Best Alexa Compatible Devices: Thermostats, Cameras, Lighting & more

Gone are the days of aimless switch flipping and trying to remember which dimmer adjusts which set of lights in your house. Smart light bulbs come packed with app and voice controlled features that automate and simplify the lighting in your home.

Every smart light app is different, but each offers the same basic set of features. You can set timers to have your smart bulbs come on when you get home from work or have the bedroom lights wake you in the morning with gentle light. You can also set “scenes” to customize your home’s lighting in the app. If you’re ready for a night in, tell Alexa to set your premade movie night scene and you’ll instantly transport to your home theater.

If you want to have more fun with your smart lighting, we recommend the LIFX or the Philips Hue color bulb, both of which give you color lighting and more of the fun-but-not-totally-necessary features to make life at home more entertaining.

>>Learn more about our favorite smart light bulbs.

Cameras are important additions to any smart home. They help you keep an eye on your home while you’re out of town or when you leave the kids at home for a bit here and there. The above cameras are built with two-way talk so you can chat with people back home (or yell at your pets to get off the couch).

Most of our favorite home security cameras are compatible with Alexa, which can help you manage multiple cameras from one central hub. With Alexa you use voice commands to do things like arm and disarm your cameras, turn them on or off, or review recent motion-activated events.

>>We also recommend investing in a smart video doorbell.

Alexa-compatible thermostats offer a smarter way to manage your home’s temperature. With smart thermostats you can use voice commands to adjust the temperature or set heating and cooling schedules. Some thermostats, like the Nest Learning Thermostat, learn your preferences over time to fully automate your home temperature.

The Nest and Ecobee4 use motion detection to determine whether or not you’re home. When you’re away the thermostats go into Away mode to save energy and lower your monthly heating and cooling bills.

>>Learn more about our favorite smart thermostats.

If you want to control your smart lock with Alexa, we recommend the August Pro + Connect. The Connect syncs to your home Wi-Fi network so you can control the lock from the August app or by telling Alexa to lock your door as you head to bed.

>>Learn more about our favorite smart door locks.

Of any smart hub, Alexa gives you the widest range of compatible smart devices. It’s the only smart hub with built-in compatibility with Zigbee-enabled products. But Echo devices don’t have a built-in Z-Wave chip, meaning not all Z-Wave products will be automatically compatible with Alexa.

That said, Amazon has ensured the Alexa is compatible with most leading smart home products. Even for most Z-Wave products, you can likely download an Amazon Skill that gives you control over smart devices even if they’re not directly compatible with the Echo. Wemo products, for example, are compatible with Alexa only once you’ve downloaded the Wemo skill through Amazon. So you’re not likely to run into many smart devices that won’t work with Alexa.