The best smart home upgrades to make everyday life easier

Aug 4, 2026 — 10:17 AM ET

Building a smarter home used to mean a lot of DIY, continuously checking compatibility, and simply hoping that everything works together. Things are a lot more plug-and-play nowadays, and the technology and gadgets have become a lot more advanced, too.

No smart home conversation is complete without robot vacuums getting most of the attention, with the category getting more capable and more affordable every year. But a great home setup is about more than clean floors. The right speaker, TV, security kit, and even a pet feeder can take the load off your daily routine and make everything a lot easier.

We rounded up the smart home gadgets worth your attention, covering audio, entertainment, security, pool cleaning, and one for the furry members of the household.

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Beatbot iSkim

Robot vacuums for your floors are becoming increasingly common. But if you own a pool, there’s a good chance you’re still skimming leaves and bugs off the surface by hand. That’s a weekend morning gone in chores rather than actually enjoying your time in the water. The Beatbot iSkim is built to take that chore off your plate.

It’s a dedicated surface skimmer, so it works well in combination with a floor and wall cleaning robot, or if you just want the surface handled. The debris basket is 9 liters, noticeably more room than most skimmers on the market offer, and can hold up to 800 leaves before it needs emptying,

Power comes from a mix of a 10,000mAh battery and a 24W solar panel, so the iSkim can run around the clock without needing to be plugged in constantly. It’s rated for up to 28 hours of runtime even without sunlight, and a feature called SolarTrack automatically repositions the robot to the sunniest spot on your pool to top up its charge during the day.

The skimming inlet measures 29 x 270mm, wider than typical skimmers, which helps it pick up more debris per pass. It also uses SonicSense ultrasonic sensors to detect and steer around obstacles, plus a pair of guided wheels that keep it from scratching your pool while it works along edges and corners. There’s also an anti-spill design that closes the inlet whenever the robot reverses or turns, so leaves and pollen don’t spill back out once they’ve been captured.

When the battery runs low, or you tap the return button in the app, the iSkim heads back to the pool edge on its own so you don’t have to struggle to fish it out of the water. The Beatbot app also gives you real-time status updates, cleaning history, remote navigation, and manual speed control if you’d rather steer it yourself.

If your pool doesn’t have a ton of debris but you’re tired of grabbing a hand net every few days, the iSkim is a simple way to automate that one task without spending flagship money on an all-in-one robot.

Amazon Echo Studio

If you want one speaker that lets you run your smart home while sounding great, the latest Echo Studio is an excellent option. It’s 40% smaller than the original, so it won’t take as much space on a shelf or side table.

But the size difference doesn’t mean compromised audio. You get spatial audio and Dolby Atmos support, a multi-driver setup with a woofer, upward- and side-firing drivers, and room-adaptation tech that listens to your space and tunes playback to match it.

You can use your voice to control your lights, plugs, sensors, and every Alexa-compatible piece of smart home tech. And you can link two of them to a Fire TV to enjoy stereo sound. Available in Graphite or Glacier White, the Amazon Echo Studio is currently priced at $220.

Hisense S7 CanvasTV (Google TV)

Frame-style TVs look amazing, and the Hisense S7 CanvasTV nails the art-piece look without skimping on the panel behind it. The Hi-Matte anti-glare coating gives digital artwork the texture of a real painting, and when you are not watching, Art Mode pulls from a library of more than 1,000 free pieces or shows off your own photos. A presence sensor wakes the screen only when you are nearby. The UltraSlim wall mount ensures the TV sits flush against the wall, looking like a painting, and you can even swap out the magnetic frame to match your decor.

And as far as your TV viewing needs go, the S7 CanvasTV features a 4K QLED panel with Quantum Dot color, Dolby Vision HDR, and a 144Hz variable refresh rate with AMD FreeSync Premium and ALLM for gaming. Google TV is built in, so your apps and casting are all where you expect them.

Available in sizes ranging from 50 to 85 inches, the HiSense S7 CanvasTV pricing starts at around $650.

Ring Alarm 14-Piece Kit

The Ring Alarm 14-Piece Kit makes setting up a home security system a breeze. Everything you need comes in the box, including a base station, two keypads, eight contact sensors, two motion detectors, and a range extender, all of which you can install without needing tools or professional help.

This kit is enough to cover a two to four-bedroom home, with sensors for eight doors or windows and motion coverage for a couple of rooms or hallways. But if you need more, you can easily add them, with extras like panic buttons, flood and freeze sensors, or smoke and CO sensors.

And you can even link your Ring doorbells and cameras to manage everything from a single dashboard. Alexa support lets you arm and disarm by voice, and an optional Ring Home subscription unlocks remote control, cellular backup if your Wi-Fi drops, and 24/7 professional monitoring for police, fire, or medical response.

WOPET Automatic Pet Feeder

Smart home gear is not just for humans. The WOPET automatic feeder takes the guesswork out of mealtime, which is a lifesaver if your schedule is unpredictable or you are out for the day. The programmable timer handles up to four meals, and you can set a custom portion for each one, anywhere from a couple of teaspoons to several cups. You can also control it remotely through the app and share access with others to manage the dispenser.

The voice recorder is a nice extra that pet owners will love. You can record a quick message that’ll play every time the food drops, so your pet will hear a familiar voice calling them over or giving instructions. The hopper has a secure twist-lock lid and a desiccant slot to keep kibble fresh. It needs to be plugged in, but it has a battery backup in case of a power outage.

The WOPET pet food dispenser is currently priced at $90.