Best Early Black Friday Smart Home Deals
We've found the best discounts you can already get on top-rated smart thermostats, video doorbells, security cameras, and more
By Daniel Wroclawski
Now that we’re in November and Black Friday is on the horizon, there are some impressive sales on them and other smart products that have performed well in CR’s tests. If you’ve been thinking about installing a smart home security system, a video doorbell, or even smart lightbulbs, now might be a great time to get one at a discount.
CR’s experts have hunted through deals from Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and other competing retailers, cross-checking them against our comprehensive ratings of smart thermostats, smart security cameras, smart locks, and more—to isolate the best sales on highly rated smart home gear right now.
As we move closer to Black Friday, we expect these deals will only get better and more plentiful, so if you don’t see what you want, check back often.
Viewing on a mobile device? Click on the links below to skip to each section:
• DIY Home Security Systems
• Home Security Cameras
• Smart Lightbulbs
• Smart Locks
• Smart Thermostats
• Video Doorbells
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DIY Home Security Systems
SimpliSafe The Essentials SS3-01
The SimpliSafe The Essentials SS3-01 security system is one of the best options out there for DIY home security. It receives above-average ratings across the board, with the exception being a less-than-ideal rating for data privacy (a common result for a majority of systems we’ve tested). Of course, the system also works with SimpliSafe’s security cameras, the CR-tested SimpliSafe Doorbell Pro SS3 video doorbell, and the smart lock. You can opt for self-monitoring or pay a subscription fee for professional monitoring. And you can purchase extra contact and motion sensors to cover your whole home.
Why it’s a good deal: This nearly $100 discount is impressive. We did see the system selling for $240 during the Amazon Prime sale a few weeks ago, so it may get cheaper again closer to Black Friday.
Home Security Cameras
Arlo Pro 4 VMC4050P-100NAS
For a higher-end camera, consider the Arlo Pro 4. It connects directly to WiFi (no need for a hub) and features a built-in spotlight for color night vision, a rechargeable battery, a siren, and voice control via Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. In our tests, it offered great response time for alerts, robust data security, and plenty of smart features. The only flaw is that its video quality doesn’t match its claimed 2K resolution. Cloud video storage and additional features (such as person, package, vehicle, and animal detection) require an Arlo Secure subscription.
Why it’s a good deal: The single camera is now only $16 more than its Prime sale price, and the three-pack is actually almost $50 better.
Wyze Outdoor Floodlight Camera WYZECFL (Wired)
Want a floodlight camera for less than $100? The Wyze Cam Floodlight is the model for you. It receives high marks for video quality, data security, and response time in our tests. It also offers a good array of features, including color night vision, monitoring zones, a siren, two-way audio, voice and app control via Amazon Alexa and Google Home/Assistant, and a microSD card slot to store video footage without a subscription. A Wyze Cam Plus subscription can be used to store footage in the cloud and add object recognition for people, packages, vehicles, and pets.
Why it’s a good deal: Walmart’s price is the best available right now.
Arlo Essential Indoor Security Wired VMC2040-100NAS
The Arlo Essential Wired Indoor Camera isn’t the most affordable indoor-only camera, but it’s a great option for anyone who already owns other Arlo gear. In our tests, it offers decent video quality, speedy response time for alerts, strong data security, and plenty of features, such as monitoring zones and voice and app control via Amazon Alexa, Google Home/Assistant, and Samsung SmartThings. Cloud video storage and additional features (such as person, package, vehicle, and animal detection) require an Arlo Secure subscription.
Why it’s a good deal: This is the same discount we saw during Amazon’s Prime Early Access Sale.
Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight Cam
Arlo’s smart floodlight camera sets itself apart from other models in design alone. The sleek device doesn’t immediately give itself away as a security cam, and because it runs on a rechargeable battery, you won’t have to worry about pesky wires. The camera records a 160-degree angle in 2K (with high dynamic range, or HDR), though our tester found that the quality wasn’t quite as sharp as 2K ought to be. It also has two-way audio and color night vision. You have to pay for a subscription if you want motion detection alerts, though, and we found that setup was a little troublesome, resulting in a call to customer service to get things running smoothly.
Why it’s a good deal: This camera is only $10 more than the lowest price we’ve seen.
Eufy Solo Cam S40
The Eufy SoloCam S40 is the first security camera CR has tested with a built-in solar panel to recharge its battery. In our tests, it offers superb video quality and data security, as well as speedy response times. The camera doesn’t offer great data privacy, though, which is common among these devices. It features monitoring zones; person alerts; voice and app control via Amazon Alexa and Google Home/Assistant; a built-in siren; color night vision (thanks to its built-in spotlight); and 8 gigabytes of memory to store footage locally.
Why it’s a good deal: This sale price matches the lowest we’ve seen all year.
TP-Link Kasa Cam KC120
The TP-Link Kasa Cam KC120 is a CR Best Buy thanks to its combination of great performance and price. This TP-Link offers impeccable video quality and response time, as well as strong data security. The camera’s features include monitoring zones, voice and app controls via Amazon Alexa and Google Home/Assistant, two-way audio, and a magnetic mount. Video clips can be stored in the cloud by subscribing to a Kasa Care plan, but this camera comes with a free two-year cloud storage plan that gives you a rolling two days of video storage.
Why it’s a good deal: This CR Best Buy camera is nearly half off its list price and just $5 more than the lowest we’ve seen.
Smart Lightbulbs
TP-Link Kasa Smart WiFi Lightbulb Multicolor KL125
The TP-Link Kasa Smart KL125 smart bulb offers the best bang for your buck among the 10 smart lightbulbs we’ve evaluated. It retails for $15 per bulb and offers a great array of colors and dimming performance that come awfully close to the pricier Philips Hue. The bulb also works with Amazon Alexa, Google Home/Assistant, and Samsung SmartThings for voice and/or app control.
Why it’s a good deal: This is a solid discount, especially because it’s just $2 more than you’d pay for a single bulb—a four-pack is just $32.
Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance A19 Three-Pack
In our hands-on review, the 60-watt-equivalent Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance smart LED bulb was the best bulb of 10 we evaluated, displaying bright, vivid colors and impressive dimming. These bulbs can be controlled via Bluetooth from your smartphone and some Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant smart speakers, but they require a Philips Hue Bridge, $60, for full functionality (such as Apple Home compatibility).
Why it’s a good deal: With the on-page coupon, this is an impressive discount. We have seen this three-pack sell for around $70, and it may drop again for Black Friday.
Smart Locks
August WiFi Smart Lock AUG SL05-M01-G01
Interested in a smart lock but tired of hubs and dongles? The August WiFi Smart Lock is one of a growing number that connects directly to WiFi, with no hub needed. This August is also a retrofit model, meaning it replaces only the interior side of your deadbolt so you can keep your existing keys. It performs quite well in our tests, including those for ease of remote access and convenience features. Those features include auto-locking and unlocking, voice and app control (via Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit/Siri, Google Assistant, and Samsung SmartThings), access logs, electronic keys, and a door sensor.
Why it’s a good deal: This is a solid discount, but it was $10 less during recent sales and may drop again closer to Black Friday.
Kwikset Premis 919TRL 15 SMT
The Kwikset Premis 919TRL 15 SMT is best for iPhone users because it works with Apple’s HomeKit smart home ecosystem and Siri digital assistant. In our tests, the Premis was very resistant to kick-ins and lock picking, but it’s susceptible to attack from a cordless drill. Still, this lock comes with some very helpful features, including an access log to keep track of who comes and goes, a tamper alarm, an auto-lock feature, and the ability to create and share PINs with others. Just note that because this lock uses Bluetooth and HomeKit, you’ll also need an Apple TV, Apple HomePod, or Apple iPad (that’s constantly plugged into an outlet) in your home to control the lock remotely.
Why it’s a good deal: This is within a few dollars of the best price we’ve seen.
Smart Thermostats
Google Nest Thermostat G4CVZ
The Google Nest Thermostat is technically more of a WiFi-enabled programmable thermostat than a truly smart thermostat that learns your routine, but some people might prefer that. It offers great manual controls in our tests as well as a few useful features, such as presence sensing to tell whether anyone is home, a smartphone app for remote control and programming, and voice control via Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
Why it’s a good deal: This is a good discount. It was about $100 during the last big sales, so may drop in price again closer to Black Friday.
Smart Doorbells
Arlo AVD1001-100NAS
The Arlo Essential Wired Video Doorbell didn’t perform as well as the battery-powered wire-free version in our lab tests, but the wired doorbell is still a worthy contender for your front door. It offers superb data security, decent video quality, and a good amount of smart features. Its only weaknesses are its sluggish response time for alerts and loading live feeds and its lackluster data privacy, but that’s a common issue with most doorbells we test. Its features include high dynamic range video, voice and app control (via Amazon Alexa, Google Home/Assistant, and Samsung SmartThings; Apple HomeKit requires an Arlo base station), monitoring zones, and prerecorded messages that will play if you can’t answer the door. Cloud video storage and additional features (such as person, package, vehicle, and animal detection) require an Arlo Secure subscription.
Why it’s a good deal: It’s been on sale for a while, but just dropped another $12 to the best price we’ve seen in months.
Arlo Essential Video Doorbell (Wire-free) AVD2001-100NAS
Want a battery-powered video doorbell that isn’t made by Amazon or Google? This Arlo model is a great alternative. In our tests, it receives high scores for its video quality and data security, but we found it to be a bit slow when it comes to its response time for alerts and loading live video feeds. Its features include a rechargeable battery, optional wiring contacts to wire it to a home’s doorbell circuit, high dynamic range for clear video in brightly lit or dark spots, and voice and app control via Amazon Alexa, Google Home/Assistant, and Samsung SmartThings. Cloud video storage and additional features (such as person, package, vehicle, and animal detection) require an Arlo Secure subscription.
Why it’s a good deal: This video doorbell is at its usual sale price.
TP-Link Kasa Smart KD110
The TP-Link Kasa Smart KD110 is a great video doorbell for the money, with strong data security, fast response times, and decent video quality. It comes with a plug-in doorbell chime and features monitoring zones, voice and app control via Amazon Alexa and Google Home/Assistant, person detection, and local video storage using a microSD card (sold separately). Video clips can also be stored in the cloud by subscribing to a Kasa Care plan.
Why it’s a good deal: This is within a few dollars of the lowest price we’ve seen in months.
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