Buying guide
Best smart home in the UK
Smart plugs, doorbells and everyday home automation. Two research-led picks, compared on the things that matter after the first week.
Smart home kit is at its best when it solves a small, boring problem: turning a lamp on before you get home, or seeing who is at the door without opening it. The two products here are deliberately different. One is a four-pack of Wi-Fi smart plugs that turns ordinary appliances into scheduled, voice-controlled ones. The other is a battery-powered video doorbell that adds a camera and two-way talk to a front door without an electrician. We compare setup, hub requirements, subscription costs and the practical limits of each. Neither needs a smart-home hub, which keeps the barrier low.
Our picks, ranked
Best overall
TP-Link Tapo P100 Smart Plug (4-pack)
The Tapo P100 is the least glamorous product on this site and one of the most useful.
- Simple Wi-Fi setup with no hub
- Works with Alexa and Google Home
The owner has not added a tracked retailer link for this product yet. Nothing is broken; the link will appear here when it is added.
Best alternative
Ring Battery Doorbell Plus
The Ring Battery Doorbell Plus is a video doorbell for people who cannot or will not wire a doorbell.
- Head-to-toe 1536p HD video
- Battery-powered with no wiring
The owner has not added a tracked retailer link for this product yet. Nothing is broken; the link will appear here when it is added.
Compare the picks
| Specification | TP-Link Tapo P100 Smart Plug (4-pack) | Ring Battery Doorbell Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Typical price | £30–£45 | £120–£160 |
| Editorial score | 8.5/10 | 8.2/10 |
| Best for | Renters who want smart control without rewiring | Renters who cannot wire a doorbell |
| Main drawback | 13A socket only; no energy monitoring | Subscription needed for recorded video history |
| Connectivity | 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi | — |
| Energy monitoring | No | — |
| Hub required | No | — |
| Max load | 13 A | — |
| Pack size | 4 | — |
| Voice assistants | Alexa, Google Home | — |
| Field of view | — | Head-to-toe |
| Power | — | Battery |
| Resolution | — | 1536p HD |
| Subscription | — | Ring Home Plan for recordings |
| Two-way talk | — | Yes |
| Works with | — | Alexa |
Buying questions
What is the best smart home overall?
Our top pick is the TP-Link Tapo P100 Smart Plug (4-pack) at a typical price of £30–£45. It is aimed at renters who want smart control without rewiring. The Ring Battery Doorbell Plus is the alternative for renters who cannot wire a doorbell.
How did you choose the best smart home?
We compared published specifications, manufacturer claims and aggregated owner reports. We did not run lab tests. The ranking reflects the trade-offs we think matter most for UK buyers, and every review is dated so you can see how current it is.