8 Game-Changing Smart Home Devices You've Probably Never Heard Of

The first Amazon Alexa was launched in 2014, and in less than a decade, the world of smart home tech has expanded to incorporate every room of the house. It seems like there's a smart version of almost any household essential, some of which are significantly more useful than others. There are plenty of home tech products that most people would consider a waste of money, although even the most niche of them have their place in the most dedicated enthusiasts' homes.

Just buying the must-have devices for any smart home can blow a big hole in your wallet, and that's without including any of the myriad smart devices that have largely flown under the radar. Some are helpful, some are undeniably odd, and many of them come with a steep premium compared to traditional versions of the same product. As unusual as they might seem, there's an argument to be made that, for certain people at least, these obscure smart home products might just be game changers.

There's plenty of sleep-tracking tech out there, from motion-sensing bedside trackers like the Nest Hub to smartwatches like the Samsung Galaxy Watch. However, the smart bed is still very much an emerging segment. Sleep Number is one of the handful of companies to currently offer a smart bed, with a wide variety of sizes available from twin to California king. Using the corresponding app, you're able to adjust the firmness of each side of the bed to your liking, and while you're asleep, the mattress will automatically respond to your movements and adjust firmness throughout the night.

When you wake up, the app greets you with data about your sleep quality and duration, with an overall SleepIQ score to keep track of each night's rest. Various other adjustable settings are also available to reduce things like snoring and backache, as well as keep you cooler in hot weather. Like any emerging technology, expect to pay a steep premium compared to a standard mattress for a smart bed. The smallest twin-size mattress i8 retails for $3,399 on the brand's website, while the largest California king costs $5,799.

One of the least enjoyable parts of owning a cat is having to clean up after it, but the Whisker Litter-Robot 3 does all the hard work for you. The built-in sifting mechanism automatically separates clean litter from waste and deposits it into a separate drawer, which means you only have to empty it once it's full. A carbon filter helps reduce odors, and the steps up to the box act as litter catchers to stop your cat tracking litter everywhere.

The box is controlled via a smartphone app, which can be used to remotely trigger the cleaning process or monitor how often your cat is using it. The app will also send you a notification when the waste tray is getting full. All these features do come at a steep price, though: the Litter-Robot 3 retails on Amazon for $599.99, making it a serious investment for your feline friend.

It's impossible to take your dogs with you everywhere you go, but leaving them on their own at home can be stressful. The Furbo dog camera lets you keep an eye on your pet while you're away, with a camera that rotates 360 degrees so you'll always be able to see them. It sports night vision too, with an infrared sensor so that even with the lights off you'll still be able to monitor your house. If you need to distract your dog or reward it for good behavior, the treat tossing feature lets you dispense a set amount of treats through the app.

If your dog is one of the many that frequently barks when you're not around, you can also keep track of when it's being noisy with the barking sensor. It might not be able to stop the dog barking, but at least you'll know when to expect a frosty reception from the neighbors. The Furbo is available on Amazon for $210, making it more of a reasonably priced investment than some of the other smart home gear here.

A smart toilet might seem like a strange idea at first, but for smart home enthusiasts with especially deep pockets, it might just be worth splashing out on. After all, it's already known as the throne, so why not make it feel like one? The Kohler Numi 2.0 offers hands-free lid opening and closing, a heated seat with the exact temperature customizable through the app (yes, there's an app for this toilet), and even ambient lighting to make the whole experience feel a little more dramatic.

Bizarrely, it also comes with a built-in audio system, so you can listen to your favorite playlist straight from your toilet. Other features include smart water-saving tech and cleaning jets with warm water to ensure optimal hygiene when you've finished your business. For all that tech, there's an eye-wateringly steep price to pay: the Numi 2.0 retails for $11,500, although at the time of writing, it's on sale on Amazon for a slightly discounted price of $8,625.

While smart home camera systems are great at seeing whether there's anyone in your house that shouldn't be, they don't provide much deterrence once someone has already broken in, at least not by themselves. That's where the Netatmo indoor siren comes in: when paired with the brand's indoor camera, it uses facial recognition to detect intruders and trigger an extremely loud alarm.

It's rated at 110dB, making it an immediate deterrent while also alerting intruders to the fact that they're being monitored. The alarm can also play a series of domestic sounds like dogs barking or children crying to simulate someone being at home, further discouraging any would-be thieves as well as alerting anyone nearby to their presence. Netatmo offers a variety of home security packages on its website that include the siren, but it can also be bought as a standalone addition to an existing Netatmo system for $74.99.

The idea of being a "plant parent" is nothing new, but anyone who claimed that their plants were telling them how they feel would almost always be regarded as one sandwich short of a picnic. That is, unless they had an Ivy smart plant pot, which features a screen that displays facial expressions to reflect the plant's environment and nutrition levels. A happy plant means a happy face, while a dehydrated or sunlight-starved plant will make the plant pot look like it's going to cry.

The Ivy keeps track of the plant's health using an array of sensors that measure humidity, soil moisture, temperature, and light. When it's connected to the companion app, you can specify the type of plant that's growing in the pot for more precise health information, assuming said plant is in the database. It's worth noting that the Amazon reviews for the pot offer mixed opinions on how well the features work, and for $79.99, it's hardly a bargain. However, for the aspiring plant parent, it might just be a game changer.

Depending on who you ask, mowing the lawn is either an enjoyable weekend routine or a seemingly never-ending chore. For anyone in the latter camp, Husqvarna's Automower does almost everything for you — all you have to do is set it up and leave it to run. Well, not quite — you'll have to install a boundary wire around your yard first so that your mower doesn't pay an unsolicited visit to the neighbor's house, but once it's set up, it's pretty hassle-free to operate.

Using the Automower Connect app, you can check in on how your mower is doing, find exactly where it is, and see how far it's progressed through the mowing cycle. Alternatively, its status can also be checked through Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa. An alarm system and PIN code locking system help deter thieves, and you'd certainly hope so given the price, as it retails for $2,499.99 on Amazon, but is sometimes discounted to $1,999.99.

If you're looking to build the ultimate smart kitchen, then everything should be upgraded — even the faucets. Moen offers a variety of smart faucets with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa integration, so you can turn the taps on hands-free. You can also choose specific water temperatures and measurements, with the scope to dispense anywhere between one tablespoon and 15 gallons of water.

Like all good smart home tech, there's a dedicated app where you can tinker with all aspects of the faucet, and also set up specific custom commands. For example, ask the faucet to "fill my water bottle" and it can dispense a set amount of water at a specific temperature. It might be a niche product even by smart home standards, but there's clearly a large enough market for it: Moen's smart faucet range covers several different styles and colorways, with the matte black Align faucet currently available on Amazon for $615.72.