Home Safety

The X-It 2-Story Emergency Escape Ladder is simpler to set up, easier to climb, and more convenient for storage and practice use than any other ladder we tested.

Here are our recommendations for several types of home smoke alarms with and without carbon monoxide detection.

After 40 hours of research and interviews with locksmiths and security experts, the Schlage B60N deadbolt is the best door lock for most homes—it’s tough, secure, widely available, and universally recommended.

A little advanced planning can keep you safe and offer comfort after an earthquake strikes.

These items will meet your needs for water, nourishment, comfort, and more while you evacuate to a safe location.

You probably spend plenty on subscriptions already, but if you plan to have a home security camera, we think paying for a cloud storage plan is essential.

If you’re buying or selling a home with smart devices installed, take these steps to preserve your safety, security, and privacy.

Here’s what you need at home to prepare for seriously bad (but entirely plausible) scenarios.

After scouting newer options this year, we found that the Kidde AccessPoint KeySafe is still the best lockbox.

If your important files dance between a pile on the kitchen table and an unmarked box in the garage, it’s time to develop a proper filing system.

Smart-home tech can help seniors age in place with the added benefit of foiling package poachers.

This homeowner learned how to keep her basement dry through plenty of trial and error.

Apple’s cloud service for security cameras has many great features, including the price—but we don’t recommend it for most people.

Smart-home devices are easier than ever to set up and use, but you should take a couple extra minutes to ensure they’re properly secured. Here’s how.

Whole-home energy monitors can help you save on electrical bills—but you may find that there are simpler alternatives.

Controlling devices with a smartphone is helpful. But if you want a home that’s automated, turn on geofencing.

This edition of the Ask Wirecutter advice column is about dealing with thoughtless strangers’ dog poop.

If burglars were like movie stars they’d all be expert lock pickers. They aren’t though, and that’s why we save our worries for other things.

Amazon let fly this week with a catalog’s worth of new devices and services, some here, some coming soon. Here are the ones we’re most excited to get our hands on.

One in 50 homes suffers water damage every year. These smart devices will alert you to leaks before they get bad—and can even prevent damage from occurring.

IKEA’s new air purifier does what it claims, but it underperformed in our side-by-side tests against other models we recommend.

A smart garage-door controller is an essential convenience—and it can do so much more than just make your garage door remote-controllable.

HEPA purifiers will capture the coronavirus if it is airborne, and some research now suggests it is.

Sometimes a smart home can save your life. Sometimes it’s too damn smart for its own good.

Use these items to clean your home’s air, reduce the sources of respiratory problems, and limit the infiltration of new particulates.

When getting a home security system, most people should opt for professional monitoring. Here’s how to decide.

Molekule’s appeal of a 2019 ad-industry judgment has largely failed. It can no longer claim that its product is “an air purifier that actually works.”

In case of death: how to set up a list of important digital account info for simple and secure information sharing with family members and trusted friends.