Review Geek - Are Smart Homes Worth the Hassle?

June 9, 2022

We’ve long been believers in the concept of smart homes, and the folks at Review Geek all have dozens of smart home devices between the lot of us. With my voice and automation, I can control nearly all of my house, from lights to curtains to doors. It’s pretty awesome.

But… is it worth all the hassle? The time, money, and frustration of maintaining a smart home is hard to calculate. So we’ll get into whether or not it’s worth all that in the top story.

Other Highlights:

• Speaking of smart homes, after mysteriously dying a few months back, Insteon is back from th dead! Just as mysteriously.
• I spent a couple of months using the new OnePlus 10 Pro, and you know what? It’s probably the third great flagship phone. Probably.
• LastPass added some great new features for iPhone and iPad.
• …and more!

-Josh

Smart homes promise to make our lives easier. And while that promise may be genuine, it’s always flanked by a great irony. Building and maintaining a smart home takes time, money, and research—it’s a hassle, and for some people, that hassle can run the potential benefits of a smart home straight into the ground. Read More »

For years now, if you wanted a flagship smartphone, you had but two choices realistically: an Apple device or a Samsung. OnePlus has slowly shifted from “affordable near-flagship” to “actual flagship.” The OnePlus 10 Pro represents its biggest swing for the fences yet. And it got so close. Read More »

LEGO just unveiled the next set in its Fairground Collection, the massive Loop Coaster. While not as large as the previous Creator Expert Roller Coaster, the Loop Coaster is 36 inches tall, features two loops, and has an elevator that you can motorize for an endless ride (with an add-on Technic Large Motor and Battery). Read More »

After what seems like a lifetime, LastPass now automatically saves new passwords made in iOS and iPadOS. The update saves you from jumping back and forth between apps when generating new logins with LastPass. Additionally, LastPass can now autofill credit card information and save online forms to the vault on iPhone and iPad. Read More »

Audacity is the go-to audio editor for a lot of people, and for good reason—it’s simple, free, and still reasonably powerful. But with the recent privacy controversy weakening confidence in the new owners, now’s a good time to look at the alternatives. Fortunately, there are a lot of great ones that have been competing with Audacity for years. Read More »

Tired of trying to reason with that one door in your house that never stays open? Well, you won’t have to anymore, thanks to this handy magnetic door stopper! Simply replace your current door stoppers with this, and add the magnet to the back of your door, and voila—a door that stays open! This stopper has spring hydraulic shock absorption to deal with slammed doors, and is made with rust-proof anti-corrosion stainless steel. You can install it either with perforated screws or 3M glue, and it works on any door in your house.

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It’s an overdue update, but YouTube TV now supports 5.1 surround sound on Roku, Google TV, and Android TV devices. This feature previously rolled out for a handful of other smart TVs and streaming sticks, meaning that most YouTube TV customers can now enjoy theatrical 5.1 Dolby Audio with a compatible speaker system. Read More »

Samsung is slowly ending support for the Galaxy S10 lineup. These devices received their last major OS update (Android 12) back in May, and they just got demoted to quarterly security updates. So, while you don’t need to replace your Galaxy S10 today, you should keep your eyes peeled for an upgrade. Read More »

It’s been two months since Insteon randomly shuttered its servers and closed its offices. But Insteon’s servers are back from the dead without any explanation. Excited users say that their Insteon hubs, apps, and Alexa integrations are working again. Read More »

Right on time, Google is rolling out the June Pixel update for several devices, and it’s full of software fixes and resolves several security vulnerabilities. In the update, Google has finally fixed the DAC problem on the Pixel 6, something many audiophiles will be glad to see. Read More »

SSDs with larger capacities reliably post better performance numbers than smaller capacity drives of the same make and model. If you don’t know anything about how SSDs work, this seems like a mystery, but the reason behind the slowdown makes perfect sense. Read More »

Google Chrome has become the go-to browser for many people. It’s chock full of powerful features that make it popular, but you may not have found all the best ones yet. We’ll make sure you do. Read More »

Wi-Fi 6E routers provide the best wireless speeds combined with low latency, less network interference, and the increased stability of the 6GHz band. Our picks for the best Wi-Fi 6E routers will help you build a better home network. Read More »

Leather has held a place in offices for a long time, especially in high-end workplaces. But it’s no longer reserved only for the extravagant chairs you picture residing in a floor-to-ceiling walnut room. Harber London’s Leather Desk Mat brings quality material to your office in a modern fashion. Read More »