About Smart Home Under
Most “best smart home” roundups assume you have $500 to spend and a house full of compatible devices already. We didn't. So we started testing the cheapest gear we could find — sometimes it was great, sometimes it died in a month, sometimes the app was unusable.
This site is the running record of what actually works under $100, sorted so you don't waste money learning the hard way. Every pick gets real use before we write about it. If something breaks early or stops being supported, we update or pull the recommendation.
We earn a small commission when you buy through our Amazon links. That keeps the testing budget topped up. The commission rates don't influence which products we recommend — the cheap winners genuinely earn less than the premium ones, and that's fine.
How we pick
- +Real use, not spec sheets. We run each device for at least a month before writing. Connection stability, app quality, and physical size matter more than headline specs.
- +Under $100, hard limit. If a product is only good value at $150, it doesn't make the list. We test the budget tier because that's where most people actually shop.
- +We name what to avoid. A review that only says nice things isn't useful. We tell you which brands to skip and why.
Contact
For corrections, suggestions, or partnership enquiries, reach us at hello@smarthomeunder.com.