Staying in a rented apartment has its pros and cons. One of the biggest limitations is that you can’t design or install the gadgets and appliances you like. That said, if you plan to upgrade to a smart home, there are quite a few renter-friendly smart home gadgets for you to explore. We have curated a list of the essential smart home gadgets for renters.
These gadgets are easy to install and do not require extensive changes to the overall structure of your house. For instance, you can check out smart door locks that do not require the removal of deadbolts or portable smart air purifiers and easy-to-use smart lights.
In short, there are several affordable smart home products, and we have picked the best renter-friendly smart home devices for your apartment. So, without further ado, let’s get going, shall we? But first,
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- Keep an eye on your apartment with these security cameras
1. Best Indoor Security Camera: Arlo Essential
If you are looking to up the security of your home, the Arlo Essential indoor security camera should be the first item on your list. It bundles a slew of attractive features. For one, it notifies of movements via the phone app whenever the camera is triggered. Interestingly, it comes with a privacy shutter which you can enable or disable at your will. The best part is that it’s a simple desk-mount wired camera, which you can place smartly inside your house.
The best part about this indoor camera is that it can distinguish between a person and an animal (among others). Plus, you can also customize the area of action. Moreover, it is compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, and you can pick the assistant of your choice.
The camera records in Full HD and delivers clear video. The folks at Tech Radar opine that the video is detailed enough to let you see clearly inside homes. This indoor security camera doesn’t support offline storage and keeps everything in the cloud. You will need to pay for the Arlo Smart plan subscription to check your recorded videos. It comes with a 3-month free trial.
2. Best Smart Air Purifier: Levoit Core 400S
Another smart home product you can welcome into your rented space is a smart air purifier like the Levoit Core 400S. The 400S is designed for medium to standard-sized rooms and is one of the most affordable air purifiers. It’s compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, which allows you to control the purifier via voice commands. At the same time, you can set routines to start and stop.
It comes with a three-layer filtration process and includes a pre-filter, a carbon layer, and an H13 True HEPA filter. Unsurprisingly, the filters are easy to change. They are readily available, although they fall on the expensive side of things.
The trio of filters can soak in dust, floating lint, smoke, and microscopic dust and push the purified air. At the same time, it isn’t noisy, and you can keep it anywhere, owing to the compact design.
When it comes to smart features, you may not find as many controls as some of its smart counterparts, such as a smart light bulb or a smart plug. However, with the companion app, you can link it to Alexa or Google Assistant. Plus, you can create schedules to turn on/off the smart air purifier.
Again, the Levoit Core 400S comes highly recommended thanks to its performance, easy installation process, and low noise levels. And let’s not forget that it falls in the affordable section.
Also Read: 5 Best Smart Air Purifiers for Allergies
3. Best Smart Air Quality Monitor: Amazon Smart Air Quality Monitor
Talking of air quality, wouldn’t it be great if you could get your hands on a portable smart air quality monitor? If your smart home is based on Amazon Alexa, you can check the in-house air quality monitor. A small monitor check the air around for VOCs (volatile organic compounds), CO (carbon monoxide), and PM2.5 particulates. It has a small LED indicator at the front that gives you an indication of the air quality.
At the same time, you can connect it to your phone and get alerted of the air quality when it slips below the threshold. Further, you can link it to an Alexa device or a connected smart speaker and get an alert when your house’s Air Quality Index goes down.
It works as expected. The folks at PC Mag tested this air quality monitor against the Dyson TP07, and both devices delivered similar results. The Amazon air quality monitor is a tad bit slow.
4. Best Simple Door Lock: August Smart Lock and Connect
The August Smart Lock fits over the existing traditional door locks, making it a renter-friendly solution. It features a clean look, with just a turn knob at the bottom, and does away with excessive drilling on the door. It works via Bluetooth, and you can unlock it via the companion app. And when required, you can use the keys to unlock the doors.
It features cool features like Auto Unlock, DoorSense, and Geofencing. DoorSense is one of the major highlights of this lock. This one alerts the user via notification if the door is left open. Cool, right?
For now, you can set up pins for your guest. Interestingly, you can create schedules and duration for the pins.
The August door lock doesn’t support smart assistants like Google Home or Amazon Alexa. However, if you buy the Connect Wi-Fi Bridge with it, you can configure this door lock with your Amazon Echo devices. That said, if you want an easy-to-use smart door lock, the August Smart Lock is one of the best renter-friendly smart home devices for your apartment.
Also Read: 4 Best Smart Locks for Rental Properties
5. Best Wi-Fi Extender: TP-Link AC1750 Wi-Fi Extender (RE450)
The TP-Link RE450 is an affordable extender and delivers good throughput speed. This is one for you if the Wi-Fi coverage is inconsistent around your house. Here, the overall range is solid with support for a dual-band network. Although, the 5GHz band delivers better speed with less interference.
The design of the extender has three antennas. However, the bulky profile may block adjacent power outlets, especially if they are close. The setup process is straightforward. You’ll need to follow the instructions on the box and place the Wi-Fi extender to get strong Wi-Fi coverage.
As noted earlier, the signal strength is solid. Several users have backed this in their reviews. It’s a popular product on Amazon and has amassed many positive reviews.
Alternatively, you can check out the NetGear Wi-Fi extender as well.
6. Best Smart Plug: Kasa Smart Plug HS103P4
Another affordable smart home product for renters is the Kasa HS103P4 smart plug. They come in a pack of 4 and are compatible with smart assistants like Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and IFTTT. They work over the 2.4 GHz band and deliver a solid performance.
After you set them up, you can configure them with a digital assistant and the plugs using a smart speaker like Amazon Echo Show or Google Home. It becomes a good setup with routines.
So if you want your coffee to be ready or water heated at a particular time, you can do so. The connection is stable, and as long as it can connect to a (strong) Wi-Fi connection, these smart plugs will continue to work as advertised.
The Kasa smart plugs bundle a horizontal design and can be difficult to fit into vertical outlets. Despite the affordable pricing, these are durable smart home devices and can maintain connections.
Alternatively, you can check the Amazon Smart Plug.
7. Best Smart Corner Lamp: Govee RGBIC Floor Lamp
We have all had our experience with smart light bulbs and LED light strips. But what about smart floor lamps? Well, say Hi to the Govee RGBIC floor lamp. It is a slim, minimal floor lamp that for modern setups and gaming rooms. Like most RGB lights, you can cycle between colors that suit your mood and the room.
And that’s not all. You can create segments on the LED strip and assign different colors to them. This way, you won’t have to stick to just one color when you want to experiment. And when needed, you can always switch back to off-white when you want to play it simple.
The Govee RGBIC Floor Lamp is compatible with Amazon Alexa. And if you — as a renter — can’t put in light strips on cabinets and walls, or do not have the liberty to change the default lighting, then this corner lamp is the best solution to create ambient lighting. It’s a little expensive. But, its performance and easy setup and handling make up for it.
8. Best Smart Outdoor Plug: Kasa EP40
Do you want to automate the lights outside your porch or power the pretty balcony fountain? If yes, then you can’t go wrong with the Kasa Outdoor Smart Plug. It is an affordable smart home product for renters and packs two outlets, which can be individually controlled. Naturally, this gives you the flexibility to connect two different devices. It’s weather resistant and comes with flaps on top of the outlets.
You can name each outlet differently for better control. It has a solid build and can take its share of every wear and tear.
Unsurprisingly, it has more than 12,000 user ratings on Amazon, and users have sung high praises for its easy setup process and the fact that it works as advertised. It has ample use case scenarios — from Christmas lights and patio lights to powering water pumps and outdoor lights, it can surely do a lot.
The Kasa Outdoor Smart Plug works only in the 2.4GHz frequency band on a Wi-Fi network.
9. Best Smart Light Strip: Govee Smart LED Strip
The last product on our list of renter-friendly smart home products is the Govee Smart LED Strip. This strip is compatible with Amazon Alexa and has 3M adhesive stickers at the back. If you already have an Echo device, you can set up routines and schedules. Apart from that, you can also use the Govee app.
The lights are easy to control and respond well to commands. They are versatile, and you can use them anywhere, be it your entertainment room, gaming room, or kitchen. The adhesion is decent, and the lights give off enough brightness.
The Govee Smart LED Strip sync to music as well. Like most of the products on this list, this smart light strip is highly popular. They have more than 50,000 ratings to their credit, with people praising these lights for their adhesion, brightness, and easy-to-use nature. Besides that, they do not cost much.
Smart as a Whip!
These are some of the essential smart home gadgets for renters. Aside from the above, you can check out smart outdoor adapters, light switches (if the lease allows replacing), and smart power strips.
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Last updated on 22 June, 2023
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