Best Alexa-compatible gadgets
Ecobee4
Cnet rating: 4.5 stars out of 5
The good: The smart thermostat has a responsive display, a remote sensor and tons of smart integrations, including a built-in Amazon Alexa speaker. The bad: The price is high, particularly if you don’t care about the Alexa speaker or the Ecobee4’s other smart capabilities. The cost: $247 to $249 The bottom line: The Ecobee4 is the best smart thermostat available today.
Neato Botvac Connected Robot Vacuum
Cnet rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 The good: It’s the best-performing robot vacuum we’ve ever tested. The new Neato app is well-designed and easy to use, and finally brings remote control functionality to the Botvac line, and it can now be controlled via Alexa. The bad: We encountered a few usability quirks during testing. The cost: $500 to $584
The bottom line: The Botvac Connected is better at cleaning floors than any other robot vacuum on the market, and it costs less than its app-enabled rival, the iRobot Roomba 980. If you’re willing to live without remote controls, you can save some money by sticking with the previous generation of Neatos — but we think this one’s worth the splurge, particularly with its Alexa functionality.
Amazon Cloud Cam
Cnet rating: 4 stars out of 5
The good: The Cloud Cam’s crisp 1080p HD live feed, prompt motion notifications and free 24-hour clip storage set a new value standard for indoor home security cameras. And, of course, Alexa functionality is a given. The bad: Only Amazon cloud subscribers can set motion zones and receive personal alerts. Continuous recording is not available (even for subscribers), and there’s no local micro SD card storage. The cost: $120 The bottom line: The Cloud Cam is affordable, reliable and easy to use, but it’s the free storage that ultimately makes it more appealing than Nest security cameras and many other competitors.
Amazon Echo
Cnet rating: 4 stars out of 5
The good: With a variety of new designs, the new Echo is better-looking than the original, just as smart and a lot less expensive. The addition of an aux-out jack lets you connect it with your existing audio setup. It’s also a slightly better listener than before. The bad: Though fine for casual listening and strong enough to fill a room with music, the Echo still doesn’t sound as good as premium, high-fidelity speakers. The volume ring of the original is gone, replaced with the cheaper volume buttons of the Echo Dot. The cost: $100 The bottom line: Alexa is still the most compelling voice control service, and the improved Echo should only boost its momentum. It’s well worth $100.