The new and disruptive technology of smart home applications (hereafter referred to as apps) based on Internet of Things (IoT) is largely limited and scattered. To provide valuable insights into technological environments and support researchers, we must understand the available options and gaps in this line of research. Thus, in this study, a review is conducted to map the research landscape into a coherent taxonomy. We conduct a focused search for every article related to (1) smart homes, (2) apps, and (3) IoT in three major databases, namely, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and IEEE Explore. These databases contain literature focusing on smart home apps using IoT. The final dataset resulting from the classification scheme includes 229 articles divided into four classes. The first class comprises review and survey articles related to smart home IoT applications. The second class includes papers on IoT applications and their use in smart home technology. The third class contains proposals of frameworks to develop and operate applications. The final class includes studies with actual attempts to develop smart home IoT applications. We then identify the basic characteristics of this emerging field in the following aspects: motivation of using IoT in smart home applications, open challenges hindering utilization, and recommendations to improve the acceptance and use of smart home applications in literature. •Mapping the research landscape of smart home based on Internet of Things into a coherent taxonomy.•Figure out the motivation of using the internet of things in smart home.•Highlight the open challenges that hinder the utility Internet of Things in smart home.•Recommendations lists to improve the acceptance of used the Internet of Things in smart home in the literature.