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Genius Prime Day smart-home deals that'll make life so much easier, including an Echo Dot for $25

Rudie Obias
·10 min read

We may receive commission from purchases made via links on this page. Pricing and availability are subject to change.

Build the smart home of your dreams for a song, thanks to these incredible Prime Day deals! (Photo: Yahoo Life)
Build the smart home of your dreams for a song, thanks to these incredible Prime Day deals! (Photo: Yahoo Life)

Admit it: You’ve been meaning forever to install smart-home devices but either A) never got around to it or B) feel too intimidated by the options to pull the trigger and buy one already. Never fear: Prime Day is here to give you the savings push you need. And we’re here to help narrow down the options.

For Prime Day, Amazon is offering discounts of up to 70 percent on essential components of a smart home, from hubs to security cameras to floodlights to mesh routers (and other things you may not have heard of but need). Prices start as low as $15.

Amazon’s sales include discounted items from some of the top brands in smart-home gear, including Kasa, NetGear, TP-Link, GE, Motorola and more.

Amazon will give you free shipping on all these items too. But if you have Amazon Prime, you’ll get so much more — from access to new movies to two-day shipping on many items. Not yet a member? Well, what are you waiting for? Get a free 30-day trial here.

And oh yeah: In case the smart-home thing isn’t your bag, we’ve included plenty of steals in other “smart” categories (smart robo vacs, for example), which can be just as life-changing. Scroll for our curated list, and watch how much easier and efficient your life gets with these brilliant additions.

Smart-home hubs

Is now the time to grab one of these genius Echo gadgets? Fo Show! (Photo: Amazon)
Is now the time to grab one of these genius Echo gadgets? Fo Show! (Photo: Amazon)

Armed with a brilliant five-inch display, the Echo Show 5 — on sale for $45, or nearly half off, at Amazon — is a compact nightstand companion. Use it for video chats with friends and family or up-to-the-minute news reports. It can even stream Hulu Plus and Prime Video. so you can sneak in an episode of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel or Fleabag before bed.

This smart-home device doubles as a futuristic digital alarm clock with a number of customizable faces to suit your personality and fandoms. “I love my new Echo Show 5,” said a satisfied Amazon shopper. “It makes it much easier to see the numbers. I like that it dims itself while I’m asleep, too.”

Want more? Check out more smart home hub deals below:

Smart cameras

Prime Day's not forever, so you can get clicking on this deal and Blink it, or blink and miss it. We suggest the former. (Photo: Amazon)
Prime Day's not forever, so you can get clicking on this deal and Blink it, or blink and miss it. We suggest the former. (Photo: Amazon)

Hey, if unnecessarily spending hundreds of dollars on a home cam seems like a good idea, go ahead, knock yourself out. Personally, though, we think you should have a look at the Blink Mini HD. It features Full HD live streaming and two-way audio, so you can talk to house guests via the Blink app. The smart-home security camera also detects motion — it'll go into record mode whenever it senses activity around your home. Oh...and it's now on sale for just $20 at Amazon.

“This is a great little camera monitor,” raved an excited five-star shopper. “It’s easy to set up and easily managed with your smart phone. Can be set up to arm and record at any time. I bought this to use in my master bedroom by my desk where I keep sensitive information.”

Check out more smart camera deals below:

Smart plugs and lights

Seeking an outlet (or four) for your shopping-savvy? Here's your chance. (Photo: Amazon)
Seeking an outlet (or four) for your shopping-savvy? Here's your chance. (Photo: Amazon)

How's this for a doubly genius idea? Multiply your electrical outlets and smarten up your everyday appliances with Gosund Smart Plug Outlet Extenders. This two-pack is just $21, or $15 off with on-page coupon, at Amazon. That's $5.25 per outlet!

Here’s how they work: Just plug them into a wall outlet and plug in the appliance you’d like to make smart, like a lamp or TV. Then sync the plug to your home’s Wi-Fi network and the Gosund app for Android or Apple iPhone, and that’s it! You can now use the app, or even Alexa or Google Assistant, to control your appliance. All four outlets work independently (or together), so you can get twice as many uses out of one outlet. Smart, in more ways than one.

"The outlet space-saving design and independent controls is a big plus," raved a delighted Amazon shopper. "...Even better is that this works reasonably on a switched outlet, by remembering its state before shutoff and not taking more than a couple seconds to power on if it was on before..."

Check out more smart light deals below:

Routers and Modems

When it comes to internet connectivity, stop being the Cable Guy and start being the
When it comes to internet connectivity, stop being the Cable Guy and start being the "Take that, cable!" guy. (Photo: Walmart)

Why pay upwards of $200 per year on a modem from your cable company? Yup, that’s how much you’re paying every year just to rent a unit that you can just buy on your own.

On sale for just $59 (was $78), the Motorola MB7420 Cable Modem can hook you up with internet speeds of up to 1,000 Mbps. It’s compatible with every major ISP (internet service provider), including Comcast Xfinity, Time Warner Spectrum, Cox and many more. Just plug it in, verify with your cable company and let the economizing begin. You can save up to $141 in the first year alone.

"Love my Motorola modem! I recently replaced my whole setup because of frequent and frustrating connection drops," shared a wised-up Walmart shopper. "...The Motorola router was wonderful. I'll definitely be sticking with it."

Check out more Wi-Fi router deals below:

Video streaming

Video streaming for cheap! (Photo: Walmart)
Video streaming for cheap! (Photo: Walmart)

The Roku Express 4K+ — on sale for an all-time low price of $29, down from $39 — gets you access to HBO Max, Hulu, Netflix, Disney+ and much, much more. It’s a must for older TV sets that don't have built-in streaming, or for people who've grown weary of watching Schitt’s Creek or Emily in Paris on a tiny tablet, laptop or phone screen. One of the brand's most powerful devices, the Roku Express 4K+ turns any TV with an HDMI port into a smart TV. It also supports Wi-Fi for an HD and 4K Ultra HD picture quality. And shoppers love it more than Amazon's Fire TV Stick too.

"Bought this to replace my aging Fire TV Stick and I couldn't be happier," raved a savvy Walmart shopper. "The operation is fast and responsive, the interface is intuitive, and the remote very functional. I don't even need my tv remote anymore. Best of all, Roku never tried to funnel me to their proprietary app or try to sell me things! Also, the price is right!"

Check out more video streaming devices deals below:

Smart vacuums

Don't tell the folks at the Discovery Channel, but Shark week is happening right now. (Photo: Walmart)
Don't tell the folks at the Discovery Channel, but Shark week is happening right now. (Photo: Walmart)

On sale for $148 (was $299), the Shark ION Robot Vacuum RV750 is designed to tackle all sorts of household surfaces, unlike other devices that just suck up some dirt and grime, then proceed to get stuck against a wall or under furniture. Phooey!

The RV750 uses a navigation system to map your home’s floor landscape, so it doesn’t bump into walls, scratch up furniture or plummet down stairs. With up to 90 minutes of battery life per charge, it can sweep up your hardwood floors and then switch to carpets and tiles on a dime, plus it can also be controlled and scheduled via its smartphone app or Alexa.

“So far, so great! I really like this little machine, and it does a wonderful job,” raved a five-star reviewer. “It comes around so many times that it makes it hard to leave anything behind. It's pleasantly quiet and was easy to set up. So glad I went with this product and not the competitors'. Worth every penny. I just don't know why I didn't buy it sooner!” Search us!

Check out more smart vacuum deals below:

The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.

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