The best Black Friday smart home bundles you can buy this week – CNET

Black Friday is coming up in just a few days, and it's one of the best times of the year to buy in on smart home devices. With deals aplenty from retailers such as Amazon, Best Buy, Target and Walmart, it's easy enough to score a sweet discount on a new gadget or two — but what if you're looking to take advantage of the savings and go all-in?

The trick is to find a collection of discounted gadgets that all play well with one another — and hey, that's where our years of experience testing smart home devices at the CNET Smart Home kicks in!

To that end, here's my curated list of Black Friday smart home bundles, all of them cobbled together from the best deals we've seen. From smart kitchens to smart security, Alexa to Apple HomeKit, we've got lots of suggestions for how to get the most for your money this Black Friday.

Oh, and if you just want to see the full list of all of the smart home gadgets we've found on sale this week, click here.

• Deals have been updated and verified as of Tuesday, Nov. 20.
• Note that CNET may get a share of revenue from the sale of products featured on this page.

The ultimate bargain setup for $187 (save $137)

Nest Thermostat E for $99 from Dell (save $70, available Nov. 21)
CNET Review Score: 7.7

Lifx Multicolor Wi-Fi Smart Bulb for $40 at Best Buy (save $20, available Nov. 22)
CNET Review Score: 8.4

TP-Link Kasa Smart Plug 2-Pack for $23 at Newegg (save $17, available Nov. 23)
CNET Review Score: 7.8

Google Home Mini with C by GE Bluetooth Smart Bulb for $25 at Lowe's (save $30, available Nov. 23)
CNET Review Score: 8.4

I'd like to start by building off of some excellent suggestions from my intrepid colleague Sarah Mitroff, who put together a terrific Black Friday smart home starter bundle for just $110. I made a few tweaks and came up with a similar setup that includes a color-changing smart bulb for your living room, a Bluetooth smart bulb for your bedroom, a Nest thermostat, two smart plugs, and a Google Home Mini smart speaker that can control all of it. Total cost: $187.

A smarter kitchen — with cookware — for $488 (save $364)

Anova Wi-Fi Sous Vide Circulator for $100 at Best Buy (save $60, available now)
CNET Review Score: 8.0

Lenovo 8-inch Smart Display for $99 at Best Buy (save $100, available Nov. 22)
CNET Review Score: 8.6

Google Home Mini and 30-piece Tasty Cookware Set for $99 at Walmart (save $130, available Nov. 22)
CNET Review Score: 8.4

WeMo Mini Smart Plug for $20 at Best Buy (save $15, available Nov. 22)
CNET Review Score: 8.0

Instant Pot Lux for $60 at Walmart (save $40, available Nov. 23)
CNET Review Score: 7.4

Meater Plus Smart Meat Thermometer 2-pack for $110 on Amazon (save $19, available Nov. 23)
CNET Review Score: 7.0 (previous generation)

Want some tech-enabled cooking assistance in the coming year? Consider this combo, which includes the excellent Instant Pot Lux pressure cooker, an Anova sous vide circulator that's exceptional at bringing meats to the perfect temperature, a WeMo Mini smart plug that can automate your trusty coffeemaker, 2-pack of smart meat thermometers, a Lenovo Smart Display for voice-activated recipe walkthroughs from the Google Assistant and, for good measure, a 30-piece cookware set from Tasty that comes with a free Google Home Mini. Total cost: $488.

A fun, functional Apple HomeKit setup for $618 (save $180)

Ecobee3 Lite Smart Thermostat for $139 on Amazon (save $30, available now)
CNET Review Score: 8.0

Apple HomePod for $249 at Best Buy (save $100, available Nov. 22)
CNET Review Score: 7.9

Nanoleaf Rhythm Starter Kit with Nanoleaf Remote for $230 direct from Nanoleaf (save $50, available Nov. 23)
CNET Review Score: 7.9

The Apple HomePod doubles as a dedicated HomeKit hub that lets you control your Siri-centric smart home from beyond your Wi-Fi network. And, if you're planning on taking advantage of that Black Friday deal on the HomePod, then consider putting Nanoleaf's color-changing, HomeKit-friendly LED light panels on the wall above it. With the Rhythm accessory, which comes included, they'll be able to dance in rhythm with whatever music you're playing on that HomePod, and if you buy from Nanoleaf on Black Friday, the company will throw in its ultra-unique, 12-sided Nanoleaf Remote, which lets you assign lighting scenes or HomeKit scenes to each side, then trigger them by rotating that side to the top. Throw in the excellent Ecobee3 Lite smart thermostat to let Siri control the heating and cooling, and your HomeKit setup will be off to a very sound start. Total cost: $618.

A security-minded smart home setup for $429 (save $340)

August Smart Lock for $120 direct from August (save $30, available Nov. 22)
CNET Review Score: 7.5

Ring Video Doorbell 2 with Amazon Echo Dot for $139 at Best Buy (save $110, available Nov. 22)
CNET Review Score: 7.4

SimpliSafe Protect Home Security System with SimpliCam for $170 at Best Buy (save $200, available Nov. 22)
CNET Review Score: 8.5

Best Buy's Black Friday discounts on SimpliSafe starter kits are some of the best smart home deals of the season — for instance, $170 will net you the base station, a keypad, four open/closed sensors, a motion detector and a free standalone SimpliCam to boot. Add in the SimpliSafe-compatible August Smart Lock and the excellent Ring Video Doorbell 2 and you're looking at a comprehensive, DIY smart security setup with plenty of room to grow. The free Echo Dot is a nice bonus, because you can control SimpliSafe, Ring, and August products using Alexa voice commands.

SimpliSafe offers 24/7 monitoring, app alerts and a cellular backup for $25 per month, and you'll be able to control the system using Alexa voice commands on that Amazon Echo Dot. Oh, and Alexa can control that August Smart Lock, too. Total cost: $429.

A 10-point Alexa smart lighting special for $373 (save $180)

Ecobee Switch Plus for $79 direct from Ecobee (save $20, available now)
CNET Review Score: 7.5

Philips Hue White and Color 3-Bulb Starter Kit with Wireless Remote for $120 at Best Buy (save $70, available now)
CNET Review Score: 7.2

Amazon Echo for $69 on Amazon (save $30, available Nov. 22)
CNET Review Score: 8.5

Amazon Smart Plug for $5 on Amazon (save $20, available Nov. 22)
CNET Review Score: 6.2

Philips Hue Light Strips for $60 at Best Buy (save $30, available Nov. 23)
CNET Review Score: 7.0

Philips Hue White LED 4-Pack for $40 at Best Buy (save $10, available Nov. 23)
CNET Review Score: 8.5

Looking to control the lights in your home using Alexa commands? Here's a Black Friday combo that'll get you 2 Alexa speakers and 10 smart lights that she can control, including four that change colors — all for less than $400 total.

Start with the Ecobee Switch Plus, a smart light switch that doubles as a teeny-tiny Alexa speaker for voice activated lighting changes — it's a great way to automate your bedroom lights and get Alexa controls in there in one fell swoop, and it's already $20 off as an early Black Friday special. Also available now: a 3-bulb, color-changing Philips Hue starter kit, complete with a free wireless dimming switch for good measure. You're already up to one Alexa speaker and four smart lights, and we haven't even started defrosting the turkey yet.

Next, pick up an Amazon Echo for your living room on Thanksgiving Day, and add the Amazon Smart Plug to your Echo purchase for $5 more. You can use that plug to automate any lamp you plug in behind it, making it our fifth Alexa-ready smart light. Next, head to Best Buy on Black Friday and pick up a discounted Philips Hue light strip that'll look great behind your TV or above your kitchen cabinets, along with 4-pack of Philips Hue White LEDs for just $40. That's five additional lights you can add to your new Hue Bridge and control with Alexa commands. Voila: a total of 10 smart lights plus 2 Alexa speakers to control them with voice commands. Total cost: $373.

A Google Assistant smart home setup for $501 (save $269)

Google Home Hub for $99 at Best Buy (save $50, available Nov. 22)
CNET Review Score: 8.6

Google Home for $79 at Best Buy (save $50, available Nov. 22)
CNET Review Score: 8.0

Google Home Mini and Google Chromecast for $45 at Walmart (save $29, available Nov. 22)
CNET Review Score: 8.4

Nest Hello Video Doorbell for $179 from Lowe's (save $70, available Nov. 22)
CNET Review Score: 8.5

Nest Thermostat E for $99 from Dell (save $70, available Nov. 21)
CNET Review Score: 7.7

If you're looking to get Google Assistant voice controls into just about every corner of your home, then consider this combo. It'll net you a Google Home smart speaker for the living room, a camera-free Google Home Hub smart display for your bedroom nightstand, plus a Google Home Mini for the kitchen or kids' room. On top of that, you'll get an attractive smart thermostat and top-rated video doorbell from Nest, plus a Chromecast media streamer — all three of which can be controlled with Google Assistant voice commands on your new speakers. You can even tell the Assistant to pull up your doorbell's camera feed on your Home Hub or your Chromecast-equipped TV. Total cost: $501.

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Black Friday 2018 deals in each category

Black Friday 2018 deals by store

Black Friday 2018: CNET's complete coverage

Apple HomePod

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