Smart Home Tech for Less Than $100

Smart homes are becoming increasingly popular as people turn to technology to save time, stay organized, stay safe, and even save money on their home’s energy and maintenance costs. Here are some helpful time and money saving gadgets to upgrade your home – and they all cost less than $100!

Echo Dot – Alexa on a Budget

The Echo Dot will give you all of the benefits of an Alexa assistant, in a compact size. The Echo Dot also comes with a compact price tag – normally $49.99, Amazon has a deal running right now, allowing you to snag one for only $29.99. Whether you need help maintaining a grocery list, or need her to control other smart home devices for you (like lights and thermostats) Alexa is on it!

Smart Outlets

There are a number of different smart outlets on the market, like this one from Eufy that works with Google and Alexa smart speakers. For $39.99 can you can get two outlets that plug into your regular outlets – allowing you to control any device plugged into smart the outlet remotely. You can set on/off schedules for plugged in devices as well.

Know Who’s At Your Door

The Ring Doorbell will allow you to see who’s at your front door (and anything that goes on there) from anywhere. You can also speak to and hear visitors through the doorbell, allowing you to interact with visitors when you’re not home. Their base model retails for $99.99.

Save Energy in Your Home Office

An increasingly popular option with so many people working from home, smart power strips can save you energy and money. This one, from Kasa, offers 6 outlets and it can be controlled with an Alexa or Google Home device (in addition to the Kasa App). You can also program a schedule for devices and monitor energy consumption. This model will cost you $64.99, but could quickly pay for itself in energy savings!

Find Your Stuff

The Tile Tracker can help you keep track of often misplaced items like keys, the remote, your phone – you name it. With a variety of different sized “tiles” that you can add to your commonly lost items, you can use your smartphone or Alexa to locate your lost items for you. Prices vary, but an essentials starter pack of tiles will cost you $68.95 on Amazon.

Cut the Cord with Cable

More and more people are ditching their cable bills in favor of less expensive streaming services for tv and movies. The Roku Family of Streaming Devices is consistently rated a top pick by tech reviewers. With a number of devices to choose from, based on your preferences, their prices range from $29.00 – $79.00.

Keep an Eye on Pets and Kids

If you want to know what your pets are up to while you’re out, or you have virtual learners at home that you need to keep on task, a remote indoor camera, like this one from Kasa, can help. For $39.99 you can keep an eye on what’s important to you – or anyone that shouldn’t be in your home. Two way audio allows you to communicate with your subject too! This model also is equipped with night vision and works with Alexa.