Safety

The Top 5 Essentials for Summer Adventures

June 12, 2018 10 Eric Murrell

Ah, Summer. It’s the time of year when the weather is unpredictable, you can finally ride a real bike instead of a spin bike, and every day has the potential to look different than the last. For us, it’s the…

Safety

3 Ways to Make Sure Your Smart Home Stays Connected

May 14, 2018 1 Eric Murrell

The following post is sponsored by Cummins. Nothing feels quite as high-tech as a smart home. Upgrading your phone and computers is great, but the right smart home gadgets can make your house feel like something out of a sci-fi…

Outdoors

REVIEW: GoalZero Nomad 7 Plus Solar Panel

January 23, 2017 1 Eric Murrell

Here comes the sun (power). Have you ever thought how many crucial systems in your life rely on electricity? Something as simple as a prolonged power outage or a long camping trip can make you realize how quickly you’ve grown…

Audio/Video

REVIEW: Ring Stick Up Cam

December 19, 2016 10 Eric Murrell

Security without wires. Living in the woods is really fun, until you realize how secluded you are. We’ve been at our new place for about a month now, and although we love seeing trees all around us instead of houses,…

Gadgets

REVIEW UPDATE: Canary Home Security

August 12, 2015 0 Eric Murrell

Better every day. We originally took at look at the Canary home security system earlier this year; at that time, we recommended it on a trial basis as we experienced some outages and bugs related to early software for a…

Automation

REVIEW: XY Find It Beacon

June 5, 2015 17 Eric Murrell

Disclaimer: The folks at XY Find It very kindly provided several bluetooth tags for this review. As always, the opinions are my own. It’s human nature to be forgetful. Although Evernote, Google Calendar, and 1Password have whipped my digital life…

Lighting

REVIEW: Leeo Smart Alert Nightlight

March 2, 2015 4 Eric Murrell

Both bright and smart. Disclaimer: The folks at Leeo very kindly provided a Smart Alert Nightlight for this review. As always, the opinions are my own. Everyone wants to keep their family safe. From security gadgets to smart alarms, home…

Automation

REVIEW: Quirky+GE Tripper Door/Window Sensor

January 26, 2015 4 Eric Murrell

Always in the know. Sensors are a key component of the smart home. Almost every smart home gadget you buy these days includes at least a few sensors; thermostats can detect motion, locks detect tampering, and wall switches can detect…

First Look

First Look: Nest Protect Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm

November 20, 2014 1 Eric Murrell

Always watching. Never beeping. $100 for a smoke alarm. For many of you, that’s the only thing you’ll see when you skim this post. The thing is, we hate our smoke alarms. I don’t know if it’s bad wiring or…