Out of the dozens of smart home gadgets I've tested in 2025, a few stuck around: Here's why I'm still using them.

Disposing of waste can be a hassle depending on where you live. Every local council may have its own weekly schedule that you ...

Home automation is only getting better. Smart plugs help increase the intelligence of your old-school devices, inexpensively ...

After authorization, the linked products appear on Alexa's devices tab, where you can set up groups, rooms and automation routines in your smart home system. Repeat steps 4 through 7 for ...

The Android ecosystem has come a long way in empowering smart home users. With each major OS update and every new batch of ...

The plug does not need a hub, and setup is simple — just connect it to a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network, plug in your devices, and control them through the app.

Your smart device may have its own means to connect to your iPhone, but you can also add items through Apple's Home app. Tap the plus (+) icon in the top-right corner and choose Add Accessory.

As a Matter accessory, setting the lock up in your preferred smart home app is extremely simple. After the physical ...

If a smart home component cannot be connected to the Wi-Fi, the device is probably only working on the 2.5 GHz frequency band. In this case, temporarily deactivate the 5 GHz band for the setup. IDG ...

Or, if the companion app is poorly designed and won't take your commands without jumping through a lot of hoops, then you won't be able to actually use your smart-home setup when you want or need to.

Smart home devices constantly collect data about your habits, schedules, and behaviors that can be accessed by device manufacturers, app developers, and their business partners.