Smart home news, reviews, and guides — making your home smarter.
Smart home news, reviews, and guides — making your home smarter.
UniFi Network 11 brings detailed Matter device monitoring and Thread network diagnostics to Ubiquiti’s network controller, showing manufacturer, firmware, battery and signal strength in the same topology view as your Wi-Fi and Ethernet gear, plus a Time Machine view of past outages. Here is what it covers, the manual pairing catch, and how it relates to the upcoming SuperLink Gateway HA.
Read MoreToday’s best smart home deals in North America: the Roborock Saros 10R flagship robot vacuum at 44% off, the budget-friendly Dreame D20 Air Plus at 23% off, and a 4-pack of Govee E12 smart candle bulbs at 26% off. All prices verified on the brands’ official US stores on October 17, 2026.
Read MoreLEDVANCE has joined the Works with Home Assistant program with 116 Matter-over-Wi-Fi devices — one of the largest certified lineups to date. The SMART+ lighting range, plus plugs and switches, connects directly to Home Assistant’s built-in Matter Server with no hub or Thread border router required. Here is what the certification covers and why the program’s local-first testing matters.
Read Morebeflo’s Tenon Smart Adjustable Desk has been named a winner of the inaugural 2026 Forbes Vetted Smart Home Awards in the Home Office/Productivity category. The connected desk combines four-motor height adjustment, posture sensors, an integrated touchscreen, and a companion app with lighting control and firmware updates, signaling that smart furniture is becoming a serious category in the modern smart home.
Read MoreSwitchBot and Nanoleaf have published a joint compatibility guide showing which of their curtains, locks, robot vacuums, and lights can be controlled from Apple’s $299 HomeView smart display by touch or Siri, ahead of its November launch.
Read MoreRing’s first-ever smart lock costs $250 and ships in early 2027 with a hand-powered crank that generates enough electricity to unlock the door when the battery dies. It also supports fingerprint, PIN codes with temporary guest codes, the Ring app, and Alexa voice control.
Read MoreGoogle Home’s October 2026 app update switches existing Philips Hue bridges to local Matter control through Google Home hubs — automatically, with no re-pairing. Lights get faster, more reliable, and keep working during internet outages.
Read MoreToday’s verified smart home deals include a fingerprint smart lock at 35% off, two robot vacuums from Shark and Roborock, a sub-$15 Wi-Fi bulb two-pack, and a 2K video doorbell with no monthly fees. All prices checked on retailer product pages this morning.
Read MoreApple’s Home Collection adds two smart thermostats from LG and Schneider Electric ($199.95 each), with Adaptive Temperature presence control, Matter and Thread support, on-device wire detection, and Clean Energy Guidance. We break down pricing, HVAC compatibility, installation options, and what the launch means for Apple-centric smart homes ahead of the December 2026 release.
Read MoreApple’s $149 HomePod mini 2 can now act as the default speaker for your Mac — no AirPlay juggling required — but the fine print says the Mac must have Wi-Fi 6E or later. Here is the full compatibility list, how stereo pairing works, why the second-generation HomePod complicates Apple’s wording, and how the new connection compares with AirPlay.
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