Alexa Plus’s AI agent can navigate websites and book things for you, but it needs to verify its dates.
One of the best features of Amazon's new Alexa Plus is that I don't have to "speak Alexa" anymore. I've been testing the voice assistant for about a week now, and it understands what I say, regardless of how I say it - there's no more need for precise phrasing to get Alexa to do what I want. This big shift underpins another headline feature of the revamped generative AI-powered assistant that I've been testing: agentic AI. But this one needs work.
The idea is I can talk to Alexa Plus as I would to a real personal assistant and ask it to do tasks, such as reserving a restaurant for my friend's birthday, finding an electrician to fix my brok …
A smart lock is an easy solution to some common problems. Locked yourself out? Need to let a friend in to water the plants? Your latchkey kid lost their key? Hands are full, and it’s raining cats and dogs? A smart lock solves all of these problems and more.
One of the best smart home upgrades you can make, a smart lock gives you remote control over access to your house from anywhere, plus easy, key-free ways to unlock and lock your door. Smart locks also remember everything that happened, so they can tell you when your door was unlocked, and sometimes who did it.
For most people, control and convenience are big enough selling points. However, smart locks also work nicely with other smart home devices, including video doorbells and smart lighting. My favorite way to integrate locks in my home is with an evening smart home routine, which locks the doors, dims the lights, and sets my thermostat to sleep mode. We have four exterior doors, so it saves me from walking around the house at night checking everything is secure.
Having a connected lock on your door is as secure as a standard lock, and sometimes more. Most smart locks have the same security ratings as their non-smart counterparts (see FAQ for more details), and it’s harder to physically pick a lock without a keyway. Plus, any smart lock is more secure than leaving a spare key under a flowerpot.
I’ve been testing smart door locks for six years and have installed more than 30 for this guide alone. Here are my top picks for your front door. Whether you want the best of the best, don’t want to replace your existing lock, are on a budget, or want a smart lock that doesn’t look like a smart lock, there are great options for every need.
Best smart lock
Kwikset Halo Select
Score: 8
Pros
Cons
Excellent auto-unlock function
Choice of Wi-Fi or Matter-over-Thread
Great design
Discreet door sensor
Can be rekeyed
Have to choose between Thread and Kwikset’s auto-unlock
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Thread / Access options: Key, keycode, app, voice / Auto-unlock: Yes / Battery type: Four AA batteries / Battery life: Six to 12 months / Guest codes: Yes / Security rating: ANSI Grade AAA / Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Matter (including Apple Home, Samsung SmartThings)
The Kwikset Halo Select ($279.99) is a good-looking, reliable smart lock with top-notch security ratings, broad smart home compatibility, and the best auto-unlock function I’ve tested to date.
I strongly believe a smart lock should look good on your door, and the Halo Select does exactly that, plus it can blend in with both traditional and contemporary door sets. (But I could do without the prominent Kwikset branding.)
Of the four entry methods — a keyway (which is re-keyable), a touchscreen keypad, app/smart home control, and auto-unlock by location — I liked the last one the best. It worked so well that I didn’t mind that it lacks a fingerprint reader or Apple Home Key.
My experience with automatic unlocking on other locks (which uses a combination of Bluetooth, GPS, and Wi-Fi to determine your location) has been generally frustrating, but on the Halo Select, it’s been flawless. It unlocks just as I approach my porch, making coming home and opening the door a virtually hands-free experience.
The Select can also auto-lock based on your location, not just after a set amount of time as most locks offer. I also like the Halo Select’s LED lock indicator on the touchscreen, which tells you at a glance if the door is locked or unlocked.
The Halo Select has built-in Wi-Fi and a Thread radio, but you have to pick one.
If you set it up with Wi-Fi, you can use the Kwikset app and connect to Amazon Alexa and Google via the cloud. With Matter, you can connect to those platforms locally and also to Apple Home and others, but you won’t be able to use the Kwikset app after setup. so you lose the auto-unlock feature, among others.
Kwikset’s auto-unlock feature worked flawlessly in testing
Matter-over-Thread does promise better battery life (I’ll need to test it for longer to determine this) and the ability to easily share the lock with other ecosystems. I set it up in Apple Home, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings via Matter with no issues and could control it with all three via routines, automations, and voice commands.
It’s a shame to have to choose between using Matter and some of this lock’s best features, but this is a problem across Matter, not specific to Kwikset. Kwikset’s solution allows you to use its advanced features today while still having the future-proofing potential of Matter for tomorrow.
This inexpensive smart door lock has a lightning-fast fingerprint reader plus an easy-to-use, backlit keypad. It’s Bluetooth-only (unless you also buy its compatible video doorbell to act as a Wi-Fi bridge), so the battery lasts over a year. At under $80, it’s the best budget lock we tested.
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0 / Access options: Fingerprint, keypad, app / Auto-unlock: No / Battery type: Four AA batteries / Battery life: One year / Security Grade: ANSI/BHMA Grade 3 / Guest codes: Yes / Works with: N/A
The Wyze Lock Bolt is a good choice if you want something inexpensive and useful and don’t care about smart home integration — or prefer a lock without it. It’s not sleek or stylish; it’s just a big hunk of black plastic (there’s also a satin nickel version). Out of the box, it doesn’t connect to Wi-Fi or integrate with any smart home systems, but it does have an easy-to-use backlit keypad and a lightning-fast fingerprint reader. It’ll auto-lock if you want, and it’s half the price of most smart locks in this list.
In addition to the fingerprint reader and keypad, the Wyze Lock Bolt can be controlled over Bluetooth, and its range is very good. I could lock the door from my bedroom at the other end of the house using the Wyze app. That’s important, as there’s no way to lock the door on a schedule (although you can enable auto-lock).
The Wyze doesn’t connect to Wi-Fi or integrate with any smart home systems
The Bolt doesn’t integrate with smart home platforms, but if you don’t need to control your lock with your voice or plan to add it to any smart home routines, you won’t miss those features. It also delivers up to a year of battery life on four AAs — I tested it for three months and it only lost 15 percent.
But without Wi-Fi, I couldn’t check on it or control it when I was away from home, so turning on the auto-lock option is a must. If I wanted to let someone in while I was gone, I couldn’t unlock the door remotely, but I could generate an offline code in the Wyze app and share that. This uses similar technology to two-factor authentication codes and worked perfectly in my testing.
Since I tested the lock, Wyze has introduced an integration with its Wyze Video Doorbell Pro that lets you unlock the Bolt remotely when paired with the doorbell — but it doesn’t let you lock it remotely, which is odd. Of course, if you enable auto-lock, this is less of an issue.
Best retrofit smart lock
Nuki Smart Lock
Nuki Smart Lock
Score: 9
Pros
Cons
Lightning fast
Nice, compact design
Simple to install
Supports Wi-Fi and Matter over Thread
No account required
Broad smart home compatibility
Subscription required for remote access (without Matter)
Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Matter-over-Thread / Access options: Key, app, voice, fingerprint and keypad (sold separately) / Auto-unlock: Yes / Battery type: Non-removable, rechargeable / Battery life: Up to 12 months / Guest codes: Yes / Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Apple Home, Samsung SmartThings
The Nuki Smart Lock is the most advanced retrofit smart lock we’ve tested, and a worthy replacement for our previous pick, the August Wi-Fi Smart Lock. It features a compact design and lightning-fast locking — even quicker than manually turning the lock — and it works over Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Matter over Thread, the latter of which enables out-of-home control and notifications through any Matter-compatible smart home platform.
Whereas most smart locks feature a big, bulky design, the Nuki Smart Lock boasts a minimalist style with a premium look and feel. Installation is straightforward — simply remove the thumbturn from your existing deadbolt, replace it with a blackplate, and snap the Nuki into place. Once it’s installed, you can get up and running without signing up for an account, which is a rare feature for a smart lock.
The Nuki app gives you access to multiple settings and customization options. In addition to standard features like key sharing with family members and enabling auto-lock and auto-unlock, it supports schedules, an activity log, and a convenient Night Mode, which can lock the door at a set time, disable auto-unlock, and enable auto-lock.
If you don’t have a Matter hub and a Thread border router — like a HomePod — Nuki offers a subscription service called Nuki Premium ($5.90 per month). It adds features like remote access, lock activity notifications, and integration with rental platforms like Airbnb. Another possible upgrade is the optional keypad. which supports both PIN codes and fingerprints, making it easy for friends, family, and guests to gain access without needing to download an app. Although the fingerprint reader works well, there is no backlight, making nighttime use tricky without a porch light. The current keypad doesn’t support Apple Home Key, though Nuki is planning to release one later this year with ultra-wideband unlocking (UWB) and NFC support.
Nuki’s smart lock has a built-in battery that can last for months, and it only takes a few hours to fully recharge. While a non-removable battery raises concerns about longevity — smart locks generally use AA batteries — Nuki claims it should last 10 years. After that, the company says a replacement plan will be offered.
This slimline, easy-to-install, inexpensive retrofit lock is a simple solution with a longer battery life than the August. It requires a plug-in bridge for out-of-home control (for now) and doesn’t work with Apple Home. The optional keypad adds to the cost but also to the convenience.
Connectivity: Bluetooth and Wi-Fi (with plug-in module) / Access options: Key, app, voice, keypad and fingerprint reader sold separately / Auto-unlock: Yes / Battery type: Four AA alkaline batteries / Battery life: 12 months / Guest codes: Yes / Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings
Starting at $130, the Yale Approach is a more affordable alternative to the August. It’s super easy to install, looks fine, and has all the same features (it uses the same app) — auto-lock, auto-unlock, app, and voice control. Add the Bluetooth keypad to get one-touch locking, key code, and fingerprint access.
As with Nuki, the Approach replaces your thumb turn, so you can still use your current lock and key — making it a great option if you are renting and don’t want to annoy your landlord. While not as small as August, it has a nice, slim profile and blends in better than the rear housing of most smart locks.
It comes in black or silver and took me less than five minutes to install. It uses four AA batteries and promises 12 months of battery life — a lot longer than the August. This is because there is no built-in Wi-Fi; instead, it uses an included plug-in bridge.
The bridge adds out-of-home control and connection to smart home platforms, including Alexa and Google Home (unlike August, there’s no Apple Home support). This allows for voice control and adding it to smart home routines. Yale told me there’s an onboard Thread radio that will be activated to support Matter, but didn’t say when this would arrive.
The optional Bluetooth keypad lets you control the lock from the outside without using an app or key, and it worked promptly and reliably. There’s the option of a fingerprint version, and that was similarly a good experience — just touch and open. The keypad also allows you to lock the door when you leave by pressing the Yale logo button.
The keys are a bit sensitive; I frequently get double inputs when pressing. But I liked the LED indicator that notifies you with green if your code was accepted or red if there’s an issue. This made it easy to know if the input worked, as the lock is very quiet — it’s hard to hear it locking or unlocking.
My biggest disappointment is the look of the keypad. It’s big, wide, and black, with prominent white numbers that don’t disappear when not in use — it looks a bit like a toy keypad on your door.
Best fingerprint smart lock
Yale Assure Lock 2 Touch
This fingerprint lock is fast and reliable, and the keypad is a good backup option for visitors. It works with Apple Home and can be upgraded to support Wi-Fi — which you’ll need for remote unlocking, Android phones, Amazon Alexa, and Google Home support. Auto-unlock can open the door as you approach, and you can also use a key — if you just can’t let go.
Connectivity: Bluetooth (can add Wi-Fi, Z-Wave) / Access options: Key, keypad, fingerprint reader, app, voice / Auto-unlock: Yes / Battery type: Four AA batteries / Battery life: Six months to a year / Guest codes: Yes / Security rating: ANSI/BHMA Grade 2 / Works with: Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings
The Yale Assure 2 line — previously my top pick — has something for everyone. There’s an option with or without a keyway, with a touchscreen keypad or a physical keypad, or with Apple Home Key, but my favorite model is the Yale Assure Lock 2 Touch with a built-in fingerprint reader. It costs $279.99, and the built-in fingerprint reader is fast and efficient. I tested the touchscreen version, but Yale recently released a keypad version. Unless you really value the clean look of the touchscreen (which is blank when off), go with the keypad — it’s much easier to use.
The Yale Assure 2 is a good-looking lock that works with every smart home platform with its swappable modules. Its slimline design (both front and back), wide smart home compatibility, easy-to-use app, and good selection of unlocking options — including fingerprint unlock — make it a great option for your front door.
The lock supports Bluetooth out of the box and works with the Yale Access app and Apple Home app (which adds remote unlocking if you have an Apple Home hub). Along with a keycode, fingerprint reader, or key, you can also choose to use auto-unlocking. Auto-unlock is a decent alternative to fingerprint unlock, but I found I often had to wait at the door for a second or two before it worked. Still, it’s faster than fumbling through a purse for keys when your hands are full.
Support for other platforms and remote unlocking comes through Yale’s ingenious swappable networking modules, which cost around $80 each. There’s a Wi-Fi module to add Alexa and Google Home integration and a Z-Wave module for compatibility with (some) SmartThings hubs, Ring Alarm, and other Z-Wave hubs. Yale promised support for Matter via a Matter-over-Thread module back in 2022, but this still hasn’t materialized. They have announced a different lock that uses Thread, but it doesn’t have a fingerprint reader. I plan to test this soon.
I tested the Wi-Fi module in the Assure 2 Touch, which worked well with Amazon Alexa and Google Home. It allowed me to add the lock to Alexa Routines, lock and unlock it with my voice, and control it away from home. The downside is that control over Wi-Fi is considerably slower than over Bluetooth and drains the battery more quickly. Yale estimates up to a year on Bluetooth only, compared to six months over Wi-Fi; I got about four months.
The Encode Plus is a high-end, reliable smart lock that works with Apple Home and has Home Key compatibility. It also has a Thread radio on board, which helps with connectivity and battery life.
Connectivity: Wi-Fi or Thread / Access options: Key, keypad, app, voice, Apple Home Key / Auto-unlock: No / Battery type: Four AA batteries / Battery life: Up to six months / Security Grade: ANSI Grade 1 / Guest codes: Yes / Works with: Apple Home (Home Key), Amazon Alexa, Ring, and Google Home
Apple Home Key lets you use your iPhone or Apple Watch to tap to unlock your door in much the same way as you tap to pay. It uses an NFC chip in the lock, and is fast, efficient, and secure. There are no apps to open, no buttons to press, and no need to unlock your phone (although you can add that step as an extra security layer). However, it does require an Apple device; it won’t work on Android.
Home Key took a while to gain adoption, but there are now several options (and should soon be more as Apple has made it part of Matter). The Schlage Encode Plus is still the best option — if one of the most expensive — as it has a built-in keypad and works over Thread.
The keypad is useful for giving access to people with whom you can’t share a Home Key (sharing is quite limited), and Thread makes for a rock-solid connection. While it won’t be updated to support Matter, the Thread radio adds better battery life and a more stable connection to Apple Home than Bluetooth. I have had numerous connectivity issues in HomeKit with Bluetooth-only locks.
To use Home Key, you need to have an Apple Home Hub, such as an Apple TV or HomePod. Adding the lock to the Home app automatically adds the Home Key card to your Wallet, as well as that of anyone else you have added to your Apple Home. That’s much easier than getting household members to download a whole new app for the door lock. I should know — I try regularly.
To allow someone not in your household to control the lock, you’ll have to give them a standard PIN, which you can do in the Apple Home app or the Schlage Encode app. If you like, you can set this lock up entirely in the Home app and never have to use the manufacturer’s app.
Best smart lock that doesn’t look like a smart lock
Level Lock Plus
The Level Lock Plus packs all the smarts and power into the deadbolt itself, leaving the rest of your lock looking like a normal lock. It works with Apple’s Home Key, auto-unlocks, has the option of a separate keypad, and supports Matter-over-Thread.
Connectivity: Bluetooth, Thread, Wi-Fi with bridge / Access options: Key, app, voice, keypad (sold separately), Apple Home Key / Auto-unlock: Yes / Battery type: One CR2 battery / Battery life: One year / Guest codes: Yes / Security Grade: ANSI/BHMA: Grade 1 / Works with: Matter, Apple Home, Ring
Want a smart lock that doesn’t look like a smart lock? Level packs all the technology inside the deadbolt — including the single CR2 battery that gets up to a year of battery life.
The Level Lock Plus works with Apple’s Home Key and recently started supporting Matter over Thread. You can also control it with a key, auto-unlock, touch-to-unlock, the app, and smart home integrations. If you don’t use an iPhone or have family members who don’t, you’ll want to get the Bluetooth keypad (from $79) to give you another option for access. The lock also comes with two NFC cards you can hand out.
The Level Lock Plus replaces the whole lock, deadbolt and all, but still looks like a traditional door lock — both in front and behind the door. There is no branding at all — this is the only smart lock I’ve tested that isn’t a tiny advertisement on my front door. There’s also the option of the Level Bolt, which only replaces the deadbolt of your existing lock. This has all the same features, bar Home Key and touch-to-unlock, and it costs significantly less.
Level locks work over Bluetooth out of the box and can connect to an Apple Home hub for out-of-home control. If you don’t have a HomePod or Apple TV, get the Level Lock Plus with Wi-Fi, which comes with a Connect Wi-Fi bridge. Or you can connect it to Matter for smart home and out-of-home control. You’ll need a Matter controller, which can be a HomePod or Amazon Echo smart speaker, among other options (See FAQ).
The Level lock also has auto-unlocking and touch-to-unlock, though with some quirks: it’s one or the other, not both. And neither works unless you leave the geofence area and come back. So if you leave the house, lock the door, get in your car, remember you forgot something, and go back to your door, it won’t unlock automatically. This is why I prefer Home Key or a keypad for unlocking.
Based on my testing of the lock on three different doors, it is worth noting that the full replacement Level locks don’t work well with older doors. I would only consider installing this if your door lines up perfectly with the strike plate.
Level locks are very expensive; the Plus costs $329 ($349 for the Wi-Fi version). But it’s the way to go for an invisible smart lock that works well.
The first single-borehole smart lock to work with Apple Home Key, the U300 can also be unlocked with a fingerprint, making it an easy, smart addition for shed, garage, or home office doors. It works over Thread and is Matter compatible, with up to a 10-month battery life.
Connectivity: Thread / Access options: Key, app, voice, keypad, NFC tag, Apple Home Key / Auto-unlock: No / Battery type: Four AA batteries/ Battery life: 10 months / Guest codes: Yes / Works with: Matter, Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings
The Aqara U300 is a lever-style smart lock; it replaces a knob or lever lock on a door with a single borehole rather than a door with a deadbolt lock with two holes. This type of lock is traditionally found on interior doors, pedestrian doors into garages, or side doors.
There are options for smart lever locks from Yale, Schlage, and Lockly, but the U300 is the only one with Home Key compatibility and a built-in fingerprint reader. It also works over Thread and supports Matter.
I installed it on my garage door, and it works like a charm. The fingerprint reader is right where you put your thumb to open the door, so I barely notice it unlocking as I walk in. It also has a keypad, and I can use my iPhone or Apple Watch for Home Key. It’s set to auto-lock by default, but you can enable passage mode directly on the lock if you don’t want it to stay locked all the time.
It paired to Matter easily — I set it up in Apple Home and could add a code and Home Key all without even opening the Aqara app. Because it uses Thread, there’s no need for an Aqara hub. Thread also enables up to 10 months of battery life, according to Aqara.
I love the idea of using smart locks on other doors in my home. I could see this working on a basement door, a home office, or any other room you like to keep people out of. However, I would like to see a way to permanently enable passage mode. Currently, you have to do it on the device, and it reverts to auto-lock after an undetermined period. This makes it somewhat useless for interior doors. It’s also very large and only comes in black or silver, so it likely wouldn’t blend in with your interior decor. A slimmer option, in more colorways, designed for inside use would be nice to see.
The U300 is expensive at $230, but it’s similar to other outdoor-rated options (it’s IPX4-rated). The addition of Thread — a protocol that works over a mesh network — makes it easier to extend connectivity further to places like a shed or garage.
Best smart lock that’s also a video doorbell
Eufy FamiLock S3 Max
Score: 7
Pros
Cons
Digital peephole is useful
Palm unlock is fast
Matter support
Rechargeable battery
Very expensive
Nighttime video not great
HomeBase required for package detection
Doesn’t work with Matter when connected to HomeBase
Connectivity: Wi-Fi or Eufy HomeBase / Access options: Key, palm unlock, keypad, app, voice / Auto-unlock: No / Battery type: Removable, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AAA backup / Battery life: Five months / Guest codes: Yes / Security rating: ANSI Grade 1 / Works with: Matter (including Apple Home), Amazon Alexa, and Google Home
Eufy’s new FamiLock S3 Max combines a smart lock and video doorbell in one device and features a digital peephole and a wave-to-unlock function. It also has a keyway and keypad and supports Matter-over-Wi-Fi, so it can work with all the major smart home platforms.
My favorite of all these features is the video screen on the inside part of the lock, which shows a live feed of who is on the other side of the door. If you have a peephole or a window in your door, this might not be much use — and you can opt to get the lock without the screen for $50 less. But as a quick way to confirm who is at your door before opening it, it’s super handy.
The lock has another fairly unique feature: palm vein recognition technology. This lets you wave your hand over it to unlock it, and is an alternative form of biometric access to the popular fingerprint reader.
Palm unlocking isn’t any faster or easier than using your fingerprint, though, and I found it harder to get used to. But once I got the hang of it, it worked reliably. Both my kids also picked it up quickly, and my husband, who has trouble with fingerprint locks in general, really liked it.
The main reason to buy this lock is for the video doorbell feature. The FamiLock’s 2K camera provides clear, crisp video during daylight hours and decent night vision, although my protruding door frame reflected the LEDs, causing the footage to blow out a bit.
The 180-degree diagonal field of view meant I could see top to bottom and all of one side (not the other side, though, due to the aforementioned door frame). But packages and people were clearly visible, which is most of what you want to see with a doorbell camera.
There’s no fee for viewing recorded footage of visitors in the Eufy app, and videos are stored locally on the device. Live view and recording pulled up promptly in the app, and the doorbell can alert you when it sees a person. For more advanced smart alerts, like packages and facial recognition, you need to connect it to a Eufy HomeBase.
However, connecting to the HomeBase means you currently can’t use the Matter integration, so you would lose Apple Home support (although Eufy says a firmware update is coming to fix that). Bear in mind, Matter only controls the lock, as cameras aren’t supported by the standard yet, so the benefits of using Matter are fairly limited. (If you’re looking for a biometric Matter lock, Eufy’s E30 is a good fingerprint lock that uses Matter-over-Thread.)
Adding a video doorbell to a smart lock puts a lot of strain on the battery. While you can adjust several settings to help save power, Eufy says you’ll only get about five months of battery life from the lock’s giant 15,000mAh removable battery. Handily, four AAA backup batteries are tucked into the top to keep it functioning while you’re recharging the battery (which takes a while). I’ve been testing it for over a week, and the battery indicator hasn’t budged yet.
At $400, this is a very expensive lock, but it works well and provides dual functionality of a doorbell and door lock.
Connectivity: Wi-Fi (2.4gHz) / Access options: Fingerprint, facial recognition, app, voice, keypad, Home Key, key / Auto-unlock: No / Battery type: 10,000mAh rechargeable/ Battery life: Eight months / Guest codes: Yes / Security rating: ANSI Grade 1 / Works with: Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Home
I was very impressed with the Lockly Visage. The first facial recognition residential smart lock on the market, it also features a fingerprint reader, a keypad, a keyway, and Apple Home Key — that’s a lot of high-tech ways to unlock your door. And while it’s probably too much lock for most people, if you are a super smart home user or a major gadget nerd, you’ll love this lock.
I was skeptical about the facial unlocking at first, but it worked really well, opening a second or two before I put my hand on the handle. The only caveat is that I had to be approaching face-on, which in most cases I was, but the couple of times I approached from a slightly odd angle, it failed to unlock. In those cases, though, I had the option of using my fingerprint or Home Key.
There’s also a touchscreen keypad, which is mainly useful for handing out codes to guests and visitors whose faces and fingers you don’t want to scan into your lock. The keypad is probably my least favorite part of the lock; it’s very small, which is good for the overall look, but fiddly to access. It’s also hard to see in bright light. But with all the other ways to unlock, this isn’t a deal-breaker.
Note that the Visage doesn’t take video or still images; its infrared camera is only used for facial recognition, data for which is stored on the device. Lockly does have a video doorbell version for $429, though that doesn’t have facial recognition.
Surprisingly, despite all the tech packed into it, the lock is compact and stylish-looking and works with the redesigned Lockly Home app, which is now more straightforward and easier to use. The lock works over Wi-Fi and supports Apple Home, Google Home, and Alexa, but there’s no support for Matter.
Lockly claims eight months of battery life with its included rechargeable 10,000mAh battery. Uniquely, it comes with two batteries, so you can swap one and keep the lock online while charging the other.
At $350, the Lockly Visage is very expensive, but considering the tech packed into this lock, plus the two batteries, it’s not outrageous. Its solid build, broad smart home compatibility, and multiple very cool ways to control it make this a great lock.
Other smart locks to consider
Eufy’s E30 smart lock works with both Matter-over-Thread and Wi-Fi. It has a fingerprint reader, key, and keypad, and you can use the fingerprint access through the Eufy app while connecting it to platforms like Apple Home through Matter. Unlike the Kwikset Halo Select, you can use Wi-Fi and Thread simultaneously, which is unusual. I’ve not tested it long enough to determine if you still benefit from Thread’s better battery life. It’s cheaper than the Halo, has a fingerprint reader instead of auto-unlock, and promises 8 months of battery life. It can also integrate with a Eufy doorbell to control it from a live view. It has a nice compact design, but the rear housing is huge to fit 8 AA batteries. The lock is loud in operation, and the fingerprint reader was finicky; it also has the lowest ANSI/BHMA rating.
U-tec’s Bolt Fingerprint Matter works over Thread and can be set up directly in your smart home platform of choice — no need to use U-tec’s U Home. But if you want to use its built-in fingerprint reader, you’ll need to download the app. And if you don’t use it, then it’s kind of a waste of space, so the whole “you only need one app” feature falls flat. I also don’t love the design of the Ultraloqs, while smaller on the exterior than most smart locks, they are squat and chunky looking, resembling a combination lock rather than door hardware. It also uses eight batteries, which is an absurd amount, and is very noisy.
If you’re an Amazon Alexa Ring household, the Schlage Encode Wifi lock is a good option; it integrates with the Ring app, so you can lock and unlock it while viewing a live feed from your Ring doorbell. Its design will also match a Schlage door set, which is important for some people. There’s no door-sensing or auto-unlock option, but you have three reliable ways to get in: a key, a PIN, and the app. It also lasts at least six months on one set of four AAs.
If you want Home Key but the Schlage is too expensive or not your style, the Aqara U50 is a good, inexpensive alternative that’s less than half the price of the Schlage. It doesn’t have as good a build quality, and the keypad is a bit finicky, but it works with Apple Home and Home Key out of the box. (You‘ll need an Aqara hub for any other smart home integrations, including Matter.) It also pairs with Aqara’s G4 video doorbell to unlock the door while viewing video from the live feed. (Aqara has a doorbell that’s also a hub coming soon).
The Aqara Smart Lock U100 is a Matter-compatible smart lock that also works with Apple HomeKit and Home Key. A full replacement deadlock that can be unlocked by key, keypad, NFC key fob, fingerprint, voice control, through an app, or with Apple Home Key. It’s a good lock, but its smart home integrations are complicated, and there are now better options.
The Yale Assure SL with Matter Module is a Matter-over-Thread deadbolt smart lock. It’s simple, with a clean design and a touchscreen keypad for entry. There’s no keyway, fingerprint reader, or Apple Home Key, but in terms of simplicity, reliability, and future-proofing, it’s a good option. It’s one of the few locks you can connect directly to your smart home platform of choice without needing to download the manufacturer’s app — the Assure SL doesn’t even work with Yale’s app.
The SwitchBot Lock Pro is an all-around upgrade to one of my previous favorite locks, the SwitchBot lock (which is now discontinued). It’s a great solution if you have an unusual lock, as it can work on almost any door; it has higher-quality materials than the original, but now requires you to replace the rear of your lock (as most retrofit locks do). It does support Matter through a bridge, but for $200, I would still opt for August.
The Kwikset Halo Touch is a Bluetooth and Wi-Fi fingerprint lock with a traditional keyway. As there’s no keypad, it looks more like a standard lock with the bonus of easy access. This is more limiting when it comes to sharing access to your door, but it’s a good solution for anyone who wants a simple key-free way into their home and knows they won’t need to share lots of digital keys.
Other smart locks I tested
The Aqara U200 is $270. That’s a lot for a retrofit lock — even with support for Thread, Matter, and Home Key. It has a keypad/fingerprint reader included; most retrofit locks charge extra for one. The keypad enables Apple Home Key, and this is the only retrofit lock that works with it. If that’s something you want, then this is the only option for now. Otherwise, you can get all the same functionality with the Yale Approach — plus auto-unlock — for $40 less.
U-tec’s Ultraloq Bolt Fingerprint with Wi-Fi ($199 to $249) is the newest version of an earlier pick for best lock, the U-Bolt Pro with Wi-Fi. This version adds support for Apple Home (that’s the $249 one), but not Home Key, and a slight redesign — you no longer have to pop half the lock collar off to get to the keyhole, which is a good upgrade. It still has a fingerprint reader and auto-unlock.
The Bosma Aegis is an inexpensive retrofit lock that works well and costs just $60. It is remarkably similar to the August Wifi lock in terms of function and installation, but not build quality (it’s very plasticky). It also has a Bluetooth keypad option (with a fingerprint reader). But it is giant. Like, hulking huge. It’s also very loud and requires a separate bridge.
The Lockly Vision Elite is a smart lock with a video doorbell. It’s very expensive, and it’s not a great video doorbell. Motion detection is spotty, and the camera lacks people or package detection. It works with Amazon Alexa and Google Home, but not Apple Home or Matter.
The Eufy Smart Lock Touch is a very good lock in terms of function — it has an easy-to-use fingerprint reader, a nice big touchscreen keypad, the option of a key, and Wi-Fi built in. But it is just too big and techie-looking for most people’s front doors. I do like the removable 10,000mAh battery, which went eight months before needing to recharge (with a USB-A cable). But that’s also why this lock is so big.
The Eufy Video Smart Lock is similarly huge and very expensive; it requires a bridge to connect to Wi-Fi, and the Eufy FamiLock offers way more features for just $50 more.
What’s coming next
The Tapo DL100 is a $70 smart lock with built-in Wi-Fi, a keypad, and a physical key, plus access via the Tapo mobile app and smart home integrations. It’s cheaper than my budget pick, the Wyze Bolt, and includes Wi-Fi for remote access, but you don’t get a fingerprint reader. It works with Tapo’s excellent video doorbells.
The SwitchBot Lock Ultra Vision is a retrofit smart lock that works with a keypad that has facial recognition built in. The keypad also has a fingerprint reader and auto-unlock. The lock can work with almost any style of door lock, connects over Bluetooth, and works with Apple Home (through Matter), Amazon Alexa, and Google Home with a SwitchBot hub.
The Schlage Sense Pro is the company’s first lock to support Matter and one of the first to use ultra-wideband technology (UWB) for hands-free unlocking. It has a keypad but no keyway and will work with the Aliro standard when it launches. This means it should support a version of Apple Home Key.
U-tec’s Ultraloq Bolt Mission is a $400 lock that will work with UWB for hands-free unlocking; it also has a keypad and a keyway, and the company says it will support Matter.
The Yale Smart Lock with Matter is a $170 smart lock that works over Thread and is a full-deadbolt replacement featuring a keypad and keyway for access. It’s designed to pair with Google’s Nest video doorbells.
The Ultraloq Bolt NFC HomeKey ($249) is U-tec’s first Apple Home Key smart lock slated for release soon. There’s no fingerprint reader, but there is a keypad and a physical key. Built-in Wi-Fi adds support for Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings.
Smart lock FAQs
Photography by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge
Update, July 16th: Replaced our pick for the “best retrofit smart lock” with the Nuki Smart Lock.Updated to reflect current pricing and availability. Brandon Russell contributed to this post.
I've waited two years to try out the new Alexa, which was first announced way back in 2023, and this week I finally got access to Alexa Plus. I've now spent 24 hours with Amazon's generative AI-powered voice assistant, and it's not just an improvement on the original; it's an entirely new assistant.
Alexa Plus knows more, can do more, and is easier to interact with because it understands more. I can ramble, pause, sigh, cough, change my request mid-sentence, and it can adapt and respond appropriately. No more, "Sorry, I'm not sure about that." Miraculous.
I'm impressed, but I found a few flaws. It's no secret that Amazon has been strugglin …
Prime Day is one of the best times of the year to stock up on smart home gear. With big price drops on all of Amazon’s many smart home brands, from Blink and Ring to Echo speakers and Eero Wi-Fi routers, plus a ton of other manufacturers getting in on the action, making your smart home better rarely gets more affordable.
However, there are a lot of deals, and it’s frankly overwhelming. So, I’ve sifted through them all to find the best deals on some of my favorite smart home products. If you’re looking to get started with smart lighting, add some smart indoor air quality devices to your home, have a robot do your dirty work for you, or get a helping hand in the kitchen, these products will serve you well.
Smart lighting deals
Philips Hue Smart Light Starter Kit
My favorite smart bulbs, this starter kit contains four 75W A19-sized E26 color bulbs and a Philips Hue Bridge — all you need to get going. The color-changing bulbs work with Matter, but you’ll find the best features in Hue’s app, which lets you set adaptive lighting and sleep/wake routines as well as fun, colorful options.
These are the best holiday lights money can buy and they are on sale in July, so now is the time to grab them. With beautiful colors, a nice selection of festive scenes, and an easy-to-use app, they are super reliable, come in two lengths, work with all the major smart home platforms, and are Matter-compatible.
The Lutron Caseta line of smart switches is one of the most reliable smart lighting lines, and its newer Diva Dimmer Switch starter kit, featuring a more traditional style, is on sale at Amazon for $99.95, 20 percent off. It comes with a Lutron bridge and a Pico remote and works with or without a neutral wire.
Govee’s inexpensive, easy-to-use Smart Outdoor String Lights offer 96 feet of full color and tunable warm white light and are great for a patio or porch. With Matter compatibility, they can work with any smart home system and are down to $80 from $120 at Amazon.
The Aqara Hub M3 is down to $99.99 from $149.99 at Amazon. It’s not a lighting product, per se, but as a Matter Controller and Thread Border router, it allows you to add any Matter-compatible lighting product to Aqara’s app and control it using the company’s extensive automations. It’s also a good foundation for using any of Aqara’s own smart lighting products, which include a wide range of smart switches (with and without neutral wires), smart bulbs, and a cool ceiling light.
Deals on indoor air quality gadgets
Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium
The Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium is an excellent option for adding smarts and some style to your HVAC system. As well as being a smart way to control your energy use, the thermostat can also act as a video intercom for Ecobee’s excellent doorbell camera and an indoor air quality monitor.
Amazon’s compact indoor Smart Air Quality Monitor is just $44.99 ($25 off) at Amazon for Prime Day, and can give you a heads up via an Echo speaker or the Alexa app when your indoor air quality changes. It’s LED will also warn you by turning red, and unlike a lot of IAQ devices, it will detect CO levels. Read my review.
The super-cute SwitchBot Air Purifier Table is now down to $154.99 from $269.99 at Amazon. This versatile gadget purifies your air while serving as a functional table, plus it has a built-in wireless charger. A three-in-one bargain this Prime Day. It also supports Matter, so you can connect to any smart home system.
Security camera deals
Ring Battery Doorbell Plus
This wireless Ring doorbell has great video quality, head-to-toe view, and speedy response times for a battery doorbell. It works with Amazon Alexa and can send alerts for people and packages with a Ring Home subscription.
I’ve been testing the Arlo Wired Floodlight Camera this summer, and it’s a great device for keeping an eye on your property. With 2K video quality and a wide field of view, plus motion-activated security lighting, you’ll catch any action without worrying about battery life. It’s down to $99.99, 33 percent off, at Arlo.com and Amazon, but you will need to factor in the $10 monthly subscription fee for recorded video.
Blink Wired Floodlight Camera
With 1080p video, 2,600 lumens, and a 105dB siren for $50, this is a great budget buy. You sacrifice better video quality and tunable lighting over other options. But there’s person detection (with a monthly fee) and local recording (with additional hardware). It integrates with Amazon Alexa, has a nice design, and can be mounted horizontally or vertically.
The Blink Outdoor 4 security camera has 1080p recording, motion detection, night vision, two-way audio, and up to two years of battery life. That’s a lot for $40. There’s also the option of local recording with the Sync Module XR, and the camera supports on-device person detection (for a monthly fee).
Amazon’s Echo Show 8 is the company’s best smart display for using Alexa in your home. Spatial audio and room-adaptation software mean improved audio quality, and it can show different info on its eight-inch display based on whether you’re standing near or farther away. Read our review.
The fifth-gen Echo Dot touts a temperature sensor, better sound, and faster response time than the prior model. It can also act as an extender for your Eero Wi-Fi system. Read our review.
Amazon’s Echo Spot smart speaker / alarm clock has a 2.83-inch squared-off display for showing the time, weather, music playback, and other bits of info you may want at your bedside. Unlike the original Spot, there’s no camera to worry about having in your bedroom — though it does have a mutable microphone for Alexa voice controls. Read our review.
The Bosch 800 Series Fully Automatic Espresso Machine is seriously expensive, but also one of the most hands-free machines I’ve tested — literally. You can ask Alexa to make you a latte, and it will do everything but put the cup on the tray for you. Very smart. It’s $400 off for Prime Day, at $1,183.96 at Amazon.
When you’re making dinner for the family, don’t forget the pets! Aqara’s Smart Pet Feeder is down to $79.99 (from $99.99). As a Zigbee device, it does require an Aqara hub, but I can ask Siri to feed Smokey, and the job is done. Totally worth it.
Robot vacuum cleaner deals
Dreame X40 Ultra
With a neat ability to remove and reattach its mop pads, the Dreame X40 solves the problem of vacuuming carpets (with 12,000Pa suction power) while also mopping hard floors. Its mops can also swing out and under low furniture, getting where most bots can’t reach.
The Eufy 11S Max is a super slim, repairable bump-and-roll bot with a large 600ml bin and three cleaning levels. Its biggest selling point for some, however, is that it lacks Wi-Fi, meaning you don’t have to fiddle with an app.
The Deebot X8 Pro Omni remains our favorite robot vacuum / mop. It represents a welcome return to form for Ecovacs’ flagship line, with great obstacle avoidance, a small dock, and a convenient self-cleaning brush system.
$360 is a steal for this excellent robot vacuum mop, which, while an older model, does a great job and works with a neat battery-powered water refill dock that makes it the most hands-free robovac we’ve tested. A separate auto-empty dock takes care of the dust. It’s big and loud and lacks some features found on high-end robots, but it does what it’s supposed to do without costing a fortune.
According to Sveum, Alexa Plus is now being rolled out to customers with Echo smart speakers and displays “at an increasing pace” following its late March launch, and the company will “make it even more broadly available over the summer,” he says.
The slow rollout is down to Panos Panay’s insistence that all Alexa Plus problems be ironed out before the full release, according to a recent profile of the new head of Amazon devices and services in The Wall Street Journal. It reported that “he knows that getting Alexa+ right is critical because it will be released to millions of people who depend on the technology across multiple devices. It’s a very public rollout.”
First announced in September 2023, the supercharged Alexa faced more than a year of delays, reportedly in part due to the challenges of imposing the new technology on top of the existing Alexa assistant.
It was finally relaunched under Panay last February as an entirely new assistant, and was slated to roll out to US users in the Early Access program in March. When it eventually gets its full release, the new assistant will cost $19.99 a month and be free for Prime members.
However, it sounds like it’s not fully ready for primetime. Several features announced at the launch event aren’t yet in Early Access. According to Sveum these include asking Alexa to “jump to your favorite scene on Fire TV; order groceries hands-free; order delivery through Grubhub; schedule your next spa visit; brainstorm the perfect gift idea; set personalized reminders and Routines for your family; create personalized music — on the fly” and “Access Alexa+ on browser.” That last one feels big, as personal computers are a place that Alexa has long struggled to gain traction and is somewhere it will need to be to compete with ChatGPT, Gemini, etc.
Sveum says that these missing features “will ship over the coming weeks and months” and that nearly 90 percent of announced features are live in Early Access. These include the big one, a more conversational voice assistant, which I tested briefly at the launch event. Plus, the ability to ask Alexa to remember important details you tell it and recall things from documents you’ve sent to it (Alexa now has its own email address).
Several features announced at the launch event are still not part of the Early Access program.
Alexa Plus can also manage your calendar and move music from room to room, says Sveum. It can book you an Uber, find tickets for an upcoming event, and source someone to come fix something via Thumbtack. For smart home control, you can create Alexa Routines by voice, control multiple devices at once, and customize your own smart home widget on Echo Show devices. Smart cooking timers are also live, says Sveum.
“A lot of customers are telling us they love having natural, free-flowing conversations with Alexa. It enables them to complete more complex requests like controlling multiple smart home devices at once, deep dive on music or trending topics,” Sveum says. “We’re also getting lots of positive feedback about how easy and helpful it is to get things done — like coordinating calendars, making reservations, and taking care of weekly meal planning.”
There haven’t been any formal reviews of Alexa Plus yet (Amazon PR seems to be keeping a tight lid on this one), but one USA Today columnist got in through the Early Access program. He was largely complimentary about the experience, writing he’s “been very pleased – and occasionally quite impressed.”
This is also the general vibe on Facebook and Reddit user groups from those with access, but there are clearly some bugs to work out. “It’s early days, but it feels a tiny bit closer to what I have with ChatGPT,” said one Reddit user.
Another user agreed, noting they liked how it remembered things they mentioned to it and could recall them. But they did say they weren’t happy that Alexa couldn’t access some smart temperature sensors that the previous Alexa could. One user said controlling multiple smart home devices at once was impressive, but another said they reverted to regular Alexa as the Plus version couldn’t control their smart air fryer.
Control of smart home devices is clearly going to be a huge hurdle here. Existing smart voice assistants with their command and control structure can generally be relied upon to do the correct thing (assuming they heard/understood you). However, the transition to these more conversational, intuitive assistants is potentially fraught with danger, especially when it comes to controlling things in your home. Still, I’m very much looking forward to putting it to the test.
Today’s robot vacuums are becoming a bit like cars: with all the features, upgrades, and fancy trimmings available these days, it’s easy to forget that they can just be simple machines that get us from point A to point B. Yes, some bots blow hot air on their bums (mop pads), deftly navigate dog poop, and have arms to pick up your socks, but there are plenty of basic budget robot vacuums that just do a decent job of cleaning your floor autonomously — as long as you tidy up first.
Fancier models have obstacle recognition, and some even use AI-powered cameras to tell popcorn from poop and avoid the latter. If you want one of those, check out my best robot vacuum buying guide. But if you think you can manage the task of picking up after yourself (and your puppy), a budget bot will save you a lot of money and still do a good job cleaning your floor.
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How I test robot vacuums
To judge its vacuuming power, I run every robot vacuum through a series of tests on hardwood and carpet, including flour, kitty litter, oatmeal, and pet and human hair. I test obstacle avoidance using cables, shoes, socks, and bed skirts. I test mopping effectiveness on hardwood and tile floors using dried and moist messes.
If the robot has an auto-empty dock, I test to see how well it empties the onboard bin as well as any other features of the dock. I run the robot vacs around three different levels in my home to see how they handle different surfaces, room transitions, and edge sensing. I evaluate how long they run before needing to recharge and test each app, focusing on its mapping functions to see how simple they are to use and how reliable they are.
I also examine each robot’s build quality and parts availability, and I totally judge them based on how much my cat Boone likes to play with them.
Price
Yes, there are sub-$200 robots out there. No, I do not recommend you buy them. With so many new models coming out almost daily, it’s better to look for a sale on an older model from a well-known company than buy a no-name budget bot.
You can pick up a brand new, two-year-old Roomba or Roborock with mapping and advanced navigation for half its original price. These gadgets should last for years, so it’s not like buying last season’s Prada slip-ons.
That said, sales are hard to keep track of, so some of the prices listed here may seem high for a budget bot. If you see one that fits your needs, keep an eye on The Verge’s deals page for when they go on an even better sale.
Cleaning prowess
The cheaper the bot, the more important suction power is, as they tend to have fewer features that improve cleaning. Higher-end robots have things like better brushes, carpet boost mode, and dirt detection.
At a minimum, look for 2,500Pa (if the manufacturer lists suction power; some don’t). I also much prefer rubber roller brushes or a rubber/bristle hybrid over just bristle brushes. Rubber rollers get up more dirt and get tangled less than bristles.
A mop (or not)
Bear in mind that most budget mopping bots don’t really mop — it’s more just using a damp cloth to pick up the fine dust the robot’s vacuum left behind, which is useful but not essential. Mop attachments with water reservoirs also take up space on a robot and mean a smaller bin.
A big bin
A big bin means you don’t need to empty it as often. Eight hundred milliliters is the largest I’ve seen, but anything over 450 ml is decent on a budget bot. With many bots now pulling double duty as mopping robots and the prevalence of auto-empty docks, it’s hard to find robots with big bins. But if you’re on a budget and don’t want to spend extra for the dock, a big bin will mean less hands-on time with your vacuum.
Or an auto-empty option
If you can swing it, I strongly recommend an auto-empty dock, and there are finally some cheaper versions out there. While it’s a nice-to-have rather than a must-have, delegating the chore of emptying the bin to the robot does mean your floors will be cleaner since a vacuum with a full bin won’t suck up dirt. Many standalone robots now have an auto-empty dock option you can add later if you want to wait and see, but buying them together is generally cheaper.
Choosing an older version of a high-end robot will get you the better navigation, but I’ve also included a few bump-and-roll bots with basic mapping capability, which makes the experience better all around. Non-mapping bots may miss entire sections of your home and, when they start again after charging, may go over the area they last cleaned. However, mapping is less important if you want a bot for a single room or small apartment.
Good battery life / long runtime
While most bots can recharge and resume (go back to their charging base and refuel before going back out again), a bot that can go for at least two hours on one charge will get the job done more quickly and be less annoying. I look for at least 120 minutes of runtime (180 is the best).
A decent app
A lot of budget bots have barely usable apps; this is another reason why buying a lower-cost option from a company with higher-end models gets you a better experience, as the app is usually more polished. A good basic app, though, should have the ability to set multiple schedules to send the robot out, an option for a do-not-disturb period (so it doesn’t start up again at 2AM because it finally recharged), and a way to link to voice assistants and smart home platforms like Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Apple’s Siri.
Repairability
Even at the budget end, you’ll be spending $200 to $300 on a robot vacuum, so repairability and the availability of replacement parts are a big bonus.
Best budget robot vacuum
Suction power: 5,300Pa / Dustbin capacity: 300ml/ Self-empty dock option: Yes/ Mopping option: Yes / Mapping: Yes, lidar/ Keep-out zones: Yes, virtual / Runtime: 100 mins, 2,600mAh battery/ Brush style: Single rubber bristle hybrid/ Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Siri Shortcuts
For around $300, the Tapo RV30 Max Plus is a very capable robot vacuum and mop with some key features usually only found on vacuums that are more than twice its price. These include room-specific cleaning, multiple suction and water levels, smart lidar-based navigation, and an auto-empty dock. With brands like Roomba and Roborock, you’re often paying double for the privilege of not having to empty the bot’s bin.
Thanks to lidar navigation, the RV30 did an excellent job of navigating my house, cleaning the perimeters of the rooms, and then using a mesh grid to clean inside the rooms. I did have to tidy up before it ran, though, as there’s no camera on board or AI-powered obstacle detection — so cables and socks will trip it up.
Its 5,200Pa suction power is impressive on a bot at this price, and ably sucked up Cheerios and dry oatmeal on hard flooring. It left some of the finer dust and debris, as its single bristle / rubber brush isn’t super effective. It fared less well on carpet. However, in the app, I could set it to clean a room three times for each job, after which it generally picked up all visible debris.
Mopping was better than average for a mop with no pressure or oscillation. It has a wide mop pad, and the bot has a big 300ml tank (which also incorporates a 300ml dustbin), so it applies enough water for a good surface clean.
Another unique feature for a budget robot is the ability to set customized cleaning for each room, choosing from five suction levels and three water levels as well as three rotations.
5,200Pa suction power is impressive on a bot at this price
The Tapo app is very simple to use, with an easy-to-edit map that lets you add virtual walls and no-go zones, add furniture, and designate carpet areas. There’s no carpet sensing, so you need to tell it where carpets are if you don’t want it to mop them. You can also set the cleaning direction and build up to four maps — again, features usually only found on higher-end robots.
It’s also easy to start a clean from the app, and I really like that you can tap on the map to send the robot to that spot.
The biggest downside of the Tapo is its tiny battery, which is just 2,600mAh. That is half the size of most vacs, and it couldn’t clean my entire 800-square-foot downstairs without needing to go back and recharge. It also takes a while to charge and occasionally has trouble repositioning itself on its dock.
You can get the RV30 without the auto-empty dock for around $80 less if you prefer an even simpler robot vacuum setup. This way, it will fit under a couch or bed, but you’ll have to manually empty its bin.
The Roborock S8 is a great vacuum that mops well and has AI-powered obstacle detection—a rarity at this price point. Its dual rubber roller brushes and 6,000Pa of suction do an excellent job on hard floors and carpets, and its flat mop that vibrates is effective at scrubbing your floors.
There’s the option of pairing the S8 with a fairly sleek auto-empty dock, but unlike Roborock’s QRevo line (which starts at around $600), the dock won’t automatically fill the water tank or wash the mop; you’ll have to do that work manually.
Formerly a flagship robot vacuum for Roborock, this once $750 bot can now be found for well under $500, even with its auto-empty dock. Its flat mop pad vibrates 3,000 times a second to simulate some good old-fashioned scrubbing, and the bot comes with an extra-large on-board water tank, which means it actually gets wet enough to be effective.
The S8 can be set to mop only — something few budget bots offer, and its mop-only mode does an excellent job, moving in a tighter “Z” pattern and going over the floors twice. It also has a slow option for a more thorough cleaning. I liked to send it out to vacuum everywhere first, then recharge and go out again to mop, which resulted in sparklingly clean floors. It does take a long time, though.
Another great feature at this price is that the S8 has carpet sensing and can raise its mops a few millimeters to avoid dampening your carpets. Most other budget mopping bots require you to remove the mop pads when vacuuming carpet or set keep-out zones around your rugs. This bot can also raise its wheels when it cleans messes like ketchup to prevent its brushes from getting sticky.
However, the mop-raising feature can only clear low-pile rugs, so I had to set no-mopping zones around my plush floor coverings. The S8 requires a fair amount of hands-on time since you have to refill its reservoir manually and wash the mopping pads (you can throw them in the washing machine). If you want to avoid those chores, you’ll need to bump up to about $600 and get whichever Roborock QRevo vac and mop is on sale. This adds spinning mopping pads and an auto wash/dry/refill dock.
My recommendation for families with pets who don’t want to spend a small fortune on an auto-empty robot vacuum is to buy a good bot with a big bin. These are getting harder to find now that every bot wants to be a multitasker and also mop (the water reservoir takes up valuable dustbin room). So, I’m very pleased with Roborock’s Q5 Pro with its 770ml dustbin.
This huge bin pairs with dual rubber roller brushes that are better at getting pet hair out of rugs than single brushes. The rubber is also less prone than bristles to getting tangled with hair, and combined with 5,500Pa suction power, this vacuum does a good job on very dirty floors. It does have a removable mopping pad with a small water tank built into it, too, which is useful for cleaning up the fine dust left behind by the vacuum, but it isn’t going to scrub your floors. It will, however, keep the pet hair at bay.
Don’t confuse this with the cheaper Roborock Q5, however. That bot has a smaller bin, lower suction, shorter runtime, and only one roller brush. It’s worth spending the extra for the Pro.
The Q5 Pro Plus pairs the bot with the redesigned Roborock auto-empty dock if you really don’t like emptying the robot’s onboard bin, normally a hefty price bump, it’s on sale for $360 at Amazon. The dock is relatively compact and lightweight compared to previous versions. However, considering the size of the Q5 Pro’s bin, you’d only have to empty it three times before the dock’s 2.5-liter bag is also full.
The Q5 Pro doesn’t have AI-powered obstacle avoidance, although it will dodge shoes and larger objects. It does have a huge 5,200mAh battery that will run for about four hours. It uses the excellent Roborock app and has all the same software features of the higher-end Roborock’s family, including lidar mapping and navigation, digital keep-out zones, room-specific cleaning, zone cleaning, and voice control.
Best basic bump-and-roll bot
Suction power: unknown / Dustbin capacity: 425ml / Runtime: 120 mins / Brush style: single bristle / rubber hybrid / Auto-empty dock option: no / Mapping: no / Keep-out zones: no / Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home
The Shark Ion’s big bin, simple app experience, decent battery life, repairability, and bullish nature make this an excellent bump-and-roll bot. It doesn’t map or have any special navigation features other than colliding with things and changing direction. It’s not fancy, but it gets the job done.
It’s a good one to stick under a bed or desk and set to run when you’re not home, as it’s loud and rattly and will bang into everything in its path. But its big wheels and 120-minute runtime mean it’s less prone to getting stuck or running out of juice than simpler $200 bots.
Unlike many budget bots, it uses a hybrid roller brush that’s both bristle and plastic and doesn’t get as tangled as standard bristle brushes. Its short, squat side brushes are surprisingly effective at getting debris into the robot’s path, and because they’re short, they’re less prone to getting tangled in stray cords.
But the best thing ‘bout this bot is its tank-like wheels that will roll right over anything in its path, including high transitions between rooms, obstacles like lounger chair legs, and other furniture traps that regularly stump other bots. That’s a good thing, as there’s no mapping, obstacle detection, or any way to set keep-out zones here. This bot just goes.
Another bonus: replacement parts are easily available, making it simple to repair and just keep going.
Shark doesn’t share suction power specs, but it ably handled all my tests, including the toughest: raw oatmeal. Those little flakes are hard to pick up; side brushes will spin them all over the floor. It did a good job on pet hair, too, although, like most robots I tested, it required at least two runs to get everything up effectively.
The app is super basic: just on / off, scheduling, and a choice of three power levels (all loud). Disappointingly, you can only schedule it once a day. Most robots can be programmed to do two to three passes, but in place of that, I like the option to schedule it to go out twice to make sure it gets the job done. I couldn’t do that with the Shark. Still, you can press its button or use the app to send it out again if needed.
Best budget Roomba robot vacuum
Suction power: unknown /Dustbin capacity: 419ml /Runtime: 90 minutes /Brush style: dual rubber /Auto-empty dock option: yes /Mopping option: yes / Mapping: yes /Keep-out zones: physical only / Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Siri Shortcuts
The Roomba i5 is the follow-up to my previous top pick for a budget robot, the Roomba i3. It’s not the cheapest bot on the block, but its cleaning chops, attractive design, good software, and robust, easily-repairable hardware make it a good choice for spending a smaller budget.
The i5 brings mopping capability to the lower end of iRobot’s line via a swappable mopping bin that adds a flat mopping pad and a sizable 210ml reservoir. There’s no carpet avoidance, though, so I had to roll up the ends of my carpets to block it from going on them.
But this bot is best as a vacuum, and it cleans almost as well as iRobot’s higher-end j7 but for a lot less money. It has slightly lower suction power, but it boasts Roomba’s signature dual roller rubber brushes, which do an excellent job of removing pet hair from hardwood floors and sucking up oatmeal from plush carpets. These are slightly different from the Roborock dual brushes, and I find the nubs make them more effective at digging out the dirt, especially from carpet.
The i5 has mapping and room-specific cleaning, so you can send it to clean the kitchen if you want. However, unlike my top pick, the Tapo RV30, there’s no option to set virtual keep-out zones. If you have somewhere you don’t want the bot to roam, you’ll need to buy iRobot’s virtual wall towers. It also has a relatively small bin, but you can pair it with an auto-empty base (although that doubles the cost).
The i5 is a solid vacuum with big wheels and a big bumper that can easily tackle any floor surface you throw at it. It can manage most transitions and is one of the only vacs I’ve tested that doesn’t get stuck on the uneven wooden floors in my screened-in porch. It does tend to bump into things, but it gets almost everywhere you want it to and won’t be put off by a bed skirt. But if you have delicate items on rickety tables, watch out.
As with all Roombas, the i5 is easy to self-repair, and you can buy (not inexpensive) replacements for all its parts. I’ve actually rebuilt an i3 (the previous model) after it rolled over some dog poop. There’s no obstacle avoidance here; you have to bump up to the Roomba j7 for that (which, if you can get it on sale anywhere, is a great robot vacuum.)
iRobot also offers the Combo j5 for $529.99 (currently on sale for $249.99 at Amazon), adding more advanced mapping, including virtual keep-out zones and better obstacle and carpet detection. It also has a shinier finish, whereas the i5 retains the fabric-covered body of the i3. If you can find the j5 on sale for close to or less than the i3 (it’s $379 with the auto-empty dock on Amazon at the time of writing), go for it. Otherwise, the i3 is your best bet for a budget Roomba.
Best budget robot vacuum without Wi-Fi
Suction power: 2,000Pa / Dustbin capacity: 600ml / Runtime: 100 mins / Brush style: single bristle / rubber hybrid / Auto-empty dock option: no / Mapping: no / Keep-out zones: no / Works with: n/a
The Eufy 11S Max is a rarity — a robot vacuum that doesn’t use Wi-Fi at all. There’s not even an app. Instead, you just press the button, and off it trundles. It also comes with a remote if you’d rather not get up off the couch, and you can use that to program it to clean at a specific time.
The 11S is super slim, 72.5 mm high, with no lidar tower, so it will get under most couches and very quiet. It has a big 600ml bin, and I was very impressed with how much it got up off my hardwood floors, even with its relatively small 2,000Pa of suction. There are three cleaning levels, and at the lowest, it registers around 55db, quiet enough to run in a home office.
It does have a smallish battery — only 100 minutes of runtime — but it will go back and recharge. For $200, this is the perfect budget bot for those wary of or who don’t want to deal with an app and Wi-Fi. It’s a bump-and-roll bot, meaning there are no real navigation skills. But it has plenty of replaceable parts, including the battery and wheels, so you can keep it going for a long time.
Best self-cleaning, self-emptying robot vacuum / mop under $500
Suction Power: 5,100Pa / Dustbin capacity: 360ml/ Self-empty dock option: Yes/ Mopping option: Yes / Mapping: Yes, lidar/ Suction power: 5,100Pa /Keep-out zones: Yes, virtual / Runtime/Battery: 180 mins, 5,400mAh / Brush style: Single rubber bristle hybrid/ Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home
The Yeedi Cube is the least expensive robot vacuum with the same kind of multifunction dock and high-end features as robots over $1,000. This means it can automatically fill its onboard water tank, clean and dry its mop, and empty the bin. It also has more advanced obstacle avoidance tech than most budget bots, although, unlike the pricier bots, it uses lasers to see objects, not an AI-powered camera, which is less effective. While it originally retailed for $699.99, it’s now an older model and is regularly on sale for less than $500.
The Yeedi resembles the Shark and Roomba in its full-speed-ahead nature. It will just run into things, and if it can clean them, great! It also only goes around larger objects. So, while it ably sucked up Cheerios and picked up all the oatmeal flakes, it got stuck on cords and socks. Definitely keep it away from pet waste.
The Yeedi’s mopping prowess is impressive. It scrubs the floor using a thin microfiber cloth that vibrates 2,500 times a minute to get up grime. The dock cleans the mopping pad, drains the dirty water, and auto empties the bin, but the robot carries its one-liter water tank around on its back, so it doesn’t need to go back and refill during a run.
One downside is that it uses a single hybrid rubber / bristle brush, which gets tangled with hair. However, combined with 5,100Pa of suction power, it did a good job of picking up dirt from the floors.
I really liked the handle; it makes it easy to pick up the vacuum and put it where you want to clean. An onboard spot clean button means you don’t need to fuss with the app to get it to clean up a dedicated area. The map offers room-specific cleaning and keep-out zones for vacuuming and mopping but can be a bit fiddly to use.
What’s coming next
iRobot’s new Roomba lineup includes several budget-friendly options — including the $319.99 Roomba 105 Combo and the $469.99 Roomba 205 DustCompactor Combo, neither of which we’ve tested. Both entry-level models can vacuum and mop, offer lidar navigation and mapping, and tout 7,000Pa of suction power. They also both offer virtual keep-out zones and automatic carpet detection and avoidance; however, the 205 features a new onboard debris and dust compactor, which iRobot says allows you to go eight weeks without emptying the vacuum.
Update, June 10th: Adjusted pricing / availability and added several new links.
Aqara’s Matter controllers, including the Camera Hub G5 Pro, Doorbell Camera Hub G410, Hub M3, and Hub M100 pictured, can now support over 50 Matter device types.
The company is also bringing advanced bridging to all its Matter controllers, allowing you to integrate Aqara’s many advanced automation features into any Matter-compatible smart home platform via scenes and triggers. This includes Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, and Google Home. The new update also lets you bridge Matter devices that are not yet supported by a platform into those ecosystems.
The new Matter device types that can now connect to Aqara Matter controllers include:
Robotic vacuums
Dimmable plugs
Smoke and CO alarms
Air quality sensors
Leak, freeze, and rain sensors
Curtains and blinds
Fans and air purifiers
Air conditioners and heat pumps
Water valves and pumps
Pressure sensors
Solar panels and battery storage
Electric vehicle chargers
Washing machines and dryers
Fridges and freezers
Cooktops, hoods, and kitchen surfaces
Ovens and stoves
Water heaters
Video players and speakers
This is in addition to sensors, thermostats, switches, and lights, which were already supported. Aqara says the update will roll out with Aqara Home version 5.1.9 and Matter Controller firmware version 4.3.5 later this month.
Aqara seems committed to making its platform open and interoperable, stating that it believes interoperability is essential to move the smart home industry forward. “By extending Matter support, we aim to offer users greater flexibility and ensure that Aqara products remain useful across a wide range of platforms,” said Eugene You, CEO of Aqara.
Aqara has long worked with all the major smart home platforms, including Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and more recently SmartThings, and it’s now positioning itself as a central part of the Matter smart home.
Aqara hubs work with its line of Zigbee-based smart home products; several are also Thread border routers. The company says they have been optimized to support Thread network sharing, meaning they can join existing Thread networks managed by Apple HomePods, Amazon Echos, or Google Nest hubs, for example. However, compatibility will depend on those platforms’ implementation of Thread. This should help provide a stronger network for Thread smart home devices.
“By extending Matter support, we aim to offer users greater flexibility and ensure that Aqara products remain useful across a wide range of platforms.”
Advanced bridging, which was introduced with the M3 hub earlier this year, will come to all current and upcoming Aqara Matter controllers, even the entry-level Hub M100. This brings two benefits. First, you can bridge Matter devices into platforms that don’t yet support that device type, and second, you can use Aqara’s advanced automation features and scenes in any Matter-compatible platform.
The latter ability means that you can use Aqara’s G4 Video Doorbell’s facial recognition feature as a trigger in an Apple Home automation that turns your lights on when you come home. The facial recognition trigger is added to Apple Home as a virtual “occupancy sensor,” according to Aqara.
Other advanced features that can be translated as either “virtual occupancy sensors” or “virtual plugs” include package detection from a camera’s on-device AI, fall detection from Aqara FP2 mm-wave sensor, and automations triggered by a device’s energy usage. Fingerprint sensing, gesture control, and presence sensing can all also translate, according to Aqara.
This advanced bridging feature is not native to the Matter spec, but is something a hub manufacturer needs to develop. Home Assistant has similar capabilities that allow you to import its scenes, scripts, functions, and other non-Matter-supported entities to connected platforms.
Aqara says advanced bridging is essentially a stopgap solution that allows users to access its full features in any Matter platform until (or if) Matter gains support for these more advanced features.
President Donald Trumpâs latest round of tariffs â including a now 125 percent levy on Chinese imports â will hit the smart home industry hard.
Many smart home device makers are already struggling, thanks, in part, to Trumpâs first round of tariffs. Increased competition from budget smart home companies largely based in China has also played a part, and so has slower takeup from homeowners than the industry expected.
The sky-high tariffs on Chinese goods and components present a huge challenge for all smart home manufacturers. Most companies source products from China, and even if they moved manufacturing to other countries, they still may use Chinese-made components. The new, steeper tariffs on countries like Vietnam, where many companies relocated manufacturing, compound their problems.
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