Welcome to our Smart Home and Automation category page—the hub for all things smart and convenient that can revolutionise your daily living. Here, you’ll find comprehensive guides, reviews, and the latest news on devices and ecosystems that promise to make your home safer, more efficient, and undeniably more enjoyable.
Smart Home and Automation refers to the network of intelligent devices and systems that connect to the internet and to each other, offering remote control, monitoring, and data collection. From voice-activated lighting to intelligent cooking appliances, this category spans a wide array of products designed to bring ease and automation into your home life.
Whether you’re a tech-savvy early adopter or a homeowner seeking practical solutions for everyday tasks, smart home tech offers a wide range of applications that can genuinely improve your living standards.
Whether you’re just starting your smart home journey or looking to expand your existing setup, our Smart Home and Automation category is rich with expert advice, detailed reviews, and the latest updates to help you make informed decisions. Dive in and discover how smart your home can truly be!
Netatmo is the latest company to enter the smart lock market with the innovatively named Smart Door Lock and Keys. While there are a lot of products on the market, the big names such as August are designed for deadlocks only, but in the UK for our uPVC doors, we use multi-point locks with a…
Ring has had a string of bad publicity recently, so their CES product launch is somewhat tarnished. It has recently come to light, that Ring has been working with police to make it easier for them to access footage, and they are facing legal action for poor security and also a data breach. So as…
LIFX is expanding its smart lighting product range during CES 2020. LIFX Filament White In store: Spring 2020/ Target RRP: USD $29.99 The first product in the announcement is the new Filament White which allows you to have smart lights with vintage style Edison-type lights. LIFX will launch smokey, amber and clear glass versions, making…
I am a big fan of floodlight and spotlight cameras, I have both the Ezviz Floodlight and Netatmo Presence. The problem with both of these is that they need to be wired into your mains, because big lights use more power. Arlo thinks they can do better than this and have launched the Arlo Pro…
Netatmo is entering the world of smart locks, which will complement the current smart home security range, including the recently launched indoor smart alarm plus Welcome indoor and Presence outdoor cameras. Smart locks have struggled to take off in the UK, but Netatmo hopes their new system will outperform competing brands. High Security The new…
Ajax is another new contender in the smart home alarm industry. The system has a wide range of features and accessories, and it is contract-free, with optional monitoring services. They are not very well known in the UK, but several professional CCTV companies have started to stock them and they appear to be an excellent…
Smart home alarms have been gaining traction in the UK in the past year and I have reviewed both the Yale Home Sync and Simplisafe systems. Ring recently launched in the UK, and my review of the Somfy indoor camera can be part of a smart home alarm. Minut, formerly Point, is a new contender…
Smart home thermostats have come a long way since they first launched. Originally they were just a thermostat that controlled the on and off functions of your boiler. They promised various levels of savings compared to a traditional thermostat, but in reality, they were still quite inefficient in many areas. Then came zoned heating, Genius…
Being in a house of two with no pets, I am not a big fan of indoor cameras, they are a bit wasted on me and there is always that creepy feeling of being watched. Then, of course, privacy concerns. The Somfy Indoor Camera hopes to address those concerns by utilising a physical shutter on…
Everything gadget you buy nowadays has some sort of smart home or AI assistant functionality built into it. The problem being, there are a lot of companies doing their own thing and they are not overly keen on talking to each other. Most companies have some form of API which allows partial access, but it…
One of the big problems with outdoor security cameras is all the false alerts. A gentle breeze will set off some cameras. You can generally tweak the settings to find something to minimise alerts such as motion zones and sensitivity levels, but it is never perfect. The one exception I have found is the Netatmo…
[Update] Matthew Hughes at The Register has now confirmed Den Automation has officially gone into liquidation. Wilkin Chapman Business Solutions Limited has been appointed as liquidators, with Ian Michael Rose and Karen Tracey Potts the named practitioners. It is only 8 months ago that I reviewed the Den Automation system, I was quite impressed with…
End of content
End of content