Health & Fitness

Levels Health Review: Optimizing My Diet with Technology

I tried out a Levels Health subscription for two months, shelling out $600 for the journey. Levels attempts to bring diabetic-level glucose monitoring to the masses, promising to teach you how different foods affect your health. I had a love-hate relationship with Levels. On one hand, Levels fed my constant

Health & Fitness

Is Apple Watch Worth It? Why I’ve Worn One for 3,500 Days

I've had an Apple Watch on my wrist for 3,500 consecutive days and owned all nine models. In the early days, the Apple Watch didn't have a clear purpose and it was unbearably slow. But now, it's one of my favorite tech devices

Smart Home

68 Smart Home Automation Ideas For 2024 & Beyond

A home automation is when you program a smart home device perform an action automatically each time something happens (a trigger). Basic automation example: your smart lock sees your phone's location as you arrive home, then automatically unlocks the door. More advanced automations require multiple smart home devices

Health & Fitness

Apple Watch Series 9 vs. SE 2: 12 Reasons to Consider an Upgrade

When someone new to Apple Watch asks me which one to get, I’ve been saying the same thing for four straight years: get some version of the SE. But after Apple's most recent keynote, I was convinced that I'd finally be changing my tune because

Health & Fitness

Eight Sleep FAQs: 2024 Buyer's Guide

1. How does the Eight Sleep Cover work? Is the setup easy? The Eight Sleep Cover, fitted with a water-cooled or heated active grid, modifies the bed temperature between 55°F to 110°F, adapting to your sleep preferences. It conveniently fits over your existing mattress. Setting it up is

Health & Fitness

Eight Sleep Pod 3 Cover Review (After 600 Nights of Sleep)

I was initially skeptical about Eight Sleep due to their over-the-top marketing and the lack of real reviews on the internet. All the reviews were from influencers who were given the Pod Cover for free. Despite my initial hesitation, I caved and bought one. Now, it’s been more than

Health & Fitness

Apple Watch Ultra vs. Series 9: Is the Ultra For Athletes or Everyone?

I’m usually all in when it comes to new Apple products, but last year, I decided against buying the original Apple Watch Ultra. My daily workouts don’t exactly fall into the category of triathlons, marathons, or 20-hour long hikes, and that seemed to be who the Ultra was

Smart Home

Simplify your HomeKit Setup for $30 with Tuo & Aqara Smart Buttons

Reviewing smart buttons sounds so painfully boring that I almost didn't write this post. How does someone even review them? I can hear myself now, "Yeah, the button has great clickability." It’s literally just a single button, what else is there to say? But I

WiFi

Eero WiFi FAQs: Node Placement, Wired Backhauls & More

Where do I place the nodes? Each Eero node needs to be out in the open and placed on a hard surface. Ideally, the gateway node (the one plugged into your modem), should be in a central location. The secondary nodes should be placed within a couple of rooms of

Smart Home

Schlage Encode Plus vs. Level Lock Plus: Best for Home Key?

After three months of testing, I've determined that Schlage Encode Plus is my new favorite lock and the one anyone trying to get their hands on the Apple Home Key feature should buy. It has all the features a lock should have with just one minor downside, which

Smart Home

Level Lock Plus vs. Yale Assure 2: Which is best for HomeKit?

As a long-time user of August locks, I was pumped to test the latest addition to the lineup: the Yale Assure 2. With the ability to use either the August app or the Yale app, and important features like door sensing and auto-unlock, the Assure 2 has proved to be

WiFi

Eero WiFi 6 Models Reviewed (6 vs. 6+ vs. Pro 6 vs. Pro 6E)

Over the last five years, I've used more than 12 different Eero configurations in my home. But in this post, I'll focus on the four Eero WiFi 6 models: Eero 6, Eero 6+, Eero Pro 6, and Eero Pro 6E. Eero 6 and Eero 6+ are

Health & Fitness

Best Authentic Apple Watch Bands For 2023: Comparing 9 Styles

The authentic Apple Watch bands may not be the best value compared to third-party bands, but they're all well-made and what I prefer to use. In this post, I'll break down nine authentic band styles available for the smaller models (38mm, 40mm, and 41mm) on Apple.

Health & Fitness

Is Peloton Worth It? My Thoughts After Four Years

I've been a Peloton user for over four years, having bought my own bike, two years ago, after using my parent's for a couple of years. In that time, I've logged over 500 rides and have come to love the intense, 30-minute workouts. Exercise

WiFi

Google Wifi vs. Eero (non-Pro): What About Nest Wifi & Eero Pro?

After a couple of months of testing, I determined Eero (non-Pro) is the better mesh system because of its flawless setup and dead simple app. Google Wifi performs similarly and gives you more control, but tends to be not as smooth. Want to learn how I reached this conclusion? Read

WiFi

Nest Wifi vs. Eero Pro: Nest Wifi Has Serious Stability Issues

After months of side-by-side testing, Eero Pro decisively pulled ahead as the superior mesh system because of its user-friendliness and better performance. Nest Wifi has great features on paper, and great speed, but it’s too inconsistent. Google Wifi (Nest Wifi’s predecessor) is a great bet for those who

Smart Home

Ecobee vs. Nest: A 2022 Look at All the Models

After years of testing Nest and Ecobee devices, I’ve determined Ecobee SmartThermostat is the best smart thermostat because you’ll get the most control, flexibility and smart home compatibility. Nest Learning Thermostat (3rd Gen) is a great system for those who lack the c-wire or want an easy installation

Health & Fitness

Whoop vs. Apple Watch: Do You Need Motivation or Recovery?

I’ve been wearing an Apple Watch for more than six years, an I’ve had the Whoop 4.0 on my other wrist for the last two months. I like both fitness bands, but they aren’t trying to serve the same type of person. Apple Watch is the

Health & Fitness

Oura Ring 3 vs. Whoop 4.0: What's best for sleep tracking?

After months of testing, I determined that Oura Ring Gen 3 is a solid companion to Apple Watch for sleep tracking, but it’s not enough to be a full-fledged fitness tracker by itself. Whoop 4.0 has the potential to be the ultimate all-in-one sleep and fitness tracker that

Health & Fitness

Peloton Bike vs. Bike Plus: After Over a Year With the Bike+

The Peloton Bike and Bike Plus have the same main features, classes, and feel the same while riding. But there’s a $750 price difference: the Bike is $1,745 (after delivery fees), while the Bike+ is $2,495. After a year and a half of using the Peloton Bike+

Health & Fitness

Whoop 4.0 Review: I Still Can't Recommend It

After two months of testing, I can’t recommend Whoop 4.0. I planned to use my Whoop 4.0 for six months, as I did with my Whoop 3.0, but I ran into the same data accuracy issues. The devices are identically flawed when it comes to data,

WiFi

Eero Pro 6 vs. Orbi WiFi 6 (RBK752): A Few Months of Testing

Eero Pro 6 and Orbi RBK752 are two rock-solid systems. You can’t go wrong with either. Eero Pro 6 is dead simple to install, and it does a great job of balancing great speed and stability, and it’s loaded with parental control features. Netgear Orbi RBK752 has a

Smart Home

Nest x Yale vs. August (4th Gen & Yale Assure): Best Smart Lock

Over the last few years, I’ve tested more than 10 different smart locks. After a new month of testing, I determined August is still the best smart lock platform because of its auto-unlock feature and smart home compatibility. Nest x Yale features great-looking hardware, but it doesn’t offer

Smart Home

IKEA FYRTUR Smart Shade Review: A HomeKit Must-Have

I was skeptical before buying my IKEA Smart Shades because IKEA is known for furniture rather than tech devices. Usually, things get messy when non-software companies try to make software. And the $160 price? It seemed too good to be true. HomeKit smart blinds and shades are usually more than