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The best smart home upgrades to make everyday life easier
Building a smarter home used to mean a lot of DIY, continuously checking compatibility, and simply hoping that everything works together. Things are a lot more plug-and-play nowadays, and the technology and gadgets have become a lot more advanced, too.
No smart home conversation is complete without robot vacuums getting most of the attention, with the category getting more capable and more affordable every year. But a great home setup is about more than clean floors. The right speaker, TV, security kit, and even a pet feeder can take the load off your daily routine and make everything a lot easier. We’ve rounded up some interesting smart home gadgets that are worth getting.
We rounded up the smart home gadgets worth your attention, covering audio, entertainment, security, and one for the furry members of the household.
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Narwal Flow 2
Robot vacuums and mops have gotten exponentially better over the years. But there are still some areas where these gadgets struggle, particularly with mopping, where they tend to push grime around or leave streaks from room to room. That’s the issue that Narwal specifically tackles with the Flow 2.
The star here is the FlowWash Mopping System. Instead of a spinning pad that smears dirt as it goes, the Flow 2 uses a treadmill-style track mop that rolls at over 100 rotations per minute with 12N of downward pressure. This ingenious treadmill-like design allows it to cover a larger cleaning area evenly, while enabling efficient self-cleaning.
As the track rolls back up, a 16-nozzle system instantly feeds it 140°F hot water the entire time, while a built-in scraper strips debris off the track, and dirty water gets stored separately so the mop stays clean from the first pass to the last. You’ll walk into a home with floors that gleam with the clean sheen of a fresh wash and pleasantly warm to the touch, rather than being flooded with dirty spinning streaks or a thin rotating line.
The Flow 2 pairs dual RGB cameras with an onboard AI processor and Narwal’s cloud-based VLM Omni Model, so it understands what it is looking at rather than simply following a predetermined path.
This gives you useful features like Pet Care Mode, which automatically cleans high-traffic pet zones and can even locate your pet on command. Baby Care Mode drops into ultra-quiet operation near the crib. And AI Floor Tag flags valuables it spots on the floor, so nothing important gets swept away. Ultimately, you can finally stop babysitting your robovac and enjoy a smart companion that actually learns, understands, and fits into your real life.
You get 31,000Pa of suction with Narwal’s SGS-certified detangling design, CarpetFocus technology for deep carpet cleaning, a 3D color mapping system for tap-to-clean control, and an all-in-one base station that self-empties for up to 120 days and washes the mop with hot water on its own. If you’re looking for a powerful robot vacuum flagship that’ll give a true hands-free experience for months, the Narwal Flow 2 should be at the top of your list.
Ahead of Amazon Prime Day, you can get the Narwal Flow 2 for just $1,049.99, a massive 30% discount in advance, exclusively for Android Authority readers with code AA450OFFY26 on Narwal.com.
Amazon Echo Studio
If you want one speaker that lets you run your smart home while sounding great, the latest Echo Studio is an excellent option. It’s 40% smaller than the original, so it won’t take as much space on a shelf or side table.
But the size difference doesn’t mean compromised audio. You get spatial audio and Dolby Atmos support, a multi-driver setup with a woofer, upward- and side-firing drivers, and room-adaptation tech that listens to your space and tunes playback to match it.
You can use your voice to control your lights, plugs, sensors, and every Alexa-compatible piece of smart home tech. And you can link two of them to a Fire TV to enjoy stereo sound. Available in Graphite or Glacier White, the Amazon Echo Studio is currently priced at $220.
Hisense S7 CanvasTV (Google TV)
Frame-style TVs look amazing, and the Hisense S7 CanvasTV nails the art-piece look without skimping on the panel behind it. The Hi-Matte anti-glare coating gives digital artwork the texture of a real painting, and when you are not watching, Art Mode pulls from a library of more than 1,000 free pieces or shows off your own photos. A presence sensor wakes the screen only when you are nearby. The UltraSlim wall mount ensures the TV sits flush against the wall, looking like a painting, and you can even swap out the magnetic frame to match your decor.
And as far as your TV viewing needs go, the S7 CanvasTV features a 4K QLED panel with Quantum Dot color, Dolby Vision HDR, and a 144Hz variable refresh rate with AMD FreeSync Premium and ALLM for gaming. Google TV is built in, so your apps and casting are all where you expect them.
Available in sizes ranging from 50 to 85 inches, the HiSense S7 CanvasTV pricing starts at $798.
Ring Alarm 14-Piece Kit
The Ring Alarm 14-Piece Kit makes setting up a home security system a breeze. Everything you need comes in the box, including a base station, two keypads, eight contact sensors, two motion detectors, and a range extender, all of which you can install without needing tools or professional help.
This kit is enough to cover a two to four-bedroom home, with sensors for eight doors or windows and motion coverage for a couple of rooms or hallways. But if you need more, you can easily add them, with extras like panic buttons, flood and freeze sensors, or smoke and CO sensors.
And you can even link your Ring doorbells and cameras to manage everything from a single dashboard. Alexa support lets you arm and disarm by voice, and an optional Ring Home subscription unlocks remote control, cellular backup if your Wi-Fi drops, and 24/7 professional monitoring for police, fire, or medical response.
WOPET Automatic Pet Feeder
Smart home gear is not just for humans. The WOPET automatic feeder takes the guesswork out of mealtime, which is a lifesaver if your schedule is unpredictable or you are out for the day. The programmable timer handles up to four meals, and you can set a custom portion for each one, anywhere from a couple of teaspoons to several cups. You can also control it remotely through the app and share access with others to manage the dispenser.
The voice recorder is a nice extra that pet owners will love. You can record a quick message that’ll play every time the food drops, so your pet will hear a familiar voice calling them over or giving instructions. The hopper has a secure twist-lock lid and a desiccant slot to keep kibble fresh. It needs to be plugged in, but it has a battery backup in case of a power outage.
The WOPET pet food dispenser is currently priced at $70.
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