Top Smart Home Gadgets I Use EVERY DAY

Top 13 smart home gadgets that I use every single day to save time, money, and be more productive. These are not necessarily the "best" devices in their category, but they are gadgets in my smart home that repeatedly add value for me and my family. What smart home gadgets are your favorites?
📘 CHAPTERS
00:00 - Introduction
00:46 - Water Heater Controller
02:03 - Smart Plugs with Energy Monitoring
03:15 - Thermostat
04:11 - Presence Detection Sensor
04:47 - Alarm & Contact Sensors
05:49 - Doorbell
06:24 - Locks
06:58 - Garage Door
07:32 - Bulbs
08:29 - Switches
08:53 - Buttons
09:20 - Vibration Sensor
09:48 - Robot Vacuum
10:15 - Final Thoughts
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🧑‍💻 GEAR
Aquanta Water Heater Controller: amzn.to/4a5GTw4
TP-Link Kasa Smart Plug Mini with Energy Monitoring: amzn.to/3O0G9PX
Honeywell Home T5 WiFi Smart Thermostat: amzn.to/3Sz4XBf
Everything Presence One Sensor: tinyurl.com/39hdvfck
Ring Alarm 8-Piece Kit (2nd Gen): amzn.to/3vdEXm9
Ring Alarm Contact Sensor (2nd Gen): amzn.to/3SPUwsb
Ubiquiti UniFi G4 Doorbell: amzn.to/3TsWW1m
Yale Assure Lock 2 Smart Lock Z-Wave: amzn.to/4bHlL0B
RATGDO Garage Door WiFi Control Board: tinyurl.com/5553hxwz
Philips Hue Smart 60W A19 LED Bulb - White and Color Ambiance Color - 1 Pack: amzn.to/3vHIsBf
Philips Hue Smart 60W A19 LED Bulb - White Ambiance Warm-to-Cool White Light - 2 Pack: amzn.to/427c8nr
Philips Hue Smart 75W A19 LED Bulb - White and Color Ambiance Color-Changing Light - 2 Pack: amzn.to/3Sp2QQD
Philips Hue Smart 75W A19 LED Bulb - White Ambiance Warm-to-Cool White Light - 2 Pack: amzn.to/3vH5sAy
Philips Hue Smart 100W A21 LED Bulb - White and Color Ambiance Color - 1 Pack: amzn.to/3OaHwvH
Philips Hue Smart 100W A21 LED Bulb - White Ambiance Warm-to-Cool White Light - 1 Pack: amzn.to/3OdA4jv
Philips Hue Bridge - Best Way to Use Philips Hue Smart Bulbs: amzn.to/3wEHnL5
Lutron Caseta Smart Home Dimmer Switch: amzn.to/48EZ1LQ
Lutron Caseta Smart Dimmer Switch for ELV+ Bulbs: amzn.to/49WZLgn
Lutron Caseta Smart Lighting Dimmer Switch Starter Kit with Caseta Smart Hub and Pico Bracket: amzn.to/3P2yP76
Lutron Diva Smart Dimmer Switch Starter Kit for Caséta Smart Lighting, with Smart Hub, Pico Remote, and Pedestal: amzn.to/49B3yjM
Lutron Aurora Smart Bulb Dimmer Switch for Philips Hue Smart Bulbs - Mount Anywhere: amzn.to/3wBWDbL
Lutron Aurora Smart Bulb Dimmer Switch for Philips Hue Smart Bulbs - Mount on Switch: amzn.to/3uVqlIc
Aqara Wireless Mini Switch: amzn.to/3V7jJRt
Aeotec SmartThings Multipurpose Sensor: amzn.to/47BIIix
iRobot Roomba i7+: amzn.to/3Vb5ET3
🎬 FILMING
Camera - iPhone 15 Pro Max: amzn.to/3tAyAbZ
Mic (Wired) - Rode VideoMic GO II: amzn.to/3vnpgc1
Mic (Wireless) - Hollyland Lark M2: amzn.to/3wlbmYF
Desk Mount - Elgato Master Mount L: amzn.to/3wbGKZH
Desk Mount for Top-Down Camera - Elgato Flex Arm L: amzn.to/4a7pG4I
Desk Mount for Prompter and Talking Head Camera - Elgato Solid Arm: amzn.to/3UqrQ9N
Desk Mount for Light - ULANZI Camera Desk Mount Stand: amzn.to/41LmM3l
Light - RALENO LED Soft Light: amzn.to/48v3Ho6
Tripod - Peak Design Travel Tripod (Carbon Fiber): amzn.to/3vExGfi
Mini Tripod - Peak Design Mobile Tripod: amzn.to/48zoIOI
Gimbal - Hohem iSteady M6 Gimbal for Smartphone - amzn.to/3Wqi0r6
Gimbal - Hohem AI Tracking Sensor - amzn.to/3y85bYv
Headphone Hanger Mount - EURPMASK: amzn.to/3Swl4i4
Headphones - Sony WH-1000XM5: amzn.to/3I8Hm4z
Laptop - 2023 14" MacBook Pro, M3 Pro, 18GB Memory, 1TB SSD: amzn.to/48sKBzi
Video Editing - DaVinci Resolve (Free Version): tinyurl.com/3hksxnxx
Some of these are affiliate links, which give me a kickback and help support the channel. 😜
👤 ABOUT ME
I'm Michael Leen, a lifelong tech enthusiast in the United States who believes technology is a tool that should help - not hinder - our productivity. I produce weekly video content on UA-cam spanning smart home automation, mobile devices, and other tech tools to help us lead more productive lives.

[@michaelsleen]

Let me know your top smart home gadgets that you use every day. 👉 Click here to see my smart home gear: www.michaelsleen.com/tech/

[@volcolby]

I had not seen the hot water heater device. That’s awesome.

[@michaelsleen]

Thanks for watching, and glad you found that one interesting!

[@DHGamerMR]

Great video, Michael. We just bought a 110 year old house, and I'm looking at options to retrofit smart features into it. Very happy I stumbled across your channel and videos.

[@michaelsleen]

Glad you found the channel helpful, and best of luck with the retrofit -- sounds like a fun and challenging project!

[@simonsayshomeassistant]

Nice video Michael

[@michaelsleen]

Thanks Simon!

[@cleveanderson1235]

Great video , I’m curious if you consider Homeseer z wave smart home that’s what I use , along with Alexa and unifi

[@michaelsleen]

There are lots of debates on Home Assistant vs. HomeSeer, so it's good to consider what you're requirements are for a smart home. Home Assistant allows me to do nearly anything without limitations, including a powerful automation tool. I speak more about this in another video that I just published: ua-cam.com/video/F-xyjvcxq2o/v-deo.html

[@patrickalbury8901]

Very nice video. 1st time I have seen the Aquanta water heater product

[@michaelsleen]

Thanks for watching! Yes, I’ve been using Aquanta for several years, but haven’t seen anyone else talk about it.