Amazon Echo (4th Gen)

£80 / stuff.tv/echo

Having morphed from a cylinder to a sphere, the latest Echo is an excellent newsreader, weather forecaster, personal assistant and intercom straight out of the box; but it’s now also a capable speaker and a very accessible smart home hub. It doesn’t sound as good as the Sonos One or Apple Homepod for listening to music, but it’s significantly smarter than both and considerably cheaper too. Stuff says ★★★★★

An all-round upgrade that makes the Echo a smarter speaker than ever

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Honeywell T6R

This Zigbee-enabled thermostat is wireless so you can place it where it’s most convenient. £170 / amazon.co.uk Ring Indoor Cam ★★★★★ £49 / stuff.tv/ringindoor

This cute little spy-cam is a bona fide bargain for anyone with security worries. Nest Learning Thermostat (3rd Gen) ★★★★★ £187 / stuff.tv/nest3

A simple and mess-free smart thermostat with Alexa compatibility. Philips Hue Starter Kit ★★★★★ from £50 (white) / stuff.tv/hue

Become an indoor god with the smartest way of lighting up your home remotely. Brisant-secure Ultion Smart ★★★★★ from £259 / stuff.tv/ultionsmart

Tradition and tech partner up in a smart lock to please everyone. Amazon Echo Show 10 ★★★★✩ £240 / stuff.tv/show10

The revolving trick makes this a handy (but not essential) upgrade on the previous Echo Show. Nanoleaf Essentials A19 ★★★★✩ from £18 / stuff.tv/nanoleafa19

Simple, affordable, effective: these lights are a must for any Apple smart home. Google Nest Hub (2nd Gen) ★★★★✩ £90 / stuff.tv/nesthub2

A small but mighty smart home display with some useful improvements on its predecessor.