Sometimes the simplest way to understand the cause-and-effect nature of automation is to start with the effect. Scenes are ...

One of the biggest frustrations in building a smart home is figuring out which devices actually work together. Too often, consumers waste time scrolling through outdated or incomplete lists or fall ...

Imagine walking into your home, and with a single voice command or tap on your phone, the lights dim, your favorite playlist starts, and the thermostat adjusts to the perfect temperature, all without ...

Smart plugs can add controls to any outlet, but they aren’t perfect for everything. Here’s our guide to using one and which ...

Have you ever imagined a home that anticipates your every need—lights that adjust to your mood, a thermostat that syncs with the weather, or security systems that work seamlessly in the background?

I’m a smart home nerd. That’s a given after running a smart home-focused website for nearly a decade and testing pretty much every platform, system and setup available. As such, people often ask me ...

Smart thermostats do far more than old programmable models. I'll break down the differences so you can see what you'll get. For more than 10 years Tyler has used his experience in smart home tech to ...

Robot vacuums, video doorbells, pet cameras, and much more: These picks will please almost anyone on your holiday list. And they're all tested by our experts. I’m PCMag’s senior writer covering smart ...

Home Wi-Fi used to buckle only when someone hit play on Netflix. Now it can grind to a halt because a dozen “smart” gadgets ...

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Credit: René Ramos/Lifehacker/MirageC/Moment, Anton Zacon/iStock via Getty Images In Lifehacker’s series, “A ...

Affordable smart home devices seamlessly connected to create a budget-friendly, automated living space that enhances convenience, security, and energy efficiency. Pixabay, cloudlynx In 2025, the smart ...