Looking for the best smart home devices trending in 2021? Look no further. We’ve compiled a list of the trending items which dominate online.
This list has been compiled using trending industry data. Yet again, voice-activated hubs are the big thing of the moment – but there are a few surprises in there.
So strap yourself in, and get ready for the latest trends available now to turn your nice home into a smart home.
Echo Dot (3rd Gen) with Alexa
The baby of the Echo range once again reigns supreme on the Amazon best selling list. And it’s easy to see why. These affordable smart speakers are compact, simple to set up and work in any room.
Now in their 3rd generation – the Echo Dot utilises Amazon’s Alexa voice-activated technology 
to turn your home into a voice-activated tech empire.
Do you want to hear the latest news? Ask Alexa. Play music from your Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music or other services? Ask Alexa. You can even call or message people using your voice – no tapping away required.
We have a few of these around the house. They can be set up using a smartphone or tablet
Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote
We were reluctant to add TV players to a smart home list unless it contained something special. 
With the voice activated Alexa functionality – this Amazon Fire TV stick certainly delivers. The Fire stick is 4k UltraHD and provides access to thousands of channels. Highlights include Amazon Prime Video, BBC, Netflix, ITV, Channel 4, Disney, Curzon and a heap of others.
The Alexa voice control is a nice touch and configured correctly can be integrated with your other smart home devices. If you’re also looking for an Alexa smart speaker – Amazon offers a bundle which contains both the Fire Stick and an Echo Dot.
Nest Smart Security Camera
We tried one of these out recently and I was expecting a run of the mill camera, similar to those you get for watching your dogs. I was a little amazed by the results. This 130° Wide-angle lens 
camera operates as a 24/7 security camera which stores captured footage to the cloud.
Quality is an impressive 1080p HD. It can be setup both indoors or outdoors and is waterproof for the latter. The features are vast but a few of our favourites included the motion detector which sends alerts to your phone when activated and a facial recognition technology to identify friendlies from intruders.
In addition to monitoring, it can also be used as a two-way communication device to talk to those on your property from your phone.
I was particularly impressed by the night vision which, despite the almost total darkness when testing – produced a clear video to keep an eye on rooms / property at night using infrared LED technology.
Ring Wi-Fi Enabled Video Doorbell
This is the second generation of the Ring doorbell. This simple yet powerful device allows you to see and talk to front door visitors from your smart phone, tablet or computer. You are alerted when the camera detects movement and when a visitor presses the doorbell.
The doorbell can be powered by either rechargeable batteries or tied into your existing doorbell power supply.
There’s also the additional chime device which lets you add the ringer anywhere in your house. It even includes a wifi extender. Nice features include a range of door chimes and the all-important ‘do not disturb’ option.
Echo Show (2nd Gen)
The daddy of the Echo range, this is an impressive, sleek and powerful gadget. Like the Echo dot – this can be used as a smart speaker and voice-controlled using the Alexa assistant. You 
simply connect via wifi and stream your favourite music, get news headlines, find out the weather or have Alexa tell a (bad) joke. Amazon boasts over 10,000 skills already on Alexa and counting.
What’s special about this Echo Show is that it includes a 10″ HD screen. In addition to giving visual cues to voice requests, displaying song lyrics and countless other visuals – it can also be used to watch films and videos.
Nest (3rd Gen) Learning Thermostat
We’ve had a Nest thermostat in our home for a while now. Before we installed it I wasn’t 
convinced I would see the benefits – now I couldn’t imagine living without it. The third-generation version is vastly slimmer, sleeker and more attractive than its previous versions.
As well as tying this into your heating system and setting timers, you can use gather data and access it on your smartphone. Although functionality (which is wide) is outside the scope of this article – highlights include manual on/off, remote control via your phone from home or away and sensors to heat your home when the temperature drops and turn itself off once it reaches the perfect temperature.
There are two options available when buying the Nest thermostat. Self-installation (i.e. do it yourself) or installation included (they send someone round to install). We opted for self-installation although we did found it a tad fiddly and the end result may not have been as sleek visually as we would have liked.
Philips Hue Smart Bulb Starter Kit
Philips have done well in their smart light bulb range. These wi-fi enabled bulbs to generate the equivalent illumination of a 60w standard lightbulb. Once set up lights can be controlled from 
your home or remotely via an app. Each LED light is fitted like a normal bulb and paired up using wifi connection.
Philips has also created the Philips Hue Home Automation Smart Bridge 2.0. This central hub can control all of the Philips devices. For lights, the bridge can control up to 50 Philips bulbs. It works with a number of third party applications as well as integrating with other smart home systems. Amazon Echo, Google Home, Apple HomeKit, Nest, Samsung SmartThings, Yale, Razer, IFTTT and Logitech can all be synchronised to the Philips smart bridge. It also offers smart integration with voice-controlled systems such as the Amazon Alexa, ![Philips Hue White Personal Wireless Lighting LED B22 9 W Twin Pack Bayonet Cap Light Bulbs,[Apple Homekit Enabled], Works with Alexa [Energy Class A+]](https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/31zOsrVceTL.jpg "Philips Hue White Personal Wireless Lighting LED B22 9 W Twin Pack Bayonet Cap Light Bulbs,[Apple Homekit Enabled], Works with Alexa [Energy Class A+]")
Apple HomeKit and Google Assistant.
In summary, these bulbs are not only efficient but can become the backbone of a truly smart home – giving you complete control of your lighting no matter where you are in the world.
The starter kit we’ve included here includes the Philips smart bridge along with the bulbs, however, you can buy each thing (including the bulbs) separately.
nello one – Smart Door Opener
More and more houses, be they private dwellings or places being rented out on Airbnb are using smart locks. This particular popular smart door opener requires an existing intercom system already in place – so it may not be for everyone (see alternative below).
The nello one, once installed, allows access to your door using a wifi enabled chip which can tie into a smartphone. There’s an app, but it doesn’t require you to go into it every time (which would get very annoying) but rather just swipe your phone over the sensor. This system also ties into the Amazon Alexa and a skill is available on the marketplace to download.
If you’re looking for something a little more traditional – there are other locks available which
don’t require an existing intercom system. For example, the Yale Keyless Connected Ready Smart Door Lock which provides keyless access to your home using a key card, key tag, Phone tag and smartphone app. These are tamper-proof, battery-powered and can be controlled from a smartphone. Although this one is designed for wooden doors – other types are available for specific door types – so it’s best to look about.
Special Mentions
A few other trending Smart Home devices we’ve already mentioned elsewhere on this site include the Amazon Smart Plugs and the AppKettle Alexa Controlled Smart Kettle.
That’s it for our curated collection of our Best Smart Home Devices currently trending online. Let us know in the comments section or on our Facebook page if you agree, disagree or have alternate selections. Keep smart!
