Modern Access Control Systems for Your Smart Home

Modern Access Control Systems for Your Smart Home

Are you looking to build a smart home? Creating a modern living space starts with ensuring safe, secure entry. Contemporary access control systems (also known as keyless entry systems) secure your private space from unwanted visitors while providing a smooth and pleasing entry experience to your friends and family. They also deliver a great first…

Ezviz C3A HD 1080P Wire-Free Security Camera Review
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Ezviz C3A HD 1080P Wire-Free Security Camera Review

I have reviewed a lot of Ezviz products in the past year, or so, they have one of the most comprehensive ranges of home surveillance on the market. One thing they did not have was a battery-powered wireless camera, which is a little odd considering how popular this market is. Now that has changed with…

Arlo Video Doorbell finally comes to the UK for £179.99 undercutting Ring & Google Nest Hello
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Arlo Video Doorbell finally comes to the UK for £179.99 undercutting Ring & Google Nest Hello

I love smart video doorbells, they are probably one of my favourite bits of new technology in recent years as I used to miss the doorbell all the time which is very inconvenient due to the nature of my work. While the home surveillance market has become completely saturation, good options for video doorbells are…

Netatmo Smart Outdoor Camera (Presence) gets upgraded with Siren – Pre-order now for £319.99
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Netatmo Smart Outdoor Camera (Presence) gets upgraded with Siren – Pre-order now for £319.99

I reviewed the Netatmo Smart Outdoor Camera (formerly Netatmo Presence) just over a year ago, and it has been one of the best surveillance cameras I have reviewed, and I still use it today. Netatmo was one of, if not the first companies to offer AI object detection with their camera, the indoor one is…

Anova Sous-Vide Precision Cooker 2.0 Review – I am a sous-vide convert, but it’s not cheap
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Anova Sous-Vide Precision Cooker 2.0 Review – I am a sous-vide convert, but it’s not cheap

Anybody that has ever watched a cooking show will be aware of sous vide cooking. The name makes it sound pretentious, and then the concept of cooking your food in a plastic bag of water doesn’t sound all that appealing. With the promise of perfect results, it is something I have always wanted to try,…

Sonos Arc vs Beam vs Playbar – Sonos finally updates the Playbar for serious home cinema with eArc offering Dolby Atmos and TrueHD
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Sonos Arc vs Beam vs Playbar – Sonos finally updates the Playbar for serious home cinema with eArc offering Dolby Atmos and TrueHD

Sonos was doing smart speakers before they were a thing, and they do them well with some incredible options. However, when it comes to home cinema, they have been flagging behind. The soundbar market has boomed as people realise they can get the benefit of a multi-speaker system from just one device. Sonos first introduced…

Ring Doorbell 3 Plus Review – Privacy concerns aside, Ring still dominate the battery-powered smart doorbell market
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Ring Doorbell 3 Plus Review – Privacy concerns aside, Ring still dominate the battery-powered smart doorbell market

[Update 12/05/2020] Ring reached out to me to confirm some of the privacy aspects of their system. I have copied the full statement at the bottom of the review Smart home surveillance and smart doorbells have boomed in the past few years with dozens of options available on Amazon. However, if you are looking for…

Ring Video Doorbell 3 vs 3 Plus vs 2 vs Pro vs Eufy Doorbell  – What has Ring improved? Which is the best alternative?
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Ring Video Doorbell 3 vs 3 Plus vs 2 vs Pro vs Eufy Doorbell – What has Ring improved? Which is the best alternative?

There is no getting away from the awful PR Ring has had recently, it has been revealed that the company has some serious issues with privacy as well as agreements with law enforcement to share your data. They are trying to improve though; they claim to have locked down the privacy concerns enforcing mandatory 2FA…

Aranet4 HOME Wireless Indoor Air Quality Monitor measuring CO2, Temperature, Relative Humidity and more
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Aranet4 HOME Wireless Indoor Air Quality Monitor measuring CO2, Temperature, Relative Humidity and more

IoT devices that measure air quality are becoming increasingly common. I reviewed the Foobot back in 2017, then the Airthings Wave Plus in 2019. Recently I have been testing the Aranet4 HOME from the Latvian company SAF Tehnika. While the effects of high levels of CO2 were long thought to be benign, research has found that concentrations…

The best Z-Wave & Smart Home Switches & Buttons – Wireless & wired switches for lights and automation
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The best Z-Wave & Smart Home Switches & Buttons – Wireless & wired switches for lights and automation

Buttons and switches are a superb addition to any smart home system allowing you to carry commands without reaching for your phone or shouting at Alexa. When I started this post, I knew there were a lot of options, but it turns out there are way more products that I realised. I have been looking…

GeoSmartPro AirGo Smart Fan Review – App controlled fan awarded a quiet mark rating that isn’t very quiet.
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GeoSmartPro AirGo Smart Fan Review – App controlled fan awarded a quiet mark rating that isn’t very quiet.

You can get pretty much anything app-controlled nowadays; there is even an Alexa controlled microwave.  So it is no surprise there is an app-controlled pedestal fan if anything I was surprised at the lack of competing options. I specifically bought this fan to be able to use it when I go to sleep. I am…

Imou Ranger IQ Review – A PTZ human detecting camera compatible with NVRs
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Imou Ranger IQ Review – A PTZ human detecting camera compatible with NVRs

While I am not a huge fan of indoor cameras for my personal usage, I was quite excited to be offered to review the Imou Ranger Pro, which provides a wide range of impressive features including: PTZ with 355 degree pan and 90 degree tilt Human detection – which can then smart track with PTZ…