Buying guide · Everyone

Smart home starter kit: where to actually begin

Updated May 2026

The best way to start a smart home is an Amazon Echo Dot — cheap, easy, and the voice hub for everything you add later — paired with a Fire TV to make your living room smarter. Add tidy, surge-protected power for your new gadgets and you have a complete starter kit.

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You do not need to wire up your whole house. A smart home starts with two or three cheap, high-impact buys. Here is the no-overwhelm starting point.

Start here: voice + entertainment

An Echo Dot is the cheapest, friendliest front door to a smart home — timers, music, and voice control of everything you add later. Pair it with a Fire TV and your living room is instantly smarter.

The unglamorous essentials

The boring buys that make everything work: tidy, protected power for all those new gadgets, right where you need it.

Frequently asked

What is the best first smart home device?

An Amazon Echo Dot. It is inexpensive, easy to set up, and becomes the voice hub for everything you add later — lights, plugs, TVs, and more.

Do I need an expensive hub to start?

No. Start with an Echo Dot and add smart plugs or bulbs as you go. There is no need to commit to a pricey system up front.

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