If you want to secure your home, Google's Nest range is one of the smartest and easiest ways. All products featured on WIRED are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links. There's no need for an expensive, professionally installed home security system for a little peace of mind. You can keep tabs on your home when you're away, check in on your kids or pets, and discourage intruders with a few well-placed security cameras and connected devices.

A smart speaker makes for an easy first step into smart home technology. Before you kit out your house with thousands of dollars of lighting and security upgrades, you can familiarize yourself with voice-assistant technology while enjoying music, podcasts, and news in a hands-free home environment. Here are our top picks in several categories. If you want information about smart speakers in addition to our top recommendations, scroll down the page to read our in-depth buyers' guide. Alexa is the most popular voice assistant, and the 2024 edition of the Echo Pop is the best value in Amazon's smart speaker lineup. While it's not a true smart display, it is equipped with a touchscreen that can display the time, date, weather conditions, and other information. It can also show album art while streaming music (not that we recommend this speaker for that task).

If it feels like every piece of home tech is now "smart," you're not far off. The smart home space has grown exponentially in the past few years to include speakers, cameras, locks, lights and even kitchen appliances. There are also different voice assistants and IoT standards to consider, all of which can make it confusing (to say the least) to build your smart home ecosystem from the ground up. Allow us at Engadget to help with that. We've tested dozens of smart home gadgets over the years and continue to test the latest offerings to see which work well and are worth your money. We recommend, before you even dive in, to resist the urge to outfit your whole home in one go.

Find big savings on electronics and small appliances during Amazon's Cyber Monday event. Amazon's Cyber Monday runs through Dec. 2, extending the timeline of the commerce giant's huge Black Friday discounts. You'll find great deals on Amazon's signature gadgets like the Echo Show and Fire tablet, along with deals on robot vacuums and top-brand blenders. Sign up for a Prime membership during the holiday season to enjoy fast, free delivery access to invite-only deals and the option to Buy With Prime. Most purchases can be delivered to your door in 24 hours if you're an Amazon Prime member.

Nothing says it's the holiday season like a brand-new Amazon device. Amazon has been expanding its product lineups left and right this year, from its speaker options with the revived Echo Spot to a relaunch of the entire Kindle line (with some hiccups). Now the Echo Show family is getting a big update. Literally--it's getting a massive, 21-inch device added to the roster. The Echo Show 21 ( 400) is the newest member of Amazon's vast list of Echo-powered devices, with a 21-inch display.

Making the switch from the office to working from home has become the new normal, but some users might feel like their setup is not as well-appointed or productive as at the office. It's time to change that. With the proper equipment and gear, you can turn your boring-old home setup into a workstation powerhouse -- ensuring you'll never need to return to the office again. At PCWorld, we've had to adjust to remote work just like the rest of the world. Our staff has spent countless hours testing and reviewing hardware, which means we've been lucky enough to find the best gear and accessories available. Below you'll find our favorite work-from-home essentials.

October Prime Day presents a good opportunity for Prime members to snag holiday gifts early, and that's perhaps most relevant for those eyeing Amazon's own devices. Gadgets like Echo speakers, Fire TV sticks and Kindles are almost guaranteed to be on sale during members-only sale events like this, and this time around, we're seeing some of the best prices we've seen all year. That means it's the time to stock up -- if you're a Prime member and have wanted another Echo speaker for your office, a Fire tablet for your young child or a new Kindle to replace your aging one, these deals are the ones to snag. Here are the best deals we found on Amazon devices for October Prime Day 2024. If you're keen on making your home a bit smarter, an Echo speaker or smart display can help by giving you an easy way to interact with Alexa.

While you can often find discounts on Echo speakers, Fire tablets, Kindles and other Amazon devices throughout the year, October Prime Day is one of the best times of the year to buy them. Amazon usually discounts most of its gadgets for members-only, Prime Day sale events, and those sale prices are typically only rivaled by Black Friday deals. For this year's October Prime Day, you'll find most of Amazon's devices on sale for record-low prices (or close to them). These are the best October Prime Day deals you can get on Kindles, Fire TVs, Echos and more. If you're keen on making your home a bit smarter, an Echo speaker or smart display can help by giving you an easy way to interact with Alexa.

Fall Prime Day presents a good opportunity for Prime members to snag holiday gifts early, and that's perhaps most relevant for those eyeing Amazon's own devices. Gadgets like Echo speakers, Fire TV sticks and Kindles are almost guaranteed to be on sale during members-only sale events like this, and this time around, we're seeing some of the best prices we've seen all year. That means it's the time to stock up -- if you're a Prime member and have wanted another Echo speaker for your office, a Fire tablet for your young child or a new Kindle to replace your aging one, these deals are the ones to snag. Here are the best Prime Day deals on Amazon devices for October Prime Day 2024. If you're keen on making your home a bit smarter, an Echo speaker or smart display can help by giving you an easy way to interact with Alexa.

We typically see some Amazon devices, including Blink cameras, drop in price ahead of both Prime Days in July and October. This time around, Prime members have an exclusive deal available to them right now on a bundle that includes the Echo Show 5 smart display and a Blink Outdoor 4 camera system for only 60. This bundle is one that makes a lot of sense. You'll be able to use your Echo Show 5 to get a live view of whatever the Blink Outdoor 4 camera is capturing with a simple Alexa command. A bundle of the Blink Outdoor 4 camera and Echo Show 5 smart display has dropped to 60, the lowest price to date.