Smart Home

Cameras, sensors, robots, and the hubs that herd them.

updated
Sep 3, 2026
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September 20262 articles

Themes shared by reviewers and owners of the Roborock Q7 M5 — basic mopping, disappointing hair pickup, value for money — set against the one owners raise alone: that it gets stuck.
Smart Home · Explainer

What Roborock Q7 M5 Owners Report That the Reviews Do Not

Owners and reviewers agree on mopping and hair. They disagree about whether it gets stuck, and that gap is the argument for reading both.

Averaged review scores on a ten-point scale: Roborock Qrevo Curv 8.6 from five outlets, spanning 8 to 9; Roborock Saros 20 8.5 from six, spanning 8 to 10; Roborock Q7 M5 7.7 from three, spanning 7 to 8; Dyson Spot+Scrub Ai 7.0 from seven, spanning 6 to 8.
Smart Home · Shortlist

The Best Robot Vacuums, According to the Reviews

Seven outlets scored Dyson’s first robot mop and it averages lowest here — and the category’s best-known name, Roomba, is not listed at all.

August 20267 articles

A smart plug in a wall socket.
Smart Home · Guide

Buying a Smart Plug? Three Specs, and One Hard Rule

A 15A plug is rated for 1800W. The thing most people want to automate in winter is the one thing the CPSC says never to plug into one.

A person working at a desk lit only by a lamp, the rest of the office dark.
Smart Home · Explainer

Why the Lights Go Off While You're Still in the Room

Your sensor is not broken and the timeout is not too short. It was built to detect movement, and sitting still is not movement.

A smart lock fitted to a wooden front door.
Smart Home · Guide

What Happens When a Smart Lock's Battery Dies

The bolt stays exactly where it is. Whether you get back in depends on which of three failsafes your model has, and where you keep it.

Two white rocker light switch plates on a grey wall.
Smart Home · Guide

Smart Bulbs or Smart Switches? Usually the Switch

A smart bulb needs permanent power, which makes your wall switch the thing most likely to break it. Two good reasons to accept that.

Smart bulbs arranged around a phone with a blank screen.
Smart Home · Explainer

Why Your Smart Home Stops Working When the Internet Drops

Whether a light switch survives an outage depends on one thing: how far the command travels. Some go across the room, some go to Virginia.

A wireless router with four antennas, lit in blue and pink.
Smart Home · Explainer

Why Your Smart Home Devices Keep Dropping Offline

Switching platform almost never fixes it. The thing failing is usually the one nobody looks at, and it is not the app.

An assortment of smart home devices — bulbs, sockets and a camera — on a plain background.
Smart Home · Explainer

Matter Is the Language, Thread a Network, Zigbee Both

Thread and Zigbee share one radio standard, not a network. Zigbee joins Matter via a bridge; Thread needs a border router to reach Wi-Fi.