2020 Gift Guide: Smart Home Gadgets

Gift Guides

Dec 2

Written By Maria Bonacci

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here.

Check out the other great posts in this series: Krafty Planner 2020 Gift Guide Index

Whole Home Mesh WiFi System

There’s nothing worse than having to deal with slow internet. It’s even more of a headache if you work from home - or, if you’re relaxing and want to watch a TV show or movie but your internet issues cause the program to start buffering or freezing.

The reason this happens is because the speed or signal of your WiFi is too weak and it just can’t handle the technology load. Most modems aren’t designed to give coverage to even a small home, much less a large one.

But the Whole Home Mesh WiFi System can fix that and it makes the perfect gift for anyone on your family or friends list. Because most homes are wired up with tons of devices, plus multiple people using them to get online, that can also slow the internet capability.

This system can handle many devices. You can use as many as 100 devices in your home easily and still have fast WiFi, thanks to the AC1200 speed ability. The coverage that it offers throughout your home is extensive because the system can handle a range of up to 5,500 square feet.

But if you need more coverage, you can expand the system. That means you’re not going to deal with any more dead zones.

As you take a device from room to room, the system will automatically move from one Deco to another for the best usage speed. It’s compatible with Alexa, so not only do you get great coverage over your regular router, but you also get the convenience of being able to use your voice-activated systems easily.

On top of that, you also get parental controls, which can help keep your kids safer. You’ll be able to set limits on what your kids can do online. You’ll also be able to control the length of time they have access to the internet.

This feature lets you set up profiles for the various members of your family. Under these profiles, you can set the system so that it denies access to certain websites as well as keep inappropriate content away.

You’ll be able to see what’s going on with the account and any time you want or need to, you can block the ability to have the internet on your kids’ devices altogether. The system is easy to set up and you only need one username and login password to be able to control all of the access.

You can also set it up to have guest WiFi but can disconnect that using voice control.

Smart WiFi Deadbolt

Standing in the dark trying to unlock your door can be a safety issue, not to mention the inconvenience of trying to unlock a door when you have your hands loaded down with groceries or other items.

If you have multiple family members going in and out, it can be easy to misplace or lose a key. But with the Smart WiFi deadbolt, you can have an added safety measure as well as convenience with your home life.

No more having to leave the door unlocked for family members and no fumbling for keys to get inside your home. The easy-to-use keypad will light up when you press it, so that you’re able to see even when it’s dark outside.

The system is designed to be used by an app so that you can set up multiple access codes for the people who you want to have the ability to enter your home. These codes can be set up as either temporary or permanent and you’ll have the option to create up to 100 of these codes.

The system is designed to work with Alexa. That means you can see what’s going on if someone unlocks your door. As an added plus, whenever the battery in the system reaches a certain point, Alexa will inform you so that you can get more batteries or have this feature set for automatic reorder.

Because the system comes with built-in WiFi, you won’t have to go through the hassle of setting it up with the WiFi that you use in your home. There are no central hubs you need to use or any extra devices you need to have to use the system.

When you set it up with the app, it lets you to allow or deny access to your home, even when you’re not there. Plus, you’ll be able to have access to video of anyone who enters or leaves your home.

If you need to have a professional service done or have a package that’s going to be delivered, you have the option of using your remote unlock feature. The system has the ability to keep a record through the history log of the time and the day whenever someone entered or left your home using a code.

The keypad is durable with an easy touchscreen as well as convenient quick locking.

It can also be used hands-free if you have a device that gives you that choice. If someone tries to bypass the lock by force, the system has an alarm that will alert you to any break-ins.

Ring Alarm System

Home security is one of the best gifts that you can give to yourself or someone else. Having the right security system, like the Ring Alarm System, can also give you peace of mind.

This system is a total of 8 pieces. You’ll get the base station along with the keypad. This keypad can be used to contact emergencies directly such as police or fire. Included in the kit are four of the contact sensors.

These sensors are small so that they won’t detract from the décor of your home. The system also comes with a range extender and a motion detector. One of the reasons that this system is one of the most popular on the market is because you can install this system yourself.

You just plug it in, pull up the Ring app and connect it to your home WiFi. It also gives you the option of choosing professional monitoring without the high costs associated with other systems.

If you choose this system, you can get professional monitoring for only $10 a month on the Ring Protect Plus program. This service covers your home 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

You’ll have access to emergency help when needed as well as have the ability to use video recording and image stills. You have the option to try this service before you sign up by activating the 30 days of monitoring for free option.

The Ring system is designed to work with any home device you have that works with Alexa. This gives you the control to program your Ring for the times that you’re home. It allows you to have control over the interior sensors while you’re home so that they’re not going off.

But you can still leave the outside sensors on. If you need to go in and out of your house, the system gives you the choice to temporarily disarm the system so you’re not triggering it with your movements.

It’s easy and convenient to control. You’ll be able to use Alexa voice control to disengage the alarm system or see what’s going on using only your voice.

If you set it up with Alexa Guard, you’ll be able to receive notifications if something goes on in your home while you’re not there.

That means if danger occurs like a fire breaks out and the smoke alarm goes off, you’ll get notified. You’ll also get notified of any sounds that could signify an intruder such as the sound of your front door getting kicked in or glass breaking.

Google Nest smart Thermostat

Turning the thermostat up and down is a waste of energy and can drive up your electric bill. The constant switching from high to low can keep your home’s temperature in a state of change or make your home too hot or too cold.

That’s why you need to invest in a Smart Thermostat as a gift for yourself or someone else this season.

This energy star certified thermostat has the ability to know what your preferences are, what your schedule is and can set itself to not only save you money, but help you be as comfortable as you’d like.

The design of the device has a widescreen touch surface and easily fits in with any décor.

It’s easy to use, all you have to do is touch the outer edge of the thermostat. When you do that, the main menu will appear and all you have to do is navigate to the option that you want.

Once you find the choice, all you have to do is tap the screen.

Here, you can also see what your home’s energy history has been for the prior 10 days. The device relies on temperature sensors to determine how best to keep your home how you like it.

When you enter the room, the thermostat will light up for easy viewing of the temperature or time as long as you get within the device’s range. The thermostat can handle a variety of heating or cooling features and works with different systems.

It has a furnace feature on it so that it monitors your furnace’s operation. This is a safety feature because, if the device detects that something is wrong - such as a carbon monoxide leak, it’ll alert you to this problem.

Another feature the device has is the Sunblock feature. When direct sunlight warms a room, that can throw off the correct temperature for your home.

This device uses the sensors to be able to detect when the sun may interfere with the correct temperature settings. This will keep your thermostat from reacting to the sunlight.

You might receive notifications about your air filter, reminding you to change it or you might be alerted to seasonal changes concerning the temperature. You may receive more serious notifications, too - such as if there’s a problem with the wiring or a carbon monoxide leak.

If there’s an issue, your device will give you a corresponding code to find out more information. The system works with Alexa or Google Assistant and can be operated even when you’re not home by using a phone or other device.

iRobot Roomba

There are a lot of gifts that you can give that are meaningful, but none as meaningful as giving the gift of time. When you gift an iRobot Roomba, you give those you care about freedom from doing a mundane chore like vacuuming.

This vacuum is worlds beyond other robotic vacuums. Thanks to the tough suction action, it uses 10x the strength, so that it’s capable of picking up whatever’s on the floor, regardless of whatever type of surface the floor is made of.

One of the features it has is a cleaning system that works using three stages. Because it’s high efficiency, not only will it pick up dirt, but also thick pet hair as well as the dust in your home.

You get to set the Roomba to clean as you like it to clean. You can schedule any or all of your floor cleaning or use Alexa or Google Voice to instruct the device to clean on a moment’s notice.

You can direct it straight to a room and you can do this using your phone if you choose to. A big plus with this machine is that it’s perfect for those who own a lot of pets. With all the shedding that comes along with having a house full of four legged members, the device is able to take care of heavy pet shedding.

If you have multiple pets, the machine will vacuum up the hair and if it gets full, it returns itself to the dock for emptying and then resumes its run. The fact that it has the ability to empty itself is something that sets this vacuum apart.

Not only is it convenient, but it helps to keep your home cleaner, too. With ordinary vacuums that don’t have this self-emptying feature, you’d have to take out the bag, clean out the device and then deal with the dirt and debris from changing out the bag getting on you and on the floor. Yuck!

The Roomba has the ability to recall what your home’s layout is and it does this by memorizing each of the rooms it vacuums. If you want the machine to stay out of a certain area of the room or even an entire room, you can just set the customization to do that.

You can set up the machine to just start cleaning and it’s intelligent enough to know where you’ve placed it. If something gets in the way and the machine ends up not being able to go around it, it’ll pause. But once you set it to go again, it doesn’t start all over at the beginning. It picks up from the last place it was.