Build a fast, reliable, secure smart home.
Expert reviews, step-by-step guides, and weekly news to help you build a fast, reliable, and secure smart home.
Reviews from a real home, not a spec sheet
Smart Home Guide exists because most smart home content online is written by people who have never plugged in the device they are rating. We do the opposite. Every review here starts with hardware in a live household running Home Assistant, SmartThings, a Hue Bridge, and a HomeKit setup side by side, because that messy multi-ecosystem reality is the one you actually live in.
Devices spend at least two weeks in daily use before we form an opinion. We verify every claimed integration on its own, measure response times and battery drain instead of trusting the box, and record the firmware version so a verdict can be revisited when the software changes. No manufacturer pays for a score, and none previews our copy.
Latest Posts
Fresh guides, reviews, and news — updated July 2026.
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Commercial smart sprinkler controllers want a subscription and a cloud account to...
Explore Somfy's top 10 smart home solutions that offer enhanced security and...
Samsung SmartThings works with 390+ brands and supports Zigbee, Z-Wave, Wi-Fi, and...
Not all Philips Hue products work the same way with Alexa, Google,...
Home Assistant organizes everything around three building blocks: entities, devices, and automations....
I've run three robot vacuums through Home Assistant and rooted one myself....
I've put a Z-Wave deadbolt, a Zigbee lock, and a Wi-Fi lock...
I've wired three thermostats into my own HVAC and lived with each...
Master Home Assistant
Open‑source automation platform that puts you in control.
I've swapped Zigbee coordinators three times in two years, and the biggest...
WiFi devices get a bad reputation in Home Assistant circles, but that...
Picking the right hardware for Home Assistant in 2026 is trickier than...
The Home Assistant Companion app turns your phone into both a control...
Smart Cameras & Security
Top‑rated cameras from Wyze, Arlo, and Blink for complete home monitoring.
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The Aqara Camera Hub G5 Pro packs a 2.6K outdoor camera, on-device...
Arlo Essential VMC2030 delivers 1080p video, color night vision, and IP65 weather...
Arlo Go 2 VMC3050 is a 1080p HDR wire-free camera with LTE,...
Arlo Pro 4 VMC4050P delivers 2K HDR wire-free with color night vision...
Aqara Camera G100 offers 2K resolution, AI person detection, 140-degree view, IP65...
Kasa KC410S delivers 2K+ resolution, 360° pan and tilt coverage, AI person...
Video Doorbells
Ring, Nest, and more—see who's at your door from anywhere.
The Kasa Smart Doorbell | KD110 provides sharp video, two-way audio, and...
Philips Hue Secure Wired Video Doorbell with 2K resolution, 180° view, color...
Eufy Security Video Doorbell C31 delivers sharp visuals and two-way audio for...
The Google Nest Doorbell (Wired, 3rd Gen) offers 2K HDR video, 166°...
Aqara G400 wired doorbell with 2K video, 165-degree head-to-toe view, PoE or...
2K video doorbell with built-in Matter hub, HomeKit Secure Video, mmWave radar,...
Roborock S8 Pro Ultra pairs 6 000 Pa suction with a self-washing...
Dyson 360 Vis Nav robot vacuum uses 360° vision, Hyperdymium motor suction,...
Slim 2.85-in robot vac with 2000 Pa suction, 100-min battery and 55...
Eufy RoboVac X9 pairs 5,500 Pa suction with smart mopping and AI...
Premium robot vacuum-mop with Clean Base® self-emptying dock, AI obstacle avoidance and...
The Neato D10 Robot Vacuum offers superior smart home cleaning with advanced...
Command with your voice
Routines and natural‑language tips for Siri, Alexa, and Google.
Home Assistant is free, local smart home software with 3,000+ integrations, and...
Running a local AI model inside Home Assistant means your bedroom light...
Home Assistant 2026.3 brings Matter 2.0 multi-admin support, a redesigned dashboard editor,...
Want to control your Home Assistant setup away from home? This guide...
Articles by topic
Step-by-step WiFi setup for Home Assistant using CLI commands or the web...
Install Home Assistant OS on your Raspberry Pi and turn it into...
Unlock the full potential of your Amazon Echo with these top 7...
FriendlyElec's NanoPi NEO3 Plus is a tiny $24 board with LPDDR4 RAM,...
I've wired a dozen smart switches into my own panel and run...
After living with eight thermostats across three heating seasons, the ecobee Smart...
A close look at the Shelly Wave Plug US: Z-Wave 800 chip,...
Amazon Echo Frames 2nd Gen are smart glasses with open-ear Alexa audio,...
Amazon Echo Glow is a multicolor LED orb for kids that pairs...
A look at the Shelly Flood S Gen4 water leak sensor: Matter...
The SONOFF MINI-ZBRBS-E is a Zigbee roller shutter switch that adds percentage...
The SONOFF Zigbee Bridge Pro ZBBridge-P links up to 128 Zigbee devices...
The SONOFF MINI-ZBDIM-E is a Zigbee wall dimmer with 0-100% flicker-free control,...
The Sonoff D1 Smart Dimmer Switch controls dimmable lights via Wi-Fi and...
TP-Link Kasa HS220 smart dimmer switch installs in about 10 minutes, needs...
Philips Hue Smart Button offers easy, one-click control of your smart lights....
Sonoff ZBMINIL2 Zigbee mini switch fits in any EU wall box. No...
GEMNS WePower kinetic switches cut waste and add flexible control for lights,...
Aqara Thermostat Hub W200 combines climate control, security monitoring, and Matter hub...
Aqara Radiator Thermostat W600 offers smart scheduling, extended 2-year battery life, and...
Nine times out of ten, a device Home Assistant won't discover is...
Securing Home Assistant comes down to one rule above the rest: never...
The default Home Assistant dashboard works fine for a handful of devices....
The right Home Assistant theme does more than look nice. It changes...