“We’re doing some outdoor products, and now we use Wi-Fi,” he explained. “But in an ideal world, these should be Thread products, because it has much better range, and also it’s low power.”
Chu hasn’t given up on Thread, though, and said testing version 1.4 is going well. The latest version has made it simpler for devices to work in a unified, brand-agnostic, mesh network, regardless of the software or hardware ecosystem being used. It has also streamlined cloud access and simplified device setup, ultimately helping to make Matter more robust, scalable, and user-friendly.
“I think that Matter and Thread has had a lot of negativity in the past few years, but it’s time for the consumers to give it another try,” says Chu. “It’s gotten much better. A lot of people in the industry have been working very, very hard to get it to the point that it’s at today.”
It’s an area of improvement that Richardson is also keen to highlight. “Thread is an important, foundational technology of Matter,” he said. “We are closely aligned with the Thread Group and continue to look for ways to improve the Thread experience within Matter and the use cases that it enables.”
Growing Pains
Thread took most of the early heat when Matter started stumbling, but it wasn’t the only problem. Dev headaches, slow rollout, and a lack of compatible devices have all played a part.
For an emerging standard, this is not unusual. But when the likes of Google, Apple, Amazon, and Samsung team up, it becomes a much bigger story.
“We started this with a lot of fanfare, and usually standards don’t. They sort of start off in a corner, with maybe a couple of super nerdy articles about it, and then, two years later, something shows up when companies start rolling it out.”
That’s the take of Daniel Moneta, chair of the Matter Marketing and Product Subgroup at the CSA. Moneta has also spent the past few years working with Samsung SmartThings in a product and marketing role, giving him plenty of irons in the Matter fire.
“I do think there were a lot of expectations, that maybe we set, but maybe people just had, in terms of things like how quickly it was going to be done, how fast products were going to come out, which problems Matter was going to solve and which ones it wasn’t,” he said.
Moneta believes many criticisms of Matter stem from its tech-fluent early adopters already being obsessive about the details. Speaking as a self-titled “nerdy enthusiast,” he understands.
“We’re very interested in the technical nuance … in looking at things like compatibility matrices. The smart home has historically been for that enthusiast in the home and, almost by definition, a group of people who have greater expectations, want more flexibility, and also maybe want it to do things beyond necessarily what it was built for.
“I’m not saying Matter wasn’t made for that audience, because I think it’s fantastic for that audience,” he continues. “But Matter was also designed for the Ikea buyer or the Samsung TV buyer. The one that goes, ‘I have a Matter hub in this TV I just bought. Maybe I should buy some light bulbs.’”
Google wants to get Gemini in your smart home, and it looks like it’s planning to release a lineup of new Nest Products to make it happen. The company teased a new smart speaker during its Pixel 10 launch event, and now Android Headlines has new images and details that confirm the look of the speaker and a collection of other Nest products that are on the way.
Based on the images Android Headlines sourced, Google’s new smart home lineup looks nearly identical to the cameras and doorbells it’s already selling. The exception is the new smart speaker, now called the Google Home Speaker, which is smaller and rounder than the Nest Audio, and could be a replacement for the puck-shaped Nest Mini. The new speaker will come in what looks like red, light green, black and beige color options, and offer “360-degree sound.” Android Headlines writes that the speaker also supports Gemini Live, Sound Sensing for detecting smoke alarms or glass breaking and pairing with a Google TV Streamer.
The rest of the smart home lineup will feel familiar, save for some new colors, internal tweaks and software features. The biggest change is that all of the new Nest devices built-in cameras will reportedly record in 2K resolution, rather than 1080p. They’ll also come in a selection of new colors. The Nest Cam Indoor comes in “Snow” (white), “Berry” (red) and “Hazel” (gray). The camera will include a new “Zoom and Crop” feature that lets you crop a camera feed to focus on a specific area, and be able to store up to an hour of footage locally if your Wi-Fi goes out. Google also plans to expand how long it’ll store video previews of events Nest Cams detect, taking the library of 10-second previews from one hour to three.
The Nest Cam Outdoor will only come in Snow and Hazel, but it’ll reportedly include all the new features of the Nest Cam Indoor. The same goes for the new Nest Doorbell, except it’ll be available in Snow, Hazel and “Linen” (beige). The decision to largely use the same design on its Nest devices and focus on changing internal components and software features is a similar strategy to what Google used with the Pixel 10 lineup. The phones largely look the same, but they feature improved internals and plenty of new software features.
Android Headlines writes that Google plans to use this hardware launch to also rebrand its Nest Aware and Aware Plus subscriptions. The new name for Google’s entry-level smart home subscription will be Google Home Premium. The company also plans to sell a Google Home Premium Advanced. As far as which subscription offers what, and if certain Gemini features will be locked behind a higher price, we’ll have to wait until Google details its smart home plans. The company said Gemini for Home will launch in October, so expect more official announcements in the coming months.
Say “Hey Google, get spooky,” and you’ll get some sound effects and spooky music on any Google speakers or smart displays you have. You can also ask Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri for costume ideas or to tell you a scary story.
Ring, Nest, and some other smart doorbells offer Halloween sounds and chimes that can replace your regular ringtone. Take a look at your app and see if you have seasonal options. Here’s how to set Halloween doorbell chimes for a couple of the main doorbell makers:
In the Ring app, choose your device and tap Audio Settings and Chime Tones to find Halloween chimes like Dracula Theme and Creepy Laugh. If you are off out trick and treating, you can also tap the Smart Responses tile to toggle Quick Replies on. Tap Enable Feature on the next screen and Quick Reply Message and choose something like Ghostly Greetings.
For Nest doorbells, open the Google Home app, choose your doorbell and tap the three vertical dots at the top right to find Settings, then Doorbell and Doorbell Theme to select Halloween.
For best results, create a trigger that sets off lighting and sound effects when someone approaches. You can use IFTTT to link devices together and create a terrifying sequence. When someone presses the doorbell, for example, you could turn off all your front lights for a second, have them come back on in red, and then play a blood-curdling scream.
Scary Scenes
Photograph: AtmosFX
Serious Halloween fans looking to take things to the next level should check out digital decorations. Atmos FX sells MP4 files that you can play on a monitor or stick on a USB drive to play on your TV, but they work best with projectors. You can play ghostly apparitions, shambling zombies, and many more things that go bump in the night. You just need a white projection screen you can set up in your window (although a cheap white shower curtain works well, too).
Many come with or without backgrounds and in a horizontal or vertical format to suit your setup. The talking jack-o’-lanterns are great for younger kids and can even be projected onto real pumpkins. To scare older kids and adults, try the Night Stalkers collection. The animations are top quality, with sound effects and music included. Set this up in your front window, with a fog machine underneath, and you are sure to attract a horde of trick-and-treaters.
When my husband first saw me vacuuming with the Shark stick vacuum, he asked me dubiously, “Is that a Dyson?” The British company has become so synonymous with cordless stick vacuums that it just didn’t seem possible that we wouldn’t have one. It’s like buying the generic brand Q-Tips. Who does that? Even the Shark’s color scheme deliberately echoes Dyson’s.
I’ve been testing Shark’s latest cordless stick vacuum for a month in order to answer my husband’s, and also your, question: No, the Shark isn’t a Dyson. Overall, the engineering and attention to detail that makes the Dyson the best premium vacuum isn’t quite there. The display isn’t as nice. The build quality isn’t as solid. I do have to regularly unclog one section of the vacuum tube with a chopstick.
But does it keep my house sparkling clean? Does it have a bunch of things that most Dyson vacuums don’t? And does it have all the functionality that you need, and more, for a quarter of the price? Also yes. This vacuum is absolutely worth it—”it” being not very many dollars.
A Place to Land
As you can see, the Shark vacuum is comparable in dimensions to the Dyson V15s Detect Submarine, which is the Dyson I currently have. The Shark is just a few inches shorter, but overall it takes up more space because it comes with a freestanding cleaning station. I loved this cleaning station. While every Dyson does come with a mount that you can easily screw into a wall, I’ve had a hard time finding just the right place in my house that’s also near a working electrical outlet.
If you’re not inclined to rewire your laundry room, a freestanding docking station makes it much easier to plug and go. It’s also a convenient place to store the extra vacuum accessories, like the different cleaning heads—the Shark comes with a crevice tool and a small pet multi-tool head for getting into hard-to-reach places.
I also particularly like that it has a 2-liter self-emptying bin in the base. One of the most inconvenient parts of the Dyson design is how you have to unlatch the tube to empty the bagless bin from the bottom. You have to stick your beautiful, premium vacuum in your filthy, possibly damp garbage bin and knock it around, getting it dirty and knocking dust and dog hair everywhere.
Now, the whole point of Matter is that you shouldn’t need separate apps to manage all of your devices. Kwikset still requires you to start with its app for the initial setup, but then you’ll head into the Lock Settings and tap on the section labeled Matter, where you can easily switch over control to your smart-home ecosystem of choice. The app will prompt you to choose Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple Home, or Samsung SmartThings when you switch over to Matter, and then will hand over the keys to your choice of ecosystem.
Photograph: Kwikset
After testing a few Matter devices, I don’t mind starting with a brand’s app, and I think it especially makes sense when installing a smart lock as opposed to, say, setting up a smart plug or smart light bulb. There are several more steps involved when you install a smart lock, and getting it wrong can mean no working lock whatsoever on your door.
The Kwikset app will also make it easy to switch back control to Kwikset and Wi-Fi if you decide Matter isn’t for you. There are more features available if you choose the Kwikset-controlled path, like guest codes and using the included door-status sensor, but the lock does promise better battery life when using Matter.
Slim Sensing
Photograph: Kwikset
The most exciting addition to Kwikset’s newest lock is the included door-status sensor. It works like any other door sensor—the sensors line up to tell you whether the door is closed—but it’s a super-slim, discreet style compared to other options on the market.
Kwikset hasn’t had door sensors before, but other smart-lock brands like Yale (which now owns August locks) have offered these for a while in conjunction with their locks, and plenty of other smart-home gadget makers have offered stand-alone door and window sensors for a similar experience. In both cases, it’s a two-part sensor that sits on your doorframe or window frame and door or window, and usually requires a few sticky cushions to perfectly line the two parts up so that the sensor can correctly identify when the door is opened or closed.
Kwikset won’t use that system. Instead, the brand designed a super-slim magnet-style sensor that you’ll place into the doorjamb where it can connect with the lock. It looks incredibly sleek and seems like it would be much easier to place than trying to perfectly line up two separate sensors on a door and frame. Only testing will tell if this is indeed the case, and it’s top of my testing list once it becomes available.
The Kwikset Halo doesn’t have a specific launch date but is expected to be available at retailers like Lowe’s and Amazon by mid-November and will retail for $279.
Ring cameras have come a long way. Since the security camera brand launched 11 years ago, its video doorbells and cams have become vigilant, constant surveyors of patios, porches, and vestibules everywhere. Amazon now owns the company, and has ushered it through controversies over privacy concerns, security breaches, incidents of vigilantism, and the company’s cozy relationship with law enforcement. The drama has not slowed growth; over 10 million Rings have been installed, and the cameras currently blanket our urban and suburban landscape, filming the movements of you, your family, and any strangers who wander near your door.
That makes for a lot of video to sift through if you’re trying to find something important, like whether or not a delivery was made, or what time your kids left for soccer practice. That abundance of footage is why Ring cameras, along with many other consumer products right now, are getting some AI-powered capabilities. Ring’s software update helps users search for specific moments their cameras may have captured.
This week, WIRED senior writer Paresh Dave joins the show again to talk about the evolution of Ring—how the security cameras have become nearly ubiquitous security tech, and what the future holds now that they’re being infused with AI.
Paresh recommends getting a Sling TV subscription from Dish to watch live sports. Mike recommends searching for decoy security cameras you can install if your landlord requires you to put up a security camera. Lauren recommends the streaming shows Nobody Wants This and Killing Eve. Both are on Netflix.
You can always listen to this week’s podcast through the audio player on this page, but if you want to subscribe for free to get every episode, here’s how:
If you’re on an iPhone or iPad, open the app called Podcasts, or just tap this link. You can also download an app like Overcast or Pocket Casts, and search for Gadget Lab. If you use Android, you can find us in the Google Podcasts app just by tapping here. We’re on Spotify too. And in case you really need it, here’s the RSS feed.
The One RFID Smart Feeder from Petlibro shows just how far automatic cat-feeding technology has come. For this feeder, the pet wears a collar with a tag in which the feeder’s lid opens only with that tag. There’s a cover that retracts automatically when the pet with the collar approaches the stainless steel food bowl (which is removable for washing and is dishwasher safe). The sensor in the pad in front will be activated, and the cover will retract over the kibble when the cat leaves, ensuring that only the chosen pet with the collar can access the food.
The 3-liter feeder relies on the Petlibro app, which allows the owner to create up to 10 feeding schedules whose amounts can be modified anytime, including on-demand feeding. Like our other automatic Petlibro feeder picks, the app collects the data and tracks trends in your pet’s consumption, and owners control everything from the app. The automatic lid is customizable too, as you can switch on the app to leave the lid in “open mode” or adjust how long the lid stays open after your pet walks away from it.
Overall, I think this is a nearly perfect device for a particular kind of pet owner. I think it works best for a cat in a dog home where the owner doesn’t want the dog getting into the cat’s food, if each pet in the home has a One RFID feeder, if one particular cat has special dietary needs, or if you have a multi-cat home with an aggressive eater. In these cases, I truly think this product would be a life-changer. (If you get a One RFID for each pet, it’s recommended that you space them at least 10 inches apart to avoid any interference.)
One of my only complaints with the device is that the lid doesn’t get super flush to the wall when retracted, and my cat won’t eat the food that is near the back of the bowl. The QR code tag comes on a super-flimsy collar that kept loosening, but there is the option to detach it and put it on your pet’s own collar, which I did, and it worked great after. Although the One RFID isn’t right for my cats, I would recommend it to anyone who has pets with differing food needs.
Smart home gadgets have no limits these days. You can control everything from a garage door to every single light bulb in your house … if you have enough gusto to replace them all. Front doors have had smart accessories added to them over the years—smart door locks, video doorbells, sensors to tell you whether the door is shut—so why not make the door itself smart?
At least, smart in a certain aspect. Home Depot’s newest smart door, made by Feather River and powered by Home Depot’s smart-home Hubspace platform, incorporates a smart glass window, and starting today you can purchase it on Home Depot’s website. It’ll require either a USB-C power connection or using the included battery to power that smart window.
It’s not the company’s first foray into smart doors, though it’s the most affordable option, with a price that ranges from $798 to $998 depending on the window size. That’s still not cheap, but it isn’t a terrible price for a front door with a large window, let alone a window you can control.
For Opacity’s Sake
Photograph: Home Depot
The Smart Glass door has one main trick: You’re able to control the door like you would a light, tapping to toggle on and off the opacity rather than a bright bulb. You can control it through Home Depot’s Hubspace app, or connect your Hubspace app to a voice assistant to control it with voice commands to a Amazon Alexa or Google Nest speaker. The window can either be a clear window allowing for light and a view into the great outdoors, or frosted over for privacy. No more choosing only one style of window for your door: Now you can have both.
Hubspace is Home Depot’s in-house smart-home ecosystem. It works similarly to any other smart-home app, with options to control your Hubspace devices and create schedules and routine options. While Hubspace is a lesser-known name and a little newer to the space after launching in 2021, everything I’ve tested from it has worked well. It also plays nice with the two most popular voice assistants, so it’s pretty painless to add to your home.
With the Smart Glass door’s paintable fiberglass construction, composite window, and decorative panels at the bottom, the Smart Glass door has a nice, contemporary look. It offers four window size options, letting the smart glass fill up most, half, or just the top quarter of the door’s center. The door with the small, Craftsman-style window is the least expensive at $798, while the three-quarter window and full-size window both retail for $998.
The Smart Glass door does solve a privacy issue homeowners might face: Does one really want to have a massive window in their front door? There’s absolutely an aesthetic appeal, but without other security measures, a true clear window might not always feel safe. It’s certainly nice to have if you want more light in your front room, and you might want a view of your yard or to give your pet a clear view of the mail carrier. It’s equally nice to have privacy from potential home invaders and door-to-door salespeople who don’t need to know you work from home. The Smart Glass door lets you have both of these things without sacrificing the other.
Battery Without Brains
Photograph: Home Depot
The Smart Glass door can work on both battery and USB-C if you’ve got a nearby outlet on the hinge side of the door; the battery is expected to last around two months depending on usage. If your Wi-Fi goes down, you can connect to the door via Bluetooth to continue being able to control it. If the door loses power, it’ll automatically switch the window to opaque mode, giving your home privacy while you wait for power to come back on or for the battery to charge.
So I have one of those unfortunate blood types that makes me extremely susceptible to mosquito bites. To give you a sense of how bad it is, I got attacked three times while installing the mosquito repellent system I’m reviewing here. Big, nasty, red welts that lingered for days.
I usually take extreme measures to avoid mosquitos, including topical products like OFF! and visits from a professional mosquito control company that sprays citronella all over my backyard every three weeks. Tragically, none of this has been of much help. For most of the summer, I look like Patient Zero for some kind of pox.
This summer I decided I’d had enough. Enter Thermacell’s LIV, an installed mosquito blocker system that can scale to fit your deck or yard, regardless of shape and size.
Invisible Force Field
LIV is not a mosquito-killing system—you’ll need zappers and poisons for that—but rather a repeller technology. It works based on a chemical called metofluthrin, which gives off a vapor that mosquitos apparently hate when heated. Metofluthrin isn’t unique to Thermacell; it’s also the active ingredient in OFF! mosquito lamps and wearable devices, among other products.
Photograph: Christopher Null
LIV is a wired system composed of two main components: a base station, called the Smart Hub, which calls the shots, and as many satellite Repellers as you need. The Smart Hub plugs into wall power and communicates via Wi-Fi with your home network. The Repellers are also wired, daisy-chained to the hub one after another via included cables.
If you’re imagining a low-voltage lighting system, you’re on the right track—only LIV isn’t quite as flexible. Each cable is a fixed 24 feet long—though shorter 10-foot cables are available as a separate purchase—since Repellers must be positioned about 20 feet away from one another. This is because the range of the vaporized metofluthrin is only 10 feet. With a ring of Repellers around your safe zone, you create an invisible anti-mosquito force field as a perimeter, with each Repeller’s coverage zone slightly overlapping.
Setup isn’t difficult, but it is time-consuming and requires some attention to detail. You may not have a lot of flexibility as to where to place the Smart Hub because it needs to reside near an electrical outlet and within the Wi-Fi range of your router—plus it has to be mounted on the wall. Since most homes have few exterior power outlets, finding the Goldilocks spot for the hub can be tricky.
There are a few products in our lives we want to use all the time and never have to think about. Faucets come to mind—you want your faucet to turn on and off, not leak. That’s about it. Google’s new Google TV Streamer is an Android-powered TV faucet that never leaks. Once you log into your various accounts and start streaming, you hardly notice it’s there, but you’ll have easy access to all your favorite shows and movies. You can even use the remote to control connected devices in your home, like lights, speakers, and plugs.
Casting from phones is simple and easy, and this new $100 streaming device lacks the sometimes jittery performance we saw on last-generation devices like the Google Chromecast and some current-gen TVs powered by Google’s TV operating system. If you dislike your current TV interface or want to make sure you’re streaming from well-maintained apps on a device that supports Dolby Vision and a wired internet connection, this is an excellent choice.
Simple Setup
The flat, cylindrical streaming device and its pill-shaped remote are about as plug-and-play as things can get, but it’s worth noting this design is a dramatic change from the Chromecasts of old. No longer does Google’s TV dongle dangle off the side of your TV. This Streamer is meant to be displayed loud and proud on a media console.
Photograph: Parker Hall
There is a single HDMI 2.1 port, a USB C port for power, and an Ethernet port for wired internet. On the back next to the ports, you’ll see a tiny little button that can make the remote beep and reveal its location; my forgetful brain thanks the engineers at Google for this. I wish the Streamer included an HDMI cable, as I had to fish one out of my closet. This wasn’t an issue with its predecessors, which had a built-in HDMI cable.
The remote is large enough that you’ll want to find a cell-phone-sized flat spot to put it—not the most convenient thing ever but not the most annoying either. The buttons aren’t backlit, but they’re easy enough to see even in low light thanks to grey-black text on a white background. It’s a simple layout with volume buttons on the right side of the remote for easy access, and the home button in grey just above so you don’t accidentally press it in the middle of a movie.
Once you turn on the Google TV Streamer, log in to your Google accounts (and whatever other streaming accounts you have these days) and you’re good to go. You can do all this via the Google Home app if you don’t want to use the onscreen TV keyboard to enter passwords. I was watching Netflix in under five minutes. (It also supports all the major apps, like Max, Paramount+, Amazon Prime, and Pluto TV).
A Smart Home Controller
The Google TV Streamer can act as a smart home display to easily control lighting, security cameras, thermostats, and more if you have that stuff connected via Google Home. It pulls up a screen on the right side of the TV screen, called the Home Panel, and it shows you what you have connected and allows you to control it. This experience is similar to the Home Panel on the lock screen of the Google Pixel Tablet or even on many Android phones.
I’m not a smart-home guy; I use a few Alexa speakers to set alarms and play Spotify, but the rest of my house is woefully unconnected. I asked fellow WIRED reviewer and connected-home guru Nena Farrell to test the smart home features for me, and she reported that they work very well. Voice commands to Google Assistant are responsive, and she liked using her TV screen for smart home control. She successfully used the remote to turn off her lights even when the TV was off. It can also be used to monitor smart doorbells and cameras, something WIRED editor Julian Chokkattu says is very handy, as you can check for motion alerts without having to find your phone in the dark during movie night.
Automatic litter boxes vary depending on the brand and litter box type. Generally, they have sensors, either by motion or weight, to tell when a cat has entered or exited the litter box. Usually customizable and controlled via app on your phone, or on a more rudimentary timer system, the cleaning cycle will begin a short time after the cat has used the box. With the dome-shaped litter boxes, the cleaning will happen via a cycle where the litter spins and rotates around the spherical interior; the bigger soiled clumps will be deposited into the waste basket while the clean litter passes through the grates and gets recycled back into the litter box.
The Neakasa M1, for example, rotates backward and then forward (rather than a spin cycle) to sift the clumps from the clean litter, depositing the larger clumps into the waste basket. The Pet Zone Smart Scoop is the most rudimentary on our list, simply using a rake attachment to scoop the bigger clumps into a waste receptacle in the back.
There’s never been a better time to get a smart speaker, especially if you’re a music fan. When voice assistants first started infiltrating these devices, hands-free controls were really the star of the show. Even now, one of the most common ways that people interact with Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant is through a smart home speaker. But now you have dozens of options to choose from, and most of them sound much better than the first smart home products did. Sonos recently entered the game with its own voice assistant on its stellar-sounding speakers, and even lower-end models like the Echo Dot and Nest Mini have better audio quality than their first iterations did. If you’re struggling to pick the best smart speaker for your needs, we at Engadget can help. We’ve outlined our top picks below, plus all of the things you should consider before buying a smart speaker today.
Picking an assistant: Google vs. Alexa
The first thing most people should do is decide what voice assistant they want to use. Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa are both well-supported options that are continually evolving, with new features added at a steady clip. A few years ago, Alexa worked with more smart home products, but at this point, basically any smart device worth buying works with both.
It’s mostly a matter of personal preference. If you’re already entrenched in the Google ecosystem and own an Android phone, it makes sense to stick with that. And if you have multiple Google-based smart devices in your home, you can use Google Home to easily control and navigate your devices. But while Alexa isn’t quite as good at answering general knowledge questions, it syncs just fine with things like calendars from your Google account. And it works with perhaps the widest variety of smart home products as well. If you’ve never used Alexa or Google Assistant, you can download their apps on your iOS or Android phone and spend some time testing them out before buying a speaker.
There are downsides to having a smart home device that’s always listening for a wake word, as giving more personal information to Amazon, Apple and Google can be a questionable decision. That said, all these companies have made it easier to manage how your data is used — you can opt out of humans reviewing some of your voice queries, and it’s also less complicated to manage and erase your history with various digital assistants, too.
Sonos vs. Apple
If you buy a Sonos device with a microphone, you can also use the company’s own voice assistant, voiced by Giancarlo Esposito. It’s focused purely on music control, so you won’t use it to do things like send messages or ask the weather forecast. But as a music assistant, Sonos Voice Control is generally quite fast and reliable.
As for Apple, you won’t be surprised to learn the HomePod and HomePod mini are the only Siri-compatible speakers on the market. It’s rumored that Apple will potentially release a new range of smart displays, like its HomePod with a touchscreen, sometime soon. Apple’s Siri has a reputation for not being as smart as Alexa or Google Assistant, but it’s totally capable of handling common voice queries like answering questions, controlling smart home products, sending messages, making calls and streaming music via AirPlay. Technically, Siri and Apple’s HomeKit technology doesn’t work with as many smart home devices as the competition, but it’s not hard to find compatible gear. And Apple has most definitely improved Siri’s functionality over the last couple years, with handy features like and Intercom tool and routines that take advantage of the built-in temperature sensor in the HomePod and HomePod Mini.
Most people’s entry point into the smart speaker world will not be an expensive device. Amazon’s fourth-generation Echo Dot and Google’s Home speaker, the Nest Mini, are the most obvious places to start for two important reasons. One, they’re cheap: Both the Nest Mini and Echo Dost cost $50. Two, they’re capable. Despite the low price, these speakers can do virtually the same things as larger and more expensive devices, offering essential functionality
The Google Nest Mini was released in late 2019, but Amazon just refreshed the Echo Dot recently. The Echo Dot is the best small speaker with a smart assistant for most people and one of the most compact Alexa-enabled wireless speakers, period. Amazon keeps improving the audio performance across its Echo device line, and the Echo Dot is no exception. It produces much louder and clearer audio than I’d expect from a $50 speaker. The Nest Mini doesn’t sound bad, and it’s perfectly fine for listening in the bedroom while getting ready for the day, but the Echo Dot is a better all-purpose music listening device.
From a design perspective, Amazon broke the mold with the latest Echo Dot. Instead of a small puck like the Nest Mini, the new Dot is shaped like a little globe. It’s much bigger than the Nest Mini, but that size gives it room for higher-end audio components. Although mostly hands free, relying on Alexa to answer questions, set timers, work as an alarm clock and more, the Dot keeps the physical volume buttons and mute switch on top, along with a button to activate Alexa’s voice control. While the Dot doesn’t look as sleek as the Nest Mini, having physical buttons makes it easier to adjust volume and mute the mic. I do wish the Dot had a way to physically pause music; on the Nest Mini, if you tap the middle of the device, the music stops.
Overall, the Dot is the best budget choice for most people, but I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the Nest Mini as another affordable smart speaker option. I generally prefer using Google Assistant over Alexa, and anyone who feels the same should go ahead and get the Nest Mini. The Dot does sound notably better, so if you plan to listen to audio on a regular basis, that’s probably the way to go. But if you only plan to use it for a quick song or podcast when you’re getting ready in the morning, just pick your favorite assistant and go from there.
Amazon, Apple and Google all have $100 smart speakers: the fourth-generation Echo, the HomePod mini and the Nest Audio, respectively. All three companies claim superior audio quality, so for lots of people these speakers will be the sweet spot between small speakers like the Echo Dot and Nest Mini and bigger, more expensive models like the Sonos Era 100.
Once again, Amazon punches above its weight. Like the Dot, the latest Echo is totally redesigned and the new internals were made with music in mind. It combines a three-inch woofer with two 0.8-inch tweeters — a more advanced setup than either the Nest Audio or HomePod mini. (The Google Nest Audio uses a three-inch woofer but only a single 0.75-inch tweeter, while the Apple HomePod mini makes do with a single “full range” driver and two passive radiators.)
In practice, this means the Echo is noticeably louder than either the Nest Audio or HomePod mini and much better suited to play room-filling sound than the competition. It also delivers an impressive bass thump and powerful mid-range frequencies. In fact, my main complaint with the speaker is that highs aren’t quite crisp enough. Compare the Echo to an Era 100 and the 100 sounds much more lively, while the Echo comes off a bit muddy. Then again, the 100 costs more than twice as much as the Echo.
While the Echo speaker may beat the Nest Audio and HomePod mini on volume and bass, Google and Apple’s speakers are not bad options. The HomePod mini is the quietest of the three speakers, but it still sounds balanced across the entire audio spectrum. The bass isn’t too assertive, but there’s more presence than I would have expected given its tiny size (it’s by far the smallest of these three speakers).
And it has a few nice perks if you’re using an iPhone 11 or newer. Thanks to the U1 “ultra-wideband” chip in recent iPhones, the HomePod mini can tell when there’s a phone near it, which makes handing off music from your phone to the speaker (or vice versa) quite simple. Playback controls for the HomePod mini will automatically pop up as well, and your phone’s lock screen will display music suggestions if the speaker isn’t currently playing. Setup is also dead-simple — just bring an iPhone or iPad near the speaker and it’ll automatically start the process.
Google’s Nest Audio is also quite pleasant to listen to. It’s a little louder than the HomePod mini, and has stronger bass, to boot. It doesn’t have the same overall power and presence that the Echo does, but for $100 it’s a well-balanced speaker that should serve most people’s needs.
All three of these speakers support stereo pairing as well, if you want more volume or crave a more immersive experience. For $200, two Echoes will fill a large room with high-quality sound and enough bass to power a party. A pair of HomePod mini or Nest Audio speakers aren’t quite as powerful, but it makes for a great upgrade if you’re a more avid listener. A pair of Nest Audio or HomePod mini speakers sounded great on my desk during the workday. I don’t need overwhelming volume but can appreciate the stereo separation. And two of those speakers together can easily power a larger living space, although the Echo is the better choice if volume is a priority.
Here too, I think that picking the smart assistant that works best in your house and with your other gadgets is probably the most important factor — but given Alexa’s ubiquity and the new Echo’s superior sound quality, it’s the best smart speaker at this price point.
Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi | Assistant support: Amazon Alexa, Sonos Voice Control | Max wattage: 10W | Battery life: N/A
If you have more than a passing interest in music, the Echo Dot and Nest Mini aren’t really going to cut it. Spending more money to upgrade to a speaker designed with audio quality in mind is one of the best decisions I’ve made. For years, I didn’t have a proper home music solution, but in the end the modest investment has made my life much more pleasant.
For years, the Sonos One has been a favorite of mine, combining a reasonable price with good sound quality and a plethora of useful features like easy multi-room audio, stereo pairing and compatibility with tons of services. This year, Sonos replaced the One with the Era 100, a $250 speaker that is an improvement in almost every way you can think of. Most importantly, it uses a new speaker array that includes two tweeters instead of just one as well as a woofer that’s 25 percent bigger. The end result is that the Era 100 handily bests the One in sound quality, with impressive bass, surprisingly huge volume and increased high-end clarity thanks to the additional tweeter.
There are a lot of other improvements beyond just sound quality. The Era 100 uses its built-in microphones for much easier Trueplay tuning, which optimizes the speaker’s output based on where you place it. Previously, you had to use an iPhone and walk around the room waving the phone to optimize your Sonos speaker, but now the process is much simpler. The Era 100 also includes line-in via a USB-C port and also has Bluetooth for when you just want to quickly connect a device to the speaker. It’s a bummer that you need to buy an adapter to hook up a turntable or other audio equipment to the Era 100, but since the One didn’t support line-in at all, I’m still glad it’s an option. You can also pair two Era 100s with a Sonos soundbar to get a solid home theater setup with surround sound.
There are a handful of other small but solid improvements, like redesigned controls on the top that make it easier to skip tracks and a mic mute switch that cuts the power to the mic for extra security. Like the One, it’s easy to set up Alexa or the Sonos voice assistant here, but the Era 100 doesn’t support the Google Assistant – so if you were previously using a Sonos speaker and relied on Google, you’re unfortunately out of luck here. Other than that one change, though, the Era 100 is an excellent all-around performer. It’s a great speaker on its own and is also a great starting point if you want to build a multi-room audio setup.
The Amazon Echo Studio remains an excellent-sounding speaker as well, and at $199 it’s a good bit cheaper than the Era 100 as well. If you want to save some cash or already have a bunch of other Echo devices in your smart home ecosystem, it makes sense as a speaker for higher-quality music playback. But given that it’ll be four years old this fall, I think it makes sense to opt for a newer device that’ll get longer support and updates.
Pros
Excellent sound quality
Gets loud
Built-in mics for Trueplay tuning and voice control
Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi | Assistant support: Amazon Alexa, Sonos Voice Control | Max wattage: Not specified | Battery life: N/A
As nice as the Era 100 and Echo Studio are, there’s only so much you can get out of them. If you crave more bass, clarity and stereo separation, the $550 Sonos Five is the best sounding smart speaker on this list. It has many of the conveniences in the Era 100 and sounds significantly better than any other Sonos speaker. It also sounds much better than the Echo Studio and anything Google is currently selling.
That said, the Five stretches our definition of a smart speaker here because it doesn’t have a built-in voice assistant. But it’s so good at music playback that it’s worth recommending you pick one up along with an Echo Dot or Nest Mini. Both of those speakers work with Sonos, so you can use voice commands to control the Five just as you would a dedicated Alexa or Google Assistant device. Sonos also refreshed the speaker two years ago with a new wireless radio as well as more memory and a faster processor. This means it should stay current and work with future Sonos software updates for years to come.
Since we’re talking “best” here, I’m going to go ahead and recommend that true music junkies splash out on two Five speakers and pair them in stereo. Put simply, it’s the most enjoyable experience I’ve had listening to music in years; I found myself picking up new details while listening to albums I’ve heard over and over again. It’s a wonderful experience and worth saving for if you’re a music lover. I didn’t know what I was missing until I tried the Five.
The Sonos Era 300, also recently released, is a $450 speaker that supports Dolby Atmos spatial audio from Apple Music and Amazon Music Unlimited. I’ve found that the quality of spatial audio mixes can be very hit or miss, but the good news is that the Era 300 sounds outstanding whether it’s playing back Atmos content or just standard tracks. It’s not quite as good as the Sonos Five, but it does have built-in microphones for voice assistants and easy Trueplay tuning as well as Bluetooth and the redesigned controls on the Era 100. Again, the main downside is that Google Assistant isn’t supported here.
Finally, if you’re an Apple Music user or have a lot of Apple hardware in your home, the second-generation HomePod is definitely worth considering. At $300, it’s a lot cheaper than these Sonos speakers but supports spatial audio like the Era 300. The Era 300 and Sonos Five are better speakers overall (and certainly much louder), but there’s a lot to like about the HomePod’s audio quality at its price point. It’s a clear, crisp vocal-forward speaker, and its design and software processing does a great job of making music sound like it’s all around you, even if you’re not playing back Dolby Atmos tracks.
Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi | Assistant support: Amazon Alexa, Sonos Voice Control | Max wattage: 10W | Battery life: 10 hours
While many people will be happy with a few speakers strategically placed throughout their home, you might want something that works outside as well as inside. Fortunately, you can find speakers that pair voice controls and strong music playback performance with portable, weatherproof form factors. For my money, it’s hard to beat the Sonos Roam for sheer versatility, not to mention audio quality.
When used inside the home, the Roam works like any other Sonos speaker. It fits in with an existing multi-room Sonos setup, or you can get a pair for stereo playback. Like most other Sonos speakers, it works with the Sonos Voice Assistant or Amazon Alexa, and it supports essentially every major music service available. It sounds very good given its tiny size; it’s quieter and not quite as clear as the Sonos One or the Era 100, but it still packs a surprising bass thump and distinct highs.
Since it was designed with on-the-go usage in mind, the Roam has a battery and Bluetooth so you can take it anywhere and use it far away from your Wi-Fi network. And its diminutive size makes it easy to take it everywhere, both around the house and out and about. It’s also the first Sonos speaker that is fully waterproof, as well as dust- and drop-resistant, so you shouldn’t worry about taking it to the pool or beach.
The Roam gets about 10 hours of battery life, whether you’re on Wi-FI or Bluetooth. There are other portable speakers that last longer, so if you’re really going to push the battery you might be better served by another option.
Another wireless portable speaker option is the $449 Sonos Move 2. It’s much larger and louder than the Roam, which is unsurprising given how much more expensive it is. It’s a nice upgrade over the previous Move, with two tweeters for more detailed sound, a battery that lasts more than a day and redesigned touch controls up top. It also has a line-in jack via USB-C, so you can hook up a turntable when you’re using it inside. If you’re willing to sacrifice portability for power and better sound quality (and can afford it), the Move 2 will be more satisfying than the Roam.
A better choice than the Move, unless you already have other Sonos products, is the $399 Bose Portable Smart speaker. It supports Alexa and Google Assistant commands, and since it can connect to WiFi, you can ask your preferred assistant to play music from Spotify, Amazon Music and other services. On top of that, it produces well-rounded sound, sports an IPX4 design with a convenient carry handle and will last up to 12 hours on a single charge.
Bose also has a good alternative to the Roam. The $149 SoundLink Flex supports Siri and Google Assistant commands, plus it has an IP67 design that’s roughly the size of a small clutch bag. It pumps out bright, dynamic sound and can pair with other speakers for stereo sound, too – it’s excellent and slightly cheaper than the Roam.
While this guide is all about smart speakers, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention all of the solid portable speakers out there that either have limited smart features or none at all. We have an entire guide to the best portable Bluetooth speakers, so if you’re purely concerned with portability and less about having an ecosystem of connected speakers, there are lots of options worth investigating.
I admire Shark’s ambition. With its latest vacuum (most recently presented at IFA), Shark attempts to solve two major problems. The first is that in many cases, simply lifting the mop pads over the floor often isn’t enough to keep the yucky wet mop pad from dragging on your nice clean carpet. That’s why the newest Shark robot vacuum has a mop plate that automatically detaches when you’re vacuuming.
The second, and more interesting problem, is that robot vacuums tend to get stuck on little ledges or rugs in your house. That’s why the Shark now has what I have been referring to as a “booty hitch,” to hump itself over obstacles in its path. On its face, both of these improvements are very, very cool—and they work. “Is that robot vacuum humping the floor?” my husband asked, as it propelled itself into the living room from the kitchen. However, as if in recompense, the Shark is failing at some basic robot vacuum tasks. If you’re interested in this vacuum, I would suggest waiting for the price to come down and for the company to iron out some basic bugs.
Smell You Later
Setup is very simple. It’s a good-looking robot vacuum, with a docking station that includes a clean water tank, a dirty water tank, a dustbin with a remarkable 0.33-liter capacity, and a refillable odor-neutralizer capsule that prevents the whole thing from stinking to high heaven. It’s compact at less than 18 inches high and less than 15 inches wide, and very easy to set up. I downloaded the app and added the vacuum to it; Shark even provides a list of cute, punny names. (I picked “Steve McClean.”)
Photograph: Adrienne So
The preclean mapping was fast and easy, and the vacuum did not get tripped up at all. The map is kind of bonkers and in no way accurate, but it gets the general orientation of the rooms correct, and the map’s inaccuracy is not reflected in how the robot cleans.
When you start cleaning, you can pick either vacuum or mop (not both), and if you vacuum, you can select either to clean or deep clean. I found this confusing, as you tap the Clean Button before you can select the mode—just a little residual PTSD from starting too many robot vacuums in the wrong cleaning mode and not being able to stop them, nothing to worry about. You can also opt to clean by room or to spot clean (more on that later).
It takes about 90 minutes for the vacuum to do a full vacuum run for 750 square feet, and about 60 percent of the battery, which means I could mop after I vacuumed, if I wanted to. Having a detachable mop pad meant that I didn’t need to plan out my cleaning beforehand—with ones that don’t detach, I have to make sure I vacuum before I mop. You also can’t trace the vacuum’s live progress in the map. It’s an easy way to ensure you got full coverage, or would be with an accurate map.
Three Times, You’re Out
Photograph: Adrienne So
Ostensibly, the Shark vacuum has DirtDetect, which is a feature that first showed up in iRobot’s Roomba line. Sensors on the bottom of the vacuum can locate areas of unusual dirtiness and focus on them. It’s remarkably effective with an iRobot, but not so much with the Shark.
Do you wish your front door could see you coming? I certainly do, since I’m usually either wrangling a toddler (often in a swimsuit these days, and dragging along a myriad of towels and floatation devices) or coming back from an outdoor power walk that I’d rather not bring my keys on. I’ve enjoyed geofencing features that let my door unlock when it senses my phone is nearby, or reached for the pin pad to quickly unlock my door with my fingerprint—anything in the name of not needing to hunt for my keys.
Now, I don’t even need my phone or a free hand. The Lockly Visage, announced at CES 2024 as part of Lockly’s new Zeno line, uses infrared sensors to see me coming and recognize my face, so that it can unlock my door as I walk up. It also has other common entry options—fingerprint reading, access codes, and brand-new physical keys—if not every member of your house wants their face scanned.
It’s the first time face recognition has been added to a smart lock that any homeowner (or daring renter) can buy. Similar features have been available in smart security cameras and video doorbells, but the locks themselves haven’t been able to recognize you—until now. While I found the setup a little frustrating (more on that below), I was happy to find that the lock itself worked perfectly, always recognizing me as I walked up to my house, whether I was wearing sunglasses or was backlit by an intense afternoon sun.
Ready, Get Set, Set Up
electronic door lock
Successful setup with the Lockly requires speed once the battery is in. The physical setup isn’t too hard, just lengthy, and it does require both a Phillips-head and flathead screwdriver. It took me about an hour of reading instructions, removing every piece of my current lock, and then installing the Lockly Visage. Make sure to charge the battery in advance, or at least while you’re doing all of that physical unboxing and install. Since you have to fully dismember your lock, I don’t recommend the Lockly for renters, unless you trust yourself to put it back so well that your landlord won’t know.
Once physical setup is done, don’t put the battery in right away. This was my mistake. Once the battery is in, the Bluetooth connection opens up and only stays up for a few minutes. I kept getting timed out when I was trying to set up Visage ID (the name for Visage’s face recognition), but Lockly says they’re pushing an app update soon to fix the short-lived Bluetooth situation. Speaking of the app, there’s two of them—an older Lockly app that works with this lock and previous Lockly devices, and a brand-new Lockly Home app (iOS, Android) that currently only works with the new Zeno line. You can choose to use either, but the Lockly Home app is much nicer to look at. Previous Lockly products will be added to that app soon, too.
Either way, before you put in the battery and start the Bluetooth timer, download the app and locate the Activation Card inside of the box, which should be adhered to the interior lid of the box. Don’t lose this card, even after you finish the lock setup—you’ll need it if you ever reset it. Once you have both these things ready, only then insert the battery and start the setup process within the app. You’ll follow steps for creating an account, connecting Wi-Fi, and setting up an unlock code for the door.
Acer also released a slew of laptops, desktops, and monitors, but the DualPlay concept laptop with a pop-out controller jumped out at me. Slotted into the Predator laptop with magnets, the controller acts as a trackpad when it’s baked into the laptop, but you can pop it out and use it as a controller for gaming, and even split it into two like a Switch Joy-Con. The DualPlay also has a pair of 5-watt speakers that can pop out on each side to better annoy everyone around you. Again, this is a concept, so it’s unclear when or if we will ever see something like this in a real product.
HMD’s Fusion Is a Modular Phone
Photograph: HMD
HMD is on a roll. It released the first Qi2 Android smartphone several weeks ago (though we had some issues with the implementation), and more recently, it unveiled the Barbie Phone. Now, it’s time to get funky with the HMD Fusion. Teased back at Mobile World Congress earlier this year, this $299 Android smartphone wants to bring back the modular smartphone concept popular around 2016 (remember Moto Mods and Google’s Project Ara?). It might actually work this time because Apple’s MagSafe system has normalized sticking magnetic things to the back of a handset. HMD has also open-sourced its tech, so anyone can create “outfits,” as HMD likes to call them. There are smart pins at the base of the phone, so unlike MagSafe accessories, these outfits can transmit data with the phone wirelessly and even draw power from the Fusion’s battery.
To start, HMD is making a handful of these outfits. There’s a gaming controller outfit that adds controls to the sides of the phone, turning it into a gaming handheld of sorts. Some mods are simple, like the one that adds wireless charging support, while others are more complex, like the Rugged outfit. This makes the Fusion more durable with an IP68 water resistance rating and even adds an SOS and push-to-talk button. There’s an outfit that adds a flash not unlike a ring light, and you can swivel it to face the front of the phone so you’re well-lit while capturing selfies. HMD showed off some outfits made by fans too, including a projector, an E Ink back panel, and a solar panel that folds out the back of the phone to recharge it. The company isn’t bringing these to market but wants to help people create and sell their own outfits.
The Fusion otherwise seems like a solid $299 smartphone, with a 108-megapixel primary camera, a Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 chipset, and a 5,000-mAh battery. It will get two Android OS upgrades and three years of security updates, and several components on this phone are user-repairable. You can just remove the screws to get into the internals, and parts will be sold at iFixit for seven years. Opening up the phone won’t even break the warranty. The Fusion will be sold in the US during the fourth quarter of the year (sometime between October and December). —Julian Chokkattu
Honor’s Folding Phone Is Super Thin
There were a few devices on show from Honor at IFA, but the headliner was the impressive Honor Magic V3 (8/10, WIRED Recommends), the thinnest folding phone yet, with some interesting AI features you can read about in our review. At just 9.2 mm folded, it makes the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 feel chunky. It’s a shame it’s not sold in the US.
Honor also launched the MagicPad2, a 12.3-inch OLED Android tablet with a smart pencil and a snap-on keyboard for a laptop vibe and productivity-focused AI features, like voice-to-text, and formula and handwriting recognition. The Honor MagicBook Art 14 and Honor Watch 5 round out the new lineup. (Honor hosted WIRED at its media event at IFA and paid for a portion of our reporter’s travel expenses.)
Deepfake Detector
Photograph: Simon Hill
As deepfakes continue to evolve, the myriad ways they may potentially threaten us are growing rapidly. Scammers are already using deepfake technology to impersonate real people during video calls, so the ability to detect them is crucial. A part of Honor’s dive into AI includes a new deepfake detection system the company demonstrated at IFA. Running in real time on an Honor laptop, the detector was able to scan a video call and determine the likelihood of tampering. It’s a prototype, but it will likely roll out to Honor devices as a software update when it’s ready for prime time.
Tado Wants to Integrate Home Energy
Heating specialist Tado wants to be a one-stop shop for home energy management. I reviewed Tado’s Smart Thermostat V3 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) a while back, and the company has since launched its X range, which includes a heat pump optimizer and radiator thermostats with rechargeable batteries with Matter support. It announced a new wireless smart thermostat for the X range at IFA, which is set to launch in the UK in November.
Tado also showed off some interesting new app features designed to help folks with solar panels take full advantage of the power they generate. Tado’s new solar forecasts help ensure that solar is channeled into your heat pump or EV charger, and the app can drill into real-time usage, though home batteries seem like an obvious missing piece in the home energy puzzle.
Intel Launches Lunar Lake Processors
It’s tricky to get excited about Intel’s Core Ultra 200V laptop CPUs until you consider its promises of faster frame rates and longer battery life. Intel says Lunar Lake chips will beat Qualcomm and AMD on several fronts including gaming and AI performance in the thin and light laptop class. The overhaul has a strong focus on power efficiency, so your laptop battery might be the biggest winner. (A general trend we’ve been seeing on Copilot+ PCs.)
They also have Wi-Fi 7 baked in, along with Bluetooth 5.4 and at least two speedy Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports. New versions of the Dell XPS 13 and Asus Zenbook S 14 featuring the chips are imminent and many more will follow. These are some of the first “Copilot+ PCs” capable of running specific AI tasks not powered by a Qualcomm chipset.
Aqara Announces a New Smart Home Range
Photograph: Aqara
There was a raft of interesting announcements from smart home brand Aqara at IFA, including the Valve Controller T1, capable of automatically shutting off water or gas in your home in response to leak detection. Aqara also revealed a Garage Door Controller T2 Kit, capable of controlling two garage doors and adding support for geofencing, voice assistants, and automation through Matter-enabled platforms. The releases kept coming with a new Smoke Detector, several smart switches, the new LED Bulb T2, and tighter integration with Matter, Home Assistant, and Tesla. Aqara’s unique Voice Mate H1 is a battery-powered device for voice controls that only wakes when you pick it up to maximize privacy.
Nest’s smart thermostats have been an icon of the smart home since they hit the market in late 2011. Nothing said smart like a device that could learn your habits and make your home operate more efficiently without having to fiddle with settings and automations. In the 13 years since, Nest Learning Thermostats have been easy to identify, with the same thick silver bezel and compact circular screen. This design was radical at a time when most smart thermostats looked like boring, rectangular, beige boxes.
Google’s fourth-generation Nest Learning Thermostat has an entirely new look, transforming what now looks like a basic tech gadget into something of an art piece for your wall. It’s got new smarts too, and includes a temperature sensor to place elsewhere in the home. It’s a refreshing upgrade to a longtime staple, and feels smart without being intrusive or overly complex—an important middle line not all smart devices find.
Slim Setup
Photograph: Nena Farrell
If you’re hoping to pop the fourth-generation Nest Learning Thermostat onto the backing of a previous Nest thermostat, you’re out of luck. The thermostat base for the new model is a different size, so you’ll have to switch out the old base for the new one.
While the third-generation thermostat itself is smaller, its base is a little larger with larger connectors; the new thermostat base is smaller with positively tiny connector buttons. You’d think with the larger 3.9-inch screen that the base would be larger, but it has a smaller footprint on your wall, which is nice. It comes with an optional plate as with previous generations, but the new version is an oval rather than a rectangle. A 3.9-inch screen might not sound that big, but it looks surprisingly large on the wall if you’re used to the smaller Nest thermostats, or even something like my previous thermostat, the square Honeywell T6.
Photograph: Nena Farrell
Installing the Nest is easy; make sure your system is compatible and that you’ve flipped off the relevant breaker to cut power. The Nest app is no longer at play with this model. Google has been gradually transitioning many of its features and capabilities to the Google Home app, and that’s what you’ll use for this new model. Google Home walks you through the steps of removing your old thermostat, labeling the wires, and installing the new thermostat over it.
Reading before bed is a great way to relax. But getting the right balance of light can be tricky. We want to illuminate the text without disturbing sleeping partners, kids, or roommates. Warm light that is not too bright is also better to help you feel drowsy. Special reading lights may be the answer. They come in a surprisingly wide variety of shapes and sizes, but all will light up your page, not your whole room.
We have tested a library of reading lights over the last few months, tucking into tomes as blissfully unaware partners slept, and these are the very best reading lights for bookworms. There are several kinds of clip-ons, wearable lights, and a bedside lamp among our picks, as well as a tempting alternative to book lights.
Power up with unlimited access to WIRED.Get best-in-class reporting that’s too important to ignore for just $2.50 $1 per month for 1 year. Includes unlimited digital access and exclusive subscriber-only content. Subscribe Today.
If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more. Please also consider subscribing to WIRED
We have tested several other outdoor security cameras. These are the ones we like that just missed out on a place above.
Safemo Set P1 (2-Pack) for $350: I love the idea of a simple kit like this, where you just plug the hub in, connect it to your router, and install the pre-paired cameras. Each has an optional solar panel to keep the battery charged. The Safemo app is well-designed, video goes up to 4K, and this entirely local system boasts 32 GB of storage (expandable up to 4 TB). It even has locally processed person, vehicle, pet, and package detection. The person detection was mostly accurate (it occasionally flagged my cat), and the vehicle detection flagged my robot lawnmower (close enough) and an inflatable donut that blew across the backyard, but false positives were rare. What prevents me from wholeheartedly recommending this impressive debut is the lack of 2FA (Safemo says it is coming) and connectivity issues where one of the cameras would occasionally disconnect from the hub and be inaccessible in the app. This always righted itself without me moving anything, but worryingly, it happened a few times. If you plan to up the resolution to 4K from the default SD, you will need fast internet, especially to view the live feed, which I found was choppy and pixelated at 4K, though recorded videos were sharp and detailed.
X-Sense Smart Security Camera for $50: This affordable camera comes with a solar panel to keep the battery topped off, a slot for a microSD card (up to 128 GB), and records 1080p video. There is also a spotlight and two-way audio, but, as the price suggests, the quality is limited. The 60-day cloud storage, AI recognition, smart notifications, and activity zones require a subscription starting from $5 per month. The live feed was quick to load, but some alerts were slow to come through, and it occasionally missed motion that other cameras picked up. That said, for this price and in the right spot, this camera could be worth a look.
Imilab EC6 Dual 2K WiFi Plug-in Spotlight Camera for $180: With dual 2K lenses, this security camera can cover a fixed spot and simultaneously track a subject. The bottom camera offers pan/tilt controls. It works via the Xiaomi Home app, making it an easier sell if you already have a Xiaomi phone or other gadgets from the Chinese brand. You can insert a microSD card for local storage or subscribe for cloud storage. The person detection and tracking worked well in my tests. The video was mostly crisp, but movement was sometimes a bit jerky, and fast-moving subjects can get blurry. It does have WDR but could use HDR to prevent bright areas from blowing out.
Arlo Essential Wireless Security Camera for $70: This is the most affordable way to try Arlo’s wares, and it’s a solid security camera. Setup is a breeze, the 1080p footage is clear, and the rich notifications are the best, but you need an Arlo Secure subscription ($8 per month for one camera, $13 for unlimited). Compared to our top pick, the Essential has a narrower field of view and lacks HDR, so it loses details in bright and dark areas. I also tried the Essential XL ($100), which is the same camera with a much larger battery (4x longer lasting).
AlfredCam Plus for $50: The AlfredCamera app allows you to turn your old smartphones into security cameras, but the company also has its own line of budget cameras. The AlfredCam Plus has an IP65 rating, can record video at up to 2K, and comes with a 64-GB microSD card. You get a 9.8-foot cable with it, but you will need a power adapter. The ad-supported free version offers seven days of cloud storage for video clips. Sadly, you need a subscription at $6 a month or $30 a year to unlock 14-day cloud storage, smart features (including person detection, scheduling, and zones), and better quality video for the live feed and recordings.
Ezviz H3C for $60: I had issues setting this wired camera up because it can only connect to 2.4-GHz Wi-Fi, but once up and running, it proved a decent performer. The Ezviz app has 2FA and allows fingerprint unlock, which is handy. There’s also onboard AI for person detection, a spotlight, black-and-white night vision, and two-way audio, though it’s laggy and poor quality. The video quality is decent at up to 2K, and the live feed is fast to load. All in all, it’s not bad for the money. I also tested the Ezviz EB8 4G (£299), which is quite similar to the H8 Pro we recommend above, except it can connect to 4G mobile networks—this means it doesn’t require Wi-Fi, though you will need a SIM card and cell service plan.
Imou Knight Spotlight Camera for $180: A smart design and solid feature set make this an attractive security camera for the right spot. It can record at up to 4K with HDR, has a 600-lumen spotlight around the lens, and can take microSD cards up to 256 GB (sold separately) to record locally. The app offers a wide range of features, including detection zones, cross-line alerts, and human or pet detection, though the AI sometimes gets it wrong. Sadly, the low frame rate (15 fps) too often results in blurry footage, but this came close to snagging a spot above.
Reolink Go PT Ultra for $220: If you need a wireless security camera that can connect to cellular 3G or 4G LTE networks, you could do worse than this offering from Reolink. It’s a pan-and-tilt camera that can record up to 4K video on a local microSD card (sold separately), or you can subscribe for cloud storage. It has a wee spotlight and decent color night vision, and it comes with a solar panel to keep the battery topped up. The detection is reliable but doesn’t always categorize subjects correctly. Loading time and lag will depend on the strength of the signal. Just make sure you check carrier compatibility and get a SIM card before you buy.
Swann AllSecure650 4 Camera Kit for $700: This kit includes four wireless, battery-powered cameras and a network video recorder (NVR) that can plug into a TV or monitor via HDMI. The cameras can record up to 2K, and footage is crisp and detailed enough to zoom in on, though there is a mild fish-eye effect. The night vision is reasonably good, but the two-way audio lags and sounds distorted. I like the option to view all camera feeds simultaneously, the backup battery in the NVR makes it a cinch to swap batteries when a camera is running low, and everything is local with no need for a subscription. Unfortunately, the mobile app is poor, camera feeds sometimes take several seconds to load, and there doesn’t seem to be any 2FA. The NVR interface is also clunky to navigate with the provided mouse.
Arlo Pro 4 for $140: This camera was our top pick, and it is still an excellent buy that is widely available. Its successor, the Pro 5, has slightly better battery life and enhanced color night vision, but there isn’t a huge difference. This camera provides crisp, clear footage; responds swiftly; and has an excellent detection and notification system, but you must also factor in the cost of an Arlo subscription starting from $8 per month for a single camera.
Reolink Argus 3 Pro for $70: There’s a lot to like with this security camera, not least the affordable price. It offers 2K video, local or cloud storage, two-way audio, a siren, and person recognition. The live feed loads fast, and it’s cheap to buy a solar panel accessory for power. The app is a little confusing, but Reolink recently added 2FA. I also tested the Reolink Argus PT with solar panel ($104), which is a solid pan-and-tilt camera with an otherwise similar feature set. Both Reolink cameras also support dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz).
Eve Outdoor Cam for $242: This stylish floodlight camera must be wired in, and installation is tricky (you may want an electrician). It can replace an outdoor light to give you motion-activated light (up to 1,500 lumens), 1080p video (157-degree field of view), and two-way audio. But as a HomeKit camera, you will need an Apple HomeKit hub (Apple TV, HomePod, or iPad) and an iCloud+ storage plan. Sadly, the video and sound quality are average; it only works on 2.4-GHz Wi-Fi, and there’s no Android support.
Toucan Wireless Outdoor Camera for $100: Toucan’s wireless camera resembles our top pick from Arlo with a smart magnetic mount and easy installation. The 1080p video is good in ideal conditions but struggles with mixed lighting (no HDR). The two-way audio is passable. The app works well and loads the live feed quite quickly, but this is cloud-only, which means you need to subscribe (from $3 per month) if you want tagged events, more than the last 24 hours recorded, or to download more than five videos per month.
Toucan Security Light Camera for $120: You can simply plug this camera into an outlet, and it comes with an 8-meter waterproof cable. It has a motion-activated light (1,200 lumens), records 1080p video, and supports two-way audio. I found the footage quite detailed, but it struggled with direct sunlight. You can record locally on a microSD card (sold separately), and you get 24 hours of free cloud storage, but it has limitations. Plans start from $3 per month. Even with motion detection set to the lowest sensitivity, this camera triggered too often during testing, and there’s no way to filter for people, so I got frequent false positives (blowing leaves, moths, and birds all triggered alerts).
Blurams Outdoor Lite 3 for $50: This is a feature-packed security camera for the price, with support for pan, tilt, and zoom functionality; spotlights; siren; motion tracking; continuous recording; and two-way audio. You can store footage locally on a microSD card (sold separately) or subscribe to a cloud plan. Video quality is reasonable, but the app is very glitchy and loading the live feed was inconsistent (sometimes it just buffered indefinitely).
SimpliSafe Wireless Outdoor Security Camera for $150: A solid set of features, crisp 1080p video, and support for HDR sounds tempting, but you need a Simplisafe security system (9/10, WIRED recommends) and monitoring plan to make this camera worthwhile, making it too expensive for what you get. (The Arlo Pro 4 offers better-quality video and more features.) It may be a useful add-on for existing SimpliSafe customers, though.
Once that’s recognized, you can start playing around with colors! Like most smart lights, there are plenty of options for various shades of white and bright colors, and tons of colorful themes that take advantage of the massive row of lights. Lifx’s app comes with tons of precreated themes, ranging from ones inspired by music and artists (I love the Bijutsukai and Matisse with my living room colors) to holidays and even sports teams. There isn’t a camera or similar tool to make it match what’s on your TV screen, so I usually choose a theme or color scheme to make it match the vibe of the show.
Photograph: Nena Farrell
You can use the in-app Paint tool to make custom light arrangements if none of the included designs pique your fancy. You can either paint the whole thing at once—it’ll let you choose three colors and arrange it for you—or manually control it by zone. My six bars and one corner piece have 61 zones, so 10 zones per bar plus one extra for that little corner. You can highlight and change multiple zones at the same time to get your perfect design, but it does take time.
Buying Time
The Lifx Beam isn’t anything particularly new, but I love how much easier it is to stick on a wall without worrying whether a section will pop off, and to add more segments or rearrange the shape whenever I want. It feels more like art on my wall than a regular light strip.
My only complaint is that I wish it were a little cheaper; it’s $60 for four pieces, or $150 for six. And Lifx doesn’t sell corner pieces individually, limiting the fun you can have with designs. After all these years of it on the market, it might be too late to hope for more extensions. I’m still in love with mine, though, single corner and all.
Having a strong home Wi-Fi signal that doesn’t drop out on you is crucial for a seamless and productive lifestyle. Whether you’re working from home, streaming your favorite shows, or have a small army of smart home devices, a reliable internet connection has become essential to keep it all running. Traditional routers often struggle to cover every corner of your house, especially if your home has thick walls or multiple floors. This is where mesh Wi-Fi routers come to the rescue, offering a robust solution to extend Wi-Fi coverage throughout your entire home.
Mesh Wi-Fi routers work by using multiple nodes placed strategically around your home to create a unified and extensive home network. These systems are designed to ensure that you have a strong Wi-Fi signal in every room, eliminating dead zones and offering consistent performance. We’ve tested numerous mesh systems for connection reliability, coverage, ease of setup, and additional features like parental controls. To help you decide and take the hassle out of choosing, we’ve put together a list of the best mesh Wi-Fi systems available today. If you’re looking to boost your existing Wi-Fi network and don’t want to invest in a new Wi-Fi system, check out our top picks for the best Wi-Fi extenders instead.
What to look for in a mesh Wi-Fi system
It’s a pretty good time to buy a mesh Wi-Fi system, since Wi-Fi 6E represents a fairly significant leap in the technology. Matt MacPherson, Cisco’s Chief Technology Officer for Wireless, said that Wi-Fi 6E is a substantial “inflection point” and can take advantage of a much broader chunk of the wireless spectrum than its predecessors. “If you’re using that spectrum with a Wi-Fi 6 [device],” he said, “you’re going to get significant gains [in speed.]”
MacPherson added that Wi-Fi 6E will likely “carry you for a long time,” thanks to the fact that its “top throughputs now typically exceed what people can actually connect their home to.” In short, with a top theoretical per-stream speed of 1.2 Gbps, Wi-Fi 6E is fast enough to outrun all but the fastest internet connection. (You may also see talk of Wi-Fi 7 devices, some of which have been released already before the standard is officially launched next year. Given that it will take a generation for all of the devices in your home to be compatible with Wi-Fi 7, it’s not worth thinking about this for several years yet, so a Wi-Fi 6 system will suffice for now.)
Range and speed
All mesh routers boast a theoretical broadcast range in square feet, as well as its theoretical top speed. Given there are so many factors outside of the manufacturer’s control, these numbers don’t really mean much in the real world. Your internet service provider’s (ISP) real speed, the construction materials and layout of your home, amongst other things, will all affect your Wi-Fi coverage. Simply investing in a wireless router or mesh Wi-Fi system isn’t going to offer faster speeds on its own.
It’s worth saying that raw speed isn’t everything, and that for most normal users, you probably need a lot less than you’re paying for. Netflix recommends a minimum speed of just 15 Mbps to stream a 4K video to a single device. Naturally, that’s just for one connection, so you’ll need some more capacity if you’ve got other connected devices all running at the same time. As cool as it is to say you’ve got 100, 200 or 500 Mbps download speed, factors like latency and reliability are way more crucial. And unless you have Gigabit internet that can reach speeds of up to 1Gbps, you won’t need a mesh router that offers these specs.
Backhaul
Mesh Wi-Fi systems work by connecting every hardware node to a single wireless network, letting them all communicate with each other. Imagine four people in a busy, noisy restaurant all trying to order their dinner from a weary staff member, all at once. Now imagine, while this is going on, that four more people at that same table are also trying to tell a funny anecdote. It’s no surprise that it might take a long while for the right information to reach its intended destination.
To combat this, higher-end mesh routers offer dedicated wireless backhaul; a slice of the spectrum for node-to-node communication. So rather than everyone talking at once in the same space, the conversations are essentially separated, reducing the invisible clutter in the air. Because there’s less confusing cross-chatter, everything moves faster, offering a significant performance boost to those systems.
Connectivity
These days, even your washing machine has a wireless connection, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore the joys of wired internet. No matter how fast WiFi is, a hard line will always be faster, and some gear, like Philips’ Hue bridge, still needs an ethernet connection. Plenty of routers can also use these hard connections as backhaul, eliminating further wireless clutter. It’s convenient for spread-out systems and power users, but it will mean running more wires through your home. The most common standard is Cat 5e, or gigabit ethernet which, unsurprisingly, has a top speed of 1 Gigabit per second (Gbps). Since Ethernet cables are backward compatible, you should be able to easily find one that works with your system. However, to make the most out of your mesh routers, it’s worth investing in an Ethernet cable that meets the standard your router uses — if it’s Cat5e, use a Cat5e cable. You can check your router’s specs via the manufacturer’s website to be sure.
Flexibility and scalability
Mesh routers enable you to add (or subtract) modules from your home network to suit your needs. D-Link’s Alan Jones said users should “check how scalable the prospective product is” before you buy. This sense of scale doesn’t just apply to the number of nodes on the network, but how many simultaneous connections it can handle.
Placement
Mesh networks use multiple access points in order to create a bigger network, resulting in better indoor Wi-Fi coverage. You might see the term “whole home coverage”, which is more easily achieved with multiple access points or nodes. Modern mesh routers offer one, two or three (or more) pieces of equipment that are commonly the same hardware inside and out. It normally doesn’t matter which module you make the primary one to connect to your modem, usually over ethernet. You’ll then set up the other, secondary nodes around your home, which is often just a case of adding them to the existing mesh network.
When installing your hardware, remember that every physical obstacle between nodes may hurt your performance. The ideal spot is, at the very least, at waist height on a piece of furniture without too many obstructions. Tables, sideboards, free-standing cupboards, and bookcases make for a good home. The rule of thumb is to place each node no more than two rooms away from the last one.
How we test Wi-Fi routers
My home covers around 2,200 square feet across three stories, with my office on the third floor. It’s relatively long and thin, with the living room at the front of the house, the kitchen at the back and three bedrooms on the second floor. Its age means there are a lot of solid brick walls, old school lathe and plaster, as well as aluminum foil-backed insulation boards to help with energy efficiency. There are two major Wi-Fi dead zones in the house, the bathroom and the bedroom behind it, since there’s lots of old and new pipework in the walls and floors.
For mesh routers that have two nodes, I placed the first in my living room, connected via ethernet to my cable modem, with the second on the first-floor landing in the (ostensible) center of the house. For three-node sets, the third went in my kitchen, which I’ve found is the optimal layout to get the bulk of my house covered in Wi-Fi.
Each mesh is judged on ease of setup, Wi-Fi coverage, reliability, speed and any additional features. I looked at how user-friendly each companion app is from the perspective of a novice, as well. My tests included checking for dead zones, moving from room to room to measure consistency, and streaming multiple videos at once.
Best mesh Wi-Fi systems for 2024
Photo by Daniel Cooper / Engadget
Wireless band count: 3 | Wireless speed rating: Up to 2,402 Mbps (6GHz band) | Ethernet ports: 3 | USB ports: 0 | Coverage area: Up to 7,200 sq. ft.
There’s no single glitzy feature that sets TP-Link’s Deco XE75 apart from its competition. Instead it just expertly balances raw power and user-friendliness. And if you’re looking for a no-fuss upgrade for your existing wireless router that enables faster speeds, this could be the right option, especially for large homes.
It’s not perfect, but many of my biggest gripes could also be described as nitpicking. I’m annoyed by the slightly shorter power cable length, compared to some of the other devices I tested. Similarly, I wish the app had a little more polish, but it’s not an unusable eyesore by any means.
But, while I dock it a few points for that stuff, I still think this tri-band mesh Wi-Fi system is the best for most people. Even in my spacious and wireless-hostile home, the $400 three pack was probably overkill. And if the $300 two pack can cover your home, offering a reliable Wi-Fi signal, then it’s a more wallet-friendly proposition than some of its rivals.
The Nest WIFi Pro offers a simple experience for folks who want to set their network up and then forget about it. It’s not as powerful or customizable as many of its competitors, but it should be more than suitable, providing reliable tri-band Wi-Fi for streaming movies and plain old web browsing. And it’s not that pricey, so while I have reservations about its long-term potential, it’s a good deal in the short term.
If you’re already inside Google’s smart home world, then the various integrations Assistant already offers, as well as support for Matter and Thread, will be a bonus. That, combined with the promise of regular updates and support from Google should mean that you can pick this up and not think about your WiFi again for several years.
Pros
Super simple to set up and use
Relatively affordable
Integrates nicely with Google services
Cons
Doesn’t offer as many customizations as some comeptitors
Wireless band count: 3 | Wireless speed rating: Up to 4,804 Mbps (6GHz band) | Ethernet ports: 2 | USB ports: 0 | Coverage area: Up to 3,000 sq. ft.
The ASUS ZenWiFi Pro ET12 is a great option for folks who want something that justifies a Pro suffix. Each individual node has the power to cover your home in Wi-Fi, and those extra gigabit and 2.5 Gbps ethernet ports will let you add fast backhaul or a speedy NAS. I’d say that both pro users and gamers who prioritize faster speeds will find things to love in this package. Hell, it might even be good enough to support a small office without too much stress.
And that’s before you get to the unique expandability that ASUS’ AiMesh offers, letting you add more ZenWiFi nodes or, more importantly, compatible standalone ASUS routers. That’ll help you evolve your network in a cost-effective way as you and your home’s needs change over time. Power users will be better-equipped to deal with some of its more idiosyncratic control options, and they’re more likely to take advantage of the 160MHz band support. The upfront cost is pretty expensive, that’s for sure, and it’s certainly not for general users, but it’s a very attractive tri-band Wi-Fi package for someone looking for faster speeds and a strong Wi-Fi connection.
Pros
Superb performance
Easy to expand system with additional nodes and routers
On one hand, Eero Pro 6E does count as an “easy” device, the sort you could hand to a total novice and expect them to thrive with. There’s very little brain work needed to get things set up, and the app has a clean UI with plenty of hand-holding. But — and it’s a big but — the fact so many common management tools aren’t available to me here because they’re paywalled irks me. Amazon and Eero are playing in the same slightly shallow waters as Google / Nest, building a “good enough” mesh product for “everyone;” types who want to set up the hardware and more or less forget about it for several years at a time knowing that everything is in hand. But the fact that the Nest WiFi Pro offers more features for free compared to Eero’s package means that, despite my gripes about Google’s system, it wins out in a straight duel.
Netgear Orbi 960
The Orbi 96T0 (RBKE963) is Netgear’s flagship mesh WiFi product, which the company calls the “world’s most powerful WiFi 6E system.” It’s also one of the most expensive consumer-level kits on the market, setting you back $1,499.99 for a three pack. It’s a fantastic piece of gear but it’s worth saying that the subset of people who could, would or should buy it remains far smaller than you might expect. Ultimately, I feel that if you’re paying luxury prices, you should expect a luxury product. There were plenty of times during testing that I went looking for a feature that was either only available via the web client, or behind a paywall. While, yes, much of your cash is going to the superlative hardware, but for this sort of money, the fact you have to pay extra for some table-stakes features is insulting. If you’re looking for a new Wi-Fi system and aren’t prepared to spend almost $1,500, it’s worth considering our other top picks for the best Wi-Fi routers and mesh systems.
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi is governed by the International Standard IEEE 802.11, and every few years the standards evolve. Until 2018, routers were sold under their IEEE designation, leaving consumers to deal with the word soup of products labeled 802.11 b/a/g/n/ac et cetera. Mercifully, wiser heads opted to rebrand the standards with numbers: Wi-Fi 4, Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 6. We’re presently between two Wi-Fi generations, Wi-Fi 6 and 6E, which relates to the frequencies the standard uses. Wi-Fi 6 covers routers which operate on the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, while the latter means it can also use the 6GHz band.
Each Wi-Fi band has tradeoffs, because the slower radio frequencies have greater range but less speed. 2.4GHz signals will travel a long way in your home but aren’t quick, while 6GHz is blisteringly fast, but can be defeated by a sturdy brick wall. A lot of Wi-Fi-enabled gear, like a lot of smart home products, only use 2.4GHz because the range is better and it’s a lot cheaper. But it means that the band is also overcrowded and slow. You can check the speed of your Wi-Fi by using an online speed test like Speedtest by Ookla. This will display your download and upload speeds, offering better insight.
Linksys’ CEO Jonathan Bettino told Engadget why mesh systems are an “advancement in Wi-Fi technology” over buying a single point router. With one transmitter, the signal can degrade the further away from the router you go, or the local environment isn’t ideal. “You can have a small [home], but there’s thick walls […] or things in the way that just interfere with your wireless signal,” he said.
Historically, the solution to a home’s Wi-Fi dead zone was to buy a Wi-Fi Range Extender but Bettino said the hardware has both a “terrible user experience” and one of the highest return rates of any consumer electronics product. Mesh Wi-Fi, by comparison, offers “multiple nodes that can be placed anywhere in your home,” says Bettino, resulting in “ubiquitous Wi-Fi” that feels as if you have a “router in every room.”
Rather than having one main router in your home, having a “router in every room” is the biggest selling point for mesh Wi-Fi given how reliant we all are on the internet. Each node is in constant contact with each other, broadcasting a single, seamless network to all of your connected devices. There’s no separate network for the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, just a single name that you connect to.
You may also see mesh Wi-Fi systems advertised as dual-band or tri-band routers. Dual-band routers typically offer a 2.4GHz and 5GHz band. Wi-Fi 6E tri-band routers, on the other hand, provide a 2.4GHz, a 5GHz and a 6GHz band —or in the case of Wi-Fi 5 or Wi-Fi 6 routers, a 2.4GHz band and two 5GHz bands. Once you’ve got your head wrapped around the concept of dual-band and tri-band, you should also be aware that the width of each band is measured in MHz. The wider the band, the more MHz it can support, typically 20MHz, 40MHz, 80MHz, 160MHz or 320MHz. The wider the channel, the more bandwidth it offers.
-(white)-Reviewer-Collage-092024-SOURCE-Parker-Hall.jpg)
-Abstract-Background-SOURCE-Google.jpg)
-Installation-Reviewer-Photo-SOURCE-Nena-Farrell.jpg)
