After repeatedly leaving customers without smart control of their lights, Sengled has been booted from Amazon’s Works With Alexa program. As first reported by TechHive, beginning August 1st, Sengled’s Alexa skill for controlling its line of LED lights, plugs, switches, and sensors with your voice and routines is no longer available.

In a statement to The Verge explaining the decision, Amazon spokesperson Lauren Raemhild said, “We hold a high bar for the Alexa experience. Sengled has experienced a series of prolonged outages over the past few months that have not been resolved, preventing customers from being able to use Sengled’s Alexa skill to control their light bulbs.”

The future doesn’t look bright for Sengled, which has been silent since the problems started appearing earlier this summer. There appears to have been no communication to customers from the company (Amazon did reach out to its customers about the outages), and no indication of these issues on its website. Repeated attempts by The Verge to contact Sengled have been met with no response.

There is some good news. If you own Sengled bulbs that use Zigbee, BLE Mesh, or Matter, rather than Wi-Fi, they can still work with Alexa by bypassing Sengled’s spotty servers and connecting to a compatible Echo speaker or Eero Wi-Fi router (this may require setting them up again). Another option is to connect Zigbee bulbs to third-party platform hubs that support the protocol, such as Home Assistant, Hubitat, or the Aeotec SmartThings hub.

But if your bulbs were Sengled’s Wi-Fi ones, you’re out of luck. These won’t connect to Alexa, although they will still work with Sengled’s app, for as long as Sengled’s servers are still running. Users have started reporting problems there, too. All of which goes to show that relying on cloud services to turn your lights on is a fragile solution.

This is a story we’ve seen too often in the smart home. Just last month, Belkin shuttered its WeMo smart home business, and the smart home graveyard is littered with other examples: iHome, Revolv, Staples Connect, Lowes’ Iris, Best Buy’s Insignia, and more.

A common thread with these shutdowns is that the products relied on cloud servers. At one time, it was easier and less expensive for a company to develop a cloud-based controller than a local system, as they don’t require a hub or bridge and can be simpler to set up and use.

However, companies have to maintain those servers, as well as API connections to smart home platforms and voice assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant, which can be costly and resource-intensive. When the business model no longer pans out, history shows us that if they can’t sell it, companies just shut it down.

This brings me to my best piece of advice to anyone buying a smart home device today, especially something as integral as lighting: make sure it has the option of local control. That way, if the company goes under or stops providing the service you signed up for, then your device will still keep working (in some fashion). Plus, locally controlled devices tend to be faster, as they don’t have to wait for a response from a server.

As noted, some Sengled bulbs don’t rely on a cloud connection and instead can work locally in your home. Thanks to a connection via local protocols like Apple’s HomeKit or Zigbee, some products from those companies listed above also still work, even though their servers are gone.

That’s one of the reasons why the new Matter standard is so crucial to the smart home. While it has had its problems, Matter is built on the foundations of HomeKit, Zigbee, and other technologies. It’s an entirely local protocol, communicating to a Matter controller (hub) in your home, not to a company’s cloud.

While Matter ecosystems such as Apple Home, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and Home Assistant can connect to the cloud to give control when you’re away from home and enable other features like voice assistants, that’s a layer on top of Matter. If a device like a smart bulb supports Matter, either over Wi-Fi or Thread, you don’t need the internet to turn on the lights. And, if the manufacturer’s server dies, your device won’t.

Matter isn’t the only option here. Devices that work over Zigbee, Z-Wave, BLE and BLE Mesh, and local Wi-Fi, also offer local control. But the standardization of Matter, its wide industry support, and its use of non-proprietary IP-based protocols Matter and Thread all broaden its overall compatibility and should make it more futureproof.

The situation with Sengled is just the latest reminder that for a truly reliable smart home, look for local control. While the cloud offers benefits, it should be part of your solution for a smarter home, not the only one.

In September, Apple launched its latest smartwatch, introducing the Apple Watch Series 10 alongside a black rendition of the Apple Watch Ultra 2. Each wearable has its own pros and cons, as does the second-gen Apple Watch SE, but the introduction of Apple’s newest wearables also means there are now more Apple Watch models on the market than ever before — and a lot more deals to be had.

But with all of those options, which one should you pick? Generally speaking, you want to buy the newest watch you can afford so that it continues to receive software updates from Apple. The latest update, watchOS 11, launched in September on the Series 6 and newer models, ultimately leaving those still using an older Series 4 or 5 behind. Fortunately, the next iteration of watchOS will continue to support the same devices when it arrives in the fall, even if Apple is revamping its naming convention in a bid to standardize its operating system names.

All that being said, picking up a watch from the latest (or a recent) generation ensures you’re getting a smartwatch with an updated design, a robust number of features, and plenty of sensors.

Now, let’s get to the deals.

The best Apple Watch Series 10 deals

The Apple Watch Series 10 represents the latest wearable in Apple’s flagship Series lineup. It features the new S10 SiP chip, faster charging, and a wide-angle OLED display that’s brighter, larger, and easier to read than that of previous models. It weighs half as much as the Ultra, too, and is about 30 percent thinner despite its new 42mm and 46mm sizing. Other upgrades include an added depth and water temperature sensor, as well as a new FDA-cleared sleep apnea detection feature, the latter of which is also available on the last-gen Series 9 and Ultra 2.

While the improvements are welcome, the Series 10 isn’t a vast departure from the prior model, the Series 9. That said, it’s currently on sale at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy right now in the 42mm sizing with GPS starting at $299 ($100 off), which is just $20 shy of its recent Prime Day low. The 46mm variant, meanwhile, is on sale at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy starting at $329 (also $100 off) — which is the second-best price we’ve seen on the larger configuration — while the LTE models can be had at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy starting at around $399 ($100 off).

The best Apple Watch SE deals

The Apple Watch SE received a refresh in late 2022. It has the same chipset as the Series 8, which is great, but with fewer sensors, no always-on display, and a slightly outdated design compared to the Series 8, 9, and 10. Those omissions might take this out of the running for some people, but it still may be exactly what you’re after. Best of all, it starts at $249 for the 40mm Wi-Fi / GPS model, which is $30 less than the previous generation’s baseline cost. Opting for cellular connectivity increases the starting price to $299 for the 40mm size (the 44mm size adds $20 to each configuration).

Right now, the best deal on the latest SE can be found at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy, where you can pick up the 40mm model with GPS starting at $169 ($80 off). The 44mm / GPS configuration, meanwhile, is available from the same retailers (Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy) starting at $199 ($80 off). If you want the LTE configuration, the 40mm model is on sale at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy starting at $219 (also $80 off), which is about $20 shy of the best price we’ve seen on the entry-level LTE configuration.

The best Apple Watch Ultra 2 deals

The latest Apple Watch Ultra launched at $799 in September with GPS and LTE support, much like the original model. The ultra-capable smartwatch has the most features, sensors, and ruggedness of any Apple Watch model available thus far, along with a display that’s 50 percent brighter than the first Ultra. The 49mm smartwatch also packs Apple’s S9 SiP and second-gen ultra wideband chips, just like the Apple Watch Series 9, while maintaining long-lasting battery life, precise GPS tracking, and a bevy of diving-friendly sensors.

Thanks to Amazon Prime Day, we recently saw the Apple Watch Ultra 2 dip to its lowest price to date in select configurations. Thankfully, it’s still on sale at Amazon with a Trail Loop, an Alpine Loop, or an Ocean Band starting at around $649 ($150 off). You can also pick it up at Best Buy in various configurations for the same price, if you prefer an alternative retailer.

A note on the more premium models

While all of the Apple Watch models and colorways covered here are encased in aluminum (except the Ultra 2, which has a titanium build), Apple does make a more premium range built out of stainless steel and titanium. These offerings are functionally and aesthetically similar to their aluminum counterparts, with slightly refined colors and finishings — polished for the stainless steel and brushed for the titanium. However, they start at much steeper prices of $699 and above. They, too, can often be found on sale, but they’re never discounted as low as the standard base models, so we don’t include them here.