Lutron Caseta Light Switches, $80 for starter kit

Why it’s useful: Okay, switches aren’t exactly an exciting present. But these Lutron Caseta ones only look like regular dimmers — they’ve actually got superpowers to turn on and off on via app, remote or voice command. That’s useful for safety: You can program your porch light to come on after sunset, or set lights to random when you’re on vacation. They’re also a convenience — like when your bed is just too warm and comfy to leave, so you just say “good night” to Siri and watch the whole house turn off at once. I’ve programmed mine to wake me by slowly making the room brighter.

The downsides: I needed to hire an electrician to install my Caseta switches, though it’s certainly possible to do it yourself. Caseta also requires a hub (included in its starter kit) attached to your home router.

Why it’s the best: The Lutron switches require more effort up front than stand-alone connected bulbs like Philips Hue. But Lutron’s tech is rock-solid reliable — and allows you to still turn off lights the old-fashioned way, with a light switch. It also plays well Apple HomeKit, Alexa, Nest, IFTTT and more.

How it handles security: If your home’s internet goes out, Caseta switches still work. Lutron does penetration testing for hackers and automatically pushes updates to your hub, but it wouldn’t say whether its systems have ever been breached.