Category: Smart Home

We tested and compared Philips Hue and LIFX so you can decide which smart light bulb brand has the price, features, and smart home compatibility you need.

Nest makes solid, easy-to-use smart home products that make day-to-day life more convenient. Here are our favorite smart devices that work with Nest.

See which home automation systems we think belong in your home in 2019, and learn why we thought Amazon Echo was the best in our in-depth review.

HomeKit still isn’t compatible with as many smart home brands as Amazon Alexa or Google Home yet, but there are still plenty of devices to choose from. From smart bulbs to Wi-Fi thermostats, here are the best Apple HomeKit-compatible devices.

Being the leaders in smart speaker technology, we lay out the pros and cons of both Google Home and Amazon Echo, and decide which one is best for your home.

IFTTT—If This, Then That—is a free web-based service that helps your apps and smart devices communicate with each other. IFTTT uses applets to define triggers (if this) to execute an action (then that). For example, if your phone senses you’re back in your home, then your Nest Cam will stop recording.

Lots of homeowners are investing in modern technologies like smart assistants (such as Amazon Alexa and Google Home), smart speakers, and internet-connected security cameras. And while all this technology makes life easier at home, it also raises concerns as more people worry about things like getting hacked, being spied on, and having their identity stolen. We surveyed hundreds of Americans across the country to get a sense for how much people trust the new-age technology filling their homes, and what kind of concerns these modern gadgets raise as far as privacy and personal security.

Smart thermostats provide a huge convenience: many models allow you to create a heating and cooling schedule. Others can actually learn your preferences, like whether you sleep hot and prefer your home at a cool 68 degrees Fahrenheit at night. Smart home thermostats also help save you money on heating and cooling costs.

Controlling your home with voice commands is an exciting part of home automation, and the Apple HomePod allows Apple users to do just that. The Apple HomePod is a powerful speaker that provides an immersive sound experience, regardless of where it’s placed in your home. It integrates seamlessly with your Apple HomeKit system and because it is Siri-enabled, you can ask Siri to play music, turn on lights, lock the door, and more—provided you have the smart devices to respond to those commands…

You don’t have to choose between Zigbee and Z-Wave. Philips Hue and August both work with Alexa and Google, so if you’ve got an Amazon Echo device or a Google Home you don’t really have to worry about which protocol your devices use.