Smart Home Fact Sheet: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Apple HomeKit Tips

Amazon launched the first Echo smart speaker more than a decade ago — but CNET has been covering the smart home space for even longer. Since then, CNET experts have been continuously analyzing the smart home landscape, which consists of smart devices light bulbs AND loudspeakers Down video intercoms AND security cameras. There are many more smart devices than just these categories.

Whether you want to find the best products on the market, learn how to get started, or discover how to find all the hidden features of devices like Amazon Echo, Google Nest, and Apple HomePod, you’ll find everything you need in this cheat sheet.

Below, you’ll find helpful articles detailing tips and tricks for the most popular smart home brands—Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Apple HomeKit—as well as a variety of articles detailing tips on where to place your devices, how to change their settings, and even how much you can expect to spend. (Because home security, home internet AND home energy (All content has already been collected in separate cheat sheets, I have omitted home surveillance cameras, video intercoms, smart locks, thermostats and routers.)

What are the best smart home devices?

With thousands of smart home devices spanning a wide range of types and styles, it can be hard to even know where to start. Whether you’re trying to find the best smart plug or outdoor string lights, there are plenty of options and lists to sift through. Luckily, CNET experts have spent years testing new technologies to determine what’s worth your money and what you can probably skip.

For starters, you might want to consider the brand. If you’re looking for a system that’s compatible with thousands of devices, you might want to go with Amazon Alexa. Or if you’re looking for devices that can easily connect to your iPhone, Apple HomeKit might be the right choice. Here are the best features of each brand:

If you’re not interested in voice assistant technology but just want to find the best solutions from a given type of device, check out our roundups of our favorite smart products:

How much will a smart home cost me?

With so many smart home devices on the market, it would be easy to overdo it and spend a lot of money on different products to completely decorate your home, but you don’t have to. How much you end up spending will depend on how many devices you buy, what type of devices, and what brand you choose. There are tons of great options in each category from brands you may not be familiar with but that have a long history in the smart home space.

It’s hard to put an exact figure on how much it will cost to build a smart home, but we’ve done our best to give you an estimated cost so you have an idea of ​​what to expect.

Does it matter where you place your smart home device?

While you might be tempted to just place your new smart speaker or display anywhere in your home, location matters. There are usually ideal places to put your devices, as well as places you should never put them.

How can I configure settings for smart home devices?

Some smart home devices are simple and don’t require a lot of tweaking to personalize them. Others, like smart lights, can be much more helpful if you take the time to add a few customizations. For example, you can schedule them to turn on with a warm glow at 10% brightness when it’s time to wake up.

The enjoyment you get from a smart home device depends on how well it works. That means your settings can dictate your experience. Instead of sticking with the default settings, customize them for better privacy, sound, notifications, and an overall more optimized experience.

Did you enjoy this cheat sheet? Check out CNET’s other complete guides: