Having Alexa is just the start. Now you need smart things to connect to it.
More and more devices work with Amazon Alexa these days. In fact, if it's got a microphone and a speaker, it's surprising to not find support for Amazon's voice assistant. The Amazon Echo Dot is the most popular Alexa controller out there, of course. But there are countless others as well.
That's just the start of the fun, though. Once you've got an Alexa device, you'll want something to control.
Here are the more mainstream categories that I'd check out, from thermostats to cameras to other speakers.
Philips Hue Starter Kit ($88 at Amazon.)
Smart lights
Whether you're looking at something from Philips Hue, or Eufy, or TP-Link or others, smart lights probably should be your first stop when you're looking for an Alexa-compatible toy to go along with your main Alexa device.
The idea is that you'll have lights you can control from anywhere, as well as a hands-free way to set the scene for any occasion.
And because it's all tied into Alexa, you'll be able to do all kinds of fun stuff with the smart lights.
Ecobee 4 ($244 at Amazon.)
Smart thermostats
Being able to control your HVAC with your voice is one of those things that'll you not appreciate until you can do it, and you'll wonder how you ever lived without it once you can.
And there are some great options out there. Nest is the big daddy of the group, of course. Honeywell is another great option. And the latest iteration of the Ecobee actually has Alexa built in, so you don't even need a separate device to control it.
It makes it ridiculously easy to control the comfort of your home, and it helps cut down on your electric bill, too.
Ring Floodlight Camera ($199 at Amazon.)
Smart cameras
If you've got an Amazon Echo Show or Spot, or an Amazon Fire TV, you can keep tabs on all your stuff with any number of smart cameras. Just tell Alexa to show it, and you'll get a live feed on your display.
So, yeah. You can watch your front yard from your living room. Or your backyard from your bedroom. The sky's the limit as for how much (or how little) you want to keep tabs on things this way. It's super convenient, though, and it'll help keep things safe.
Wemo Mini ($28 at Amazon.)
Smart plugs
Smart lights are great. But sometimes you just want to control something that's plugged in. (Say, a set of string lights, or Christmas decorations.) A smart plug is great for that.
It's a plug for your plug, which then hooks into your Wifi and ties into an Alexa Skill.
After that, it's just a matter of setting a timer, or using your voice to have Alexa manually turn things off and on. Easy.
Amazon Echo Plus ($149 at Amazon.)
Other smart speakers
Here's the thing about the Amazon Echo — it can connect with other Amazon Echoes for multi-room music. That means the same thing will be playing on all your speakers. And all you have to do is use Alexa to tell Alexa to have Alexa play a thing.
Yeah, it's a bit of Alexa inception. But it's also way cool.
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