According to Amazon, Alexa engagement has quadrupled in the past four years, and the voice assistant is getting smarter all the time -- recently adding bigger budget games and proactive suggestions to its mix of features.

Since Amazon introduced its first Echo speaker in 2014, Google Assistant and Siri have jumped on board with their own smart speakers and voice control.

But the Alexa voice assistant was the first to champion voice integrations in the smart home, and it still boasts the most integrations across the space.

While there are a lot of Amazon Alexa devices to choose from, the Echo Dot with Clock leads with its impressive performance, small footprint and sheer practicality.

At just $60, this pint-sized smart speaker is an excellent entry point into the world of Amazon Alexa devices.

Yes, you can pull up the live feed on an Amazon smart display, but you can also chat with whoever's at your door via the built-in speaker on the smart display with the command, "Alexa, answer the front door.".

That two-way talk feature via an Alexa smart display is unique to Ring devices.

Control your SmartThermostat via the Ecobee app and use Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri voice commands to adjust the temp of your smart thermostat.

It's Alexa's voice control that really stand out here, though, since the thermostat itself has a built-in Alexa smart speaker.

The Amazon Echo Show 8 is Amazon's latest smart display.

The August Wi-Fi Smart Lock works with Alexa, so you can lock and unlock your door from an Alexa-enabled smart speaker using your voice.

The TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini is a big name for a tiny smart plug that costs just $14.

A smart plug like this one connects via your Wi-Fi connection directly to a wall outlet and convert your nonsmart lamps, fans and other gadgets into smart devices.

Use the TP-Link app to connect and control devices -- or enlist Amazon Alexa and use your voice.

Say, "Alexa, turn on the reading lamp" to get the Plug Mini smart plug to control the devices connected to it with ease.

The Amazon Echo Flex is a tiny smart speaker that plugs directly into an outlet.

Amazon's latest smart display, the Echo Show 8 comes with a built-in camera shutter, unlike earlier Echo Show devices