Author Profile
Dan Sung
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Article History:
How intelligent Wi-Fi could be the answer to your smart home woes
How many different devices does your router need to cope with? Think about it for a moment. Let’s say there are four people in a household with one phone each, maybe two tablets in total and another couple of laptops. That’s eight already and that’s before we’ve talked TVs, games consoles, smart speakers – and…
Logitech Circle 2 review
Apple's smart home platform got off to a slow start, and the Logitech Circle 2 is still one of a tiny handful of HomeKit-compatible cameras. That looks set to change through 2019 as there appears to be a HomeKit surge taking place, but Logitech's camera isn't only for the Apple crowd. Alexa and Google Assistant…
How to build better mesh Wi-Fi for your smart home
Bad Wi-Fi coverage is not the nightmare it once was, thanks to the recent rise of whole home mesh networks. There are plenty of them out there promising to spread signal far and wide to the unreachables of your abode, but the price to pay is, well, the price you pay, which can be quite…
Samsung SmartThings: Getting started with your smart home
SmartThings began life as a crowdfunding smash success in 2012, making it one of the first smart home platforms to enjoy mainstream adoption. It had a big head start over Apple HomeKit and the growing stables around Google Assistant and Amazon's Alexa, but it's also had a tangled and winding route to get to where…
UK smart meters explained: Why you should wait to get one
Separate gas and electricity suppliers, switching providers, now smart meters; your energy supplier has likely been hassling you about getting one - but are they any good, and should you get one? And the simple answer is... not yet. While smart meters have been big business in the US for a while – 70 million…
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 wireless cameras have rocketed in popularity, and big name devices from Nest, Hive and others are helping us stay connected with our homes,…
Smart home visions through the ages: The history of home automation
For almost a century, the boffins of at least one big manufacturer per decade have bumped their egg-shaped heads together to figure out what the home of the future will look like. From automating domestic chores to tinkering with robot slaves, these smart homes of futures past are made up of surprisingly accurate predictions. On…
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.…