If you want to give your home a bit of a makeover without breaking the bank, simple upgrades are the way to go. Not sure where to start? Think of everyday items that are easily replaceable, such as a shower head or power strip.
Whether you’re a beginner or an expert at DIY, lifestyle and tech expert Mario Armstrong, stopped by the 3rd hour of TODAY to share smart home upgrades that are both simple and easy to install.
From illuminating your hallways to organizing your home office plugs, these tech upgrades take minutes to set up — and start at $10.
Smart home upgrades seen on TODAY
GE Motion Sensor Night Light
Perfect for guests, grandparents, or young ones who are trying to make it to the bathroom at night, this motion sensor night light illuminates their path. It has a “modern design,” according to Armstrong, helping it blend into any hallway or room that you put it in.
Roku Indoor Wired Camera
Have eyes and ears in any room of your house while you’re away, and check in with house sitters and children alike, thanks to this indoor camera — that you can access via the Roku app on your television or smartphone.
Two-way audio allows you to communicate with those inside the house, including pets who may have gone astray in your absence.
Blacksmith Smart Door Lock
All you need is a screwdriver and a couple of minutes to set up this smart lock, says Armstrong. Unlock your door one of four ways: fingerprints, a unique code, a key fob or a traditional key.
Plus, you can even set up a temporary code for babysitters, house sitters and guests who are visiting. With the app, you can even receive alerts notifying you of when family members arrive home safely.
Tudoccy Rainfall High Pressure Showerhead
Achieve a spa-like experience without having to leave home thanks to this dual shower head that has three modes: rainfall, handheld and a combination of the two.
The handheld shower head even has nine different spray settings, depending on the water pressure you want. It takes less than an hour to install, according to reviewers — no plumber or maintenance people are required!
Renpho Elis 1 Smart Scale
This smart scale allows you to see progress in real time, no matter if you’re tracking weight loss, muscle mass, water percentage or body fat. The entire family can set goals, track progress and keep tabs on their health thanks to the ability to set up multiple profiles in the smartphone app (that’s also accessible via your Apple Watch!).
Kasa Smart Plug Power Strip
With this smart power strip, Armstrong says this gadget allows you to check on devices regardless if you’re home or not. In the app, you can schedule and turn outlets on and off to control hair tools, coffee makers, humidifiers and more. You can power an entire room with this power strip, which includes six traditional outlets and three USB ports.
More smart home upgrades to shop
Kunphy Ultrasonic Jewelry Cleaner
Sanitize and revive glasses, jewelry, makeup brushes, and more with this cleaning gadget. To use, you simply fill the basin with water, close the contents inside, then turn it on. The vibration frequency works to provide a deep clean, says the brand.
Reviewers say this easy-to-use device leaves no mess behind and appreciate that it can clean fine jewelry without the use of harsh chemicals.
Kasa Smart Light Bulb
Smart and dimmable light bulbs are a great way to customize the lighting in your home. This Kasa smart bulb can be controlled through the app, Alexa or Google Assistant, allowing you to adjust the brightness to your liking. You can even create schedules to help wake you up in the morning, turn on or off while you’re not home, and more.
Aqara Door and Window Sensor
Monitor entryways (even windows!) with these sensors, that alert you each time motion is detected. Plus, an alarm will sound should a door or window be opened unexpectedly.
For best results, the brand recommends placing it equidistant from a WiFi router and the door you want to use it on.
Asoko Rechargeable LED Lights
One Shop TODAY writer named these portable lights a “must-have” in her New York City apartment. They’re easy to set up, have a motion sensor setting (perfect for sneaking into the kitchen for a midnight snack!), and last for a long time — no battery required. With a USB-C cord, they’ll last for up to 25 days off a single, three-hour charge.
Kasa Smart Plugs
Similar to the power strip above, these smart plugs can be plugged into any traditional outlet in your home, and then controlled via an app on your phone. You can set certain electronics and devices on a schedule, always have a lamp on when you arrive home, or turn the straightener off once you get to work.
SLF Luxury Towel Warmer
There’s “nothing better than warm towels in the winter,” says associate partnerships editor, Lauren Witonsky. This towel warmer can even fit a bathrobe, for days when you can’t be bothered to put on real clothes.
It has a handle that pulls the towels up, meaning you don’t have to reach into the overheated basin for your towels, bathrobes, washcloths and more.
Rabbit Automatic Electric Corkscrew
Long gone are the days of corks swimming around in your wine due to a poor uncorking job. This electric corkscrew latches onto the cork, “smoothly” opening the bottle. Plus, it has a built-in foil cutter and is rechargeable, opening up to 30 bottles on a single charge, or two to six months depending on how often you use it.
Amazon Echo Spot
This is Amazon’s newest Echo — that acts as an alarm clock, but also syncs with other facets of your house that you can control from your phone or with the sound of your voice.
Turn lights on and off depending on if you’re gearing up or winding down for the day, check the weather for the day ahead, ask Alexa to play your favorite music while you’re getting ready — and so much more.
Meet the expert
- Mario Armstrong is a lifestyle and tech expert, podcaster and NBC contributor. Formerly, he’s stopped by the show to share tech finds, President’s Day deals and more.
How we chose
The Shop TODAY editors and writers search the internet to find the best products out there. We interview expert sources, comb through customer reviews and even use our own personal experiences to make shopping easier for our readers.
As an editorial team, we independently create content and determine coverage based on research, reporting and what we think TODAY.com readers would like to read about. The goal of our content is to provide a service and inform readers who are on the hunt for the latest products to help make their life better. Items are sold by retailer, not TODAY. Pricing and availability are accurate as of publish time. These picks were chosen by Mario Armstrong and members of our editorial team.
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