Best Smart Home Gadgets UK: 15 Devices Worth Buying
Smart home gadgets can make everyday tasks easier, improve home security and even help reduce wasted energy. But with everything from connected light bulbs to robot vacuum cleaners now described as "smart", deciding which devices are genuinely useful isn't always straightforward.
The best smart home devices solve a real problem rather than simply adding another app to your phone. A smart plug can switch appliances off automatically, a video doorbell lets you see who's outside when you're away, and smart heating controls can give you much greater control over when your home is heated.
We've put together 15 types of smart home gadgets worth considering in the UK, along with advice on compatibility, Matter, Alexa, Google Home and choosing the right ecosystem.
Best Smart Home Gadgets at a Glance
| Smart Gadget | Best For | Typical Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Smart plug | Beginners | Automating ordinary appliances |
| Smart speaker | Voice control | Controlling multiple devices |
| Smart display | Central control | Visual controls and cameras |
| Smart bulbs | Lighting | Schedules, dimming and scenes |
| Smart thermostat | Heating | Better heating control |
| Video doorbell | Front-door security | Remote visitor monitoring |
| Security camera | Home monitoring | Motion alerts and live video |
| Smart lock | Keyless access | Remote and automated locking |
| Smart sensor | Automation | Triggers other smart devices |
| Water leak sensor | Damage prevention | Early leak warnings |
| Robot vacuum | Cleaning | Automated floor cleaning |
| Smart blind | Convenience | Automated window coverings |
| Smart air-quality monitor | Indoor environment | Tracks air-quality conditions |
| Smart energy monitor | Energy awareness | Identifies electricity consumption |
| Smart button | Simple automation | One-touch routines |
1. Smart Plugs – Best Starting Point
A smart plug is one of the easiest and least expensive ways to start building a smart home. It sits between a normal UK wall socket and an appliance, allowing the power to be controlled remotely.
Depending on the model, you can use an app, schedule or voice assistant to turn the socket on and off. Some smart plugs also monitor electricity consumption.
They're particularly useful for devices such as lamps, fans and other appliances that resume operation when power is restored.
Popular choices include products from TP-Link Tapo and Amazon.
Best for: Anyone starting their first smart home.
For more options, see our Best Smart Plugs UK guide.
2. Smart Speakers – Best for Voice Control
Smart speakers such as Amazon Echo devices can become the control point for a much larger smart-home system.
Instead of opening an app, you can use voice commands to control compatible lights, plugs, heating and other devices.
You can also create routines. A single command such as "good night" could potentially turn off compatible lights, switch off selected smart plugs and adjust your heating.
Best for: Bringing several smart devices together.
3. Smart Displays – Best Smart Home Control Centre
A smart display adds a touchscreen to the functionality of a smart speaker.
Devices such as the Amazon Echo Show can provide visual controls for compatible smart-home equipment as well as displaying feeds from compatible video doorbells and security cameras.
They're particularly useful in kitchens and other central areas where several members of the household can access the controls.
Best for: Families with several connected devices.
4. Smart Lighting – Best for Everyday Automation
Smart bulbs and switches allow lighting to be controlled remotely and automated according to schedules, routines or other smart devices.
Systems such as Philips Hue can offer dimming, colour temperature adjustment, scenes and integration with major smart-home platforms.
A simple automation could turn hallway lights on at sunset and switch them off automatically later in the evening.
Best for: Convenience, ambience and lighting automation.
5. Smart Thermostats – Best for Heating Control
Heating represents a major household expense, making smart heating one of the more practical areas of home automation.
Smart thermostats from brands such as Hive and tado° allow compatible heating systems to be controlled remotely and scheduled from a phone.
More advanced systems can provide room-by-room control when combined with compatible smart radiator thermostats.
A smart thermostat doesn't automatically guarantee lower bills, but better scheduling and control can help avoid heating your home unnecessarily.
Best for: Improving control over household heating.
6. Video Doorbells – Best for Front-Door Security
Video doorbells have become one of the most recognisable smart home gadgets.
Products from Ring, Google Nest, Eufy and other manufacturers can notify your phone when someone approaches or rings the doorbell, depending on the model and settings.
Many also provide two-way audio so you can speak to visitors when you're away from home.
Before buying, check whether features such as recorded video history require an ongoing subscription.
Best for: Monitoring visitors and deliveries.
7. Smart Security Cameras – Best for Home Monitoring
Smart cameras allow you to monitor areas of your home remotely and receive notifications when movement is detected.
Indoor and outdoor models are available, with features potentially including night vision, two-way audio, person detection and local or cloud recording.
Pay particular attention to storage arrangements. Some cameras can record locally, whereas others reserve important features for subscription plans.
Best for: Indoor and outdoor home monitoring.
See our Best Smart Home Security Gadgets UK guide for more ideas.
8. Smart Locks – Best for Keyless Entry
A smart lock can allow a compatible door to be locked or unlocked electronically rather than relying solely on a conventional key.
Depending on the system, access may be provided through a smartphone, keypad or other authorised method.
Some models can also provide temporary access for guests or tradespeople and notify you when the door is used.
Compatibility with UK doors varies considerably, so check your existing lock and door type carefully before buying.
Best for: Households wanting more flexible access control.
9. Smart Sensors – Best for Home Automation
Sensors aren't as exciting as a new smart display or robot vacuum, but they're among the most useful components of a well-designed smart home.
Motion, contact, temperature and light sensors can tell your smart-home system what's happening and trigger other devices automatically.
For example, opening a door could turn on a light, while a lack of movement could switch it off again later.
Best for: Creating genuinely automatic routines.
See our Best Smart Sensors UK guide.
10. Smart Water Leak Sensors – Best for Preventing Expensive Surprises
Water leak sensors are inexpensive devices that can provide an early warning of leaks around washing machines, sinks, boilers and other vulnerable areas.
A connected sensor can send an alert to your phone when water is detected, potentially allowing you to investigate before a small leak becomes a much larger problem.
Best for: Kitchens, bathrooms, utility rooms and areas around water appliances.
11. Robot Vacuum Cleaners – Best for Automated Cleaning
Robot vacuum cleaners are considerably more sophisticated than early models that simply moved around rooms randomly.
Modern devices can offer room mapping, scheduled cleaning, obstacle detection and app-based controls. Premium models may also empty their own dust containers or mop hard floors.
They won't necessarily replace every aspect of manual cleaning, but they can significantly reduce the amount of routine floor cleaning required.
Best for: Automating everyday floor cleaning.
12. Smart Blinds – Best for Automated Window Coverings
Smart blinds and retrofit blind motors allow compatible blinds to open and close automatically.
They can potentially be scheduled around sunrise and sunset or incorporated into wider smart-home routines.
For example, a morning routine could open compatible bedroom blinds while switching on selected lights elsewhere in the house.
Best for: Convenience and scheduled routines.
13. Smart Air-Quality Monitors – Best for Monitoring Your Indoor Environment
Smart air-quality monitors measure aspects of the indoor environment and present the information through an app or display.
Depending on the device, measurements can include temperature, humidity, particulate matter and carbon dioxide or other air-quality indicators.
They're particularly useful if you want data to help understand when ventilation might be beneficial.
Best for: Monitoring indoor conditions.
14. Smart Energy Monitors – Best for Understanding Electricity Use
Smart energy monitoring can help identify where electricity is being consumed around your home.
Some individual smart plugs monitor the connected appliance, while whole-home systems provide a broader view of electricity consumption.
The biggest benefit is visibility: once you understand where energy is being used, you can make better-informed decisions about where reductions may be possible.
Best for: Understanding household electricity consumption.
See our Smart Home Gadgets for Saving Energy guide.
15. Smart Buttons – Simple but Surprisingly Useful
Not every smart-home action needs an app or voice command.
A smart button can trigger a routine with a physical press. Depending on your system, one button could turn off several lights, activate a bedtime routine or control selected smart plugs.
They're also useful for household members who don't want to use a smart-home app.
Best for: Making automations accessible to everyone.
Which Smart Home Ecosystem Should You Choose?
Before buying lots of devices, think about which ecosystem you want to use.
| Ecosystem | Worth Considering If... |
|---|---|
| Amazon Alexa | You already use Echo devices or want broad device compatibility. |
| Google Home | You already use Google services and compatible Nest devices. |
| Apple Home | Your household primarily uses Apple devices. |
| Samsung SmartThings | You want more advanced automation across compatible devices. |
There's no universally best ecosystem. The right choice depends on the products and services you already use and which devices you intend to add later.
If you're starting from scratch, see our beginner's guide to starting a smart home.
What Is Matter?
Matter is a smart-home interoperability standard designed to make compatible devices work more easily across different smart-home platforms.
A Matter-compatible product may support multiple major ecosystems rather than locking you into a single manufacturer, although the exact features available can still vary between devices and platforms.
When buying new smart-home gadgets, Matter support is increasingly worth checking, particularly if you want flexibility over which ecosystem you use in the future.
Read our Matter Smart Home Explained guide for more information.
Do You Need a Smart Home Hub?
Not necessarily.
Some devices connect directly to Wi-Fi, while others use technologies such as Zigbee, Thread or proprietary systems and may require a compatible hub or border router.
A hub can also become useful as your smart home grows because it can help bring compatible devices together and enable more sophisticated automations.
Our What Is a Smart Home Hub? guide explains the differences.
What Should You Buy First?
If you're completely new to smart-home technology, don't buy 15 gadgets at once.
A better approach is to start with one problem you want to solve.
| Your Goal | Start With |
|---|---|
| Control an ordinary appliance | Smart plug |
| Automate lighting | Smart bulb |
| Voice control | Smart speaker |
| Improve front-door monitoring | Video doorbell |
| Control heating remotely | Smart thermostat |
| Automate routines | Smart sensors |
| Automate cleaning | Robot vacuum |
Once the first device proves useful, you can gradually expand around the same ecosystem.
We've covered this in more detail in Best Smart Home Devices for Beginners.
Smart Home Gadgets for Renters
You don't necessarily need to own your property to benefit from smart-home technology.
Renters can concentrate on devices that don't require permanent alterations, such as:
- Smart plugs.
- Smart bulbs.
- Smart speakers.
- Portable security cameras.
- Smart sensors.
- Robot vacuum cleaners.
See our Best Smart Home Gadgets for Renters guide for more ideas.
Watch Out for Subscription Costs
The purchase price isn't always the total cost of owning a smart-home gadget.
Some products offer optional or required subscriptions for features such as:
- Cloud video recording.
- Extended video history.
- Advanced detection features.
- Additional online storage.
Check which features work without a subscription before buying, especially when comparing security cameras and video doorbells.
Privacy and Security Matter Too
Smart-home gadgets are connected devices, so security should form part of your buying decision.
Good practices include:
- Use strong, unique account passwords.
- Enable two-factor authentication where available.
- Install firmware and app updates.
- Buy devices from manufacturers that provide ongoing security support.
- Review camera and microphone privacy settings.
- Remove old devices from your accounts before selling or disposing of them.
Which Smart Home Gadgets Are Actually Worth Buying?
There's no need to make every appliance in your house smart.
The most worthwhile gadgets are the ones that solve a repeated problem. For many households, that means starting with smart plugs, lighting, heating controls or security products before considering more specialised automation.
Smart sensors become particularly useful as your system grows because they allow devices to react automatically rather than waiting for you to open an app or issue a voice command.
Our advice is therefore simple: buy smart devices because they make something easier, not simply because they can connect to Wi-Fi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best smart home gadgets for beginners?
Smart plugs and smart bulbs are excellent starting points because they're relatively inexpensive, easy to install and provide an immediate introduction to schedules and automation.
Do all smart home gadgets work together?
No. Compatibility varies between manufacturers, ecosystems and communication standards. Check compatibility with your chosen platform before purchasing.
Do smart home devices need Wi-Fi?
Some do, but not all. Smart devices can also communicate using technologies such as Zigbee and Thread, sometimes through a compatible hub or border router.
Can smart home gadgets save money?
Some can help reduce unnecessary energy use by giving you better control over heating, lighting and appliances. However, potential savings depend on the device and how you use it.
Can you build a smart home without paying subscriptions?
Yes. Many smart plugs, bulbs, sensors and other devices work without subscriptions. However, some cameras and video doorbells charge for cloud storage or advanced features, so check ongoing costs before buying.
What is the most useful smart home gadget?
For beginners, a smart plug is arguably one of the most useful because it's inexpensive and can add scheduling and remote control to compatible ordinary appliances. The best choice ultimately depends on what you want to automate.