My mom is 73 and lives alone in the house I grew up in. Last winter, she fell in her kitchen at 11 PM and could not reach her phone. She sat on the floor for two hours until a neighbor happened to call. That story ends fine, but it got me thinking about what … Read more
I spent 180 dollars a year on smart home subscriptions before I realized most of it was optional. Here is how I rebuilt my setup to zero monthly fees without losing any features.
I bought my first smart bulb in 2021. It only worked with Alexa. My second bulb only worked with Google Home. My smart lock needed its own app. My thermostat wanted a separate hub. By 2024, I had seven apps on my phone to control devices in one apartment, and half of them stopped working … Read more
Smart kitchen gadgets get a bad reputation, and honestly, most of them deserve it. A smart cutting board is a cutting board with a battery. A smart measuring cup is a measuring cup that needs firmware updates. But buried in the noise of connected kitchen junk, there are a few appliances where the smart features … Read more
A smart refrigerator is the single biggest tech purchase you can make for your kitchen. These are not impulse buys. They range from 2,000 to nearly 5,000 dollars, and you will live with the choice for 10 to 15 years. That is longer than most people keep their cars. The three models worth comparing are … Read more
Most People Buy Smart Devices and Never Automate Anything I spent two years with a house full of smart bulbs, smart plugs, and a smart lock, controlling everything from my phone like an overpriced universal remote. Then one night I forgot to lock the front door, and I realized the problem: I had a connected … Read more
You bought the smart bulbs, the plug, the thermostat. Now your phone has fourteen apps and you still can’t turn off the porch light without scrolling past a meditation reminder. It’s time to curate. These are the ones I’d keep on my homescreen, plus three that need to go. Google Home If you own a … Read more
If you buy one smart home device, make it a smart thermostat. Everything else is a nice-to-have. This one pays for itself. I tested the major models over the last few months, and the results were clearer than I expected. Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, CleverHomeClub earns from qualifying purchases. This means we may earn … Read more
Smart locks promise a lot. Unlock with your phone, never fumble for keys, let the dog walker in while you are at work. But spend a weekend installing a few of these and you learn fast that some are great, and others will leave you standing on your porch in the rain because the Bluetooth … Read more
A good smart plug costs less than lunch and does more than most 100-dollar smart home gadgets. It turns any outlet into a remotely controlled, energy-monitored, automated power source. But under 25 dollars, quality varies wildly, and the wrong plug means dropped connections, fire hazards, and cloud-dependent devices that stop working when the company goes … Read more
