Smart home is becoming more and more popular. If you want to get into smart home, the huge range of products online can quickly leave you discouraged and lose your enthusiasm.
We have been covering smart home since 2017, and so far we have been able to test quite a few smart home products. With this article, we want to make your start into smart home easier. Below you will find an overview of products in the categories lighting, smart locks, cameras, thermostats, gateways and many other smart home products.
We also give you a brief look at the different smart assistants. Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant or Apple HomeKit: which system suits me best?
Our Reviews and Opinion on the Products
In our overview, we want to show products that we have tested ourselves. Other products that we have not been able to test yet are marked accordingly. Unlike many other sites, we test the products we recommend ourselves and do not compare them based on random opinions and ratings from the internet.
Which Smart Home System Suits Me?
First, you need to know which smart home systems are available on the market. A distinction is made between products that work within your own network and products that work via the cloud. Of course, each approach has its pros and cons.
With a smart home system that works via the cloud, keep in mind that the hardware always has to connect to the manufacturer. If the company ever goes bankrupt, you run the risk of being left with nothing but electronic waste at home.
In the smart home space, some manufacturers offer a broad range of smart home products. Manufacturers such as Eve Systems, Homematic and Meross offer a variety of devices. On the other hand, there are manufacturers like tado that exclusively offer home thermostats and air conditioning controls.
Before you can choose one or more manufacturers, you first need to decide on a voice assistant. The smart assistants Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant probably have the most products. By now, however, you can also find quite a few products for Apple HomeKit. Once you have decided on an assistant, the choice usually becomes easier.
If you own Apple devices, it makes sense to get an Apple HomePod and link your devices via HomeKit. However, these smart home devices are often a bit more expensive, because the manufacturers have to pay a small fee to Apple. That said, there are also many manufacturers that support all three voice assistants.
Most of the time, you end up choosing different manufacturers, which is why it makes sense to connect and control your devices with a smart home gateway. We have summarized the current smart home gateways in an overview.
Which Smart Home Gateway Suits Me?
First of all, you do not always need a gateway. If you want to control smart home devices from different manufacturers by voice, you can do that without a gateway. But if you want to program routines or control all your devices from one device, a gateway is a good idea. Below, we explain which smart home gateways are currently on the market.
Last updated on 2026-11-13 / affiliate links / images from the Amazon Product Advertising API. Prices shown may have changed since then. All information without guarantee. * = affiliate link: if you order a product through such a link, we receive a commission from the seller. There are no extra costs for you.
Mediola
The Mediola smart home gateway connects to your home network via Wi-Fi. After that, you can control all your technology, from roller shutter control to heating. Control works either via the app or via a voice assistant.
You can find a list of supported manufacturers at this link.
The mediola AIO Gateway is available in the following versions:
You can read our review of the current mediola AIO Gateway v6 Mini E incl. the IQONTROL NEO app here (in German).
homee **
The company Codeatelier offers homee, a solution for connecting different smart home devices. The smart home hub consists of a cube system. The basic building block is the white homee Brain Cube, which you use to connect the device to your Wi-Fi network. It also lets you connect all smart devices that connect via Wi-Fi right away.
After that, you can expand the homee system like Lego bricks. The following additional modules are currently available:
You can find the supported manufacturers at this link.
The price is 199 euros for the starter kit, which includes the base cube and one additional cube. If you want to expand your set, it costs an extra 99 euros per cube.
Homey **
Homey connects all your devices, regardless of brand and technology. You can connect, control and automate your devices with the hub. The supported technologies are Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Z-Wave Plus, ZigBee, 433 MHz, 868 MHz and infrared.
Homey has published an overview of compatible devices here.
Everhome Cloudbox **
With the Everhome Cloudbox, you can choose between three different packages. The Basic version costs 119 euros, the Plus package 189 euros and the Premium package 279 euros. The clear advantage of the Everhome Cloudbox is that there are no monthly costs for the box. All firmware updates are included free of charge. The only limitation is that support for Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant is only included in the Premium version.
You can find a list of supported manufacturers at this link.
The Everhome Cloudbox 3.0 Premium is available on Amazon for as little as 299 euros.
What Smart Home Components Are There?
We have already added a number of smart home products to our large product overview and assigned them to the different voice assistants. This should make it easier for you to find the right products for your smart assistant. This link takes you to our product overview.
Smart Heating Control
A radiator thermostat is a mechanical or electrical component that regulates the room temperature. With conventional thermostats, the temperature is regulated with a plastic knob that you turn to the desired position.
With smart thermostats, the temperature can be controlled based on the time of day or by voice command. Intelligent solutions even offer features such as open-window detection or location-based control.
So far, we have been able to test the following products ourselves:
- tado
- Eberle Wiser
- Meross MTS100H
- AVM FRITZ!DECT 301
- Eve Thermo
- Eurotronic Comet
Smart Lighting
Smart lighting is perfect for creating a nice ambience. You can also control the lighting systems either via app or by voice. Here is a small selection of smart lighting that we have taken a look at ourselves:
- Philips Hue
- Yeelight
- Innr
- Cololight Stone System LED
- Meross
- myStrom
- WiZ
- Lohas LED
Smart Plugs and Power Strips
Smart lighting is perfect for creating a nice ambience. You can also control the lighting systems either via app or by voice. Here is a small selection of smart lighting that we have taken a look at ourselves:
- myStrom
- Meross
- acme
- AVM
- TECKIN
- D-Link
Smart Door Openers, Door Locks and Video Doorbells
We have tested various smart door openers, door locks and video doorbells. Below we have listed the products we tested.
- Nuki Opener
- Nuki Smart Lock
- nello one
- No longer available
- Read the review (in German)
- Doorbird D301A
Smart Light Switches & Lighting Control
A smart light switch is easy to integrate into your smart home system. You can operate the light switch by hand, via app or with your own voice. Below we have listed the products available for smart lighting control:
- VIMAR Friends of Hue light switch
- Meross MSS550XEU smart two-way switch
- Shelly 1 flush-mounted controller
Smart Water Leak Detectors, Motion Sensors & Smoke Detectors
- Eve Water Guard
- Eve Smoke
- MyStrom WiFi Sensor
- Link to product
- Read the review (in German)
Security Cameras
- INSTAR
- IN-8015 Indoor (Link to product / Read the review (in German))
- IN-8001 Indoor (Link to product / Read the review (in German))
- IN-9020 Outdoor (Link to product / Read the review (in German))
- Canary Pro
Other Smart Products
- Meross smart garage door controller
- Eve irrigation controller
** There is currently no InternetderDinge review of this product yet.
*** InternetderDinge review coming soon
