Smart plugs – sockets with chips in – are the simplest, cheapest way to make your home smarter. They add connectivity to anything plugged into them and generally cost less than £20. Just pop one in a wall socket, pair it to your home Wi-Fi with a…

The best smart plugs to boost your home’s IQ

 Learn more When it comes to the Lockly Secure Pro smart lock, size does matter. It's easily the largest smart lock we've tested. But this behemoth puts its bulk to good use, packing a touchscreen keypad, key lock, and a capacitive fingerprint reader…

Lockly Secure Pro review: A lock to wrap your fingers around

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Whether it be earthy stoneware or durable enamel, here’s how to select—and budget for—a tasteful setting.
Whether it be timeless whiteware or earthy ceramics, elegant china or modern melamine, what you lay down on your table makes a…

How Much Should You Spend on Dinnerware?

Don’t you want to talk less and smile more? That’s Amazon’s vision for your home. According to the company who literally invented the smart home voice assistant, talking to them is just a temporary stage. Soon, they’ll “just know” what we want and do…

Home drones, car alarms and smart sidewalks: How Amazon wants to shape your smart home in 2021 and beyond

It was with mixed feelings that Robert “Spence” Spencer watched a bulldozer demolish his Mount Pleasant bachelor pad in June 2015. “It was just supposed to be a kitchen remodel,” he explains. Mere steps from the Pitt Street Bridge, the ’70s ranch…

Higher Ground: A bachelor pad makes way for a newlywed nest, complete with a rooftop deck with views to Sullivan’s Island

Amazon Alexa's flagship smart display got a big upgrade at Amazon's annual Devices and Services event this week. The company showed off the new Echo Show 10, which not only boasts an improved HD display and a better speaker - featuring dual,…

The new Echo Show 10 has got moves

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After a year of ecological calamity, experts wrestle with whether or not we should rebuild in risky areas—and who will pay for it if we do.
From Tornado Alley to the burning West, from the saturated South to the nor’easter-prone North,…

Should We Keep Living in Disaster-Prone Areas?

Alongside its new spherical smart speaker, the 4th gen Echo, Amazon today revealed new shapes and textured fabric coverings for its popular Echo Dot line, including kid-friendly tiger and panda models.
The new Echo Dot smart speaker comes in three…

Echo Dot is now a ball but with better sound and smarter smarts

Ring swooped in and stole the show at its parent company Amazon's big launch event Thursday, with the announcement of its first indoor flying security camera.
The Ring Always Home Cam ($249.99) is an autonomous indoor cam that flies around your house…

Ring has a flying camera for your home

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Ring's smart security camera line-up has been expanding like bunnies, with multiple options on the table today. From the ethernet-powered Stick Up Cam Elite and the teeny tiny Indoor Cam, to the powerful Floodlight Cam and its less bright…

Ring Stick Up Cam review: A versatile indoor/outdoor security camera

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When we first reviewed Ring's DIY smart security system Ring Alarm last summer, we noted that it was good but had some room for improvement. (And we had a strong aversion to the clunky keypad).
Offering self-monitoring or professional…

Ring Alarm (2nd-gen) review: Top security system revamped for 2020

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A new spin on an old tool.
Even if you’re generally not into smart-home devices, a smart smoke alarm is the one essential appliance every home should have. While a traditional alarm depends on your being around to hear it, a smart smoke…

The Smart Home Device Every Home Needs

Smart speakers are a marvel of modern technology, offering easy access to streaming audio, but they also make it possible for you to control your lights, locks, and other smart devices using just your voice. However, most suffer from a major, nagging…

10 Clever Accessories to Make Your Smart Speakers Better—and One to Skip

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Here at The Ambient, we’re dedicated to testing and recommending the best smart home devices. We have guides to pretty much every category – and are always updating the reviews and recommendations within those.
This is our compendium of…

The best smart home devices in 2020: The top picks from our buying guides

It was while standing in a 130-minute line for Epcot’s Frozen Ever After ride that I got a phone call from my neighbor. From her yard she could hear our smoke alarms going off. There was no sign of smoke or fire, so I remotely triggered my smart lock…

If You Get Only One Smart Home Device, Please Make It This One

What should you do when your flat screen feels like a big black hole swallowing your decor? TV makers are offering all kinds of solutions.
When televisions began taking over our living rooms after World War II, how they looked was as important as the…

To See or Not to See? The Evolution of Whether and How to Hide Television Screens Comes Full Circle

A single smart device is a lonely thing. Smart gadgets really shine when you give them a chance to work hand in hand, making life more convenient and helping your home operate more smoothly. (They’re also pretty fun.) Sadly, working together isn’t…

This App Turns Any Smart Device Into a Multitasker

Smart-home technology can be convenient, entertaining, and intimidating—all at the same time. Our experts have been living with and writing about smart home since before the term existed (back in the day, we called it home automation, so you know how…

Welcome to Smart Home Week

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The Eve Cam from HomeKit specialists Eve was the first indoor smart security camera created exclusively for Apple HomeKit Secure Video. Announced at this year's CES, the camera started shipping this summer and is as tightly integrated with…

Eve Cam review: Strong on privacy but some performance issues

HomeKit compatible security cameras are coming thick and fast now that Apple has released its HomeKit Secure Video platform, and the Logitech Circle View is leading the pack. Featuring a slick design, indoor/outdoor capabilities, and a whopping…