10 Tech Gadgets To Enhance Your College Dorm Life

Being away from the comforts of home can be intimidating. The walls are closer, the bathroom line is longer, and living with a roommate can feel like a never-ending reality show. For many students, living a new life in a dormitory feels like jumping into a pool not knowing how to swim. But life gets easier as you go, especially when you have the right tech to jazz up your living space and make school more enjoyable.

Dorm room tech can transform the student experience. These days, there are smart gadgets to keep you connected with loved ones back home, compact devices to help you make the best use of every square inch of your living space, focus tools for tuning out distractions so you can ace your classes (and keep your scholarships), and so much more. Let's explore some of the best tech picks to turn your dorm room into home sweet home.

Amazon smart speakers like the Echo Dot give college students voice-activated convenience. It's an alarm clock, weather station, music player, and personal assistant in one. Students can make hands-free calls, set reminders for club meetings or study groups, and quickly get information to streamline their studies. You can also link your Amazon account and add items to your Amazon shopping cart without having to log in or use your computer or mobile device. Simply put, smart speakers like the Amazon Echo Dot make daily life easier.

The Echo Dot is the smallest in the Amazon smart speaker family, which could be a big advantage in a college dorm room, where space comes at a premium. Plus, if you have other smart devices, such as smart lights, you can use the Echo Dot to sync and control them. It's also among the most affordable smart speaker, with the fifth generation model costing about $50.

Not sure if the Echo Dot is right for you? We have reviews of other Echo devices you might like more, including the Amazon Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen), which features a touchscreen display or Amazon Echo Pop, which supports directional audio and can function as a Wi-Fi range extender.

Picking the right smart plug can turn any electrical device into a smart device. The Roku Smart Plug is compact enough to in fit in the most cramped dorm rooms, and it's compatible with standard wall plugs, so you can plug your other electronics directly into them. From there, you can control your electronics remotely. If you have ever found yourself wondering whether you turned off the iron or a hair straightener in the middle of class, this gadget is for you.

You can sync the smart plug with your Amazon Echo Dot or other smart speaker. Activating or deactivating your plug is as easy as a voice command. You have the option to set schedules for things like turning on lights connected to the smart plug at specific times (so you never have to come home to a dark dorm room), and you can check the status of your connected electronics at any time via the mobile app. This is an inexpensive smart gadget, too: A two-pack of Roku smart plugs costs $13.99 and will allow you to sync with multiple plugs should you decide to purchase more.

Dorm life usually means sharing a room with one or more roommates, and when life gets noisy, you'll be glad to have a good set of noise canceling headphones. Sony's Ult Wear noise canceling headphones combine durability and crystal-clear sound with a comfortable design. The band includes cushioning and the earphones fit completely over the ear to block out outside sounds, in addition to the really good active noise canceling feature.

You can use them to play your favorite music or white noise while you drift off to sleep, no matter what your roommates are doing. The control buttons are easy to feel and press without having to remove the headphones, and you can connected to your device of choice via Bluetooth or a wired connection. The mobile app gives you everything you need to customize your listening experience, including treble and bass levels and pairing your headphones with your devices.

Even if your college dorm room has cable, nothing beats the ability to watch what you want when you want it. The Roku Streaming Stick 4K lets you do just that by turning any TV with an HDMI port into a smart TV that's ready to stream your favorite apps. Just plug in the device, turn on your TV, and log into your streaming accounts like Netflix, Apple TV+, and Hulu. The device plugs in behind the TV, so there are no unsightly cords manage or extra set-top boxes to store.

The Roku Streaming Stick 4K is super fast to set up. You can control all of your apps and the TV with one remote control. The remote also allows you to voice search for streaming content, so you can find your favorite shows faster. In case you're light on streaming apps (or you just want lots of options), you can take advantage of 350-plus built-in live TV channels, many of which are available for free. If the Streaming Stick 4K doesn't seem like quite the right fit, there are lots of other different types of Roku streaming devices available, so explore your options before you buy.

Take your favorite shows and movies with you anywhere on campus with the Kodak Luma 150 Pico Mini Rechargeable Portable DLP Projector. It's got a long name, but this small device will fit in your backpack, purse, or pocket. You can connect the mini projector to your computer or mobile device and project movies, TV shows, video games, or presentations on a blank wall anywhere you roam. It's a great option when you're working on group projects or want to share content on a much bigger screen.

Don't be fooled by the small package — this mini projector produces a high-quality image for its size. It's rechargeable via USB cable and gives you up to 2.5 hours of use on a full charge. With no power cords to contend with, you can use this projector just about anywhere. The projector also includes a built-in speaker, which you can adjust with your device's volume controls. It comes with everything you need to plug and play, including cables to connect it to your computer, gaming system, camera, or other device. It retails for about $220 at Target.

If you struggle to focus or just don't want others to bother you while you're working, the Kuando Busy Light can be a game changer. This little light gives you a silent way to let others know whether you're available for conversation or whether you're in the zone and want to be left alone. Made for office workers, college students can also benefit from this small yet genius device while they buckle down and tune out the people around them.

Whether you're working on your laptop in your dorm room, common room, or the library, your Busy Light will let those around you know whether you're open for a chat. It mounts on your laptop screen so everyone can see whether your light is green or red (universal colors that send a clear message). The Kuando Busy Light UC Alpha retails for about $50. The brand also makes other versions of its busy light at lower price points.

From saving photos to homework, you'll never run out of reasons to use an external hard drive. Western Digital's series of My Passport portable external hard drives expand your computer's built-in storage capacity, giving you a place to store all of your research papers, digital textbooks, personal documents, class projects, and other school-related files in one place. And since some colleges restrict the type of content you can download, you can use your external storage device to house all of your music and movies. Fill up your drive before you arrive on campus and have access to all of your media.

Western Digital hard drives are lightweight and portable, which makes it easy to toss them in your laptop bag or backpack and carry them with you. Store all your files here to free up space on your internal hard drive, which can help your computer run faster and more efficiently. The 1TB hard drive retails for $64.99 on Amazon, but you can choose from a wide range of drive sizes and colors at varying price points.

Technology plays an essential role in the college experience, so it helps to have a central place to charge and store all of your devices, especially if they all need different charging ports. The Upoy USB Charging Station can solve your charging challenges, offering multiple ports in a single strip. This compact tower includes six ports total: five USB and one USB-C. You can plug in all your devices into one charging station, including phones, tablets, smartwatches, and more. It plugs into a regular wall outlet and replaces the need for various chargers cluttering your desk.

The charging station is compact enough to fit on your desk without overcrowding it. It also comes in your choice of colors, including white, purple, red, blue, or black. It works for any device without overcharging it and offers 24-hour protection against over voltage, over current, overheating, short circuits, and unexpected disconnects. The white model retails for $9.99 on Amazon, with other colors offered at different prices.

The college experience is filled with photo-worthy moments, and the whimsical Canon Ivy 2 mini color printer lets you enjoy those moments in a whole new way. You can easily turn your smartphone pics into printed photo stickers using the Ivy mini camera app. Connect the printer to your phone via Bluetooth and print photos on demand.

The best part? The Ivy 2 doesn't use ink, so there are no expensive or messy refills to worry about. It uses ZINK technology (short for Zero Ink) to produce its full-color photo stickers. The only thing you'll need to pay for after the printer is more photo sticker paper. The printer itself is compact and lightweight, so you can take it to parties, events, classes, and anywhere else on campus to share the love with your friends. And if you need to change or fix a photo before you share it, you can customize and edit it within the Ivy app.

It's normal to feel a little homesick when you're at college, especially if this is your first semester living with roommates. To help you feel more connected and at home, the Kodak Wi-Fi Digital Picture Frame can keep your loved ones close. Connect the photo frame to your school's Wi-Fi, and then download the app so you and your loved ones can share photos at any time. You might walk into your dorm room after a long day of classes to find photos your parents or friends back home have shared with you while you were away.

This photo frame also supports microSD storage and micro USB drives, so you have many ways to share and store photos. The display automatically rotates and adjusts landscape and portrait photos so you always get the best angle. You can adjust things like display time per photo, brightness, play order, and more to customize your experience, too. The Kodak Wi-Fi Digital Smart Photo Frame retails for $79.99 on Amazon, but there are lots of other higher-end and lower-end options available.