Smart Home Networking

You don’t always need WiFi in your router. Whether you want control, security, or performance, here are the top options for small wired routers.

While there are some unofficial ways to get Z-Wave devices into HomeKit, Thinka has done it right with this native bridge device.

Consumer security cameras make things easy for us, but power users need to know more about the tech that makes things tick. Unpack the details behind your security cameras in this explainer.

Z-Wave has been around a long time, see how it works and how it can benefit your smart home.

Security, Reliability, Ease of Use and no hub? Check out what the newest IoT protocol on the market brings to the table.

WiFi is everywhere, and we all depend on it now, but are you up to speed on the current jargon? We’ve got you covered with this concise guide to all things WiFi.

When looking at top quality consumer mesh routers supporting Wifi 6, eero and Netgear have strong contenders. We look at what’s on offer, and how they compare.

Smart devices are well known potential attack vectors when they are connected to the internet, but Apple has a HomeKit feature that gives you easy control over those devices to stop them being used against you.

Ubiquitous WiFi access in our homes means less and less reliance on wired connectivity. It's imperative that we keep uninvited guests off our network while we're beaming it into the air. What is really needed to be secure, without being burdensome?

Adding Z-Wave to your smart home can provide greater flexibility and reliability, but which controller is right for you?

While smart homes have actually been around for quite some time, the advent of digital assistants and smart speakers has brought them much more into the mainstream, at least as a concept. But is turning something on with a voice command really smarter than using a finger?

Do you have Nanoleaf Essentials accessories in HomeKit? Do you have more than one HomePod Mini? Are things not going well? This procedure should fix things, at least for a while.

The new unified smart home integration standard known as Matter promises to revolutionize the world of connected devices. See what it’s all about, and why it’s important.

Some fixable design flaws in the WiFi standard, coupled with a bunch of implementation issues, means that virtually all WiFi devices are at risk.

Amazon is building an IoT network, and you’re invited. Should you be worried? Probably not. See why and decide for yourself.

Google proves that raw speed isn’t everything when it comes to home WiFi. Intelligent optimization gets the most out of your internet while guaranteeing a magically smooth WiFi experience.

When looking for a product, it’s common to look at overall brand quality as a way of filtering down your choices. It’s not always clear cut though. Here we look at router makers Linksys and Netgear and compare some of their newest offerings.

Getting Homebridge set up can be a great addition to HomeKit, but it can be a handful. HOOBS make it much easier to get started.

We all use lots of online services that need passwords. How can we manage them safely?

Bluetooth range for HomeKit devices can be a problem. Eve has an answer…for their devices.

All you need to know about ZigBee and how it helps in the smart home.

Homebridge is an open source project that was designed to fill the gap for HomeKit enthusiasts while device makers got up to speed. As it happens, this has not only taken longer than hoped, but continues to be a limitation even where manufacturers have provided HomeKit support.

The Mirai worm is arguably the most well known as the source of massive attacks in the past. Things have been quiet on that front in the recent past, but research from Palo Alto networks has uncovered a new variant of both the Mirai and Gafgyt worm families that expand their attack profile.

App Developer Sunya Limited addresses the question of Bluetooth troubleshooting by providing a handy Bluetooth scanner app called HomeScan. HomeScan is designed to quickly and easily identify your bluetooth devices, and provide a portable and data driven means of determining signal issues.

Assuming you have adequate WiFi and Bluetooth coverage for your devices, HomeKit users have had smooth sailing for a year. However, with the release of iOS 12, multiple users have reported a plethora of issues, most notably with Bluetooth devices.

A UK based survey of home router owners provides an eye-watering view of general user ignorance and lack of awareness of basic security requirements. 

Keeping track of device vulnerabilities that may impact you is a major headache. There is hope though, with a couple of free online tools that can give some peace of mind that your internet connection is not leaking like a seive.

Do you have an established Z-Wave smart home. Wish you could use those fancy digital assistants to tell your stuff what to do? Well, this may be what you've been looking for.

Bluetooth usage is on the rise for wireless smart home devices, particularly sensors. The limitations of Bluetooth range can be problematic for reliability though, particularly in HomeKit installations with a single home hub.

After reading up on the various tech coverage of the last couple of weeks, things have settled down somewhat. We've gone through the usual phases of "ZOMG everything is broken!", through "It's bad, but not as bad as we thought" and now we've landed on "OK, we can work with this".