Smart Home Reviews

Robotic lawn mowers have become much easier to recommend over the last few years, but installation remains one of the category’s biggest hurdles. Some models require a perimeter wire buried around the yard, while others depend on an RTK antenna with a clear view of the sky. Both approaches can...

As many readers may know, robotic mowers have been around for years. Fewer readers, though, may know the quirks and irks that came with early models. One of the bigger catches to purchasing one is that the setup process could be more work and time-consuming than the mowing. Boundary wires,...

Robot mowers have been around long enough that most homeowners generally understand what's on offer: less time cutting grass and more time doing pretty much anything else. The catch, for early generations, had been the setup. Boundary wires, buried cables, patchy navigation, and the occasional mower wandering off like it...

Robotic lawn mowers have already reached the point where they no longer feel like science projects with blades attached, or beta products not quite ready for prime time. Good ones can now map a yard, avoid most obstacles, run on a schedule, and keep the grass looking tidy without turning...

Automated lawn watering has traditionally meant choosing between two very different paths: investing thousands of dollars in a professionally installed in-ground irrigation system or settling for a basic timer attached to a garden hose. The Aiper IrriSense 2 aims squarely at the space between those options. Priced at $430 as...

Keeping a pool clean is one of those chores that sounds simple. It looks simple, what with a net on a pole and someone spending just a few moments before hopping in. That's all there is to it, right? Not exactly. If you live in Ohio, when spring gives way...

Keeping a pool clean is one of those jobs that sounds simple until it's time to do it. Leaves find their way into the water overnight, dirt settles on the floor, and the waterline develops that familiar ring that seems to appear no matter how often the pool gets used....

Pool ownership has a funny way of turning weekends into maintenance schedules. One windy Ohio afternoon in mid-May can leave the water looking like a salad bowl filled with leaves, pollen, bugs, and whatever else the yard decided to donate overnight. Traditional robotic cleaners help, but most still focus almost...

The Narwal Flow 2 arrives at a time when robot vacuums have started feeling a bit like modern kitchen appliances. Every year brings more suction, more sensors, and more acronyms, but not always meaningful improvements in how clean the floors actually look afterward. Narwal’s latest flagship attempts to move the...