Smart Home | Gear Diary

Roborock’s New H6 Robot Vacuum Is a Do-All Combo with HEPA Built-in

Roborock is one of the best robot vacuums that you’ll find on the market, with many of their vacuums currently in thousands of homes sucking up dirt and debris in corners, carpets and crevices alike. But the H6 takes what you know and love about the brand and does even better. Just launched at CES is the H6 — a new, more powerful handheld vacuum that what you’re used to. A first for the company, the H6 also boasts the first LiPo battery to ever be used in a cordless stick vacuum. There’s also a 90-minute runtime in Eco mode,…

Events, Gear Bits

Capstone’s Google-Enabled Smart Mirror Is Something Straight out of Minority Report

The phrase “Doing ____ is like reinventing the wheel” isn’t something I say often, but when it comes to something as simple as a mirror, you’d never think they could truly evolve. But here we are in 2020, and Capstone Connected, a designer of consumer products that attempt to bring tech to everyday necessities managed to do that with their Smart Mirror.

Crowdfunding, Events, Gear Bits

Light up Your Closet with Luminook

The light in my laundry room doesn’t work properly. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it flashes so rapidly I’ve had friends joke it’s like a strobe light. One thing I learned from this is that there’s no really great solution for lighting in odd spaces, which is why Luminook has me so excited! See, Luminook is exactly what I’m looking for to deal with my laundry room that thinks it doubles as a bad club. It’s a powerful strip of LEDs that can be placed around a doorway in a closet or other poorly lit space that aim outwards to…

Events, News & Features

Ring’s Latest Devices Make the Most of Smart Home Security

Starting off 2020 in epic fashion, Ring branches out from doorbells and cameras with six new products with the sole intent to be your whole-hole security brand of choice.

Events, News & Features

Eve’s New HomeKit Enabled Products Shine

Popular Smarthome brand Eve is announcing new products including their first-ever indoor camera made exclusively for Apple’s HomeKit Secure Video, as well as a few other surprises!

Events, News & Features

Flo by Moen Announces New Smart Water Detector to Help Protect Your Home

By now, you must have read our glowing review of the Flo by Moen Smart Water Shutoff and you may have been wondering, “Why don’t they have a water detector accessory yet?” Well, you’re in luck because Flo by Moen has just introduced a new Smart Water Detector that will alert you if it comes into contact with water.

Events, News & Features

Make Your Home Smarter Than You with Brilliant’s Smart Home System

The promise of the smart home is always offset by the reality of setup. It’s one thing if you can design how you want it from scratch, but if you rent or are trying to smarten up an existing home, it’s a headache. Brilliant is aiming to make life significantly smoother with its new Smart Dimmer Switch and Smart Plug.

Reviews

Flo by Moen Smart Water Shutoff Is Still Our Favorite Smart Home Leak Detection System

Flo by Moen Smart Water Shutoff is an all-in-one security system for your home’s water system. By constantly monitoring your water pressure, Flo detects the smallest of leaks in your home and alert you of any potential issues. Flo now has a battery backup accessory to help defend against leaks even during a power interruption for up to 3 days.

Reviews

Nest Hub Max Is the Smart Assistant to Beat

As I’ve written in recent months, I’m deeply entrenched in Amazon’s Alexa voice services but I’m slowly being won over by Google’s offerings. I reviewed a JBL smart speaker last year (read my review) and Google’s Nest Mini last month (read my review). I’ve had a chance to play with the Google Nest Hub Max, and I have to admit that I’m impressed.

Reviews

Google Nest Mini Is Small but Mighty Connectivity for Your Home

I’ve been all-in with Amazon’s Alexa smart devices since they first came on the scene. In recent months, however, devices leveraging Google’s smart assistant have been winning me over. The new Google Nest Mini is, in part, responsible for that. It is under $50, sounds surprisingly good, and it lets you control your home and more using only your voice.

Reviews

Eufy’s RoboVac L70 Hybrid Is the Robotic Combo Vacuum & Mop to Beat

Eufy is a brand from Anker that I’ve trusted for a while now. They are known for their high-quality products at reasonable prices while listening to customer feedback to constantly improve. The latest innovation is the RoboVac L70 Hybrid; a robotic vacuum that mops as well as vacuums and uses laser navigation. The RoboVac L70 Hybrid retails for $549.99.

Reviews

The New Nest WiFi from Google Is WiFi for the 2019 Smart Home

A little over a year ago, I went looking for a new router for our home. I tried a few and was disappointed. I eventually settled on a system Perry recommended. It’s okay, but I’ve spent the last few days checking out the brand new Nest WiFi from Google, and I’m impressed.

Reviews

Brilliant Is my Favorite Smart Home Control

I’ve found my favorite smart home controller and its name is Brilliant. With a name like that, it could be difficult to live up to the hype, but the features and performance do just that. With a vivid touch screen display, Amazon Alexa built-in, and lots of smart home device integrations, it’s difficult to beat the Brilliant home control.

Reviews

Lenovo Smart Clock with Google Assistant Is the Perfect Bedside Clock

One of the new devices that caught my eye at CES this January was the Lenovo Smart Clock with Google Assistant. It wasn’t just that this particular smart display was sized similarly to a traditional bedside clock, it was that all of its features had been thoughtfully curated for bedroom use.

Reviews

Roborock S4 Review: A More Affordable Robot Vacuum

If you’ve been looking for a reasonably priced robot vacuum that’s sole focus is to spot clean your home with little to no effort, you should check out the Roborock S4.

Events

Gear Diary’s Best of IFA 2019 Awards

Berlin’s annual IFA show is the largest consumer electronics event in Europe with “more digital lifestyle products in one place than any other show worldwide.” After walking the show floor, sitting in on private pre-briefings, standing inside packed press conferences, and attending media-only showcase events, these are the items we’ve chosen for Gear Diary’s Best of IFA 2019 Awards.

Events, News & Features

Signify Announces New Philips Hue Smart Lighting Products

Signify, the world leader in lighting took to IFA to announce a few new Philips Hue lighting products including an updated version of the Hue Go, the Philips Hue Smart Button, a Hue Smart Plus and even two candle bulbs.

Events, News & Features

Europe Is About to Get Even Smarter Thanks to Yale Locks and August Home

August Home and Yale Locks are two companies that need no introduction, and if you live in the US, you probably already know that they go together like peanut butter and jelly. Now Europe can get a taste of that smart home perfection with Yale Access.

Reviews

Harmony Express Is the Simplest but Most Powerful Harmony Remote Yet

My living room home theater has gotten a bit too complex. There are remotes for the cable box, for the TV, for the Apple TV, and the Amazon Fire TV Cube. I’ve tried universal remotes but came back to using the individual devices. With the new Harmony Express, I’ve finally found a universal remote that works for me.

Editorials

Interview with Tempur-Pedic Culminates in Announcement of Their TEMPUR-Ergo Smart Bases with SleepTracker

If you’ve been doing research before purchasing a new mattress, you’ve likely seen that Tempur-Pedic maks some of the best mattresses that you can buy. I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Tom Murray, Senior Vice President and Marketing Officer of Tempur Sealy International, as well as Allen Platek, Vice President of Product Development.

Reviews

Ecovacs Deebot 500 Is a Great Robot Vacuum That’s Easy on the Wallet

In a world of expensive robot vacuums, the Ecovacs Deebot 500 is an affordable option for families looking for a quality clean without spending a fortune. Deebot 500 is compatible with smart home assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant and can also be controlled via the Ecovacs mobile app. The Deebot 500 retails for $279.99.