Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Best Buy Smart Home Sale: Up to 50% off Arlo, Google Nest, Netgear, and TP Link

Spring is usually a busy season for home improvements and upgrades. This year, with so many stuck at home, the urge to spruce up your house or beef up your electronics is greater than ever. To meet the need for DIY home upgrade projects, Best Buy has kicked off a

smart home and networking sale

with attractive deals on devices from Arlo, Google, Nest, Netgear, and more. The standout? A Linksys Velop Tri-band Mesh Wi-Fi System for $330, down from the usual $400.

Shop Now

TP-Link Kasa Smart Plug Mini

— $15, was $23

Image used with permission by copyright holder

If you’re equipping your home so you can control lights and appliances with voice commands, you can’t have too many smart Wi-Fi plugs. TP-Link’s Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini is small enough that it doesn’t block adjacent outlets and it’s compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands. No hub is required and you can set up schedules to control all of your home electronics with Kasa plugs.

Buy Now

Google Nest Mini (2nd Gen)

— $30, was $50

Image used with permission by copyright holder

The cost of entry for smart homes is amazingly low — all you need is a single smart speaker. The second-generation Nest Mini, with the Google Assistant digital voice assistant, responds to commands that begin with “OK, Google” or “Hey, Google.” You can use the Mini to play music, tell you the news and weather, answer any questions you might otherwise type in the Google search engine, and control a wide range of compatible smart devices. At 40% off, the Nest Mini is a great buy at $30.

Buy Now

Google Home

— $50, was $100

Google Home
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Nest Mini above is a good starting point, but if you want higher quality music, make the jump to buy the Google Home Smart Speaker with Google Assistant. The Google Home is functionally equivalent to the Mini, but the bigger and better sound is what it’s all about. Because Google Home is being offered with a drastic 50% price cut, with this sale, you can upgrade to the Google Home for just $50.

Buy Now

Google Nest Cam

— $130, was $200

Nest Cam IQ Indoor review
Terry Walsh/Digital Trends

Home security is one of the biggest draws for smart homes, and that starts with smart security cameras. The Google Nest Cam Indoor Security Camera is deservedly one of the most popular models. You can view live 1080p HD video 24/7 with this camera, and built-in motion and sound sensors cause the Nest Cam to begin recording video while it sends an alert to your smartphone. The camera has two-way talk capability so you can converse with people near the camera or simply listen. Setup is simple with no hub required, just connect the Nest Cam to your home Wi-Fi directly to get started.

Buy Now

Netgear Nighthawk AC1900 Router

— $160, was $190

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Homes with active internet participants need fast, reliable internet connections. The Netgear Nighthawk Dual-Band AC1900 Router is a two-in-one device that includes a DOCSIS 3.0 cable modem and a fast Wi-Fi router. Compatible with most major cable internet providers, the Netgear Nighthawk supports up to 1,900 Mbps throughout so that multiple family members can stream content at the same time. In addition to Wi-Fi networking, the Nighthawk has four gigabit Ethernet ports and one USB port for wired connections for gaming consoles and backup drives.

Buy Now

Google Nest Hello Video Doorbell

— $190, was $230

Google Nest Hello Smart Wi-Fi Video Doorbell
Image used with permission by copyright holder

If you install the Nest Hello Video Doorbell, you’ll never miss a visitor, a delivery — or an intruder. This smart video doorbell senses motion, sounds, and people and will send you an alert at the same time it begins to record HD video and audio. You can use the Nest Hello for 24/7 video streaming if you wish and capture a rolling 3-hour video snapshot of what occurred. You can view live video and recorded clips with Google Assistant or Alexa-compatible displays, and on your smartphone or tablet with iOS and Android apps.

Buy Now

Nest Learning Thermostat (3rd Gen)

— $200, was $250

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Nest’s third-generation Learning Thermostat keeps track of temperature settings and the times when you change them to create a schedule that fits your lifestyle and preferences. You can “go green,” and the Nest display will show a green leaf that indicates your settings are energy efficient. After you connect the Nest Learning Thermostat to your home Wi-Fi and heating system, you can monitor and change settings remotely, whether that means at your office or halfway around the world. The Nest Thermostat’s long list of features also includes energy-history reporting, alerts when components don’t function properly, and system adjustments to account for changes in the weather.

Buy Now

Linksys Velop Tri-Band Mesh Wi-Fi System

— $330, was $400

Image used with permission by copyright holder

If your household includes one or more extremely heavy bandwidth users, such as a video producer or extreme gamer, or multiple people who stream audio and video, your bandwidth will be likely to choke on a regular basis, unless you don’t take extra measures. This 3-pack of Linksys Velop Tri-Band wireless mesh networking routers will do the trick. The Velops, especially when they work in concert, with two or more in the same location, can manage your bandwidth using the best of three wireless frequency bands. The Linksys routers adjust as needed to your Wi-Fi usage and movement throughout your home. If you want to operate a game console at another part of the house, for example, the Velops routers recognize the device characteristics and adjust to the new locations. Rated to supply excellent coverage up to 6,000 square feet, the Amazon Alexa-compatible Velops routers can also allow you to monitor and manage your network from any location.

Buy Now

Arlo Pro 2 Indoor/Outdoor Security System (4-Camera)

— $450, was $650

Arlo Pro 2 home security camera
Arlo

If you are in the market for a powerful multi-camera security camera system, this Arlo Pro 2 4-camera system deserves a close look. The four full HD cameras are suitable for indoor or outdoor use and can run on AC power or via included rechargeable batteries. Install the Arlo Hub inside near your wireless router, and the hub can manage up to 15 cameras, any five of which can stream video simultaneously. The Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant-compatible Arlo Pro 2 system cameras have night vision, 2-way audio, and adjustable motion sensor activity zones. You can view live video or recorded clips stored in the cloud for no charge.

Buy Now

Bruce Brown
Bruce Brown Contributing Editor   As a Contributing Editor to the Auto teams at Digital Trends and TheManual.com, Bruce…
Black Friday battery deals: Save on AA and AAA batteries
AmazonsBasics AA batteries being inserted into a game controller.

Black Friday may be one of the best times to buy electronics, but it’s also one of the best times to keep them charged up. Today’s early Black Friday deals include all sorts of rechargeable batteries, so if you’re looking for some spare AAAs or AAs to keep around the house, now’s the time to save. But there’s plenty of devices that run on battery power and plenty more battery sizes out there, so we’ve rounded up all of the best Black Friday battery deals you can find in the lead up to Black Friday. Reading onward you’ll find all of those details, as well as some information on things to look out for when shopping Black Friday battery deals.
HiQuick AA + AAA combo pack with charger — $21 $26 20% off

With this battery combo you’ll get four HiQuick AA batteries and four AAA batteries, as well as a wall charger that’s capable of charging both sizes. The charger has fast-charging capabilities and can charge all eight batteries at once. This deal is good for $5 in savings, which is 20% off the regular price.

Read more
Early Black Friday chest freezer deals: up to 40% off today
The Insignia 7-cubic feet chest freezer placed in a garage.

Update 10/29/24: This starts our Black Friday coverage of chest freezers, and we like what we see so far. The following deals are from a variety of good brands, show a wide range of prices, and most importantly come in various sizes, so you can pick what is right for your home.

While Black Friday officially starts on November 29, retailers are getting started early this year. That means great early Black Friday deals, including on things like chest freezers. Here, we search high and low for the best deals on chest freezers to hit the market. That means we're looking at sources like Walmart's, Amazon's, and Best Buy's early Black Friday deals among others to get you the best deals possible. Whether you're wanting to store ice cream, meat, or a party's worth of frozen pizza, these are the best chest freezers for you.
Hisense 5 cu. ft. Garage Ready Chest Freezer — $165 $189 13% off

Read more
Best cordless drill early Black Friday deals: DeWalt and more
A DeWalt drill being used.

Update 10/28/24: This marks the beginning of our drill coverage for 2024's Black Friday shopping season, and all of the major brands have at least one great deal. While we're excited for what is to come, this is a fantastic start and there's really no reason to not go ahead and get prepped by buying something now.
If you're buying anything this Black Friday, there's a big chance you might want a drill/driver to go with it. A drill/driver is one part drill, one part (screw)driver and it can help out in many situations. For example, say you take part in one of these early Black Friday TV deals, you very well might want to wall mount it. Then, say you grab up an easy coffee maker from Keurig's early Black Friday deals. An extra side table in your study would sure go nice with that and a drill/driver could very well make the table's construction much easier.
Really, with so so many of your early Black Friday purchases, there might be a chance to pick up a cordless drill or driver and get to work. As such, we've compiled a list of the best cordless drill deals throughout Black Friday deals that are available now, so you can get a head start on prepping for the savings that are to come.

Skil Pwr Core 12 Drill/Driver — $50 $59 15% off

Read more