12 Handy Gadgets Under $20 To Upgrade Your Smart Home

• Technology

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One of the benefits of a smart home is how expandable it is. There are a wide variety of handy gadgets that you can get to upgrade your smart home setup, increasing its functionality and helping make chores easier, creating useful automations, eliminating the need to physically get up and move across the house to get things done, and much more. 

One major advantage is that smart home upgrades are often quite affordable. There are lots of options at lower price points that can benefit your household. Examples include trackers that will help you locate lost or misplaced belongings or motion-sensitive lights that will automatically turn on when you enter the room. Therefore, we compiled a list of 12 gadgets under $20 that will enhance your space in one way or another. 

All these devices were found on reputable retailer platforms such as Amazon or Home Depot, so you can shop without worry. Plus, we made sure that each of the picks mentioned here have positive user reviews, indicating that customers have found them useful when integrating them into their own smart home setups.

Kasa Smart Plug Ultra Mini 15A

The Kasa Smart Plug Ultra lets you control the operation of your otherwise non-smart appliances completely hands-free. Compatible with Alexa and Google Home Assistant, you can use voice commands to activate or deactivate anything plugged into the device. Want to turn the toaster in your kitchen on or off? Kasa says you can, as long as it's connected to its smart plug. In other words, you won't have to physically get up and go to different rooms to manage your appliances.

In addition, the device offers features like timers and scheduling to activate or deactivate connected electronics at specific times. Want to turn your living room lights on at 5 pm before you even get home from work? You can set a schedule in the Kasa app on your smartphone or activate them remotely on command.

Buyers on Amazon rate the device at 4.5 stars across more than 17,000 reviews, deporting the smart plug to be very useful for hands-free control of their appliances. They also mentioned setup to be quick and easy, as the plug's compact design ensures it won't block the second outlet on a typical wall receptacle. Each Kasa Smart Plug can facilitate a maximum load of 15 amperes and requires a 2.4 GHz WiFi connection to work. A two-pack of these smart plugs is currently up on Amazon for $13.97.

Kasa Smart Light Bulbs

The Kasa Smart WiFi Light Bulb can produce up to 800 lumens of light in a combination of 16 million colors, ranging from warm to cool white. Like with Kasa's smart plugs above, you can control them hands-free via Alexa or Google Assistant and also use the Kasa app on your phone to turn them on and off and adjust other settings, such as brightness, color intensity, and other light effects. The app also provides feedback on your overall energy consumption. 

Multiple bulbs in one location, such as those you put in the kitchen, can all be controlled simultaneously through a Group Lighting function. An additional circadian function, when activated, can sync the brightness of your smart bulbs to the time of day, making early mornings or late evenings easier on the eyes. You can also set specific schedules and times for your lights for automatic activation and deactivation.

Amazon sells Kasa Smart WiFi Smart Light Bulbs in packs of two for $17.99. With an overall rating of 4.5 stars across nearly 25,000 purchases, these bulbs are a highly popular choice for anyone looking to tie their house's lighting into their smart home integration. 

McGor 10inch Under Cabinet Lighting

Made with 40 energy-saving LEDs each placed in a non-glare frosted cover, McGor 10-inch Under Cabinet Lighting provides up to 180 lumens of brightness. Featuring a 1,800 mAh rechargeable battery, these lights can function for more than a week in motion sensor mode before requiring a recharge and have up to five different brightness levels to choose from.  

These cabinet lights have both an always-on switch and an integrated motion sensor setting, allowing for hands-free activation whenever movement is detected. Its sensor can pinpoint movement up to 10 feet away at an angle of up to 120 degrees and works well even in low-light environments. While there's no smart home integration exactly, its auto-shutoff feature puts this product squarely in the realm of "handy".

Installation makes use of built-in magnets for easy placement on metal surfaces, but the packaging also includes adhesive metal plates can be used for mounting on non-magnetic types of surfaces like wood. These lights earned a rating of 4.5 stars from more than 50,000 customers, who loved its steady performance and ease of use. Occupying that rare space of a cheap Amazon gadget with high user ratings, this two-pack of under-cabinet lights are available at time of writing for just $15.96. 

Orbitell Wireless Wi-Fi Video Doorbell Camera

Available for just $9.99 on Amazon, the Orbitell Wireless Wi-Fi Video Doorbell Camera is a budget-friendly method to increase your home security. Pairing it with your smartphone will enable the smart device to send you alerts thanks to its motion detection feature, letting you see who's at your front door. It can also record video footage in 1080p, storing it remotely for you to review later. Its camera is also equipped with night vision capabilities, allowing it to record footage in the dark at ranges as far as 17 feet away. A two-way feature means you can even have a full conversation with whoever's on the other side of the door. 

This doorbell camera is designed to be all-weather, with the manufacturer stating that it has an IP65 water resistance rating to survive in different outdoor conditions. With a total rating of 4 stars from over 2,000 customers, the overall verdict has been a positive one for this well-loved Amazon gadget.

ThirdReality Zigbee Smart Garage Door Tilt Sensor

The ThirdReality Zigbee Smart Garage Door Sensor is powered by two AAA batteries that the company says can keep this device powered for up to 24 months. The device pairs with many of the well-known smart home assistants and home automation choices, such as Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Apple Home, SmartThings, and more; once paired, the sensor can send you instant notifications whenever the garage door opens or closes, allowing you to monitor the space without being physically present.  This garage door sensor has four sensitivity levels to choose from, allowing you to fine-tune the amount of precision you need. 

Holding a score of 4.2 stars on Amazon, this device has received praise from customers on ease of integration into their existing home automation setups as well as the speed of which it provides updates on the status of their garage door. It's currently on sale for $19.99. However, do note that you'll need Zigbee's Smart Bridge MZ1 device (a smart home hub) for the sensor to work with certain Amazon Echo devices like the Echo Flex, Echo Dot 3 and 4, and the Echo Show 5.

ThirdReality Zigbee Temperature and Humidity Sensor Lite

Want to pin down the climate conditions inside your home even when you're not there? Another part of the Zigbee ecosystem, the ThirdReality Zigbee Temperature and Humidity Sensor Lite works to provide you precise temperature readings within a range of from 5 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit and a humidity accuracy of ±2% from 0% to 100%. 

Thanks to its ability to integrate into the rest of your smart home, you can use the sensor to trigger automation tasks whenever its temperature or humidity exceeds sets threshold. You could, for example, set your air conditioner to turn on automatically if it gets too hot inside your home while you're away. You can also use a compatible home automation assistant like Alexa and use voice commands to find out the current current humidity or temperature, but be aware it has the same connectivity limitations as the Zigbee garage door sensor.

However, just as it says with its also garage door sensor, Zigbee claims this device can operate for years on a single pair of AAA batteries.  Amazon customers give the sensor a rating of 4.2 stars across 393 reviews, reporting to be a great product for its comparatively low price of just $19.99, commenting that it was helpful monitoring real-time temperatures of spaces like indoor kitchens or pet rooms.

Govee RGBIC LED Strip Lights

Govee RGBIC LED Strip Lights might not be the type of smart home gadget that's on your radar, but its ability to illuminate your space with a mix of 16 million color combinations and effects has made it a customer favorite — it has a 4.4-star rating across more than 23,000 reviews on Amazon. That, and its affordable $14.99 price, are two strong recommendations right there.

This light strip measures 16.4 feet and comes with an adhesive backing for ease of installation, though they're best when used indoors as they're not waterproof. You can choose from more than 64 built-in effects to add festive touches for events like birthdays or holidays, and a sync feature allows you to match up the lights with the music you're playing to create a custom lightshow. 

Like the many other lighting products the company offers, these LED strip lights can be controlled directly from the Govee Home app on your smartphone, where you can adjust brightness, color tones, and other effects via Bluetooth. If 16.4 feet isn't enough for you, Govee offers longer versions as well, ranging from 32.8 feet to 100 feet, though you'll pay a lot more than our $20 limit for the extra length.

Deeyaple Bluetooth Speaker

If Amazon's customer reviews can be believed, the Deeyaple Bluetooth Speaker offers a great way to enjoy high-quality music just about anywhere. It features a 15-watt output capability to generate clear and rich sounds, as noted in the Amazon customer review section. Scored at an impressive 4.7 stars across 4,900 reviews, buyers were happy with its quality, with one even mentioning that things still sound clear even at maximum volume.

As far as its other capabilities, the manufacturers of this Bluetooth speaker say it sports s rechargeable 2,500 mAh battery that can offer 12 hours of playback at 50% volume. It also comes with essential features like an IP67 rating against water and dust intrusion, providing some substantial protection if you're carrying it along on your travel adventures or even just using it in the kitchen while preparing dinner. 

This speaker has a ring-shaped dynamic RGB light on the mouth of the device which can sync to the frequency of whatever music you're playing, similar to the way the Govee LED strip lights can. Also,  Deeyapale says that you can connect two of these speakers to enjoy 360-degree stereo sound. At just $19.97, this is another little-known Amazon gadget that seems to have a strong following.

TP-Link Tapo 1080P Indoor Security Camera

While we've already listed an outdoor doorbell camera, what about indoors? That's where the TP-Link Tapo 1080P Indoor Security Camera comes in. Capable of capturing video in 1080p even in dark environments up to a distance of 30 feet thanks to its night vision feature, this camera also supports two-way audio for remote communication through it and your connected smartphone or other device. It's highly regarded on Amazon with a 4.4-star rating across nearly 24,000 reviews and is available for $15.97.

Additional features include motion detection and audio alerts, allowing it to be used as a baby monitor, and smart home integration with digital assistants like Alexa or Google Assistant, enabling voice commands. You can also create custom notification zones by marking important areas around the house so you are alerted in case of any activity in those defined spaces. If you have a microSD card installed in the camera, or if you have a Tapo Care subscription, you can use the device's smartphone app to play back recordings from previous dates.

Defiant Smart Outdoor Plug

The Defiant Smart Outdoor Plug, powered by the HubSpace mobile app, purports to do for outdoor home automation what Kasa does for indoors. The device likewise features two outlets, allowing you to control each plugged-in device via your smartphone either individually or at the same time. You can also create custom schedules for turning any connected devices on or off at certain times, such as activating outdoor holiday lights lights at sunset and turning them off at midnight.

This outdoor plug has a 15-ampere power consumption limit, so keep that in mind if you're thinking of plugging anything in that has heavy power consumption needs. The manufacturer claims it's built tough to withstand most outside conditions thanks to its IP64 water and dust intrusion rating. Available at Home Depot for $19.97, this product has a 4.4-star rating across 810 reviewers; 57% of customers recommended the plug, with many praising its ease of setup and integration into the HubSpace app.

ThirdReality Zigbee Contact Sensor

The third device from this company that's made the list, the ThirdReality Zigbee Contact Sensor sells on Amazon for $19.99 and features a 4.4-star rating across 1,118 reviews. It's a security device that goes on the doors and windows of your house to monitor when they're opened, sending you remote notifications when it detects any change. This can be especially useful if you'll be away from home for a few days and your house is being left unattended.

Like other Zigbee devices, it's compatible with a number of home assistant devices, either right out of the box or in conjunction with the Smart Bridge MZ1. Pairing the sensor with a home automation manager like Alexa gives you access to more advanced features like creating routines. For instance, you can automate a smart bulb or another connected device in your network to activate whenever a specific door or window is opened.

Zigbee recommends these sensors for indoor use on non-metal surfaces, including not just doors and windows but also refrigerators and kitchen cabinets. The sensor relies on two AAA batteries; like the rest of the Zigbee devices detailed above, those two batteries provide around 24 months of operation.

Hauibela Smart Tracker Tag

We all understand the struggles of misplacing things and being unable to find them when needed. The Hauibela Smart Tracker Tag aims to eliminate that hassle by helping you pinpoint the lost item, thanks to its Bluetooth range of up to 50 meters via the Apple Find My app in your iOS device. Each tag includes a built-in speaker that can produce sounds up to 100 decibels, so you can track the missing item by sound.

Each tracker has features an IP67 rating to provide good levels of protection against water damage. Additionally, the tracker can be set to alert you if you mistakenly leave an item behind, as it can be configured to send you a notification if it exceeds its covered range. The app supports up to five different users for monitoring tracker locations, though they must all be on a device running iOS 17. 

You can get a four-pack of these trackers from Amazon for $13.99. It's highly rated, featuring 4.5 stars across 819 reviewers, with many remarking that it's easy to set up and use and that they provide good value for money.

Methodology

When selecting the gadgets for this list, we made sure each product met set criteria. These included having a user rating of at least 4 stars on whatever platform it's available on. We also looked deeper into customer reviews for reports on overall effectiveness and functionality according to user feedback.

All the devices here are priced under $20. With the exception of the McGor Under Cabinet Lighting — which still provides plenty of hands-free utility thanks to its integrated motion sensor — all of these products can pair wirelessly with your smart home setup to make tasks easier and more automated.