Smart Home for Apartments and Renters

This affordable bulb is easy to set up and includes a collection of fun and useful modes and Scenes.

This dependable smart bulb has a great app and was the top performer at low light levels, but it doesn’t offer as many third-party integrations as the WiZ and Meross bulbs we tested.

This bulb isn’t as bright as our top picks, but it’s easy to use, has a good color palette, and works with all of the major smart-home platforms.

Reliable, compact, and easy to use, this smart plug works consistently and reliably, and it includes real-time energy monitoring and an Away Mode. It’s also compatible with all the major smart-home platforms.

This tiny smart plug is easy to use, affordable, and small enough to fit behind furniture without getting dislodged. It can also track the amount of time you’re using electrical devices.

This weatherproof smart plug withstands snow, rain, heat, and dust, and it has two outlets that you can control independently.

With built-in energy monitoring, this model turns one outlet into six independently controlled smart ones. It’s also compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Home (but not Apple Home) and equipped with three USB ports.

A sleek design, sensitivity to slow- and fast-burning fires, self-testing, and a straightforward app make Nest's Protect a great smart fire-safety device.

With a Nest Aware subscription, your Nest speaker will listen for smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and send you alerts.

This D-Link kit has a plug-in Wi-Fi hub with an optional sensor cable and can connect with up to 16 battery-powered remote sensors. It responds quickly to potential problems with both a loud (94 dB) siren and fast smartphone alerts.

This small model monitors for water and temperature changes, even in hard-to-reach places, thanks to the included extender cable. It also responds quickly to emergencies, sending smartphone notifications, emails, and texts.

This smart leak sensor is more customizable than any other model we tested and can integrate with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT. However, it has no dedicated app and uses a web browser for administrative tasks; it also needs to be plugged in.

This camera can distinguish between different types of motion and sound and offers a sharp image, four methods for accessing and storing video recordings, and a continuous recording option.

The 1080p Google Nest Cam Indoor distinguishes among various types of motion and has both free and paid cloud storage—subscription plans enable face recognition, and one option is for 24/7 recording.

The 2K-resolution Tapo C110 can produce highly detailed images and is more affordable than other models, but it doesn't include pet detection, and the cost to run multiple cameras is relatively high.

This model’s (sometimes faulty) touch-based unlocking mechanism is the most convenient method for simple everyday use, but you’ll likely want to use a PIN code for guests. It’s compact, versatile, and quiet, and its rubber number keys will please most anyone.

The easy-to-install, sharp-looking Schlage deadbolt allows for quick and easy access, works flawlessly, is intuitive to use, and provides robust security.

The Aqara Smart Lock U100 is a fast, quiet, and largely friendly deadbolt replacement with the best fingerprint reader we tested and Apple Home Key compatibility.

This smart lock replaces a doorknob—not a deadbolt—with an accessibility-friendly lever handle and includes several access options like a keypad, physical locks, and remote access via the Schlage Home app.

The third generation of SimpliSafe is the most affordable and comprehensive of the no-contract systems we tested. It’s also easy to install and use, and it works with some Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands.

The Abode system’s gateway supports lots of smart-home devices and works without a monitoring plan.

This security system has a built-in Wi-Fi 6 router, works with a large collection of Ring sensors and accessories, and provides internet backup (for a fee), as well as the option to add up to 24 extra hours of backup power.

The original Ring system is easy to set up and use, and it has more camera add-ons than any of our other picks.

The fourth-generation Echo, powered by voice commands to Alexa, lets you easily stream audio from almost all of the major services—Spotify, Apple Music, Audible—and gives you answers to questions about nearly everything, from trivia to local information. Plus, through Alexa you can connect to and control virtually all popular smart-home devices (including Zigbee-compatible ones).

The Google Nest Audio is great for answering questions or playing music, and it gives you a way to use your Google accounts to make a voice-controlled smart home even smarter.

If your smart home is connected though HomeKit, or if all your music comes from Apple, the HomePod mini is the smart speaker to get. While the larger (and more expensive) HomePod is more powerful, with enough oomph to fill large rooms with great sound, the HomePod mini offers nearly all the same features for a better price.

The Echo Show smart display has a crisp touchscreen and fits comfortably on a desk, counter, or shelf. It’s perfect for video chats or as a cooking companion.

This Nest smart display is great for streaming audio but also watching video—as well as for having video chats. This model is also an especially competent kitchen assistant, as it allows you to easily call up and display recipes. It can also stream video from your security camera and allow you to control your smart-home devices on screen, and it doubles as a security camera.