Home automation allows you to monitor and control devices and appliances in your home remotely. Connected products like smart lights, thermostats, security cameras, locks, and more can be programmed to turn on/off automatically or controlled manually from anywhere.
Home automation systems communicate through wireless protocols like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee or are hardwired into a home’s electrical system. Cloud services and digital assistants enable voice control.
We test and review the latest smart home and automation products to help build your connected dream home. See our home automation buying guides, news, deals, product comparisons, and advice to add convenience, security, and savings.
The Aqara Presence Sensor FP2 was launched globally a couple of weeks ago. It replaces the FP1 which launched last year, this wasn’t launched globally, but many people imported it from China due to its unique feature set. Millimeter-wave vs PIR Sensors The FP2 uses a 60GHz mmWave radar as the sensor in comparison to…
Aqara teased the launch of the new FP2 presence sensor earlier in the year, and this is quite an exciting product for smart home enthusiasts. The FP2 presence sensor uses mmWave radar instead of a traditional passive infrared (PIR) presence sensor. With PIR, they are not very good if you are in the room but…
I reviewed the Netatmo smart smoke alarm back in 2019 and Netatmo has continued to update this useful piece of smart technology as well as the carbon monoxide alarm they have. The latest update adds compatibility of its Smart Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms with the Google voice assistant. Both are now compatible with two…
I previously wrote an article comparing Zigbee vs Z-Wave and the pros and cons of each smart home technology. Thread is a new smart home communication protocol that builds upon the Zigbee specification and is available at no cost; however, this requires agreement and continued adherence to an End-User License Agreement (EULA). Albeit, you have…
I have recently covered several smart home products, and many of these use the Zigbee communication protocol. There is also the Z-Wave which I have covered extensively in the past, and then you have Thread which is an up-and-coming protocol. It can get confusing what the difference is between these technologies and which is best,…
I am in the middle of reviewing the Google Nest WiFi Pro. The main reason why I bought this router was that it could work with Matter and is a Thread border router. This section of the review ended up being longer than expected due to various issues, and therefore I decided to split it…
The Homey smart hubs have been around for years now, and I covered the launch of the original Homey Pro back in 2019. Homey has been trying to be the panacea of smart home fragmentation long before the Matter was a thing. They are arguably the best solution for anyone using a mixture of smart…
SwitchBot made a name for itself with the SwitchBot Bot, which is an affordable smart button pressor. It is a simple yet innovative way to make dumb electronics smart. A few other random brands have tried to rip off the ideal, but no one has competed with SwitchBot for this clever little device. I have…
I recently reviewed the massive 25L HYSapientia Air Fryer, and it was the first time I have used one of these front-loading tray-style air fryers. They are basically just miniature fan-assisted overs. It is a design that I am fond of as it makes it easier to cook larger amounts of food and multiple items…
Aqara are one of the first companies to begin the rollout of the new Matter royalty-free home automation standard. Matter is a new connectivity standard for IoT devices to enable a wide variety of smart home accessories to work together across brands and ecosystems. Via an M2 hub with this new firmware, the Aqara Zigbee…
Welcome to the world of smart home technology! With the advancements made in recent years, transforming your home into an intelligent abode is easier than ever. Smart homes are no longer just a futuristic dream—they’re now accessible to almost everyone. From controlling lights and thermostats with voice commands to automatically locking doors when you leave,…
The Tapo L930-5 was launched in the middle of 2022, and it is the first product to launch from them that can be integrated with Apple HomeKit. Tapo L930-5 vs L920-5 vs L900-5 I have previously reviewed the affordable Tapo L900-5, which uses an RGB chip that only allows a single colour to be used…
End of content
End of content