5 smart home gadgets I consider completely non-negotiable - and why
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Home & Office Why you can trust ZDNET : ZDNET independently tests and researches products to bring you our best recommendations and advice. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Our process 'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean? ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing.When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions. This helps support our work, but does not affect what we cover or how, and it does not affect the price you pay. Neither ZDNET nor the author are compensated for these independent reviews. 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Written by Kayla Solino, EditorEditor July 15, 2026 at 12:50 p.m. PT Hisense Canvas 65-inch Art TV 2024 | for $750 (save $350) Hisense Canvas 65-inch Art TV 2024 for $750 (save $350) View now View at Best Buy Smart Blinds + SelectConnect Bridge | Prices vary Smart Blinds + SelectConnect Bridge Prices vary View now View at SelectBlinds Ting Fire Sensor | $99 Ting Fire Sensor $99 View now View at Amazon Ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced | $200 Ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced $200 View now View at Ecobee Kasa Smart Plug Ultra Mini 15A 4-Pack | for $54 Kasa Smart Plug Ultra Mini 15A 4-Pack for $54 View now View at Amazon Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.Tech is best when it makes your life easier. And with a plethora of gadgets, gizmos, and gear on the market in every major category, it isn't always easy sorting out what's good from what's great. Home tech isn't spared from this fate, either. With robot lawn mowers and window washers, automated vacuum mops, and more, we're probably closer to the life we saw on The Jetsons than ever before. Also: 10 useful smart home gadgets that make life so much easierBut not every new product is practical or fit for your lifestyle. It takes plenty of trial and error and intentional upgrades to take your home from totally typically to sneakily smart. Here are the five smart home gadgets I use in my home, and why I think you should consider them, too.Also: I automated my home's most unexpected electronics - here are 5 ingenious resultsThe smart home gadgets I recommend most Hisense Canvas 65-inch Art TV 2024 for $750 (save $350) Kayla Solino/ZDNET My new house has a small living room, and I didn't want the TV to be the main focal point. That's why I scooped up this Hisense art TV that doesn't lack any smart features. It's made plenty of guests do a double-take, and it gets endless compliments. Also: My canvas art TV gets endless compliments, and it's cheaper than Samsung's Frame TVThe Hisense Canvas TV has been praised by ZDNET experts as a direct competitor to the more expensive Samsung Frame TV, a popular choice for those looking for a TV that blends seamlessly into decor. Like Samsung, Hisense's Canvas TV is a QLED set treated with a matte, anti-reflection layer and wooden borders to make it look as close as possible to a piece of art decor. I have the older 2024 model, which is on sale now, but the newest 2026 models are available, too. I will never go back to a traditional TV in my main living space. The art frame truly makes it dual-purpose, and since this TV operates on Google's OS, I can sync other smart accessories and access my Google account. Show more View now at Best Buy Smart Blinds + SelectConnect Bridge Prices vary Kayla Solino/ZDNET I priced out motorized blinds months before moving into my townhome, and it's incredibly expensive when you go through popular installation companies. Nevertheless, smart blinds were not something I could skip. My home is on the corner of a busy cross street in our neighborhood, and the entire street can quite literally peer in. I knew we'd need shades, and an easy and reliable way to open and close them. We found our answer in SelectBlind's offerings of smart blinds and shades. I'll have a full review coming soon on my home's setup thus far (and how I'm using them), but the customizable options make it easy to find a blind type and style that fits your space. I was pleasantly surprised with the pricing and ease of installation, too. Plus, the SmartConnect bridge allows me to sync up my blinds together and keep them on a schedule to open and close. I can control via a remote or my phone via a mobile app. The blinds open in the morning 30 minutes after my alarm, just as I'm heading downstairs (my bedroom faces the street), and our main floor blinds are already open in time for my first cup of coffee. They close 30 minutes before sunset, and I never have to worry about opening and closing tons of curtains or shades (or shoving myself behind my couch to do so). Show more View now at SelectBlinds Ting Fire Sensor $99 Kayla Solino/ZDNET The Ting fire sensor is a plug-in gadget recommended by my colleagues Maria Diaz and David Gewirtz. It's a smart sensor that provides key insights into your home's risk of electrical fires, and also tracks other events like power outages or circuit trips. Also: This tiny device quietly monitors your home for electrical hazardsMy Ting was provided for free by my home insurer, so be sure to check out what options your policy may offer for preventative devices. The app makes it easy to check in on any reported abnormalities, and it's a great piece of mind as a new homeowner. Show more View now at Amazon Ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced $200 Kayla Solino/ZDNET Upon building my home, I had the option to install smart thermostats. Ecobee's enhanced smart thermostat perfectly fit the bill. I have a unit on each floor of my home, and like many other smart home gadgets, I can control the temperature right from my phone. I also can set schedules for heating or cooling, check in on service or maintenance, adjust temperatures, and more. These are a great upgrade from a traditional setup, but keep in mind they are linked to your Wi-Fi. If there's an outage, you have to make changes via your app with cellular service. Ecobee also says its thermostat "helps set recommendations for minor temperature adjustments that maximize savings, cools or heats your home when energy is less expensive, and adjusts the temperature to account for humidity so your home always feels like the temperature you've set." I liked them just for the convenience, but the added energy-saving benefits are great too. Show more View now at Ecobee Kasa Smart Plug Ultra Mini 15A 4-Pack for $54 Kayla Solino/ZDNET These Kasa smart plugs are a longtime favorite of ZDNET editors like myself and smart home reviewer Maria Diaz. I love using these for automating home lights, kitchen appliances, and more, and I even keep a box packed away in my Christmas decor for controlling my tree lights with one click. They're truly essential for all the gadgets and gizmos in my home. Show more View now at Amazon Featured reviews I walked 3,000 steps with my Apple Watch, Google Pixel, and Oura Ring - this tracker was most accurate After using the MacBook Neo for weeks, switching to the Air has been refreshingly sweet I bought an earwax camera for my toolkit and use it for everything but my ears LG G6 vs. Samsung S95H: I compared the best OLED TVs of 2026 and made a tough choice I walked 3,000 steps with my Apple Watch, Google Pixel, and Oura Ring - this tracker was most accurate After using the MacBook Neo for weeks, switching to the Air has been refreshingly sweet I bought an earwax camera for my toolkit and use it for everything but my ears LG G6 vs. Samsung S95H: I compared the best OLED TVs of 2026 and made a tough choice Editorial standards Show Comments Log In to Comment Community Guidelines Related These 12 tiny travel gadgets will upgrade your flight or drive - and they won't break the bank 5 smart home gadgets I actually recommend, after years of testing The best smart rings of 2026: Expert tested