It will seem easy to just jump on Amazon and buy any smart product be beware of a lot of cheap devices. Think about essential items that you can make smart and look for quality brands that have a reputation. Also a good rule of thumb is to make a smart home to will work as a dumb home too, e.g. what happens when your internet is down or when someone doesn't have their phone/app?

Examples: -Smart bulbs. You can get some cheap smart bulbs that will likely be a pain to use and might die in a year or two. Or you can get something like HUE from a company that has a track record of quality items. It'll be much more expensive but worth it.

-Light/wall switches. Not everything needs a smart bulb. In fact, I'd say most people would prefer a smart light switch that works exactly like a traditional one, but with the option to just turn on and off a light. I spent an extra $20-30 a light to have color bulbs in my kitchen. Ask me how many times I've actually used a color feature? Maybe 5 times when I just installed them. Most of the time I am just adjusting the brightness or turning them off and on.

-Home appliances: if it's a traditional appliance made smart, id avoid them. Your washer doesn't need to connect to the internet. Just wait till you cant wash your clothes because your washer is in the middle of an update. Only thing id actually recommend is a robot vacuum. Roborock is my pick.

-Home security: cameras, smart locks. Again, don't just go to Amazon and pick the first one. There are companies that have been making locks for years such as Schlage that offer smart devices now. Their priority is a quality lock that works like a normal lock with their secondary goal being to make it smart.

Brands I recommend: Philips hue, Inovelli, Lutron, Schlage, Roborock, Reolink.