Jan 29CES 2023: Smart Home InsightsIt’s been a few weeks since our annual trip to Las Vegas for CES 2023 and we’ve had some time to reflect on our experience. It’s still the best place for us to see all the new consumer technology and trends and to learn about new products coming to market for us to review and share with our readers and viewers. While CES 2022 was also live, this was really the return to a regular…Smart Home10 min readSmart Home10 min read
Jan 11CES 2023: Our Top 20 Home Tech ProductsThis year’s CES had more than 3200 exhibitors and 115,000 attendees, far from the record but still nearly three times as many people as last year. Parties and shaking hands were back. Affiliate Disclosure: This page contains links that may earn us a commission from Amazon Services LLC Associates Program…CES13 min readCES13 min read
May 21, 2022Peloton: One Year LaterI never thought I’d be the kind of person who bought a Peloton. Even before the infamous commercial from the 2019 holiday season, I thought that Pelotons were stupid and over-priced. My first memory of hearing someone talk about their Peloton was during a Backroads cycling trip to France in…Peloton10 min readPeloton10 min read
Jan 18, 2022CES 2022: Smart Home InsightsWe made it to Las Vegas for our first in-person Consumer Electronics Show since 2020. We’ve been attending CES pretty regularly since 2015, and it remains the best place to see all the latest technology products — things that are here now and ready to buy as well as others…CES10 min readCES10 min read
Oct 11, 2021DIY Home Security: Moving InsideOur series on DIY home security systems we’ve tested in our own home. Part 4: Moving Inside Depending on your comfort level in your home and with technology, protecting the perimeter with a video doorbell, a smart lock, and perhaps outdoor cameras might be enough to make you feel secure. But what about someone…Smart Home9 min readSmart Home9 min read
Sep 22, 2021DIY Home Security: Protect the PerimeterOur series on DIY home security systems we’ve tested in our own home Part 3: Protect the Perimeter Now that you’ve learned a bit more about DIY smart home security in parts one and two of our series, let’s get started by learning how you can protect the perimeter of your home. Start with the Front Door We think the…Smart Home8 min readSmart Home8 min read
Sep 7, 2021Is Full DIY Home Security for you?Our series on DIY home security systems we’ve tested in our own home Part 2: Protecting what’s Important We started our DIY smart home journey by adding technology for convenience before we started thinking about securing our home. …Smart Home5 min readSmart Home5 min read
Aug 24, 2021DIY Home Security InsightsOur series on DIY home security systems we’ve tested in our own home. Part 1: Introduction Security is very personal, it can have a lot to do with your upbringing, where you live, and how safe you feel in general. I grew up in a small city, it wasn’t completely crime-free but I…Home Security4 min readHome Security4 min read
Jul 23, 2021Best Alexa devices for every room: Our 2021 guideWe got our first Amazon Echo in late 2015. By that time, we’d already been buying smart devices and blogging about them for a few years, but everything we used was controlled by an app, or through our smart home hub with automations we configured. Affiliate Disclosure: This page contains…Smart Home8 min readSmart Home8 min read
Mar 23, 2021Temperature sensors and soil moisture meters — at home and at a family-owned wineryWe test the Zynect temperature sensor and soil moisture meter at home and with a family-owned winery. As technology geeks, we’ve always been fascinated with sensors and actionable data. We bought some of the first Fitbits and when we got into cycling, we got Garmin bike computers so we could…Lorawan7 min readLorawan7 min read