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If You’ve Turned Your Home Into an Airbnb, You Need Smart Devices
by Jon Chase
Smart-home gear is ideal for managing short-term rentals, making it easy to keep tabs on your property while offering convenience for your guests.
10 Clever Accessories to Make Your Smart Speakers Better—and One to Skip
by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
Alexa and Google Assistant are ubiquitous, which isn’t a good thing when it comes to home decor. Here are our favorite add-ons to enhance them.
The Parent’s Guide to Using Smart Home Devices
by Thom Dunn
The smart home can do a lot of cool tricks, but for parents the most useful is helping to manage the kids.
How a Smart Security System Ruined My Engagement
by Haley Sprankle
Sometimes a smart home can save your life. Sometimes it’s too damn smart for its own good.
The Smart Home Devices the Wirecutter Staff Uses
by Rachel Cericola and Wirecutter Staff
Our smart-home staffers aren’t the only ones who love their gadgets. Here are the most loved connected-home devices from the Wirecutter staff.
Smart Lights Are the Easiest Way to Transform Your Home
by Rachel Cericola
Smart lighting is arguably the easiest smart-home gear to install and use, yet has the power to transform your home—inside and out.
3 Tips for Smart Home Family Harmony
by Grant Clauser
Smart-home devices can add a lot of convenience to your home, but everyone in the household needs to understand all the issues.
This App Turns Any Smart Device Into a Multitasker
by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
Many smart devices are capable of doing way more cool things than they advertise. The free service IFTTT makes it easy to set them free.
How I Used Shortcuts to Make Siri Finally Understand Me
by Jon Chase
The easiest way to control your HomeKit-compatible smart devices is using your voice—especially once you figure out how to use Shortcuts.
Welcome to Smart Home Week
by Grant Clauser
All week we’ll be putting together staff recommendations and expert advice on the very best in smart home.
We Asked Appliance Manufacturers How Long They’ll Keep Connected Devices Secure. Many Couldn’t Tell Us.
by Thorin Klosowski
Appliances with Wi-Fi are growing in popularity—but that doesn’t mean you have to put them on your network.
How I Made My Ragtag Band of Window ACs Smarter Than Central Air
by Jon Chase
Teach your window ACs to smarten up and act more like a whole-home air conditioning system.
Remote Learning in Quarantine Is Hard. Alexa Reminders and Routines Can Help
by Jon Chase
If, like most every other parent in the world, you are struggling with homeschooling, Alexa can provide a bit of order and escape.
Amazon’s Echo Show Makes It Easy to Keep Family Together While Social Distancing
by Jackie Reeve
Smart displays like the Echo Show can be great for helping separated and distant family members feel close.
How to Fight Cabin Fever With Family-Friendly Alexa Games
by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
Got cooped up kids or need a new option for family time? Alexa is a great game master. Here are our picks of voice-based games for any age group.
How I Use Alexa to Dunk on My Kids
by Jon Chase
When your kids run amok on your Alexa, it’s time to fight back. Alexa Routines are a parent’s secret weapon.
I Was a Skeptic, but I Loved Cooking With the Google Nest Hub Max
by Marilyn Ong
It won’t dice onions, but the Google Nest Hub Max is a trusty sous chef, making it easy to find and follow recipes, time tasks, and get fast cooking answers.
I Hate Alarm Clocks. But I Love Waking Up With Smart Bulbs.
by Eve O'Neill
A personal essay about why, for some people, smart bulbs might work better than an alarm clock.
How to Use Smart Lights to Help Your Kids Get to Bed (and Stay Asleep)
by Rachel Cericola
Bedtime shouldn’t be a fight. Instead of picking your battles, automate them—with one of these smart-lighting sleep solutions.
I Used Alexa to Play Board Games and Now I Never Have to Play With My Family Again
by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
The voice assistant turns out to be an effective and impartial ally in maintaining a competitive board-gaming family’s holiday-season peace.
How We’d Get a Smart Christmas Tree at the Last Minute
by Harry Sawyers
Here’s how we’d combine a tree, lights, and smart controls to make the ultimate custom Christmas tree.
Should You Get a Smart Speaker or a Bluetooth Speaker?
by Brent Butterworth
The choice between a smart speaker and a Bluetooth speaker depends on your lifestyle and your listening habits.