Most of us are likely to accept most computer settings as they are without varying too much from the default configuration that comes out of the box—b

Robot lawn mower designs vary wildly, as they're optimized for different benefits, and for every feature, a weakness is exposed. Light and fast robots

Google’s annual budget phone refresh is here, this time making the Pixel 8 just a little more affordable. Today the company announced the Pixel 8a, wh

Most people looking for air purifiers need it for one of two reasons: The first are people who are concerned with occasional threats to air quality fr

The days of running around desperately searching for an outlet to plug your phone into are mostly over. The reality is that batteries, of all shapes a

Virtual assistants can be quite handy. In fact, Alexa has proven to be an integral part of my smart home system. The fact that I can walk into my home

For the past six weeks, I’ve been conducting an experiment. At 5 p.m. twice a week, every house on the block has a different robot lawn mower that beg

There are plenty of good reasons to get your home kitted out with some of the best security cameras on the market: These devices are (usually) afforda

Most Americans have some sort of home security system in place—usually a series of connected cameras. Now, there are a number of companies who are sta

Testing smart grills has raised a philosophical argument over what constitutes a “barbecue”: Must all barbecues involve actual fire (or just heat, lik

Putting together the Masterbuilt Auto Ignite 545 Smart BBQ was an excruciating seven hours of poor instructions and mislabeled parts. By the time it w

Despite the best intentions of the manufacturers, and the best efforts of consumers, tech still goes wrong on a fairly regular basis—and the PlayStati

Swimming pools are black holes of maintenance, so I was eager to try one of the new pool-cleaning robots—namely, the AquaSense Beatbot Pro ($2,199)—to

I’m hardly a noob when it comes to smoking meat on the grill, but I’ve never owned a real smoker, and certainly not one that could have a conversation

Robot vacuums are expected to do a lot more than vacuum these days: They can map rooms, mop floors, respond to voice commands, empty themselves, detec

I love my grill, a 30-year-old Weber model that I continually rehab. It has zero smart features, but it remains the barbecue I compare all others to,

The most notable thing I’ve learned about robot lawn mowers: How the lawn mower maps, matters. Originally, these mowers all used buried wire to determ

Everyday laptops are everywhere, all at once. No, really. If you’re looking for a laptop that can tackle your everyday tasks—whether that’s work or pe

It’s only in the last few years that we’ve seen the entry of truly smart ceiling fans that allow you to do more than simply turn the device on and off

One of the main things that prevents robot vacuums from being entirely autonomous is the need for us humans to empty the occasional vacuum bag or wate

The PlayStation VR2 launched in 2023, bringing Sony’s next-gen VR experience to the PlayStation 5 with new experiences and games, but the headset need

I have a list of features I prefer in an indoor camera: discreet sizing, long cords, the ability to turn off indicator lights, remote pan-and-tilt fun

There's more to consider when purchasing a wireless outdoor security camera than whether it functions as a decent camera—the solar generator has to wo

It would appear that some Roku TVs are now self-sabotaging their owners. And by that, I mean they're enabling motion smoothing without any way to turn

With a market flooded with vacuums and mops and models changing so rapidly, it’s almost impossible to feel confident about what you’re buying in the m

The more accessories I add to my tablets, the more I feel like I’m missing the point. Should I really buy a brand new M4 iPad complete with a $350 Mag

Amazon has seemingly figured out that part of our obsession with security cameras is being able to share the moments we capture, whether funny, scary,

Google currently sells two smart displays, the second-gen, seven-inch Nest Hub and the first-gen, 10-inch Nest Hub Max—both are filled with so many fu

Although most people idealistically would like to use less water at home, it’s difficult to measure how successful you are on a day-to-day basis. Sure

Amazon has a bit of a hold on the e-reader industry. Like Kleenex did with tissues before it, Kindle has become so synonymous with e-readers that it’s

As streaming devices go, Roku and Fire TV Stick both seem similar from the outside. They’ll both cost you around $20 to $40 depending on the device (a

Robot lawnmowers excite me. They’re amazing for accessibility, allowing people to maintain a lawn they otherwise might not physically be able to, and

Smartwatches are a bit of a hard sell to some. The health-tracking sensors and NFC features are nice, but the devices themselves can be bulky, especia

The big holiday lighting trend of the last year wasn't holiday lights, but "permanent" lights designed to be left up year round, the intention being t

It’s time to get some power banks for your house. There’s a wide range of them in the 1000w-3000w range, and those will help out for a bit, but I reco

I tested 23 vacuums this year. I kept three, and one of them is the Samsung Bespoke Jet, which I respectfully submit is better than my previous top pi

We’ve got AI in our phones, we’ve got AI in our glasses. What about AI in our thermostats? The oft-forgotten piece of home tech is getting a smart AI

When I was younger, security wasn't much of a concern for me; I figured if someone wanted my secondhand dining table badly enough that they'd break in

There’s a non-zero chance that the lithium battery in your device might, well, explode. Between 2012 and 2017, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commis

I’ve had my hands on a Copilot+ laptop for about a little over a month now, and I still can’t get over how overblown that name is. This was Microsoft’

When I was diagnosed with ADHD, I was thrilled to learn there was an actual reason I struggled with procrastination, particularly around household cho

Due to my ADHD, I need a reminder to take my laundry out of the dryer—so changing batteries and remembering to recharge devices is just not going to w

The next batch of robot lawn mowers do so much more than just mow. For the last six months, I have had fun testing robot lawn mowers, and even in that

The PlayStation 5 has been out for nearly four years, and still has a lot of life in it, but Sony may be eyeing a mid-cycle refresh of the console in

Anytime we discuss robot vacuums on here, I'm upfront: I love Roborocks. They are my #1 pick for reliable performance. Roborock has an almost infinite

Why get an air purifier? Take your pick: There's smoke from widespread fires, airborne viruses, dander from pets, and the generally poor air quality f

GoPro’s products are so ubiquitous, they’re essentially the Band-Aid or Kleenex of the action camera category: People tend to refer to all cameras of

Pick up any Amazon Echo smart speaker or display as part of your Alexa smart home setup, and it does, of course, come with its own built-in audio outp

Every few weeks, I uninstall a security camera or doorbell and install a new one to test. Each time, I download the accompanying app, and set up all t

Even the best and most powerful gadgets have a finite lifespan, which is important to bear in mind while you're using them: It's a much better idea to

Meta is behind a number of product categories and services, but at Meta Connect 2024, the company's annual developer's conference, don't expect to hea

It’s been at least a decade since your choice of operating system presented any real challenge to obtaining specific software or hardware, but smart t

If you own an Anker portable battery, take note: Your battery may pose a fire hazard, and should be disposed of immediately. The company issued a reca

Most modern keyboards, even the smallest ones, come with at least 100 keys. But for streamers and digital artists, this often isn’t enough. That’s whe

When you hear “Sony” and “gaming,” your brain probably goes to PlayStation. That’s for good reason, but a company as big as Sony is going to have its

Build your best home ever with everything from smart home tech to gaming dens to home theaters. Every time I write about a new smart home product, I c

Build your best home ever with everything from smart home tech to gaming dens to home theaters. So, you’re thinking of maybe getting a security camera

Build your best home ever with everything from smart home tech to gaming dens to home theaters. During the pandemic, I finally splurged on a large OLE

I'd like to tell you that the more you spend on a robot vacuum, the more likely you are to get a product you love. That is weirdly not true, in my exp

Recently, I was tasked with helping my friend Chuck, perhaps the most technologically knowledgeable and simultaneously suspicious person I know, set u

Over the last 10 years, Hisense, a brand that has never had as much recognition as say, Sony or Panasonic, has been forming a growing community of dev

I’ve never really understood outdoor Christmas lighting—it seems like a lot of work to put it up and take it all down every year. But last year, I got

Outdoor cameras are useful for far more than actual security: They can show you if your dog is in the backyard, or if the gate is open, or alert you w

Lots of companies make smart sensors, but some are better than others. But Aqara is, in my opinion, the best at it. They make more consumer smart sens

I think big Prime sales are the perfect excuse to grab the gadget or tool you’ve been thinking of adding to your home. If you already have a robot vac

Before you get smart cameras or other smart tech, most people start with a smart doorbell. The good news is, they're better than ever, with exceptiona

At some point last year I started getting bombarded with ads for systems that introduce climate control to your bed. While that sounds lovely, I have

Few utilities reduce labor in my house as much as using a voice assistant: I use it for turning out the lights, arming the alarm, summoning the vacuum

If you’ve bought into the Sonos system, you know that they almost never go on sale. Sure, Sonos isn’t having the best time right now, but they’re unli

It does not escape me that at this very moment, we are between two life-altering storms in the Southeast. I’ve gotten regular updates from friends who

There is no better splurge purchase for Prime Day than a robot vacuum. They're expensive gadgets, but life-changing. And for the first time during Ama

The smart camera space is pretty crowded, but Amazon actually owns the two biggest brands—Ring, which they acquired, and Blink, a lower-priced alterna

Expandable storage isn't as common these days as it used to be. But even as many device manufacturers have turned to fixed storage limits, there are p

As video doorbells and smart cameras have proliferated on the consumer market over the last 15 years, most have reported activity they pick up via mot

I regard the ritual of putting up holiday lights with curiosity and fascination. The amount of time and energy people put into risking life and limb t

Sonos has had quite the year. Back in May, the company announced they were releasing a new app. Then, the app they released took away a bunch of featu

After about three years, Amazon finally has a new lineup of Kindles. This time, we have four models in total, starting from the $110 basic Kindle, to

Smart heaters produced by Govee and GoveeLife were voluntarily recalled this week due to testing that revealed some models can overheat, potentially c

While you may have installed outdoor security cameras for the safety of your house and family, you'll quickly realize that many of them are more often

I have a simple dream: I wake in the morning, and somewhere in the kitchen a coffeemaker begins brewing my espresso or latte. By the time I arrive in

My floor is impossibly dirty. It’s the rainy season in Oregon, and I have a doberman, a doggie door and white tile: You can do the math. While I let r

I’ve never been one of those people who thought I could tell the difference between sound systems: Whatever I had was fine. Even worse, for the last t

The Jackery 1000 is now down to $399 (from $799), meaning it is a whopping 50% off, and I’m going to give you three reasons you should grab it before

Recently, I was tasked with helping my friend set up a home security system for his new house. After looking at tons of cameras, home backup hubs, and

I’ve never really understood outdoor Christmas lighting—it seemed like a lot of work to put it up and take it all down every year. But last year, I go

Lots of companies make smart sensors, but some are better than others. And Aqara is, in my opinion, the best at it. They make more consumer smart sens

Few utilities cut down on labor in my house as much as my voice assistants: I use them for turning out the lights, arming my alarms, summoning the vac

If you’ve bought into the Sonos system, you know that they almost never go on sale. Sure, Sonos isn’t having the best time right now, but they’re unli

One of the major manifestations of my ADHD is my absolute inability to keep track of items in my house. I've lived in the same house for 14 years, so

These smart devices are among a million products on sale for Black Friday this year. If you're interested in the best tech on sale today, see our best

The Mammotion Yuka 1500 was the best new robot lawnmower I tested this year. It has exceptional RTK positioning, the ultra rugged wheels are unbothere

These outdoor security cams are among a million products on sale for Cyber Monday this year. If you're interested in the best tech on sale today, see

If you have children, and those children have grandparents, a Skylight Frame might make a lot of sense as a holiday gift for them, with a Skylight Cal

One of the first pieces of smart home technology people invest in is a video doorbell. It holds a lot of promise—the ability to see who dropped by whe