The "Who Are You Buying For?" Smart Christmass Gift Guide
We work with embedded systems. We build IoT solutions for clients. And apparently, we can’t stop buying smart home gadgets for ourselves. It started innocently enough. One engineer got a presence sensor “for research purposes.” Another ordered a smart thermostat because his heating bills were getting ridiculous. Someone bought a pet camera to check on their dog during long debugging sessions. Our project manager, for reasons she still won’t fully explain, now owns an automatic litter box the size of a small refrigerator.
None of this was coordinated. There was no master plan. We just work in IoT, and at some point, the professional curiosity bleeds into personal spending.
At one point, we realized we collectively owned an absurd variety of smart home devices. More importantly, we had opinions. Strong opinions. The kind you develop after living with something for months. So we wrote them down. Which devices survive daily use, which ones make you smile, and which ones make you want to demand a refund by day three. This is our guide to IoT gifts for Christmas 2025. Organized by the only question that matters: who are you buying this for?
Part One: For People Who Think Wi-Fi Is “That Internet Thing”
Let’s talk about your aunt who calls the TV remote “the clicker.” Your father, who still prints his emails. Your neighbor, who believed the cloud was somehow related to the weather. These wonderful people have survived decades without knowing what a router does. And you know what? They’ve been happy. Their lives work fine. So when you give them a smart home device, you’re asking them to trust that technology will make something better rather than more complicated.
Don’t underestimate what you’re asking. The gifts in this section share one thing: they work without requiring the recipient to become a different person. They won’t need to learn new skills or watch YouTube tutorials at 11 PM trying to figure out why something stopped working. These devices just quietly improve things in that “oh, that’s nice” kind of way. Your job as the gift-giver: set it up for them. Spend twenty minutes during the holiday visit. Connect it to their Wi-Fi. Show them the one button they need to press. Then step back. The best technology for beginners is the kind they forget.
Ecobee Smart Thermostat Essential – $129
Engineering at its finest. This thermostat learns when you wake up, when you leave, and when you come home, then heats or cools your house accordingly. The company claims 23% average savings on energy bills. The Essential model is the simpler sibling of the $250 Premium version.
Smaller screen, plastic body instead of metal. But the brain inside is identical: the learning algorithms, the geofencing, the energy reports. The installation surprised us. It was approachable. The app walks you through every step, even identifies what kind of HVAC system you have by looking at your wire colors. We needed a small screwdriver and something to grab tiny wires with. The whole process took maybe 45 minutes, and we wouldn’t call ourselves handy people.
One quirk we discovered immediately: the temperature slider in the app is too sensitive. You try to set 21°C, you overshoot to 19°C, then adjust carefully, and suddenly it’s 24°C. After a few days, you learn the finger pressure needed, but that first evening involves some comedy. The Home Energy Reports became our unexpected favorite feature. They show your heating and cooling patterns and compare them to similar homes in your area. There’s something almost game-like about seeing “You used 15% less energy than your neighbors this week.”
Nanoleaf 4D V2 – $100
Those with TVs mounted in very bright rooms, because the effect needs some darkness to shine. This is a light strip for the back of your TV that watches what’s on screen and changes colors to match. During movie explosions your wall goes orange, and forest scenes wash the room in green. It’s the kind of thing you don’t realize you want until you see it in action. The old version required corner brackets and careful measurement, and you’d spend twenty minutes making sure angles were perfect.
The new V2 version just bends. The zigzag design flexes around corners naturally, so you can stick it to the back of any TV up to 65 inches and call it done. We tested it with Planet Earth documentaries. The underwater sequences turned our whole wall into an aquarium, and the desert sunset scenes made our office glow amber. Even our most skeptical colleague, the one who thinks RGB lighting is for teenagers, admitted it looked “actually quite good.” The Matter support means it works with whatever smart home system you already have, without needing an additional hub or a new app to learn. It just becomes part of your existing setup.
Furbo 360° Pet Camera – $150-200
This landed in the “beginner” section because pet owners will figure out any device if it helps them check on their animals. The camera rotates to keep your pet in view as it moves around the room. Auto-tracking means you don’t need to manually pan, it spots your dog and keeps them centered. The treat launcher shoots small snacks across the room with a distinctive “pop” sound that dogs learn fast.
We tested it with a colleague’s dog. The two-way audio worked surprisingly well. You could hear his confusion at first, then recognition when his owner’s voice came through. Within three days, he learned that the popping sound meant treats were on the way and would position himself accordingly. The barking alerts proved more useful than expected, though not for the obvious “is my dog okay” check. They’re better for pattern recognition.
A colleague discovered their dog had separation anxiety only because neighbors complained about howling. The Furbo let them see exactly when the barking started and what triggered it. The dramatic stories are real, too. There are documented cases of house fires detected because Furbo sent an emergency alert, giving owners time to rush home and save their pets. That’s not a typical use case, but knowing the capability exists matters.
PETLIBRO Dockstream Water Fountain – $70-90
This is a smart water fountain that tracks how much your cat or dog drinks. It sounds simple because it is simple, but knowing your pet’s water intake can catch health problems early. Kidney issues, diabetes, and urinary problems often show up as changes in drinking patterns before other symptoms appear. We asked a veterinarian about this, and she confirmed: detailed water consumption data helps with faster diagnoses. The fountain tracks daily, monthly, and yearly patterns, and when something changes, you notice.
Four-layer filtration keeps the water clean. Stainless steel bowl prevents the “plastic chin acne” some cats develop from cheaper fountains. Alerts tell you when water is low. The fountain runs quietly, which is important for skittish cats. There’s no subscription fee, no blockchain integration, no AI nonsense. Clean running water and useful data. That’s it.
Part Two: For People Who Already Own Something That Blinks
You know this person because they mentioned their Philips Hue within five minutes of meeting them. They have opinions about smart switches versus smart bulbs. They understand what “Matter compatible” means. These people don’t need hand-holding. They need gifts that expand what they already have. Better hubs, smarter sensors, devices that play nicely with their existing ecosystem instead of demanding a new one. The challenge here is different than with beginners.
Beginners need simplicity. Intermediate users need compatibility. Before you buy anything in this section, find out what hub or system they use. Apple HomeKit? Google Home? Home Assistant? The question isn’t “will this work?” It’s “will this work with what they already have?” One more thing: people at this level often have strong opinions. They’ve already decided whether they prefer Zigbee or Z-Wave, cloud or local, minimal interfaces or dashboards full of data. A gift that contradicts their philosophy might annoy more than delight. When in doubt, ask them. Enthusiasts love talking about their setups, and you’ll learn what they want while making them feel like their hobby is interesting.
Aqara FP300 Presence Sensor – $50-60
This tiny sensor knows if someone is in a room, and we mean actually present rather than just moving through it. Reading a book, watching a movie, sitting very still while contemplating life choices. The mmWave radar detects micro-movements like breathing. It combines five sensors in one device: mmWave radar, PIR motion detection, temperature, humidity, and light level. And it runs on batteries. Previous mmWave presence sensors needed a power cable dangling awkwardly from wherever you mounted them.
This tiny sensor knows if someone is in a room, and we mean actually present rather than just moving through it. Reading a book, watching a movie, sitting very still while contemplating life choices. The mmWave radar detects micro-movements like breathing. It combines five sensors in one device: mmWave radar, PIR motion detection, temperature, humidity, and light level. And it runs on batteries. Previous mmWave presence sensors needed a power cable dangling awkwardly from wherever you mounted them.
We tested it in a bathroom, which is a classic presence sensor use case. The goal was lights on when someone enters, lights staying on while they’re showering (not moving much), and lights off only when the room is actually empty. It worked. The sensor maintained occupancy status even when we stood very still, something that drove us crazy with traditional motion sensors. The dual-sensor mode impressed us most. PIR handles initial detection quickly, then mmWave takes over for accurate presence holding. In our testing, false triggers were almost nonexistent, with no phantom occupancy from ceiling fans or environmental noise.
It ships with Thread/Matter firmware by default, but you can switch to Zigbee through the Aqara app in about thirty seconds. Why would you? Zigbee mode gives you more configuration options, including adjustable detection range, the ability to disable certain sensors, and longer battery life (up to three years versus two with Thread).
Philips Hue Bridge Pro – $100-120
The biggest Hue infrastructure upgrade in years. The old bridge supported 50 lights and 10 accessories, while this one handles 150 lights plus 50 accessories. Five times faster processor, fifteen times more memory. MotionAware is the feature worth talking about. It turns your existing Hue bulbs into motion sensors by detecting tiny disruptions in the Zigbee mesh network when someone moves through the room. No new hardware needed – your lights already know when you enter, and now they can act on it.
We noticed the speed difference immediately. Switches that previously needed two presses now respond on first touch, and dimming controls react instantly instead of with that brief, frustrating lag. Large scenes involving multiple rooms activate faster.
Philips provides a migration tool in the app. For a single bridge, it works smoothly and takes about 45 minutes start to finish. Multiple bridges get more complicated, though the feature to merge two old bridges into one new Pro just launched lately. Apple HomeKit migration was the slowest part since devices moved one at a time. Budget extra time if you’re deep in the Apple ecosystem.
Aqara Hub M200 – $60-80
This compact box does four jobs at once: Matter Controller, Thread Border Router, Zigbee 3.0 hub, and 360° IR blaster for old air conditioners and TVs. For people building diverse smart homes across multiple protocols, it eliminates the hub proliferation problem.
The IR blaster has a clever trick we didn’t expect. It notices when you use your original AC remote (the physical remote that came with your air conditioner) and updates its own status to match. So your app always shows the correct temperature, even when someone in your household grabs the old remote out of habit. Small detail, big quality-of-life improvement. Power options give flexibility: USB-C for simple placement, or Power over Ethernet if you want wired reliability and have the infrastructure.
Yale Smart Lock with Matter – $189
The first Yale lock without “Nest” branding and the first with true Matter support. This means it works with Apple HomeKit, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and Home Assistant simultaneously rather than exclusively.
You don’t have to choose an ecosystem. The design philosophy impressed us. Most smart locks scream “this is a tech product” with screens, LED rings, and obvious electronics, but this one looks like a lock. A keypad. Nothing remarkable.
Visitors don’t immediately think “smart home enthusiast lives here.” The subtlety is intentional and appreciated. 9-digit keypad for codes. Physical keyhole as backup, which means finally a smart lock that doesn’t trap you outside during firmware updates. DoorSense magnet that tells you whether the door is actually closed and latched rather than just locked. Twelve months of battery life from four AAs, which is respectable for the feature set.
HomerunPET CS106 Automatic Litter Box – $699
The largest self-cleaning litter box on the market. 106-liter dome volume, 18-inch litter bed, room for a Maine Coon to turn around comfortably. Something that can’t be said about most automatic litter boxes. It has an auto-refill system that holds 14 days of clean litter, a 12-liter waste bin, and operation noise at 38.8 dB, which is quieter than a refrigerator hum.
When your cat finishes using the box, the dome tilts, waste separates from clean litter, and everything resets for the next visit. We set it up in our office and the moment we got the first “your cat used the litter box” notification was almost moving. The convenience factor is sky high. No more scooping, no more scrubbing, the worst pet parent chore becomes completely hands-off. After a few weeks of testing: cats adapted quickly, the operation is quiet enough for bathrooms, and odor control works well. The sealed waste bin traps smells effectively.
This thing is MASSIVE. We needed help carrying it into its place. Measure your bathroom, then measure it again, then add a few extra inches for error. It dominates the corner like furniture. The app works well, but isn’t required. You can control everything from the device’s touch panel, and the app adds remote monitoring and notifications, which matter most if you travel.
Part Three: For People Who Consider “Flashing Firmware” a Relaxing Evening Activity
You recognize these people by the conversation patterns. They ask “but can it run Home Assistant?” within seconds of seeing any new device. They have opinions about antenna gain. And uttered the phrase “well, that’s just a wrapper around ESPHome” at least once this year. These are not people who need gifts that “just work.” They need gifts that work the way they want. Customizable, hackable, and documented well enough that they can fix problems themselves rather than waiting for manufacturer support.
Shopping for these people is easier than shopping for beginners. They know exactly what they want, and they’ve probably mentioned it, possibly several times, possibly while showing you their Home Assistant dashboard unprompted. But if you buy them the wrong thing, they’ll know immediately. And they’ll be too polite to tell you, but the device will quietly gather dust while they continue using whatever they already had.
Before buying anything in this section, confirm: Do they use Home Assistant or Homey or something else? Do they prefer Zigbee or Z-Wave or Thread? Do they want a project or a product? The answers determine everything. And remember: for these people, the “gift” might not be the device itself. It might be the excuse to spend a weekend configuring it.
Home Assistant Connect ZBT-2 – $49
The best Zigbee coordinator you can buy right now for Home Assistant. Silicon Labs EFR32MG24 chip, four times faster communication speed than the previous version, a free-standing omnidirectional antenna with 4.16 dBi gain, and a 1.5-meter USB cable so you can place it away from USB 3.0 interference. The Home Assistant team put it: “For all our Zigbee fans, this might be the best upgrade you’ll make all year. We’ve squeezed every inch out of this technology.”
USB coordinators plugged directly into a computer or Raspberry Pi compete with USB 3.0 noise and sit in suboptimal positions (behind furniture, inside cabinets). The ZBT-2’s cable and standalone antenna let you position the coordinator properly: high, central, away from interference. You can run this as either a Zigbee coordinator or a Thread Border Router, giving you one device with two protocols. Useful if you’re experimenting or transitioning your network.
Homey Pro 2026 – $399
Just released lately, with doubled RAM from 2GB to 4GB, keeping the price at $399. This sounds like minor spec sheet improvement until you understand what RAM means for Homey: it determines how many integrations and automations can run simultaneously, so more RAM equals bigger, more complex smart homes.
Homey Pro acts as a bridge between incompatible worlds. It takes Z-Wave blinds, Zigbee sensors, IR-controlled fans, and Wi-Fi devices and exposes them all to HomeKit, Google Home, or Alexa. Suddenly, your Z-Wave blinds work with Siri, your Zigbee sensors trigger Google routines, and the protocol barriers dissolve. The CEO of Athom explained the upgrade philosophy: “Homey Pro Early 2023 set the bar very high. The only upgrade that would make sense is more RAM.” They’re supporting both the 2023 and 2026 models with identical software updates until at least June 2031.
The user experience difference from Home Assistant: Homey prioritizes approachability over flexibility. The visual Flow editor lets you build complex automations without writing code, it looks nice, and setup is gentler. But you have less control than Home Assistant offers, and some of our colleagues find this liberating, while others find it limiting. If you’re buying this for someone who already has a Homey Pro 2023, they can transfer everything to the new model. Settings, apps, automations, and device configurations are all preserved.
Particle Tachyon – $299+
Combines a Qualcomm Dragonwing SoC with a 12 TOPS AI accelerator. That’s roughly three times more powerful than a Coral TPU. Add 5G cellular connectivity, Wi-Fi 6E, and Raspberry Pi-compatible GPIO pins, and you have hardware designed for serious edge AI work. Our embedded team got excited when we saw it. The 12 TOPS NPU makes it a potential candidate for projects like Frigate, and Particle mentioned they’d love to support that integration.
This is professional development hardware. This works as a gift only if you know with certainty that your recipient does embedded development work and has projects that need exactly these capabilities. Otherwise, it’s an expensive paperweight with impressive specs.
Our Admission
2025 was the year smart home protocols stopped being a barrier to gift-giving. Matter has reached critical mass, and nearly every product in this guide supports it. The November 2025 release of Matter 1.5 added cameras for the first time, while Thread networking eliminates the hub requirements that made earlier smart homes feel like puzzle boxes.
Matter shows promise, but the standard is still maturing. It might need a few more years before it truly overtakes Zigbee and Z-Wave as the go-to protocol for local-only control. That’s fair. But for gift-givers, the practical is simpler: any Matter device works with whatever system the recipient already uses. You no longer need to ask “HomeKit or Google Home?” before buying. You just buy something good, and it works. The ecosystem wars aren’t over, but they’re no longer your problem when choosing a gift.
We work with embedded systems and build IoT solutions. Have professional opinions about firmware architecture and protocol efficiency. None of that helped when the Furbo shot treats at an unexpected angle and startled the dog. None of that mattered when the HomerunPET arrived and turned out to be twice the size we expected. None of our expertise prevented the moment of panic when the Hue Bridge migration tool hung for twelve minutes. Technology is humbling. Even technology you understand.
But when these devices work, when they learn your schedule, when they keep the lights on while you’re reading, it’s an absolute satisfaction. The technology disappeared into the background and made someone’s life slightly better. That’s what good IoT gifts do. They solve a small problem, and then they get forgotten. That’s the point.
The Sirin Software team wishes you warm holidays and devices that work on the first attempt.
