Editorial desk
Smart Home
The connected home, with appropriate scepticism.
Lighting systems, sensors, locks, hubs. We focus on what actually improves daily life and call out the products that exist mainly to consume your data.
Editorial perspective
If a device requires a cloud account to turn on a light bulb, that is a design choice — not a feature. We score interoperability heavily.
Featured guide
Two Years With Philips Hue, Honestly Assessed
Smart bulbs that have lit our reviewer's apartment for two years. The hardware is good. The ecosystem politics are more complicated.
By Linnea Sørensen · Last reviewed 2026-04-04
Read the reviewSupporting guides
More from the Smart Home desk
Eighteen Months With Matter Smart Plugs
Three plug brands, eighteen months of switching things on and off.
By Linnea Sørensen · Last reviewed 2026-04-15
A Year With a Robot Vacuum That Mops
The Roborock Q Revo has cleaned our reviewer's apartment for twelve months. The results, and the disappointments, are clearer than expected.
By Linnea Sørensen · Last reviewed 2026-05-05
The Smart Display We Actually Kept Plugged In
Eighteen months of use as a kitchen timer, recipe screen, and ambient display — and the honest case for when a tablet on a stand would do the same job.
By Linnea Sørensen · Last reviewed 2026-05-20
Two Years With a Smart Speaker in the Kitchen
What it does well, what it still can't do reliably, and why the privacy case for a hardware mute button has not weakened.
By Linnea Sørensen · Last reviewed 2026-04-30
5
Guides on this desk
2
Long-term reviews
2026-05
Last desk revision
2024
Desk established
Editor's picks
What Linnea keeps recommending.
01
Two Years With Philips Hue, Honestly Assessed
Smart bulbs that have lit our reviewer's apartment for two years. The hardware is good. The ecosystem politics are more complicated.
Recently updated
What this desk revisited most recently.
Last reviewed
2026-05-20The Smart Display We Actually Kept Plugged In
Linnea Sørensen · Long-term review
Last reviewed
2026-05-05A Year With a Robot Vacuum That Mops
Linnea Sørensen · Long-term review
Last reviewed
2026-04-30Two Years With a Smart Speaker in the Kitchen
Linnea Sørensen · Long-term use report
Last reviewed
2026-04-15Eighteen Months With Matter Smart Plugs
Linnea Sørensen · Comparison
Long-term reviews
Guides we've lived with for at least a year.
A Year With a Robot Vacuum That Mops
Published 2025-01 · Last revisit 2026-05-05
The Smart Display We Actually Kept Plugged In
Published 2025-10 · Last revisit 2026-05-20
Corrections from this desk
What we've amended on the record.
2026-02-08
Updated the section on local control. Hue's local API behaviour changed with a 2025 firmware update; the previous wording overstated cloud dependence. Reader correspondence acknowledged in update history.
Reader questions
About this desk
- How long does the Smart Home desk test before publishing?
- Most reviews here represent at least three months of regular use, with a meaningful share extending to multiple years before publication.
- Do you accept review samples from brands?
- Occasionally, with clear ground rules: no editorial influence, no embargoed coverage, and full disclosure inside the review.
- How do I suggest something to cover?
- Reader suggestions are taken seriously. Write to us with the object, the question you wish someone would answer, and how long you've lived with it yourself.
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Home
Considered objects for the rooms you live in.
Kitchen
Tools that earn their place on the counter.
Workspace
The objects on, around, and under the desk.
Office & Productivity
The quiet machinery of a working life.
Electronics
Consumer electronics, tested past launch day.
Computers
Laptops, peripherals, and storage benchmarked against real work.
Audio
Headphones, speakers, and listening — without mysticism.
Fitness
Home gym, recovery, and the equipment that earns its space.
Wellbeing
Quiet, evidence-led coverage of sleep, light, rest, and home health.
Beauty
Skincare, haircare, and tools — without the breathless tone.
Pet Supplies
Gear that holds up in households with real animals.
Outdoors
Field-tested gear for trail, trip, and campsite.
Tools & DIY
Hand tools, power tools, and the workshop that holds them.
Automotive
The accessories that determine whether a car feels well kept.
Baby & Family
Infant and family gear, judged by what gets used.
Gaming
Controllers, headsets, and peripherals that change how a game feels.