Sonos Arc vs Beam vs Playbar – Sonos finally updates the Playbar for serious home cinema with eArc offering Dolby Atmos and TrueHD
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Sonos Arc vs Beam vs Playbar – Sonos finally updates the Playbar for serious home cinema with eArc offering Dolby Atmos and TrueHD

ByJames Smythe

Sonos was doing smart speakers before they were a thing, and they do them well with some incredible options. However, when it comes to home cinema, they have been flagging behind. The soundbar market has boomed as people realise they can get the benefit of a multi-speaker system from just one device. Sonos first introduced…

Ring Doorbell 3 Plus Review – Privacy concerns aside, Ring still dominate the battery-powered smart doorbell market
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Ring Doorbell 3 Plus Review – Privacy concerns aside, Ring still dominate the battery-powered smart doorbell market

ByJames Smythe

[Update 12/05/2020] Ring reached out to me to confirm some of the privacy aspects of their system. I have copied the full statement at the bottom of the review Smart home surveillance and smart doorbells have boomed in the past few years with dozens of options available on Amazon. However, if you are looking for…

Ring Video Doorbell 3 vs 3 Plus vs 2 vs Pro vs Eufy Doorbell – What has Ring improved? Which is the best alternative?
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Ring Video Doorbell 3 vs 3 Plus vs 2 vs Pro vs Eufy Doorbell – What has Ring improved? Which is the best alternative?

ByJames Smythe

There is no getting away from the awful PR Ring has had recently, it has been revealed that the company has some serious issues with privacy as well as agreements with law enforcement to share your data. They are trying to improve though; they claim to have locked down the privacy concerns enforcing mandatory 2FA…

Aranet4 HOME Wireless Indoor Air Quality Monitor measuring CO2, Temperature, Relative Humidity and more
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Aranet4 HOME Wireless Indoor Air Quality Monitor measuring CO2, Temperature, Relative Humidity and more

ByJames Smythe

IoT devices that measure air quality are becoming increasingly common. I reviewed the Foobot back in 2017, then the Airthings Wave Plus in 2019. Recently I have been testing the Aranet4 HOME from the Latvian company SAF Tehnika. While the effects of high levels of CO2 were long thought to be benign, research has found that concentrations…

The best Z-Wave & Smart Home Switches & Buttons – Wireless & wired switches for lights and automation
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The best Z-Wave & Smart Home Switches & Buttons – Wireless & wired switches for lights and automation

ByJames Smythe

Buttons and switches are a superb addition to any smart home system allowing you to carry commands without reaching for your phone or shouting at Alexa. When I started this post, I knew there were a lot of options, but it turns out there are way more products that I realised. I have been looking…

GeoSmartPro AirGo Smart Fan Review – App controlled fan awarded a quiet mark rating that isn’t very quiet.
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GeoSmartPro AirGo Smart Fan Review – App controlled fan awarded a quiet mark rating that isn’t very quiet.

ByJames Smythe

You can get pretty much anything app-controlled nowadays; there is even an Alexa controlled microwave.  So it is no surprise there is an app-controlled pedestal fan if anything I was surprised at the lack of competing options. I specifically bought this fan to be able to use it when I go to sleep. I am…

Weber Connect Smart Grilling Hub Review – Wireless Smart Meat Thermometer with Wi-Fi & Bluetooth
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Weber Connect Smart Grilling Hub Review – Wireless Smart Meat Thermometer with Wi-Fi & Bluetooth

ByJames Smythe

With April getting very warm, and all of us in lockdown, many of us will be trying to make life a little more enjoyable by having a BBQ. With so much time on our hands, it is well worth trying out smoking and other more advanced forms of cooking than just burgers and sausages. BBQ…

Setting up Anker Eufycam 2C with a NAS Surveillance Station or BlueIris NVR

Setting up Anker Eufycam 2C with a NAS Surveillance Station or BlueIris NVR

ByJames Smythe

The Anker Eufycam 2C is my current favourite wire-free security camera, it is affordable, has a built-in spotlight, offers colour night vision and best of all has human detection to reduce all the annoying false alerts. On top of all this, Eufy cameras also have an RTSP option which allows you to integrate it with…

The Best Android Automation Apps for Your Smartphone

The Best Android Automation Apps for Your Smartphone

ByJames Smythe

When it comes to automation apps on Android there are various variants on the Google Play Store today, but how to choose the best ones. If you browse the wide array of apps that specialize in this area, you’ll find this to be quite hard. Firstly, let’s explain why you need to automate your smartphone…

The best smart plug sockets for the UK in 2020 – Smart double sockets to retrofit existing plugs
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The best smart plug sockets for the UK in 2020 – Smart double sockets to retrofit existing plugs

ByJames Smythe

The smart home industry is booming, and with no doubt, smart home installation is transforming many homes as it allows you to simplify everyday tasks and automate many existing appliances at a touch of a button, and you can find Alexa in almost everything nowadays. For UK users, two things that don’t have a lot…

Yale Smart Safe & Smart Cabinet Lock Announced – The US also gets a Smart Delivery Box to stop Porch Pirates
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Yale Smart Safe & Smart Cabinet Lock Announced – The US also gets a Smart Delivery Box to stop Porch Pirates

ByJames Smythe

Following on from the Yale Linus Smart Lock news, Yale have also expanded their product range with a variety of smart storage solutions. Basically, everything Yale is known for will eventually become smart. There are two new products for the UK and a Smart Delivery Box for the US. Yale Smart Delivery Box I feel…

Blurams Launches Advanced Smart Doorbell with Free AI Facial Recognition for just $89.99.
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Blurams Launches Advanced Smart Doorbell with Free AI Facial Recognition for just $89.99.

ByJames Smythe

I was previously impressed with the performance of the Blurams Outdoor Pro, the affordable camera is one of the few AI facial recognition cameras on the market and it was quite accurate, much better than standard motion detection. Blurams are now taking that tech and shoving it in a smart doorbell and to make things…