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Smart Home Reviews

Honeywell SmarHome Security Starter Kit

Honeywell Smart Home Security Starter Kit Review

Despite its high price, the Honeywell Smart Home Security Starter Kit offers great value, bringing together home security, a network camera, and Alexa-enabled control in a comprehensive, easy-to-use package. We got a chance to test drive the system and came away mostly impressed.
Nest Hello

Nest Hello video doorbell review

Nest Hello’s crystal-clear video, intelligent features and simple operation ensure you’ll never tire of hearing the doorbell ring. Now you can answer your door no matter where you are.
husqvarna 315x automower hands on impressions review feat

Husqvarna 315x Automower review

Imagine watching your lawn being mowed by a robot while you sit on the porch drinking a beer. That’s life with Husqvarna’s line of electric Automowers, which takes the gas and the manpower out of one dreaded aspect of yard work. While costly, the automated devices are really cool timesavers.
philips hue lightstrip outdoor review feat

Philips Hue Lightstrip Outdoor review

Philips Hue fans can at last enjoy the brilliance of this weatherproof light strip, which offers simple, versatile positioning, a rich selection of 16 million color options, and bright, vibrant illumination. Deck life and holiday home decorating just got a whole lot better.
amazon echo plus review 2nd gen feat

Amazon Echo Plus (2nd gen) review

Amazon’s second-generation Echo Plus speaker is the loudest, bassiest speaker in the Echo fleet. While featuring a smart hub with only Zigbee connectivity, other upgrades make this device a worthy smart speaker. We took the device for a whirl around the smart home to see how it fares against other speakers in the space.
amazon echo sub review 11

Amazon Echo Sub review

Amazon introduced the Echo Sub for Echo speaker owners who wanted to inject some room-moving bass into their smart speaker experience. We took the new Alexa-friendly sub for a spin and quickly learned that it’s a niche product, but one that does its odd job extremely well.
sleep numbers 360 p5 impressions number  s 29795

Sleep Number’s 360 p5 is a smart bed, but can it solve your sleep problems?

Could a smarter bed be the key to a good night’s sleep? Sleep Number thinks it could be and has built an entire line of smart beds, ranging from budget to flagship models, that monitors your sleep and offers a simple Sleep IQ score. Is it the secret to sleeping better?
Shark ION Robot Vacuum Cleaning System S87 review

Shark ION Robot Vacuum Cleaning System S87 review

Robot vacuums are awesome, but they can’t clean curtains, walls, and high places. The Shark S87 solves that problem by giving you a handheld vacuum and robot vacuum all in one system, so you can clean everything in your home. You can even use it to clean your car. Read more in our Shark ION Robot Vacuum Cleaning System S87 with Hand Vacuum review.
TP-Link Kasa review

TP-Link Kasa Cam Outdoor review

While premium cameras from the likes of Nest are pushing home security monitoring into the 4K HDR era, TP-Link Kasa Cam Outdoor proves you don’t have to break the bank to benefit from simple, friendly, high-performance protection. We got a chance to review the device and came away impressed.
Lenovo Smart Display

Lenovo Smart Display review

Lenovo has partnered with Google Assistant on the Lenovo Smart Display, a smart speaker with a screen. Available in two different sizes and with crystal clear display, you might wonder how you ever got along without a screen-less smart speaker in the first place.
netgear orbi voice review feat

Netgear Orbi Voice review

Packing high-speed networking from Netgear, premium audio from Harmon Kardon, and Alexa voice assistance from Amazon, Netgear’s Orbi Voice hits a high note in smart home convergence. Could this be the future of smart home devices? We took a look at the device to find out how well it works.
jbl link view review feat

JBL Link View review

If you want to use more of your senses with your smart speaker – say, sight and touch – the JBL Link View with Google Assistant is pretty handy. The screen gives you access to some information more quickly, while still relying on convenient voice commands for most of its interactions.
Amazon Echo Dot

Amazon Echo Dot (2nd generation) review

The Amazon Echo Dot still holds up as a great introduction to smartifying your home. And at $30, it's more affordable than ever. Read more in our review.
Amazon Echo Show Review CNN

Amazon Echo Show (1st gen) review

The Amazon Echo Show is a smart assistant with a screen, so you can both see and hear what Alexa’s talking about. Right now, features like being able to see your timer or camera feed are helpful, but not world-changing. Here's what happened when we took the device for a spin.
irobot roomba i7+ review profile

iRobot Roomba i7+ review

The range-topping, reimagined Roomba i7+ offers great cleaning performance, multi-floor mapping and automatic dirt disposal, throwing shade on discount dirt-busters. We wouldn’t be surprised to see other robovacs follow suite by copying many of the features of this device. We took it for a test spin to see how well it worked.
SimpliSafe review

SimpliSafe Home Security System review

These days, there a lot of do-it-yourself home security systems out there. How do you choose? Simplisafe’s latest offering brings together beautiful hardware and the ability to customize your home security package.
samsung smartthings w-fin counter

Samsung SmartThings Wi-Fi review

Collaboration with Plume ensures Samsung SmartThings Wi-Fi is quicker than its predecessor, but a lack of wired connectivity and fragmented controls means it’s not for everyone. Find out more in our review.
Bonaverde Berlin Brewing System main front

Bonaverde Berlin brewing system review

The Bonaverde Berlin Brewing System lets you roast, grind, and brew coffee beans. But is the cup of Joe worth ditching your regular coffee maker?
Samsung DV8750 review

Samsung DV8750 dryer review

Looking for a workhorse dryer than can handle heavy blankets with the same ease as a small load of delicates? The Samsung DV8750 could be the perfect fit, as long as you don’t expect your clothes to be completely wrinkle-free.
Samsung WF7500 review

Samsung WF7500 front-loading washer review

We’ve all forgotten to add a piece of clothing to a wash already in progress. This Samsung washing machine solves that problem with an easy open hatch on the front door. But how well does it clean your laundry?
Ecobee4 smart thermostat mounted near living room.

Ecobee4 Smart Thermostat hands-on review

With an excellent whole-home sensor system, an easy-to-use interface, and a simple app, the Ecobee4 is a solid choice for a smart thermostat. The fact that it's an Amazon Alexa speaker just sweetens the deal.
Ecovacs Deebot Ozmo 930 review

Ecovacs Deebot Ozmo 930 review

We were skeptical about a robot that’s both a vacuum and a mop, but the Ecovac Deebot Ozmo 930 pleasantly surprised us. It’s a bit annoying that the app is practically required for it to function, but it does a decent job of both vacuuming and cleaning with minimal input from a human.
Amazon Echo Plus review aux plugged in

Amazon Echo Plus (1st gen) review

Amazon’s Echo Plus was announced in Sept 2017 and we quickly got our hands on one, eager to test the embedded smart home hub. A year later, we’re taking a fresh look at the device to see which new Alexa capabilities have been added and to revisit the speaker’s sound quality.
krups sub home beer dispenser

Can this tabletop Krups keg really deliver a perfect pour? We asked beer snobs

Take the brew pub home with the Krups SUB Home Beer Dispenser. This system lets you tap and enjoy your favorite beer from the comfort of your kitchen. With a variety of beer choices and easy-to-follow directions, you’ll never need to go to the bar again.
Nest-x-Yale review

Nest X Yale Lock review

Three years in the making, the Nest X Yale lock is stylish and beautiful, but offers surprisingly little substance. We were surprised by how difficult it was to install due to faulty parts. But newly-announced Google Assistant integration offers some promise.
GE JES1097SMSS review

GE JES1097SMSS microwave review

The GE Smart Countertop Microwave can be controlled by Amazon’s Alexa, but it also uses scan-to-cook technology via its app for packaged and frozen food. The list of items is robust, but we’d like to see the app incorporate more fresh food options to really make this connected microwave smart.
DeLonghi BC0430 review

DeLonghi BC0430 review

DeLonghi brings you the best of both worlds with its combo coffee machine and espresso maker. Some days you want straight coffee, while other days you need a stronger kick in the you-know what. But who has both a coffee and an espresso machine? With the DeLonghi BC0430 coffee maker, you don’t have to choose between machines.
Philips Hue White and Color Ambience Starter Kit Review

Philips Hue White and Color Ambience Starter Kit

While cheaper smart lighting options abound, few competitors can match Philips Hue’s blend of style, sophistication and simplicity that makes it easy to create the perfect ambience for your home. The White and Color Ambience Kit isn’t new, but with other lighting kits flooding the market, we figured it was a good idea to take a fresh look to see if it still holds up.
Ooma Butterfleye review

Ooma Butterfleye review

Ooma Butterfleye’s high quality, auto-adaptive imaging, wire-free operation, and free cloud storage delights, but with smart features tucked behind a paywall and no night vision support available, the camera overall disappoints performance-wise.
Samsung DW80M9 Chef Collection dishwasher

Samsung DW80M9 Chef Collection dishwasher review

What happens when you combine innovative design elements with the cleaning power of Samsung’s latest rendition of its WaterWall cleaning technology? A dishwasher that’s as powerful and stylish as it is quiet. Read our review and find out why this unit is one of our favorites.
traeger timberline 850 review trager feat

Traeger Timberline 850 review

Renowned for its line of wood pellet grills, Traeger has taken its game to the next level with the Timberline 850 Wi-Fi-controlled grill. With its companion app, this grill promises a grilling experience that’s all but effortless. Just how smart is this smoker? Read our review.

Ezviz ez360 Pano review

Ezviz ez360’s wide field of vision and extensive monitoring features are a step up from most consumer smart cams, but this camera isn’t the simplest to work with. We’re also unsure how, exactly, the device works with Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa. Read our review to find out more.
Philips Hue Calla

Philips Hue Calla Outdoor Pathway Light & Extension Kit Review

Installing outdoor LED lighting has been too difficult for too long. Philips Hue has made it easy by making outdoor lighting that’s gorgeous and exciting to use. A combination of style, sophistication and, best of all, simplicity makes Philips Hue Calla an easy pick. Here’s how testing went.
iLife A7 Vacuum Robot

iLife A7 Robot Vacuum review

iLife recently released the A7 robot vacuum. The A7 has a variety of cool features you want to see in a robot vac like multiple cleaning modes, different cleaning brushes, and WiFi connectivity. We decided to test out the iLife A7 and see how it compares to other robot vacuums.