The 15 Best Pool Accessories to Upgrade Your Summer (2026)

Kat MerckGearJul 29, 2026 8:01 AMThe 15 Best Pool Accessories to Upgrade Your SummerThese are the cleaning robots, water monitors, and safety gear actually worth buying for pool season.Courtesy of Beatbot; FunboyCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyPools are hard. This is not news to anyone who owns one, but the uninitiated may not know about the inordinate amount of daily labor and chores that lie behind a pool’s clear, sparkling, perfectly chlorinated (or salted) water.Luckily, pool tech has come a long way in the past decade—gone are the hours spent scooping leaves and dead bugs out of the water with a long-handled net, laboring over pH strips, and trying to relax on floaties too small for your adult-sized behind. We've now got robots that clean your pool, apps that monitor water quality from your phone, and even a slushie machine for proper pool-party margs.With gas and plane ticket prices soaring to astronomical levels, there's never been a better time for a staycation at your own pool. (If you don't have a pool of your own, you can always rent one nearby on Swimply.) My colleague Christopher Null has a 12- by 36-foot, L-shaped, in-ground pool lined with PebbleTec, and I have a 20- by 12-foot above-ground pool lined with vinyl. Between the two of us, we have pretty much tried it all, so whether you've got a custom-built in-ground complex or an Intex pop-up from Walmart, these time- and life-tested swimming pool accessories are sure to level up your backyard pool game.For more yard-tech tips, check out our guides to the Best Pool Cleaning Robots, Best Smart Sprinklers and Irrigation Systems, Best Robot Lawn Mowers, and Best Smart Bird Feeders.Updated July 2026: I’ve added a sun hat, a wave machine, a pool thermometer, a whimsical speaker, and a water bottle. I also ensured up-to-date links and prices. Love WIRED? Add us as a preferred source on Google to see more of us.Jump to SectionAccordionItemContainerButtonLargeChevronInstant Lap PoolThe Best Pool AlarmFor Keeping an Eye on ThingsStop Skimming LeavesOutsource Your Water-Quality ChoresCritical Sun ProtectionIs It Warm Enough to Go In?For Floating Around With a DrinkNever Vacuum AgainA More Affordable RobotA Water Bottle You Won’t LoseThe Best Resort TowelsFor Peak Margarita SznSunglasses That FloatA Speaker With VibesInstant Lap PoolPhotograph: Chris NullPhotograph: Chris NullPhotograph: Chris Null<video autoplay="" class="responsive-clip__video" loop="" muted=""></video>Video: Chris NullChevronChevronSave to wishlistSave to wishlistiGardenSwim Jet X Pro 10$4,320 Amazon$3,599 iGardenWhat, you’re still swimming in a still-water pool? Get with the ’20s and add an artificial wave machine that uses jets of water to create a strong current that you can swim against.iGarden’s Swim Jet X (also available in a few cheaper, lower-power versions) is a massive pump that clips onto the edge of your pool deck, cycling up to 1,100 gallons of water per minute through its 31-pound chassis, creating its powerful stream. At higher settings, this current is downright extreme, able to blast an unprepared swimmer halfway across the pool. The result is a very effective way to exercise without swimming long laps in a traditional lap pool. And if the kids just want to splash around a bit for fun, you can lower the Swim Jet’s intensity level to create a lighter, surface-level disturbance.The Swim Jet isn’t perfect, though. The workouts are challenging and also adjustable, thanks to the machine’s six power modes. Even so, swimming in place may not provide quite as vigorous an exercise session as traditional laps. Battery life is another consideration: You’ll get 10 hours of running time on the slowest, lowest setting, but its efficiency plummets as you ratchet up the output. On the higher power modes, the system is good for about two hours of wave-blasting operation.It’s also very expensive, with the top-tier version running $4,320 at some sellers. That’s a