Home Security
Security Camera Without a Subscription and What You Lose
You bought a camera for $60, set it up in ten minutes, and then the app asked for $4 a month before it would show you anything...
Every December the same thing happens: the lights go up, the extension cords get tucked behind the tree, and then someone has to crawl under the branches twice a day to flip a switch.
Recent
Home Security
You bought a camera for $60, set it up in ten minutes, and then the app asked for $4 a month before it would show you anything...
Buying Guides
Most people return a smart lock for one of two reasons: it does not fit the door, or it drains batteries and jams within a...
Automation and Routines
You are leaving for ten days and you do not want the house to sit dark and obvious while you are gone.
Voice Assistants
You asked the speaker to remind you about the dentist, it chirped "okay," and then the reminder went off at 7 a.m.
Smart Lighting
You stuck a smart LED light strip under the kitchen cabinets on Saturday, and by Wednesday one end was hanging down like a...
Plugs and Switches
You bought a smart switch, wired it to the ceiling fan, and now the fan hums, clicks, or refuses to start at all.
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Archive
Three people who actually live with the gear they write about: a reviewer who buys new devices the day they launch and keeps a running list of what has failed him, a former security systems installer who now writes about what cameras and sensors actually protect against, and someone who builds absurdly complex home automations for fun and then writes the simpler version everyone else actually needs. Every article carries a byline, and nothing runs that the writer has not set up themselves.