10 Cheap Ways to Upgrade Your Home
Big changes with small money One of the most common objections to building a smart home is a lack of funds; thankfully, there are quite a few upgrades you can make to your home that won’t cost you an arm…
REVIEW: Philips Hue 2.0 w/HomeKit
Life in living color Disclaimer: The folks at Philips kindly provided a Hue kit for this review. As always, the opinions are my own. Some gadgets have become synonymous with their function in the smart home space. When folks think…
FIRST LOOK: Nest Cam Outdoor
Keep an eye on the outdoors The Nest Cam (formerly the Dropcam Pro) is easily one of the most popular surveillance/streaming cameras on the market. Its ease of use and consistent quality have made it a go-to for families who…
6 Reasons Apple Shouldn’t Run Your Smart Home (Yet)
Not quite magical. I’m an Apple guy. I was raised on a Power Mac in the 90s and our home currently houses 2 MacBook Pros, 3 iPads, 2 iPhones, 2 Apple Watches, and 2 Apple TVs. It’s safe to say…
FIRST LOOK: Flic Wireless Smart Button
A shortcut for your smart life. Smart devices are cool, but sometimes controlling them can be an absolute pain. Although it sounds convenient to control your home with a bunch of apps, it can be kind of maddening in practice.…
REVIEW: SnapPower Guidelight Outlet Cover
It’s time to upgrade your outlets. Disclaimer: The folks at SnapPower very kindly provided Guidelights for this review. As always, the opinions are my own. I don’t know if it’s just me, but a few months ago I began seeing…
REVIEW UPDATE: Culer Solo Cooler
Some cool improvements. Disclaimer: The folks at Culer very kindly supplied a Culer Solo for this review. As always, the opinions are my own. As we enter the thick of the summer, if you’re anything like our family, I’m sure…
10 Reasons Your Family Needs a Drone
A different perspective. Something dangerous happened to me in Vermont this May… I caught drone fever. I go on a trip to help church plants with a group of creatives every May, and this year several friends brought their drones…
FIRST LOOK: Amazon’s Echo Dot
Upgrade your nightstand It’s no secret that we love the Amazon Echo; what I initially wrote off as a bizarre little gadget quickly became our current favorite smart home gadget. There’s something about that readily-available combination of knowledge and speed…
FIRST LOOK: Ring Stick-Up Cam Outdoor Camera
All seeing; all knowing Indoor surveillance cameras are a dime-a-dozen these days (with excellent offerings from Canary, Nest, Netgear, and others), but there has been a hole in the market for a while now for user-friendly outdoor solutions at an…
