Home automation allows you to monitor and control devices and appliances in your home remotely. Connected products like smart lights, thermostats, security cameras, locks, and more can be programmed to turn on/off automatically or controlled manually from anywhere.
Home automation systems communicate through wireless protocols like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee or are hardwired into a home’s electrical system. Cloud services and digital assistants enable voice control.
We test and review the latest smart home and automation products to help build your connected dream home. See our home automation buying guides, news, deals, product comparisons, and advice to add convenience, security, and savings.
Continuing our reviews of IP CCTV cameras, we have recently been sent the Ezviz EZ-C3S-WIFI which is an outdoor WiFI CCTV camera. This is more of a traditional style setup rather than some of the completely wireless options that have been reviewed recently. Ezviz is a relatively unknown brand to us but the cameras are…
At the start of this year, I reviewed the Heat Genius smart central heating system, and I loved it. At the time, it offered the best control for heating your entire house than any other product on the market due to the integration of smart radiator valves. It did have its quirks, though. The app…
A lot of the home automation gadgets I have reviewed are relatively closed systems offering specific functionality, and they are great. But one area I have always wanted to review is a Z-Wave home control system. Z-Wave is a wireless networking system for home automation devices; several big companies use this standard in the smart…
Kidde is a well-known company in the fire safety world, but not so much in the CCTV area. However, they hope to change that with eh RemoteLync WIFi camera. I should first point out that there does not appear to be anywhere actively selling this in the UK, and the US-based Kidde shop does not…
Nuimo by Senic is one of the more exciting products I have been able to review this year. It is a smart controller that integrates with Philips Hue, Sonos and several other systems. It isn’t actually a controller in the normal sense of home automation, but more like a smart home interface. For example, you…
We have just received our review sample of a new smart home controller called the Nuimo developed by Senic. I hope to have the review up in the next 2 weeks, but if you are eager to buy one you can do so now from Amazon Launchpad here. The following PR release has more info on the product,…
Another day and another smart home appliance. Today we have the TP-Link HS110 smart plug with energy monitoring, it has arrived to us at a good time as it is compatible with Amazon Echo, though I haven’t actually got my Echo yet, so can’t review that part. The functionality of the HS110 is quite simple,…
Energenie were an unknown brand for me until a few days ago, but they are a relatively small company offering lighting and electrical based products. Their main range, and what I am reviewing today, is the Mi|Home home automation range of products. Similar to other home automation solutions Mi|Home requires a hub that connects to…
Lightwave has released a new controller that is compatible with Alex and you can read the review here LightwaveRF is a UK based company specialising in home automation / smart home products. In comparison to other smart home companies, LightwaveRF seems to sit a bit in the middle ground of products they offer. There are…
Over the past few days we have been playing with D-Links new range of smart home products called mydlink home. This is quite a simple range of products that offer an easy way to get into smart home and home automation. The 4 products that were supplied to review include: Home Monitor HD The mydlink…
As part of our reviews and articles on smart homes and home automation we have been given a HD wireless internet security camera from Ucam247 to review. Consumer CCTV has had a boom over recent years with lower costs of camera and most home owners having fast home broadband with WiFi, as well as increasing…