5 Handy Costco Gadgets To Upgrade Your Smart Home

The smart home market is really, really crowded. Seven in 10 people say they're interested in it, over 90% own at least one smart home device, and market size is probably going to hit $400 billion over the next decade. But it's also really, really uneven. Any given big-box retailer likely has hundreds of smart home devices for sale, and they're all promising the same thing: convenience. But how many of them can actually give you that?

In recent years, Costco has quietly become a very reliable place to find handy smart home gear at a great price. Still, that doesn't mean everything they have to offer is worth your time. In fact, some Costco tech items you should just plain steer clear of. To help you know what smart home devices are actually worth your time, we took a look at the highest-rated, most popular ones at Costco (both in-store and online). From speakers to security and everything in between, here are five smart home gadgets that will put that warehouse membership to good use.

If you want to bring your HVAC system into the modern age, the ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium Plus Pack gives you all you need to do it (and help you save a little money on your heating and cooling bill in the process). With a 4.6-star rating across more than 700 reviews on Costco's site, the thermostat is clearly resonating well with warehouse members.

The brand says this system will save you up to 26 percent off your monthly utility bill by adjusting temperatures based on things like occupancy or daily routines. Plus, the two SmartSensors that come in the box will help you refine the system even more. That way, instead of relying on data from a single hallway or living room, you can address multiple hot and cold spots that traditional thermostats would otherwise miss. Other features include built-in air quality tracking alerts, smoke alarm detection, sudden temperature drop alerts.

Members can grab one on Costco's site at an exclusive price of $229.99.

As far as the best smart speaker brands are concerned, Sonos gets the top spot more often than not. That makes this Sonos Era 100 speaker set a nice entry point for anybody looking to smarten up their sound system. This two-pack is rated 4.5 stars on Costco's site by more than 600 reviewers, and it's currently $75 off to boot.

The Era 100s give you great acoustics with sharp stereo separation and impressive bass. That makes them a worthy pick for kitchens, offices, living rooms, bedrooms, or whatever else you please. Plus, Wi-Fi streaming gives you seamless listening across multiple rooms or zones. Setup's easy too, which should come as a relief for anybody who's ever struggled with traditional speaker wires and such. And, just like you'd want from any worthwhile smart system upgrade, it's compatible with Amazon Alexa, Apple AirPlay, and other smart ecosystems.

It's $75 off until Feb. 16, and you can grab it in-store or online for $334.99.

When you think about it, a smart home is only as reliable as its network. You can have the best network of smart devices around, but if you've got weak Wi-Fi, what's it all for? The TP-Link Deco X60 Wi-Fi 6 mesh system has a 4.4-star rating from more than 3,300 reviewers, and it can definitely help you get up and running at the high speeds you need.

The three-unit system delivers coverage up to 7,000 square feet, all in a single, unified network. Wi-Fi 6 technology gives you speeds up to 3 gigabits per second, and it can support even the most bandwidth-hungry activities like 4K streaming or online gaming on multiple smart devices at once. Unlike other mesh systems, this one gives you seamless roaming without needing to manually switch networks as you move around the home.

Pick up a set on Costco's site for $139.99. It's a home upgrade that'll pay off.

Home security technology has come a long way from touchy motion detectors and buggy cameras that miss the important things. This 13-piece smart security system from SimpliSafe is proof of that evolution. With a 4.5-star rating on Costco's site from 94 reviews, people seem quite happy with the system as a tool to protect both indoor and outdoor spaces alike. No contract needed, either.

This package comes with a base station, keypad, eight entry sensors, a motion sensor, and two 1080p HD Outdoor Cameras from SimpliSafe's Series 2 lineup. Together, they give you multiple types of coverage across doors, windows, open areas, and more. Plus, with almost everything being wireless and app-based, setup is nice and easy, too. Built-in battery backup and dual cellular and Wi-Fi connectivity make sure everything keeps working at all times, even during power or internet outages.

The whole 13-piece set is available on Costco's site for $349.99, which breaks down to about $26 bucks a piece.

Sometimes, the only outdoor smart device people think about is their security system. But that's not the only handy thing you can add outside. Take smart sprinkler controller options, for instance. More specifically, the Rachio 3 WiFi Smart Sprinkler Controller: a weather-aware 12-zone hub that's currently sitting at a 4.7-star rating from more than 4,300 reviewers on Costco's site.

If you have one of those traditional dial-based controllers for your sprinkler system, this'll do everything that one does and more. The Rachio 3 uses real-time weather data to adjust watering schedules automatically, including rain, wind, and freeze skips, to prevent wasting water. It also pulls from hyperlocal weather reports to make smarter decisions based on real-time conditions rather than generic forecasts that might miss the mark.

Best case scenario, Rachio says you can cut down on water usage by up to 50 percent. You can get one on Costco's site for $199.99.

Every product assembled here holds a rating of at least 4.4 out of 5 stars on Costco's site. Beyond that, we made sure there were enough reviews for those star ratings to be meaningful (anywhere from dozens to thousands of reviews). We also kept this list to items that actually solve a common household problem rather than novelties. When making our recommendations, we also limited the list to one specific type of smart home device per subcategory to avoid any conflicting suggestions.