Author Profile
Dan Sung
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Article History:
Samsung SmartThings: Getting started with your smart home
SmartThings is an intriguing platform. Beginning life as a crowdfunding smash success in 2012, the platform was one of the first to enjoy mainstream adoption. SmartThings had a big head start over Apple HomeKit and the growing stables involving Google Home and Amazon Echo, but it's also had a tangled and winding route to get…
The best home security camera for your smart home
It didn’t take smart security cameras long to become a firm fixture of the smart home. Whether it's for security, or just a way to check what's going on at home; a pet camera, or as a supercharged smart baby monitor, wireless home security cameras are a versatile option. Here, we’ve reviewed our pick of…
Smart Hosting: The dos and don'ts of the ultimate Airbnb smart home
Smart home tech might just be the kind of edge everyone’s after in the world of short-term holiday lets. It’s sexy and appealing for guests and it’s handy for hosts. At least, that’s the theory but which connected kit helps to rake in the cash and which doesn’t? What’s great for grabbing attention and what’s…
The weird ways your Amazon Echo can be hacked - and how to stop them
Wherever technology pervades, hackers won't be far behind, which means that your Alexa speaker – be it an Echo Dot or Echo Show – is already on the radar of the bad guys. With Alexa constantly listening for commands, smart speakers make perfect bugging devices – if the bad guys can circumvent the security placed…
Best smart sprinkler controller and garden sensors
Keeping on top of your garden can seem like a full time job – so those with busy lifestyles can benefit from a dose of smart garden tech. From connected sprinkler and watering systems to plant sensors and weather stations, there's no shortage of ways to use tech to keep your garden in great condition.…
UK smart meters explained: The good, the bad and why you should wait
Separate gas and electricity suppliers, switching providers, now smart meters; didn’t it used to be so much simpler in the 80s – or was that because your parents were paying the bills? While smart meters have been big business in the US for a while – 70 million were installed in the US in 2016…
We ask a burglar - does smart home security really scare off the criminals?
Burglary. It happens a lot - every 13 seconds in the US and only every 40 seconds or so in the UK quite probably because there aren’t as many houses or people to break into them. Either way, it’s pretty plain to see why someone dreamt up the smart home security camera. So, we bought…
Smart home security: The battle for your home tech has started
Your smart home is a lot less safe than you think. Your phone, your tablets, your security camera, your baby monitor – even your kettle and lightbulbs – are all now fodder for hackers. Every device in your smart home, anything with even the smallest piece of firmware and a networking capability, can become compromised.…
Smart home camera etiquette – how not to offend your house guests
Not only are we a watched society out on the streets, in offices, in shops; we’re also now under inspection in our homes and in the homes of others too. Smart home cameras have rocketed in popularity, and big name devices from Nest, Hive and others are helping us stay connected with our homes, check…
Who will own the smart home? There's plenty of space for one-device startups
Alexa, Google, Siri; the tech giants are knocking on our doors. They want to control our smart homes and – with our smartphones, our smart speakers, our TVs and tablets – we’re letting them in whether we realise it or not. What are their plans, just where are they going to stop and what’s it…