The smart home was once a far-flung pipe dream, but it is now a reality. Wherever you live, your home is ground zero for some of the most interesting tech available right now, and tech that’s yet to come. Best of all, it doesn’t have to cost a fortune to get your home up and running with smart hardware and services.
Home security and monitoring solutions can alert you to a burglary, smoke, fire, or just simple motion activity. There are plenty of options with a range of capabilities, from smart doorbells and smart locks to indoor and outdoor cameras that can see in the dark.
Smart speakers, like the Google Home, Amazon Echo, and Apple HomePod each play a big role in helping you out, too. In the kitchen, they can read out recipes, or if you’re cleaning, you can call out to them to change the song on the fly. If you buy smart light bulbs, for instance, you can turn them on and off by using your voice.
Code strings in HomeView’s software suggest Apple could launch a Secure Video feature soon.
Navigating the maze of platforms, ecosystems, protocols, and gadgets on your way to a smarter home is a full-time job. (I should know; it’s mine.)
The new Mini is faster, quieter, and gorgeous in green, but its upgraded Mac speaker feature didn’t work for me.
Nearly 10 months after the Eufy Omni S2 debuted at CES 2026, Anker has announced a new Pro version that boosts suction from 30,000Pa to 40,000Pa while also introducing a UV-C light on the underside to help disinfect floors as the robovac cleans and mops. The Eufy Omni S2 Pro is available starting today for $1,699.
Apple’s and Amazon’s new smart displays might make smart displays actually useful.
The Echo Time is cute, has great clock faces, and is designed for the bedroom — no cameras allowed. I’m hoping it will fill the Echo Dot-with-clock-shaped hole in my life, and its design is a fun throwback to the 2017 OG spot.
But $200?? Here’s my hands-on video and first impressions:
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And one thing I really don’t like.
Watch my hands-on with Amazon’s newest smart display in this video, and catch my full first impressions here.
The company’s low-key product launch was designed to give each device more attention, according to Panos Panay.
Amazon’s $200 smart alarm clock is angling for a spot on your bedside table.
It’s Amazon’s most ambitious smart display to date, but has it priced itself out of the game?
Launching today, this companion robot-slash-lamp resembles a mushroom, with a glowing head and eyes that emerge from the base. It’s designed to proactively help you relax and connect with nature.
It’s cute, stylish even. But I’m deeply skeptical about a robot connecting me with nature, and even more so of one whose company, OKA, claims is alive. Mori is available to order now for $649, in four colors.
Updated Oct. 22: OKA sent a replacement video because the original had unlicensed music.
The original $49.98 Wyze Bulb Cam that launched last year had an adjustable camera, but the new $99.98 Wyze Bulb Cam Pan Color doubles the price and introduces a motorized mount so its 2.5K camera can rotate 360 degrees and tilt 180 degrees to keep moving subjects in frame. Installation is as easy as screwing it into a standard E26 socket, and its 1,100-lumen bulb can be set to one of 16 million different colors.
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The new nine-piece collection created as part of a collaboration with Microsoft debuted at Ikea’s physical stores at the beginning of the month. But if you don’t have easy local access to meatballs and flatpack furniture, the Yxstaby collection, which includes accessories and furniture that draw inspiration from Xbox controllers, is now available through Ikea’s online store, too.
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It lacks the panning and tilting capabilities of Wyze’s $79.98 Solar Cam Pan 2K, but for $10 less the new $69.98 Wyze Solar Cam pairs a 2K color night vision camera with a 1.77W solar panel that keeps a 5,200mAh battery charged with just an hour of sunlight a day. The included solar panel can be detached and installed up to 10 feet away for better sun exposure, while an optional microSD card can store months of motion-activated video recordings.
According to 9to5Mac, the latest HomePod 27.2 beta adds Sound Glow support on the second-gen HomePod and first-gen HomePod Mini. Apple announced the feature with the HomePod Mini 2 last week, and says it can sync the HomePod’s LEDs colors to match album art or Apple’s ambient soundscapes.
The Miles Plug adds crash detection, roadside help, location tracking, and a warning-light decoder to your car for as low as $11 a month.
Apple’s new smart home lineup promises easier setup, tighter integration, and data privacy. But with steep competition and steeper prices, can Apple convince more people to adopt its vision of the smart home?
Then check out this episode of TWiT’s Tech News Weekly, where I chat with host Mikah Sargent for an hour about HomeView, Apple TV, HomePod Mini 2, and the Apple Home Collection. (Audio options here.)
If Apple’s first smart display finally gets my family to actually use my smart home, I’ll consider it a win.
Minor updates to the Mini, along with a price bump and a delay for Siri AI, are disappointing — but I love the new pink color and that I can properly pair the smart speaker with my Mac. I’m excited that Apple added far-field mics to the Apple TV 4K (4th gen) and, of course, thrilled that remote now has Find My. But that price … ouch.
Apple is charging $279 for all HomeView repairs, just $20 less than the smart home hub costs new. It’s $39 with AppleCare, but otherwise an official repair won’t make much sense. It’s another pricing problem for HomeView, which ships without either a mount or power adapter if you want it wall-mounted.
[Apple Support]
I dove deep into smart home menus and swiped through endless faces to bring you a closer look at the features of Apple’s newest gadget for your home.
We’ll have hands-on impressions shortly, but take a look at Apple’s smart display hub on table and wall-mount setups.
This one is from Brian Tong, taking a quick look at the HomeView display units from all sides. How does it look to you?
