The best smart home ideas topic might get quite overwhelming, as there are plenty of possibilities, what you can do and you might get surprised what devices can be smart and how many things can be done with smart devices via smart home voice assistants.

The idea of this article is to give you a structuralized list of ideas, which can help you to start your smart home project.

The good thing about this is, that you can just pick the ones, which suit your needs the best.

What Is Smart Home

The definition of a smart home is a house or apartment where multiple devices automate tasks and routines you would normally need to do by yourself, such as electricity consumption checking.

Other actions on the list can be: playing music, heating set-up, turning on/off the lights, starting a robotic vacuum cleaner or lawnmower, and much more. All of this can be done by your voice via smart home virtual assistants such as Amazon Alexa, and Google Assistant, or through your smartphone.

The smart home is not only just a convenient possibility and cool tech gadget. Everything at your home can be done more effectively and maintenance of your home will get easier.

Great examples are electricity consumption, which you can easily check and follow on smart plugs devices, and smart locks & security devices, which guards your home, you can let people in the house, even if you are not home and if there is a breaking into your home, then security devices on doors and windows will alert you, as well as local police. Both topics are actual in 2022.

The smart home is not only about connecting different devices to electricity plugs, many of the solutions can be directly built into your house or garden, such as smart electricity fuses, smart speakers, and smart irrigation systems your garden. 

What Are the Best Smart Home Ideas?

You can find the best smart home ideas in the structured list below. The list starts with the most important one and then it continues with different home & garden smart home ideas.

1. Smart Home Hub

The smart home hub can be both hardware or software, that connects other smart devices on a home automation network and controls communication among them. It allows you to control smart home devices through it and not through many different apps from different brands.

2. Smart Speaker & Voice Assistant

The smart speaker is not only a standard loudspeaker. It is a smart voice command device with an integrated virtual assistant, which allows you to control other smart devices and set up many useful routines such as automatically turning on/off your lights when you come home or turning all the lights at a certain time when you are not at home to ensure home security.

Speaker is usually activated by speaking one of the “hot words”, such as Alexa, Hey Google, or Siri. Smart speakers with virtual assistants can also serve as smart hubs. Most of these voice control devices are for a reasonable price.

3. Smart Display

The smart display usually has a virtual assistant built in and it can function as a smart home hub for many different devices such as security cameras & light bulbs. They can be also used for video calls and streaming services.

4. Smart Light Bulb

A smart light bulb is LED light bulb, which can be Connected to the internet via Wi-Fi. It is one of the most successful smart device offerings. Smart light bulbs allow lighting to be customized with many different colors, scheduled, and controlled remotely and you can set up many smart lighting routines with them.

5. Outdoor Smart Lighting

Many smart outdoor lights solutions work on the same principle as indoor smart lights. These bulbs and lights are water resistant and can be operated via smart applications and virtual assistants.

6. Smart Plug

The smart plug is one of the easiest to use and usually the first one you will get your hands on. It is one of the best smart home devices and it allows you to turn almost any wired device or appliance with an on/off switch. This can be done through a smartphone via application or by voice command. You can just say “Turn living room on/off”.

7. Smart Light Switch

The smart light switch is designed to replace any traditional built-in light switches. They usually look much cooler than traditional switches and allow you to control lights, fans, and other appliances via voice. They can be also used through a smartphone app or you can switch them as a standard light switch with your finger.

8. Smart Outlet

Smart Outlet is designed to replace any traditional built-in outlet. Then they work in the same manner as smart plugs. You can switch on/off almost any wired device through an app or by voice command.

9. Smart Power Strip

Smart Power Strip works the same way as a smart plug but with more plugs. It can also asses your electricity usage in a more efficient way and can automatically disable devices, which are not in use. For example: if you turn off the TV, the smart power strip will switch off power to a set-top box, game console, audio components, and anything else which is connected to your TV.

10. Smart Thermostat

Smart Thermostat allows you to access your home´s heating system and/or air conditioning and you can automatically schedule the temperature throughout the day and set up routines. This can help you to save money.

11. Smart Sprinkler & Smart Sprinkler Controller

Here we have 2 components, a smart sprinkler, and a smart sprinkler controller, both of them create a smart irrigation system, which allows you to control your garden watering via a voice assistant or phone app and set up many different routines to control the water for your garden. The flow of the water can be based on the moisture of the soil and you are also able to do real-time surveillance when you are away.

12. Smart Water Assistant

Smart water assistant allows you to control your water consumption in real time. It can also automatically learn your plumbing system with the possibility to get information about it through virtual assistants or push notifications.

13. Indoor Security Camera

A smart indoor camera is connected via Wi-Fi to your network and usually to a virtual assistant. You can check your camera reel on your phone or smart displays.

14. Outdoor Security Camera

A smart outdoor camera is connected via Wi-Fi to your network and usually to a virtual assistant. You can check your camera reel on your phone or smart displays.

15. Smart Doorbell

A smart doorbell is connected via Wi-Fi to your network and is a replacement for a traditional doorbell. It can ring a smartphone or other device in your home. Because of its possible integration into the network, it can display real-time video from your front door to different devices.

16. Smart Door Lock

Smart door lock allows you to leave the house keys behind and lock and unlock doors with a voice command, your phone, or with a tap of a finger. Most smart door locks allow remote access, so you can get your guest, deliveries, and craftsmen in through the front door even when you are not at home.

17. Smart Door & Window Sensor

A smart door or window sensor is connected via Wi-Fi to your network, because of this you can get notifications by virtual assistants or to your phone every time door or window is opened or closed. 

18. Smart Garage Door Opener

A smart garage door opener is connected to your network, so you can get a notification via phone or virtual assistant if your garage doors are open, shut, somewhere between, and also when it was last opened. Sensors are usually on your garage door rails.

19. Smart Home Security System

A smart security system incorporates different cameras, alarms, and motion sensors, which are connected to the network and allow you to receive information about the security of your home remotely anywhere around the world. it is another one of the best smart home devices.

20. Smart Motion Sensor

Smart Motion Sensor alone can get you real-time information to your phone app or via a virtual assistant, whenever is something moving around the area of the motion sensor. It can also trigger many different actions when it detects motion. For example, it can turn on the lights. 

21. Smart Temperature Sensor

The smart temperature sensor will measure room temperature and inform you via mobile application in real-time all over the world. You can set up the routines to automatically adjust the temperature at given times and get updates via push notifications or emails.

22. Smart Water Sensor

Works the same way as many other smart sensors. As you can read from its name, the smart water sensor’s specialty is water. It can detect water and it is a great thing to detect and prevent excessing moisturizing it can warn you, when there is flooding, because of faulty pipes or appliances.

23. Smart Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Detector

This smart device is incredibly useful, as it might warn you in case of fire. It can warn you via app or virtual assistant if something is happening at your home with fire. Most devices can detect smoke and carbon monoxide and will notify you.

24. Smart Wi-Fi Switch For Electricity

This small device is usually built into your wiring and will allow you to get rid of any traditional switches in the sockets. You can operate your devices, appliances, and outlets via the mobile application, virtual assistant & smart displays for example.

25. Smart Home Weather Station

A smart weather station works the same way as a normal station. It measures temperature, wind speed, wind direction, humidity, rainfall, etc. The only difference is, that the smart one is connected to your network and you can get weather information via mobile app, you can ask your virtual assistant or see the weather info on any smart device with a display.

26. Smart Garden

Smart growers, gardens, and greenhouses are usually indoor hydroponic controllable environments to grow plants, herbs, fruits, and vegetables. The whole process is automated and you have control over it via mobile application.

27. Smart Lawn Mover

Smart Lawn Movers are robots, which take care of grass length in your garden and you can operate them via a virtual assistant, mobile app, set the routines up, and many other things. The only thing you need to do is to run low voltage wire around the area which will be moved, so your lawnmower knows where to go.

28. Smart Vacuum Cleaner

The smart vacuum cleaner is a robot, which is taking care of dust, dirt, and pet hair around your home. The more advanced ones use infrared lasers and AI to navigate, detect obstacles, find new areas to clean, detect any hazards and track the distance they have traveled. They are connected to your network and you can operate them and set up routines through a virtual assistant or mobile app.

29. Smart Air Quality Monitor

An air quality monitor is a smart device usually connected to a virtual assistant such as Alexa or Google Assistant. It helps you to detect the worsening quality of air. For example, it can alert you that there is more dust in the room than the usual amount. You can also add routine, so the air quality monitor can switch off the smart plug of the air purifier and much more.

30. Smart Sleep Analyzer

A smart sleep analyzer is a wearable smart device for better night’s sleep that tracks your brain waves and detects in real time what phase of sleep you´re in. It is connected to a mobile, so you can control all the results on your smartphone.

 31. Smart Duvet

The smart duvet can set up temperatures for different parts of the bed, so you can set up cooler temperatures on one side and warmer temperatures on the other side. It is also able to self-make itself, so you don´t need to do it by yourself. All is controlled via a smart duvet hub and your smartphone.

32. Smart TV With Virtual Assistant Compatibility

We have had smart TVs for some time now. They are connected to the internet, you can use many different applications and streaming services through them. The new ones are also compatible with virtual assistants with voice control, such as Alexa or Google Assistant and you can then control your smart TV through your voice and switch channels, and control the volume. Your smartphone can also be remote control.

33. Smart Bathroom Scale

Smart bathroom scales automatically log your weight every time you step on them. It also measures body fat, some of them can track your bone density, and water percentage and read your heart rate through your feet. All data and information are then approachable via the app on your smartphone.

34. Smart Pet Feeder

A smart pet feeder is a smart technology automatic pet feeder, that can automatically feed your furry friend depending on the schedule you set up. The feeder can be connected to the internet and controlled via an app on your smartphone. You can then monitor and portion control your pet’s meals. Some of the feeders will also allow you to communicate with your pets.

35. Smart Cat Toilet

A smart cat toilet is a self-cleaning device, which gives you and your cat much better comfort. Toilets are connected to Wi-Fi and you can track many things via a smartphone application. How many times cat goes to the toilet measure your pet´s weight and check if its health is in order

36. Smart Refrigerator

Smart refrigerators have a Wi-Fi connection and let you connect them to voice assistants like Alexa or Google Assistant. These smart appliances can keep track of groceries inside, perform diagnostics if everything is ok and let you know if someone left the door open.

37. Smart Cooktop

Smart Cooktop includes Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, so you can connect this appliance to a virtual assistant. Then it allows you to control the cooktop, monitor the settings, and set automatic functions remotely.

38. Smart Oven

The smart oven is connected to Wi-Fi to your network, so it can communicate with your phone and virtual assistants, such as Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. You can then give instructions to your oven wherever you are and track its progress with meal cooking.

39. Smart Faucet

A smart faucet is an automatic, touchless faucet with an electronic sensor. Some models can be turned on and off through voice commands to virtual assistants. The smart faucet also conserves water and keeps harmful germs from spreading.

40. Smart Dishwasher

The smart dishwasher is connected to your network and can be operated via a mobile app or through a virtual assistant. You can easily monitor the washing cycle and time, remotely lock and unlock controls, and many other things.

41. Smart Coffe Maker

Smart Coffe Makers are connected via Wi-Fi to your smartphone and virtual assistant. You can control it by the app or use voice commands to make your delicious coffee. 

42. Smart Washing Machine

The smart washing machine is connected to your network via Wi-Fi and you can control the washing machine through the app on your smartphone, whether you are in the house or away.

43. Smart Drying Machine

The smart drying machine is connected to your network via Wi-Fi and you can control the washing machine through the app on your smartphone, whether you are in the house or away.

44. Clever Dog Camera

A clever dog camera is a smart device, which lets you check and communicate with your dog. It incorporates functions such as video surveillance, intelligent alarm, two-way voice, human form detection, face recognition, and much more. You can see a list of the 7 best pet cameras of 2022 on my blog.

45. Smart Microvave Oven

A smart microwave oven is connected to your Wi-Fi network and you can operate them via a smartphone app or use a voice command, such as: “Alexa, defrost seafood”.

46. Smart Air Fryer

An air fryer is like a small oven, but with smaller electricity consumption and you can take it with you anywhere you go. Smart Air Fryer can connect to your Wi-Fi network and virtual assistants and smartphone app.

47. Smart Pressure Cooker

The smart pressure cooker´s greatest functionality is that it will release steam through programmed function for different meals or you can do it via a smartphone app. No need to worry about forgetting about the pressure cooker and explosion.

48. Meater+

The Meater+ is a completely wireless meat thermometer that sends notifications to your mobile device when your food is ready. There are many smart gadgets like this.

49. Smart Air Conditioner

The smart air conditioner connects via Wi-Fi to a virtual assistant or smartphone app. Then it can be adjusted remotely with the app or it can be even programmed to change the temperature based on the user´s geolocation.

50. Smart Air Purifier

Air purifiers use filters to remove airborne toxins from the air. Smart air purifiers are connected to a home Wi-Fi network and give you the power of data to keep track of and control your home air quality. It comes with a smartphone app, that can help you monitor real-time and historic trends, send you alerts about the air quality and when you need to change the filter, and much more.

51. Smart Baby Monitor

A smart baby monitor is connected to your smartphone via an app and lets you watch, talk to, and soothe your child from anywhere. It also has a variety of sensors to check on your baby and alert you if there are any changes.

52. Smart Mirror

The smart mirror is a mirror with an electronic display integrated behind the glass. It can show you different widgets with information about weather, date, time, and news updates.

53. Smart Toothbrush

A smart toothbrush is helping you to clean your teeth in a better way. It tells you about the brush´s position and speed gives you feedback on your teeth cleaning routine, and tells you how to improve oral hygiene.

54. Smart Toilet

Smart toilets nowadays don´t only have heating in toilet seats. They are outfitted with sensors that activate the flushing mechanism when you go leave the toilet. It senses the distance of your body and flushes automatically. Alternatively, you can wave your hand to flush.

55. Smart Shower

The smart shower is an extension of the digital shower. You can set up your preferred water temperature, flow rate, shower duration, and much more through a control display, smartphone app, or voice command.

56. Smart Stationary Bike

A smart bike is smart indoor exercise equipment, usually with a big screen to display and track all your workouts. It can be also connected to smart applications to see the workout results on your smartphone.

57. Interactive Fitness Mirror

The fitness mirror is an interactive device for home fitness and workouts. It offers many different live and on-demand workout classes. It looks like a normal mirror when it’s turned off, but when you start your exercise, then it starts streaming the chosen exercise routine.

58. Smart Treadmill

The smart treadmill is connected to a smartphone app, so every exercise is tracked to your daily workout routines. It usually also has a wireless Bluetooth speaker and LED display to show you all the necessary stats in your workout, it can also adjust the workout session according to your results.

59. Smart Rowing Machine

The smart rowing machine is connected to your smartphone or tablet, you can then use the smartphone-connected app with your rowing machine, follow up on workout routines, compete with other users, and many more things, which ensures your motivation to work out. 

60. Smart E-Bike

Smart electric bikes offer a variety of cool smart functions. You can access the digital parameters of your e-bike, such as motor performance, GPX route file, and much more. You can also track and secure your bike when you are not using it. All through the smartphone app or some Bluetooth devices, which can be connected to the bike, such as GPS navigation.

61. Smart Outdoor Plug

With a smart outdoor plug, you can enjoy home automation system benefits also on your garden and operate your connected devices and appliances via mobile app or by voice command through virtual assistants such as Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant.

62. Smart Pool Water Monitor

A smart pool water monitor is connected to your smartphone via an app and you can get all the information about measures of free chlorine, oxygen, acidity (pH), temperature, and flow of pool water.

63. Robotic Pool Cleaner

A robotic pool cleaner works the same way as a smart vacuum cleaner. It has advanced sensors and AI to map pool areas to effectively clean the whole pool, no matter the size and shape. All can be controlled via a smartphone app and some models can be connected to a virtual assistant such as Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant.

64. Smart Fire Pit

A smart fire pit is controlled via a mobile application and you can track time for how long it burns. Besides it, you can control the amount of oxygen, which is going to fire. This makes it burn faster and slower and you can even control the amount of smoke going from your fire.

65. Smart Grill

A smart grill has Bluetooth or Wi-Fi and can be controlled via an application on your smartphone or tablet. Sensors and probes inside of it will make the smart grill a superior helper when you are grilling and cooking your food. 

66. Smart Smoker

A smart smoker allows you to smoke desired food by using digital technology. It is connected to your smartphone and you can adjust the amount of head and pellets for smoking. It also usually has heat probes in different areas, so you can smoke different foods simultaneously. 

67. Grillbot

Grillbot is like a smart vacuum cleaner, but for a grill. You just put it on the grill tray you want to clean and Grillbot will navigate through it with its smart AI and completely clean the grill for you.

68. Smart Padlock

A smart padlock is Bluetooth or Wi-Fi device, which works the same way as a normal padlock, but this one can be opened/closed via a mobile app, fingerprint, or a virtual assistant such as Alexa or Google Assistant. You can keep also keep track of your padlocks as most of them have GPS. 

69. Smart Slow Cooker

A smart slow cooker connects to your home Wi-Fi network. With a specialized app, you can then set or change the cooking time, change the temperature, or just monitor the meal which is cooked.

70. Key Finder

This smart small gadget helps you in finding lost keys or any other things on which you can put the small beacon. It is connected via Bluetooth to your phone and with beeping and geolocation, you can find the lost keys or other things. 

71. Robotic Window Cleaner

A small robot that suction attaches to your window and can clean it. Its microfiber pads scrub the surface for a deep clean. It is operated via a mobile app. Newer models can even predict when their battery will run out, so they will go back to their starting position so you can pick them up.

72. Smart Water Usage Monitors

A smart water usage monitor is not only monitoring the amount of water you use, it can also monitor pH, temperature, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, and conductivity.

73. Smart Home Energy Monitor

A smart energy monitor connects and tracks the energy consumption of other devices in your home. It uses Wi-Fi or Bluetooth to connect to other smart devices and measure and track its energy consumption.

74. Smart Watch

A smartwatch is a smart wearable device, which is connected to a smartphone and notifies you about incoming calls, e-mails, and push notifications from applications. It can also track your health, as it is measuring your heart rate, and track amount of steps you made. Some models can be also used for making calls. 

75. Smart Headphones/Earbuds

Smart headphones are very advanced in-ear devices, which can do much more things, that transmitting audio. They are usually wireless and you can use them for voice listening, and making calls their technology usually completely soundproofs you against the outer world, so the audio or call is very clean.

76. Smart Projector & Smart Gaming Projector

Projectors are getting more and more popular as devices to watch TV, stream videos from different services, they can also have specialized modes and features for gaming. Many projectors also include Android TV, so it may work as any other smart TV. Some models also support voice assistants, such as Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. You can check list of The 7 Best Gaming Projectors of 22 in my blog post.

FAQ

What is a smart home? 

A smart home is a dwelling equipped with technology that automates and controls various systems and appliances within the home. 

What are some common smart devices? 

Common smart home devices include thermostats, lighting, security systems, and plugs. 

What are the benefits of using smart technology? 

Smart home technology can be used to improve safety, increase energy efficiency, and provide convenience. 

What are the disadvantages of using smart home technology?

One of the main concerns is privacy. Since smart homes collect data on everything from energy use to the comings and goings of residents, there is potential for that information to be mishandled or even hacked.

How do I get started with building a smart home? 

Several companies offer complete smart home solutions that include everything from light bulbs to security cameras. These kits make it easy to get started with building a smart home.

Alternatively, you can also purchase individual smart devices and add them to your existing network bit by bit.

How much do smart homes cost?

The cost of a smart home depends on the type and number of devices you want to include. Generally speaking, the more devices you have, the more expensive your smart home will be.

You should also factor in the cost of installation and ongoing maintenance. While the upfront cost of a smart home can be significant, many people feel that it’s worth it for the convenience and peace of mind that it offers.

How Can Smart Home Benefit You

A smart home is quite a big pond as you can see from the above list. Some things from the list are nice to have and some things still seem a bit futuristic or crazy. But there are smart devices and appliances which can benefit anybody.

With smart plugs, smart light bulbs, smart thermostats, and energy consumption monitors you can work much more efficiently with your home´s energy consumption and track it in real-life on your phone or smart home hub.

It is now proven, that these devices can help you cut energy costs by up to 20% within the area of heating and cooling.

Home Security is easier, more affordable, and more effective. Security cameras are connected to your phone, motion detectors, smoke detectors, water leak monitors, smart locks, and padlocks and all of it is controllable from the palm of your hand and through the smart home hub.

You can nowadays create a safe and impenetrable fort from your home with these smart devices.

And life is easier with smart vacuum cleaners, lawn movers, and robotic pool cleaners. All these chores can now be controlled from your smartphone and programmed to start at exact times, so you always have a clean home, a clean pool, and your grass look awesome. 

Conclusion

As you can see, smart home devices and smart technology with voice commands are getting more and more into our daily lives and this list can give you an overall insight into what is possible to do within smart homes and with smart devices.

This list will surely grow as more and more smart home devices are emerging every day.