senior commerce editor, Valentina Palladino tested a number of bulbs for our guide and thinks TP-Link’s Kasa Smart Bulbs give you the best value. Installation will be easy, even for those new to smart devices, thanks to Kasa’s clean and simple app. It’s worth noting that voice control is only available with Alexa or the Google Assistant; Siri is unfortunately incompatible.

Whether it’s traffic exhaust in the city, pollen in the suburbs or wildfire smoke everywhere, it’s not always ideal to throw open your apartment’s windows to get some fresh air. An air purifier can help keep your indoor air healthier when you’re shut inside, and we like this small-space unit from Levoit. The Core 300S smart air purifier is an app-compatible gadget that can automatically adjust its fan speed depending on how much particulate matter it detects in the air. We found it to be nearly silent running on low and not too distracting when on high. Plus it’s relatively affordable and the replacement filters only cost around $35.

The Sonos Roam 2 is both a smart and portable speaker, packing a decent amount of utility into a $180 package. While not the cheapest around, it’s relatively low-cost for Sonos, a brand known for quality audio. The Roam will play whichever music service you prefer, delivering clear highs and impressive bass for its size. Alexa is built in and you can access the Google Assistant too, which means you can use the speaker to order around your compatible smart home devices. And when it’s time to relax, you can ask Roam to play just about any song you can think of.

This little stick not only fits in behind your TV to reduce cord clutter, but it can stream your favorite content in 4K with Dolby Vision and HDR10. The remote can take the place of your normal remote, too, controlling volume and more.

I didn’t really get the air fryer hype until someone bought me one as a gift last year. Consider me a convert. It cooks up food almost as fast as the microwave, but instead of soggy and hot, leftovers, potatoes, nachos and tofu come out crisp and sizzling. The Vortex 2QT Mini from Instant Pot is on our list of the best air fryers as the budget pick. Its smaller size is perfect for one person and the onboard controls are simple to figure out, even for my fellow microwave-only folk. The compact size also means it won’t take up a lot of space on your countertops and its versatility means you can use your oven for other, more important things.

If you've had one of these bad boys on your wishlist for a while, I'd urge you to scoop up this deal while you can. Why? Well, it happens to be a wild 48% off. Roomba and robovacs are pretty much synonymous at this point, and the fact that this one has a three-stage cleaning system that works great on both carpets and hard floors make this markdown one you don't want to miss. It can run for up to two hours on a single charge and recharges itself so you never have to worry about it dying while cleaning.

Some older apartments don’t have built-in lighting, while others sport fluorescent overheads that suck the life out of your eyeballs — the answer to both problems is lamps. You can turn any vintage find into a smart lamp with a smart plug or bulb, but the Govee Floor Lamp Pro has the automation built in. It’s our favorite floor lamp in our smart lights guide because it’s just an all-around cool device. At $200, it’s one of the pricier items on this list, but you not only get a lamp that can produce millions of colors, the base is also a Bluetooth speaker that, as we noted, gets pretty loud. The lights can sync with your music but can also produce a just-right soft white. It’ll output up to 2,100 lumens and the lighting tube rotates 300 degrees. Matter compatibility means it’ll work with the smart home ecosystem of your choice, letting you control it with your voice, through a home app or with the included remote.