Best Alexa smart home devices: great gadgets to pair with your Amazon Echo
Alexa is everywhere, and it’s spreading, with Amazon making it even easier to get its voice assistant into everything thanks to the Alexa Gadgets Toolkit, and soon, it will even be on laptops. With Alexa inside any gadget, you can do the usual things – play music, check the weather, and get news – but more impressively, you can operate the functions of that gadget using your voice. In some cases, they also interact with the likes of Echo Dot, Echo, Echo Plus, Echo Spot and Echo Show.
Of course, Amazon is the best place to buy Alexa gadgets, and with Black Friday and Cyber Monday coming up on November 23, you may want to check out our dedicated Amazon deals page, as some of these gadgets are likely to be reduced across the Amazon store.
Many of these devices will require you to download specific Alexa skills - check out our best tips and tricks for getting the most out of your Echo or Alexa-enabled device.
Here are some of the best Alexa-enabled gadgets around, both out now and coming soon:
Amazon Echo Wall Clock
Price and availability TBC
Alexa gets asked to set timers a lot, so perhaps it was about time Amazon developed a dedicated timing device. Powered by a battery and pairing via Bluetooth with any other Echo, Echo Wall Clock lets you ask Alexa to set alarms and timers, and displays a countdown.
Amazon Smart Plug
Available from Amazon for $24.99 (£24.99 / not yet available in Australia)
When used with any Echo device or the Alexa app on a smartphone, this smart plug lets you voice-control anything plugged into it. However, it's limited to on/off, so only really works with appliances like coffee makers, lights, and fans.
Amazon Basics Microwave
Available in the US only for $59.99 via Amazon
All hail the first microwave with a built-in Alexa button. It works with any Echo device, but why do you need to talk to a microwave? It takes out the guesswork, that's why. Simply say, "Alexa, reheat my rice" and it will apply the correct heat setting. It's also got standard manual controls for when you want to go more old school.
Wondrwall
Available in the UK only from the Wondrwall website for £399
Although this intelligent home system has Alexa built-in, voice recognition is only one of 13 different sensors onboard, including motion, luminosity, humidity, power and sound. Built into light switches, Wondrwall can also listen for the sound of a smoke detector, or a window smashing.
EZVIZ ez360 Pano indoor security camera
Available from Argos in the UK only for £139.99
How about some hands-free home security? Fully compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, this indoor panoramic WiFi cameras has a fisheye lens to monitor through 360°, and a 3 MP HDR sensor.
Ring Spotlight Cam Wired security camera
Available in the UK only from Amazon for £199
You can watch Full HD video from this wireless security camera on any phone or tablet. However, Alexa integration makes it possible to also check out footage on an Echo Show or a Fire TV, plus it's also got motion detection and night vision.
Ring Video Doorbell Pro
Available from Amazon for around $220 (£229 / AU$399)
Getting alerts on your phone when there's someone at the door might seem overkill, unless you live in a mansion. More impressive is that you can use Alexa to initiate live feeds of your doorstep on Echo Show, Fire Tablets and Fire TV. With Full HD resolution, this smart buzzer also has night vision.
Philips Hue smart light bulbs
Available from Amazon for about $100 (£60 / AU$189)
One of the first smart home products for ceilings, the Hue line-up of smart light bulbs, lamps and switches are, naturally, compatible with Alexa so you can switch them on and off with voice commands. You can also control their intensity, and operate lights in other rooms.
U by Moen Smart Shower
Available in the US only for $1,225
Fancy being able to start, stop and pause your shower just by talking? Also able to start a shower at a specific temperature via a smartphone app, U by Moen is compatible with Echo Dot, Echo, Echo Plus, Echo Spot and Echo Show.
GE Sol WiFi smart light
Available in the US only for $59.99
Voice control isn't needed everywhere, but it makes stupidly good sense for a bedside table lamp. This GE Sol table lamp with Alexa is basically an LED lamp with WiFi and a microphone that lets you switch it on and off just by talking to it, though you can also adjust the temperature and hue of the light.
Vobot Clock
Reduced on Amazon in the US to $45 (around £40 / AU$58)
A smart alarm built around a 5W speaker and a small display, the Vobot Clock is for bedside tables, kitchen counters and living rooms, or anywhere else that needs a voice-controlled companion. You can talk to Alexa through it, and play music and internet radio, but it's also got white noise and hypnotic music. Plus, you can program it to wake you up with your favorite music.
Belkin WeMo F7C027uk Switch Smart Plug
Available for around $28(£35 / not currently available in Australia)
Pairing with an Echo, this smart plug – typically used to get lamps and lights on to a basic smart home system (and setting them up to work on a schedule) – can now be operated by voice, both Alexa and Google Assistant.
Nest Learning Thermostat
Currently reduced on Amazon in the US to around $210 and £213 in the UK. The Nest Learning Thermostat is not currently available in Australia.
Nest can be controlled via a smartphone, it remembers the temperature settings you set during the day, and uses a motion sensor and GPS to heat your home according to your schedule. If you do need to speak to it, Alexa's got your back.
Integrating Alexa into speakers is a bit of a no-brainer, but it can really enhance the experience, taking your sound setup from dumb to super smart. With an increasing number of TV manufacturers also including support for Alexa in their models, the voice assistant from Amazon is everywhere.
Marshall Acton II Voice wireless speaker
Available to preorder on the Marshall website for $299/£269 - not currently available in Australia.
Putting Alexa on a wireless speaker isn't exactly new, but it's great to see voice control finally making it to audio products more powerful than Echos. The 30W Acton II Voice is styled, of course, like an iconic Marshall guitar amp, but with a far-field microphone added.
Marshall Stanmore II Voice wireless speaker
Available from the Marshall website for $429 (£349) - not yet available in Australia.
Why are Marshall's new wireless speakers named after dreary London suburbs? You can ask the powerful 50W Stanmore II Voice speaker yourself, though this Alexa version is only the start - expect separate Google Assistant versions of the Action II Voice and Stanmore II Voice soon.
Optoma UHD51A projector
Reduced to $1495 from $1699 in the US (£1549.99 / around AU$3710)
The UHD51A is the first 4K Ultra HD projector to feature Amazon Alexa voice control. You can ask this 2400 lumens, HDR-capable DLP projector to switch on and off, change input and volume, and playback files on a USB stick.
Sony HT-ZF9 Dolby Atmos/DTS:X soundbar
Available for $799.99 (£649 / AU$1499)
A firmware update is imminent that will make this advanced 3.1 sound bar compatible with Alexa, so as well as being able to play Dolby Atmos and DTS:X soundtracks and create a 5.1.2 sound-field, you'll be able to ask it to play an artist, adjust the volume, and skip a track. A future update will make it possible to pair the ZF9 with other Amazon Echo products around the house; cue multi-room music.
- Read more: Sony HT-Z9F soundbar review
Bose Home Speaker 500
Available from the Bose store for $399.95 (£399.95 / AU$599.95)
Bose sensibly waited on Alexa until it could offer Spotify and Amazon Music streaming via voice. Unlike most smart speakers, it’s got a small LCD screen, as well as its own microphone for picking-out your utterances more accurately, and for now, it's Alexa only, though AirPlay 2 with Siri, and Google Assistant will be added in future.
Bose Soundbar 500
Available for $549.95 (£499.95 / AU$799.95)
If you're going to embrace Alexa, why not do so across an entire line-up? This soundbar, and a larger, higher spec version, the Bose Soundbar 700, have launched with Alexa support, with AirPlay 2 with Siri, and Google Assistant coming later.
66 Audio Pro Voice
Available in the US only for $119.99
Since headphones are always trying gesture control, having Alexa built-in seems natural. These US-only Bluetooth headphones from 66 Audio allow voice control that extends to synchronized smart home devices.
Denon AVR-X4500H
Available for $1599 (£1,499 / around AU$2240)
Denon may be the first to market with support for Apple’s AirPlay 2 audio standard, but it’s Alexa that catches the eye on this flagship 9.2-channel AV receiver. It features support for spoken commands for on/off, volume up/down, switching inputs, and regular Alexa-type questions.
Denon CEOL N10
Available from Argos for £499 (around $600 / AU$790)
There’s not been much talk about micro hi-fis of late, but you can now talk at one. This successor to the N7 offers both Alexa and Apple AirPlay 2, Bluetooth, Spotify Connect, web radio, and – wait for it – a CD player.
TCL QLED TV X8
Price and availability to be confirmed
A new TV brand for the UK, Chinese manufacturer TCL's upcoming QLED TVs have Alexa built-in. The 7.9mm-slim X8 is a 4K QLED TV with Dolby Vision HDR, Onkyo speakers that can handle Dolby Atmos immersive audio, and hands-free control by voice (Google Assistant as well as Alexa). It comes in 75, 65 and 55-inch sizes.
Anker Soundcore Flare S+ portable Bluetooth speaker
Coming soon for US$129.88 (around £100 / AU$130)
A waterproof 16-hour Bluetooth speaker, the Flare S+ connects directly to Alexa. Cue hands-free voice control and access to all 45,000 Alexa skills, with Flare S+'s light ring glowing in Alexa's signature blue when the device is streaming audio to the cloud.
Jabra Elite Active 65t Amazon Edition
Available for $169.99 on Amazon(£169.99 / AU$289.95)
The only true wireless earphones with Alexa are the Amazon Edition of Jabra’s Elite Active 65t. As well as being able to talk to Alexa via a connected phone, the 65t has one-touch access to Amazon Music, Audible and Prime Video. They also come with a three-month subscription to Amazon Music Unlimited.
Loewe Bild 5 OLED TV
Available in the UK only for £4,990
OK, so you’re not going to spend this big on a 55-inch 4K OLED just so you can shout at the TV, but German luxury AV brand Loewe does have a clever approach. Using Alexa it’s possible to control up to three Loewe TVs in your household, and also manage other smart home gear via the Alexa app.
LG OLED55C8PLA Smart TV
Available for around $1999 (£1999 / AU$3899)
"Alexa, turn down the volume on my living room TV". Having already dabbled with Google Assistant on its TVs, LG has now launched a SmartThinQ Skill for Alexa, which means its 2018 LG OLED TVs and LG Super UHD TVs with LG’s AI ThinQ technology can now be controlled with voice commands. Adjusting volume, play, pause, start, stop, fast forward controls, channel selection and searching for content is what it's there for.
Sony KD-65AF9 TV
Available for around $3500 (£3,999 / AU$4900)
Since Google Assistant plays so nicely with Chromecast, it's about time Alexa got friendly with Android TVs. Since Sony is persevering with Android TV, it's fallen to it to become the Alexa TV expert. Alexa voice control now covers all 2016, 2017 and 2018 models.
Sonos One
Available from Amazon for around $200 (£200 / AU$300)
OK, so it’s a big jump in price from an Echo, but the very capable Sonos One multi-room system now has voice support for Spotify, as well as for Amazon Music, Apple Music and internet radio. For good measure it also supports AirPlay 2.
Sonos Beam
Available on Amazon for $399 (£399/ AU$595)
This is the Sonos soundbar we've been waiting for. Its crowning feature is Alexa integration, but you'll need a Fire TV/Fire TV Stick/Fire TV Cube to get the most out of the Sonos Beam’s voice functionality. With the right gear, the Beam can search Netflix and Amazon Prime. Used on its own, you can still use voice to tweak the volume, ask for radio stations, and pause/play music.
Polk Command Bar
Available on Amazon for $499 (£349 / AU$649)
This soundbar has an Alexa action button built into the remote that wakes the voice assistant so that you don’t have to shout to be heard. That's all well and good, but it's also handy for when you lose the remote control altogether, a common occurrence for most soundbar owners.
Riva Concert
Available for $199 / £199 - not currently available in Australia
A water-resistant 50W speaker, the Riva Concert is part of the Riva Voice Series of official Alexa speakers. So as well as getting regular Alexa pass-through, you get Spotify, Amazon Music, and messaging to other Alexa devices. The line-up also includes the more powerful, wired Riva Stadium.
Toshiba TVs
Available in 2019, price TBC
Having just re-entered the UK TV market thanks to a tie-up with Vestel, Toshiba announced last month that its forthcoming OLED, 4K HDR and Full HD TVs for 2019 will be Alexa-enabled, allowing viewers to interact with Alexa via the TV. However, they won't rely on Amazon Echo, or a voice-activated remote control, but will pick up requests for Alexa using a far-field microphone.
It's not all about the digital home and your entertainment systems when it comes to Alexa integration - there's also a great deal of emerging tech and games consoles that now support the voice assistant from Amazon. Read on for our pick of the best:
Motorola AXH01 wireless home phone
Price and availability TBC
This soon-to-be-available DECT phone is the world's first Alexa-enabled phone. It's simple stuff; tap and ask Alexa to call your contacts by name. “Alexa, call Mum”. You get the idea. Shouldn’t have someone thought of that before?
iRobot Roomba 980
Reduced to $686 on Amazon (around £830 / AU$1220)
iRobot's flagship robot vacuum navigates a home and recharges when it needs to, and can be scheduled using the iRobot Home App. But why bother with that when you can bark instructions through it via Alexa or Google Assistant?
Vuzix Blade augmented reality smart glasses
Price and availability TBC
Whatever happened to Google Glass? It may have disappeared, but the concept has been given a new voice by Vuzix. On pre-order now, the Vuzix Blade may have augmented reality, but the true hands-free experience comes from Alexa, so you can talk while you walk.
Xbox One
Available for around $260 (£185 / AU$345)
No, Microsoft is not abandoning its own voice assistant Cortana, but it is letting Alexa into the world of Xbox. For Xbox Skill, voice support is being expanded so that any Alexa-enabled device can connect to an Xbox One. That means you can use an Echo to change the volume mid-game, as well as take screenshots, and launch apps.
- Read more: Alexa voice support is coming to your Xbox
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