Give the people in your life tech they’ll actually use with my favorite home devices tested in 2026.

It’s tough to pick smart home devices as gifts: Here’s what works the best. 

Smart home devices make some of the greatest gifts around — if you know how to pick them. The best gift choices are devices that are easy to understand and set up, don’t require any subscriptions or extra steps to use and offer real, useful benefits that won’t endanger anyone’s privacy. Oh, and if they’re easy on your wallet, that’s a plus.

Here I’ve collected the smart tech I’ve tested that meets all the requirements for an excellent, memorable gift, including options for renters, older family members and those people who already seem to have everything. Take a look at security cams, app-connected heaters, wallet trackers, smart plugs and so much more to spice up this year’s gift giving.

Note: The “smart” in smart home gifts refers to devices that typically require an app to operate or receive alerts. The good news is that many of them work with apps the recipient likely already uses, such as Apple Home, Google Home or Alexa.

Home security cameras can be difficult to give as gifts, since many are expensive and often come with subscription requirements to enable important features such as cloud storage (which not everyone is comfortable with). But this Eufy camera solves all these problems. It’s affordable, supports local video storage with a microSD card and offers all features subscription-free, including human detection and privacy zones.

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