Thread is a promising way for all of yoursmart home devicesto connect to one another. With a bit of foresight, you can build a network that’s extra-responsive and doesn’t require a dedicated hardware hub. As a widely-adopted standard, Thread is still picking up steam, but you can already get started supporting it with some of the best smart home devices available.
At a glance
Apple HomePod mini
As a smart speaker, theBuy at Applemini performs admirably when it comes to sound — and as well as you may expect from Siri. Seamless Airplay integration lets you send audio to the speaker from the rest of your Apple devices.
Read our reviewto get all of the details on the Apple HomePod mini.
Nanoleaf Essentials Bulb
Integration with Google Home and Apple HomeKit provide a unified interface for managing theBuy at Amazonas well. This feature is quite handy for inclusion alongside all of your other non-Thread smart home products.
Eero Pro 6
TheBuy at Amazonis a natural pick for building the backbone of your home Thread network, since you’re building out coverage anyway. Eero Pro 6 devices are designated border routers, so you can start extending your Thread network right away. As an added bonus, the Eero Pro 6 also supports Zigbee, for any of those legacy devices you may still have around the house.
Read ourEero 6 reviewto learn more about how it fares in real-world performance.
Google Nest Hub Max
The camera is quite handy in a number of ways. Either enable facial recognition, so different household members get personalized options when approaching it, or set it up as a security camera to alert you to strangers passing the field of view. The device acts as a hands-freesmart speakertoo, so you’re able to issue Google Assistant questions to theBuy at Best Buyand get answers.
Readour review of the Google Nest Hub Max to learn more.
Eve Energy
As the cherry on top,Buy at Amazonalso monitor energy consumption of connected appliances and provide cost estimations through the companion app.
Apple TV 4k Gen 2
The Apple TV 4K Gen 2 is a border router, which is great news if you want to enable a wider Thread network and don’t have a border router yet. Heck, even if you do, extra border routers provide a lovely bit of redundancy so all your bases stay covered.
Read our Apple TV 4k reviewto get into the details.
Those are our top picks for Thread devices, but be sure to check back again soon. New Thread-enabled products are coming out all the time, and it’s worth benefiting from the standard while it’s gathering momentum.
