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# Smart Home Starter Kit: What to Buy First (Australia, 2026)

Published 18 Jul 2026 · Category: Buying Guide · Web: https://level-floor.bnr.la/blog/smart-home-starter-kit-australia/

*Smart plugs, bulbs, a speaker to command it all and a camera to watch over it — a realistic first smart-home setup for under a few hundred dollars, built from parts that play nicely together.*

The best first smart home is small and useful: a couple of plugs, a couple of bulbs, one voice speaker and one camera. Everything below works with both Alexa and Google Home, so you're not locked in on day one.

> **Note:** Links to Amazon on this page are affiliate links — if you buy through them, Tech2Have may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It helps keep our guides free. See our affiliate disclosure .


## Smart plugs — TP-Link Tapo P110


The Tapo P110 is the no-brainer first purchase: it makes any dumb appliance schedulable and remote-controllable, and its energy monitoring shows exactly what each appliance costs to run — genuinely eye-opening for heaters and dryers. Regularly under $15 on Amazon AU; buy two.


## Smart bulbs — start with the rooms you dim


Colour-capable bulbs from Tapo and Philips Hue cover the two ends of the market: Tapo bulbs are cheap and work directly over Wi-Fi; Hue costs more but its hub, scenes and accessories are still the smoothest ecosystem. Start with the lounge and bedroom lamps.


## A voice speaker — Echo Dot or Nest Mini


Pick your assistant: Echo Dot if you shop Amazon and like Alexa routines, Nest Mini if you're deep in Google services. Either becomes the remote control for every plug and bulb above — "turn off the heater" beats finding an app.


## A camera — start where the action is


For inside the house, a pan-tilt indoor camera covers a whole room and doubles as a pet/baby monitor. We stock the Reolink E-series — subscription-free with local microSD recording — which keeps ongoing costs at zero:


## What to add next


Door sensors + a video doorbell — see our Ring vs Reolink doorbell comparison .
More plugs — Christmas lights, towel rails, the coffee machine.
A smart lock — once the rest feels routine.

**Q: Alexa or Google Home — which should I pick?**

A: Both control all the gear in this guide. Pick Alexa if you're an Amazon/Kindle household, Google if your life runs on Gmail and Google Calendar. Mixed households usually find Alexa's routines more flexible.

**Q: Do smart plugs work with any appliance?**

A: Anything that resumes when power returns — lamps, heaters with mechanical dials, fans. Appliances with electronic power buttons (most TVs) turn to standby, not on.

**Q: Do I need a hub?**

A: Not for this starter kit — everything here is Wi-Fi. Hubs (Hue Bridge, Zigbee) matter once you pass ~15 devices or want battery sensors everywhere.

*(1 interactive product/price widget(s) omitted — see the web page for live pricing, or the product .md twins linked from https://level-floor.bnr.la/store/products.md.)*

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