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
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
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
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
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
Smart Home Eufy Smart Lock Touch Review: Does it compete w/ August? I’ve reviewed more than ten different smart locks over the last five years. I just finished four months of testing the Eufy Smart Lock Touch that has two features that I’ve never seen in a smart lock that I’ve tested: a replaceable battery and a fingerprint reader.