Amazon Echo Show

The best hub for a home run by voice, because the screen covers the bad days too. Alexa controls compatible smart plugs, heating, cameras and lights hands-free, so the kettle and the thermostat stop needing a trip across the room. The reason to pick the Show over a plain Echo speaker is Tap to Alexa: with it switched on, the same controls work from tiles on the touchscreen without saying a word. That matters when a voice is tired, a caregiver is asleep in the next room or a cold has knocked speech out for a week. Mount it somewhere reachable from bed or chair, since its usefulness depends on being within touching distance.