How much does smart home installation cost in 2026?
Cost breakdown
| Job type | Typical low | Typical high |
|---|---|---|
| Smart thermostat, unit and materials | $70 | $280 |
| Smart thermostat, installed | $200 | $500 |
| Video doorbell, hardware only | $50 | $350 |
| Video doorbell, installed | $50 | $600 |
| Security camera, each | $40 | $150 |
| Smart lock, installed | $200 | $400 |
| Installation labour, per hour | $50 | $150 |
| Mid-range whole-home setup | $3,500 | $6,000 |
Device by device
A smart thermostat is $70 to $280 for the unit and materials, or $200 to $500 with installation. Video doorbells are $50 to $350 for the hardware and $50 to $600 installed, averaging around $300, with monitoring adding $3 to $20 a month. Security cameras are $40 to $150 each. Smart locks are $100 to $300 for the lock and $200 to $400 installed. Labour across all of it is $50 to $150 per hour, or a flat fee on larger jobs.
Where the wiring bites
The commonest surprise is the thermostat. Most smart thermostats need a common wire, the C wire, to stay powered, and plenty of older systems do not have one run to the thermostat location. The fix is an adapter or pulling a new cable, and it is the difference between a twenty-minute swap and an afternoon. The same logic applies to doorbells: a hardwired video doorbell needs an existing transformer with enough capacity, and an undersized one causes intermittent faults that look like a defective unit.
Subscriptions are part of the price
Hardware cost is not the whole cost. Video devices commonly charge $3 to $20 a month for cloud recording, and without it many cameras keep only a short buffer or nothing at all. Over the life of a device that recurring figure can exceed what you paid for the hardware. Before buying, check what the device does with no subscription — some remain genuinely useful, others become close to ornamental.
Whole-home setups
A mid-range smart home with multiple connected devices commonly lands at $3,500 to $6,000. Building it one device at a time is a reasonable strategy and avoids committing to an ecosystem before you know which one suits you, but it is worth deciding early which hub or platform everything will speak to. Retrofitting compatibility across devices bought piecemeal is the main way these projects end up costing more than a planned installation would have.
What to have a pro do
A smart speaker or a plug-in camera is a DIY job. Anything touching mains wiring, the HVAC control circuit or an exterior door lock is worth paying for. Smart locks in particular are worth having fitted properly: a lock that is misaligned in the frame will bind, and a motorised lock that binds will fail, usually while you are away and relying on it. This is also the point at which a network that actually reaches your devices matters more than the devices themselves.
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Find a handyman near you →Frequently asked questions
How much does smart home installation cost? ▾
Labour is $50 to $150 per hour, or a flat fee on larger jobs. A mid-range whole-home setup lands at $3,500 to $6,000.
What does a smart thermostat cost installed? ▾
$200 to $500 installed, or $70 to $280 for the unit and materials alone.
Why did my thermostat installation cost more than quoted? ▾
Usually a missing C wire. Most smart thermostats need a common wire for power, and older systems often lack one — the fix is an adapter or a new cable run.
What does a video doorbell cost to install? ▾
$50 to $600 installed, averaging around $300, plus $3 to $20 a month if you want cloud recording.
Are the monthly subscriptions worth it? ▾
Check what the device does without one first. Many cameras keep only a short buffer or nothing at all unsubscribed, and over a device lifetime the recurring cost can exceed the hardware.
Should I install a smart lock myself? ▾
It is worth paying for. A lock misaligned in the frame binds, and a motorised lock that binds eventually fails — typically while you are away and depending on it.
Do I need a hub? ▾
Not for a few devices, but decide early which platform everything will speak to. Retrofitting compatibility across devices bought piecemeal is the usual reason these projects overrun.
Will my Wi-Fi cope? ▾
Coverage at the device matters more than the device. Doorbells and outdoor cameras sit at the edge of most home networks, which is where intermittent faults that look like hardware failures actually come from.
Sources
Figures on this page are billed rates paid by homeowners unless stated otherwise. Wage data measures what a worker earns and is not the same quantity as a billed rate.
- HomeGuide — Smart home cost 2026 — accessed 2026-08-24
- Angi — Cost to install a doorbell camera 2026 — accessed 2026-08-24
- Angi — Smart home system cost, 2026 data — accessed 2026-08-24