Circuit & Chime

Independent smart home & security reviews

The calm, wired-up home — explained.

Cameras, alarm systems, smart locks, hubs and thermostats — compared on published specs and what they actually cost to run, not the marketing. Every price is pulled live. Units we claim to have tested: zero — and we tell you exactly what we do instead.

See our best camera picksHow we test
A calm, modern living room with a smart speaker, connected lighting and a control panel in warm daylight
36
products with live, dated prices
September 22, 2026
prices last verified
48h
then a price expires rather than go stale
$0
sponsored placements or free products accepted

This month’s top picks

The single best product in each category, with a live price you can act on. Tap through for the full comparison and why it won.

Holiday season

Gift guides & Black Friday deals

Smart home and home security gifts sorted by who they're for and what you want to spend — plus the Black Friday hub that tracks which brands really discount and which rarely do.

Browse the gift guides
  • Black Friday Deals

    What historically goes on sale in this category and what rarely does, what to buy now versus wait for, and our current top picks with live prices. Deals are posted here when they go live in November.

  • Gifts Under $50

    Stocking-stuffer smart home gifts that work with almost any household and never send the recipient a bill — plugs, bulbs and one very cheap camera, with live prices.

  • Gifts Under $150

    The gifts that feel substantial — a lighting kit, a doorbell, a thermostat, a speaker — chosen so the recipient can set them up alone and run them for free.

  • Splurge Gifts

    When budget is not the constraint: the camera kit, alarm system, lock and thermostat we would give if we wanted the gift still in use five years from now.

  • Gifts for Parents

    Gifts an older relative will actually use — a doorbell they can answer from the couch, a speaker that just listens, lamps on a schedule — with no app maze and no subscription.

  • Housewarming Gifts

    Housewarming gifts that protect the house: an alarm kit with no monthly fee, a doorbell, a keypad lock and a camera — ranked on how little they cost to run.

  • Gifts for Apple Homes

    Gifts for the iPhone-and-HomePod household, chosen from devices that genuinely list Apple Home support — so the gift shows up in the Home app instead of a drawer.

Start here

Eight ways in, depending on whether you want to secure the house, automate it, find a gift, or just figure out where to begin.

  • Security Cameras

    Indoor, outdoor and doorbell cameras compared on the thing that actually costs you money over time: whether you need a monthly plan, and where the footage lives.

  • Home Security Systems

    DIY alarm systems and monitored services compared on upfront cost, monthly fees, and whether you can self-monitor for free.

  • Smart Locks & Entry

    Smart deadbolts and video doorbells compared on how they connect, whether they need a bridge, and which ones keep working when the Wi-Fi doesn't.

  • Smart Home Hubs & Ecosystems

    Pick your ecosystem first, then your hub. Alexa, Google, Apple Home and SmartThings compared — plus the Matter question everyone's asking.

  • Smart Home Devices

    Thermostats, plugs, lights and speakers — the gadgets that make a home smart, with picks for beginners and for tight budgets.

  • Smart Home & Security Guides

    Start-here explainers, the Matter question, a cross-brand compatibility matrix, and the running-cost math nobody else publishes.

  • Brand & Product Reviews

    Honest, spec-driven reviews of the brands people ask about most — what they get right, what they don't, and whether they're worth it.

  • Gift Guides & Holiday Deals

    Smart home and home security gifts sorted by who they're for and what you want to spend — plus the Black Friday hub that tracks which brands really discount and which rarely do.

Why trust a site that hasn’t tested anything?

Because we don’t pretend otherwise. Most “we tested 30 cameras” roundups didn’t, and can’t prove they did. We have no lab. What we do instead is read every spec sheet and manual, do the running-cost math out loud, and cite our sources — and it’s all checkable.

We lead with the running cost

The number the big brands hide: whether a device needs a monthly plan, and where the footage lives. It's the first column in every comparison table.

Prices are live and dated

Numbers come from a daily retailer check and carry the date they were pulled. If the check stops, the price disappears rather than going stale.

“No fee needed” is a finding

When a system records for free and a rival charges monthly, we say so plainly. Buy-once-pay-nothing is the spine of this site, not a footnote.

We say when to skip

A pricier device isn't automatically better. Where a cheaper option wins for the buyer, that's our pick — commission never decides it.

No fake reviews, ever

There are no invented testimonials, star ratings or 'in our testing' claims anywhere on this site. If we can't source it, it isn't here.

One honest author

Written by a smart-home enthusiast, not a licensed installer — and nothing here is professional security advice. For a high-risk home, hire a pro.

Read these first

Latest guides & reviews

The most recently published and updated pages, across every section.

Browse every pageSubscribe by feed

How this site is funded

Circuit & Chime is free to read because some of the links to products are affiliate links: if you buy through one, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. It never changes which product we recommend — the reasoning is the same whether a link earns us anything or not.

Full affiliate disclosureEditorial policyHow we evaluate products