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 — published this week.
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Wyze bundles its Cam v4 and Cam Pan v3 into a $74.98...
iOS 27 beta 3 landed with 4K HomeKit Secure Video and a...
I've screwed in more smart bulbs than I care to admit over...
A burst washing machine hose can dump 500 gallons in an hour,...
Smart home security works best when cameras, locks, and sensors talk to...
Advanced smart switch features most owners never touch: scene triggers, occupancy sensing,...
Commercial smart sprinkler controllers want a subscription and a cloud account to...
IKEA's TOFSMYGGA is a weatherproof outdoor smart plug for around 149 SEK...
Master Home Assistant
Open‑source automation platform that puts you in control.
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...
Smart Cameras & Security
Top‑rated cameras from Wyze, Arlo, and Blink for complete home monitoring.
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The Eufy Indoor Cam C220 is a 2K pan-and-tilt security camera with...
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 Go VMC3040 is a 1080p wire-free camera with LTE cellular connectivity....
Arlo Pro 4 VMC4050P delivers 2K HDR wire-free with color night vision...
Arlo Ultra 2 VMC5040 shoots 4K HDR video with 180-degree view, color...
The Google Nest Doorbell (Battery) adds on-device person, package, and vehicle detection...
August Doorbell Cam Pro review: HD video, motion alerts, two-way audio, August...
August View Doorbell Camera 2nd Gen: 1080p video, wider FOV, color night...
August View Doorbell Camera 1st gen review: 1080p HD video, two-way audio,...
Arlo Video Doorbell offers enhanced home security with wide viewing angle, motion...
The Kasa Smart Doorbell | KD110 provides sharp video, two-way audio, and...
The MOVA Mobius 60 is a 1599 dollar flagship robot vacuum with...
The Eufy RoboVac 30C is a slim 1500Pa budget robot vacuum with...
Ecovacs Deebot K20+ Air Purifier Kit pairs an 8,000 Pa robot vacuum...
Ecovacs Deebot K20+ Patrol Kit combines an 8,000 Pa robot vacuum with...
Ecovacs Deebot K20+ Pro Air Flow Kit combines hot water mop washing,...
Ecovacs Deebot K20+ Pro Combo pairs an 8,000 Pa robot vacuum with...
Command with your voice
Routines and natural‑language tips for Siri, Alexa, and Google.
A smart switch is only as good as the ecosystem it plugs...
Amazon sells seven Echo models with overlapping prices, and most people overspend....
I've run all three ecosystems side by side for two years. Buy...
The big 2026 entertainment shifts are Matter-based multi-room audio, 8K streaming hubs,...
Articles by topic
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,...
WiFi devices get a bad reputation in Home Assistant circles, but that...
I've swapped Zigbee coordinators three times in two years, and the biggest...
The Home Assistant Companion app turns your phone into both a control...
Eufy Lumos Smart Bulb 2.0 is a 9W Wi-Fi LED bulb, 800...
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 Amazon Echo Sub is a 100W wireless subwoofer that pairs with...
The Google Nest Wifi Point is a Wi-Fi 5 mesh node with...
The SONOFF MINI-ZBDIM-E is a Zigbee wall dimmer with 0-100% flicker-free control,...
The Yeelight Cube Smart Lamp is a stackable, Matter-ready RGB light in...
Philips Hue Econic Outdoor Wall Light review: 1,140 lumens, IP44, 16M colors,...
Uascent UA-RGBCWBulb is a Matter-certified Wi-Fi smart bulb with 16 million colors,...
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...
ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced: SmartSensor included, Alexa built-in, ENERGY STAR, HomeKit and...
Eve Thermostat offers Matter-over-Thread climate control with local automation, no subscriptions, and...
The Amazon Smart Thermostat helps you save on energy bills with smart...
Aqara Thermostat Hub W200 combines climate control, security monitoring, and Matter hub...
The ecobee3 Lite Smart Thermostat helps you save energy and money with...
Premium thermostat with built-in radar occupancy sensing, air quality monitor, and Matter...
Google Home just got smarter with 11 focused changes that make daily...
ESPHome 2026.7.0 landed in July 2026 with 217 merged pull requests, and...
I built my first smart home backwards, 14 Wi-Fi bulbs and three...
Run the official ghcr.io/home-assistant/home-assistant:stable container, bind a config volume, set network_mode: host,...