Smart Home Buying Guides for Australian First Homes
Buying guides covering locks, cameras, lights and the WiFi that holds it all together, with subscription traps flagged guide by guide.
Start here
The three that matter first
The map of the whole category and the order to buy in: an Echo Dot plus a few smart plugs is most of a starter kit.
A TP-Link Deco X55 three pack fixes the dead spots that make every other device on this page look broken.
A big upgrade: a Tapo doorbell camera answers your front door from anywhere, with no monthly fee.
The first night in a new place comes with a quiet inventory question: how many copies of the front door key exist, and who has them? A smart lock gives you another way to manage access, which is why this category starts at the front door, then works outward to a Tapo doorbell camera and a Eufy SoloCam watching the driveway.
Inside: an Echo Dot to run the show, a pair of Mengshen door sensors, and an IR blaster that gives a dumb air con a phone app. Skip the all at once ecosystem shop. Fit the lock, live in the house a fortnight, and let the annoyances tell you what to automate next.
The plan and the pipes
Read the starter kit map first, then fix coverage. A WiFi extender patches one dead room; a TP-Link Deco M4 mesh three pack fixes the whole house.
NAS DriveA NAS gives you a private cloud at home with no monthly fee. Our top pick is the UGREEN NASync DXP4800 Pro for buyers who want one box to back up, stream and run apps. For most homes the Synology DS225+ is the smarter buy, and the Asustor Drivestor 2 Pro Gen2 is the value budget choice.
Smart Thermostats
Mesh WiFiThe best mesh WiFi systems in Australia 2026: the TP-Link Deco M4 3 pack for entry NBN, the TP-Link Deco X55 for most households, the Google Nest WiFi Pro for WiFi 6E, and the NETGEAR Orbi 770 RBE773 WiFi 7 for NBN 1000+ Hyperfast. Ten researched picks across the NBN tier ladder.
WiFi RouterWe compared the best standalone WiFi routers on Amazon Australia, from a budget AX1800 unit for a small flat to a WiFi 7 Nighthawk and a tri-band 6E gaming router. The right pick comes down to the WiFi standard you need, your home size, and how many devices you run.
WiFi ExtenderThe best WiFi extenders in Australia for 2026: Tenda A18 AC1200 for the cheapest dual-band fix, TP-Link RE315 for EasyMesh same-name roaming, TP-Link RE705X AX3000 for Wi-Fi 6 whole-floor reach, plus honest guidance on when a single dead zone needs an extender and when your whole house needs mesh instead.The front door
Locks from the Yale Keyless to the Schlage Encode, doorbells that work without a subscription, and a sensor pair that tells you the back door is open.
Eyes on the place
Cameras inside and out: indoor cameras, the solar Eufy SoloCam S220 with no subscription, and photoelectric smoke alarms to round out the safety net.
Lights, plugs and other cheap wins
Start with smart plugs and colour bulbs. The light switch guide covers the one job here that needs a licensed sparky, and a LinknLink IR blaster puts a dumb old aircon on your phone.
Smart Light SwitchesA smart light switch lets you control your lights from your phone, your voice or a schedule, and in Australia it comes in two very different shapes. An in-wall relay module hides behind your existing switch, costs the least and keeps the wall plate you already have: the meross and SONOFF picks here. A wall-plate switch replaces the whole faceplate so it looks like a proper Australian switch: the Brilliant and Aqara picks. The big AU catch is certification: some modules are listed as SAA approved with RCM marking, while hugely popular alternatives list only CE marking; ask your electrician to confirm compliance before buying. We weighed certification, wiring, protocol and whether it needs a hub. These six run from a 35.99 dollar meross relay up to an 89.00 dollar Aqara wall switch. Always use a licensed electrician for any hardwired switch.
Smart IR BlasterAn infrared blaster is the cheapest smart-home upgrade there is: a small WiFi box that learns your existing remotes so your phone or voice assistant can run the air conditioner, TV, soundbar and fans. The killer use case in Australia is the aircon: switch it on from your phone before you get home in summer, schedule it, automate it. We compared ecosystems, IR versus RF coverage and honest owner ratings across five picks, from the 24 dollar LinknLink eRemote HA up to the 288 dollar SofaBaton X1S universal remote, with the Matter-certified TP-Link Tapo H110 taking the top spot.
Surge Protectors and Power BoardsWe compared six surge protectors and surge protected power boards on Amazon AU on Joule rating, outlet spacing, USB charging and warranty cover, for the TV, computer and console gear you want protected.Beyond the walls
The gadget drawer's outer suburbs: a UGREEN tracker card for the wallet, a Viofo dash cam, a power station for blackouts, plus noise cancelling headphones for the commute.
Set up every room in the right order.
The room-by-room checklist we’d hand a mate on settlement day, with our pick for each job. One email, then we leave you alone.
Smart Home questions, answered straight
What smart home devices should I buy first in a new house?
Sort the WiFi before anything else; a TP-Link Deco M4 three pack is the budget fix if the router can't reach the back rooms. Then try a single smart plug to see whether you actually enjoy automating things. The front door comes next: a Tapo doorbell camera, then a smart lock once you're committed.
Do video doorbells and security cameras need a subscription in Australia?
Only if you pick a brand that locks features behind one. Our doorbell camera guide covers no subscription picks like the Tapo doorbell camera, and flags that Ring keeps recorded history behind a paid Ring Protect plan. On the camera side, the Eufy SoloCam S220 is solar powered with nothing ongoing.
Can I install a smart light switch myself in Australia?
No. Our guide says to use a licensed electrician for any hardwired switch, such as the meross Matter relay or the Aqara H2 wall switch. If you'd rather skip the sparky, a Tapo L530B smart bulb gets you most of the effect by screwing into the socket you already have.
A video doorbell is most useful if you often miss couriers, and smart bulbs in rooms you rarely use are still just bulbs that demand WiFi.
Anish Puri, NestPath
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