A potential fire hazard reportedly affects about 350,000 2nd generation Ring doorbells sold in the United States and roughly 8,700 more sold in Canada.
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Cheap but quality products to turn your home into a smart one
Amazon Echo Flex
Amazon still has work to do to protect user privacy, but this new Flex boasts some impressive smarts. (Chris Monroe/CNET/TNS)
The good: The Echo Flex is super cheap. Its USB port allows for flexible usage. The plug-in design means you can put the Flex almost anywhere in the house.
The bad: The small speaker isn’t built for high-quality music playback. Echo speakers pose legitimate privacy risks.
Amazon Echo Show 5
The Amazon Echo Show 5 isn't quite as good as the Google Nest Hub, but it's a solid smart display that's particularly compelling as a smart alarm clock. (Tyler Lizenby/CNET/TNS)
The good: The Amazon Echo Show 5 packs a lot of features into a compact smart display that can easily fit on your nightstand. The sunrise alarms make getting out of bed easy. The new smart home control panel gives you a handy way to control your gadgets with a touch. Plus, you still have access to all of Alexa’s voice commands and a few handy privacy features like a physical shutter.
The bad: The similar Google Nest Hub is better at showing off your pictures, walking you through recipes and organizing your smart home. The Show 5’s screen is a little too bright for a darkened room. You can’t customize your snooze times, see your commands or set a sunrise alarm outside of certain hours.
Amazon Echo Dot (2018)
This is the best Dot yet at the same irresistible price -- but it will do little to slow Google's growing momentum. (Ry Crist/CNET/TNS)
The good: The new Echo Dot looks and sounds better than ever, and now you can pair two together for stereo audio. The ongoing space race between Alexa and Google Assistant means it’ll keep getting a steady stream of new features. Best of all: It’s still just $50.
The bad: It doesn’t come in any fun colors like the Home Mini does, and it doesn’t feature any new hardware tricks, either. Aside from the new look and the stronger sound, it’s just the same Dot as before.
Wyze Bulb
This is the best value smart bulb we've ever tested, and a perfect pick if you use Alexa or Google Assistant to control your smart home. (Chris Monroe/CNET/TNS)
The good: At just $8 each, the Wyze Bulb works with Alexa, Google and IFTTT, and you don’t need a hub to use it. The bulb itself is brighter than advertised, and the app includes useful features like scenes, shortcuts and a vacation mode.
The bad: The bulb doesn’t dim quite as low as some of its competitors, and it doesn’t support Siri voice controls via Apple HomeKit. Though you can schedule automated lighting changes at specific times, the app won’t let you schedule lighting changes at sunrise or sunset, and it won’t let you trigger slow fades, either.
