All the smart home news, reviews, and gadgets you need to know about

The smart home holds so much promise. It can make life more convenient with lights that turn on as you walk in a room, doors that unlock as you approach, and robots that clean your floors. It can also make your home safer, more energy efficient, and even a little more fun. (Have you tried asking Alexa to beam you up?)

But for all its benefits, the smart home can be complicated, confusing, and occasionally maddening. It’s also hard to keep up with all the changes. New gadgets are arriving daily, new features come to old products, and there are so many different ways to turn on a smart light bulb

If you need a guide, that’s what I’m here for

Here, I’ll be posting the latest smart home reviews, guides, news, and opinions on everything happening in the connected home. Follow this page to stay updated on what Apple, Amazon, Samsung, Google, and Home Assistant and the rest are doing with their smart home platforms. I’ll keep you in the loop on all the newest technologies — including Matter, Thread, Sidewalk, UWB — as well as the old favorites. And, of course, I’ll cover all the news on the latest gadgets and the biggest releases around tech for your home.

• Jul 18
  

  Surprise! Facial recognition smart locks are actually good

  

  Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

  Hands-free unlocking is the future of smart locks. The best smart home tech removes friction, and having your door unlock for you as you walk up is as frictionless as it gets — no passcodes to remember, no need to have a free hand to wave, press, or poke at the lock. One way to achieve this nirvana is through facial recognition. You already unlock your phone with your face; why not your home?

  Hands-free unlocking using geofencing has been around for a while, but it can be slow and unreliable, and requires an app running in the background on your phone. Newer innovations — facial recognition and unlocking using an ultrawideband (UWB) radio — are much better. In my testing, UWB is the best experience. All it needs is your phone or watch somewhere on you to identify you as you approach, and it’s fast and reliable. But today, locks with UWB antennas are expensive, and very few are available.

  Read Article >

• Jul 9

  Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

  Schlage’s Sense Pro unlocks the door so I don’t have to

  

  The Schlage Sense Pro is a beautiful smart lock. Sleek, discreet, and simple to use, it’s Schlage’s smartest lock to date. Thanks to ultra-wideband (UWB), it unlocks as I walk up to my front door; I don’t need to enter a code or tap my phone or press my finger against it. I’ve tested several hands-free unlocking systems that rely on geofencing and other radio technologies, and UWB is faster and more reliable. It’s the first one I actually trust

  The $399 Sense Pro is Schlage’s first smart lock with ultra-wideband auto-unlock, its first to support Matter-over-Thread, and its first without a physical keyhole. It works with Apple Home Key for both hands-free and tap-to-unlock access with an iPhone or Apple Watch. There’s no visible hardware on the front, just a barely perceptible Schlage logo and a keypad that only appears when you tap the lock. It looks high-tech enough to be at home on the USS Enterprise without looking out of place on my front door.

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• Jul 7

  Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

  iRobot’s newest floor cleaner isn’t a robot

  

  Image: iRobot

  iRobot just announced its first-ever non-robotic floor cleaner. The $399 Roomba Electro Plus is a 5-in-1 hard-floor cleaner that combines vacuuming, mopping, and disinfecting, but you have to operate it yourself. The company also announced updates to its line of Roomba robot vacuums, launching five new models with higher suction power, smaller footprints, and lower prices. These largely replace the line that arrived in 2025

  Designed exclusively for hard floors, the new Electro Plus is similar to the new breed of manual wet-dry floor cleaners available from Dreame, Roborock, and others. iRobot’s distinguishing feature is Electro’s ability to turn regular tap water into a commercial-grade disinfectant cleaning solution that is safe for kids and pets simply by electrolyzing it

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• Jul 1

  Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

  Google built a great smart speaker, but Gemini isn’t ready for it

  

  Photo: Jennifer Patison Tuohy / The Verge

  Smart speakers have spent the past few years searching for a compelling second act. Beyond music, timers, and controlling your lights, they’ve struggled to justify taking up space on the kitchen counter. AI promised to change that

  Amazon debuted its new hardware powered by a revamped Alexa last fall, and now it’s finally Google’s turn. The Google Home Speaker is the company’s first new smart speaker in six years and its first “built for Gemini.” After years of neglect, Google appears to be finally getting serious about the smart home — again. The new speaker is the clearest sign yet. Gemini for Home, however, still feels unfinished

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• Jun 27

  Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

  Inside the room where the smart home industry is still betting on Matter

  
  Image: CSA

  Four years ago, overlooking a canal in Amsterdam, the smart home industry collectively launched Matter, the one interoperability standard to rule them all. Heralded as the solution to the industry’s struggles, Matter was built on open standards and existing technologies and is the result of years of collaboration between traditional rivals, including Apple, Google, Amazon, and Samsung

  Matter promised an end to walled gardens and ecosystem lock-in. It promised to make a smart home device, like a lock, lightbulb, or sensor, easy to buy and set up. It promised you could choose any brand, use any platform, no expertise required — it would just work

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• Jun 26

  Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

  Smart lock maker Level has been gutted and its founders are out

  

  Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge

  Assa Abloy has laid off the majority of staff at Level Home, the smart lock company known for building smart tech into traditional-looking deadbolts, and is folding the business into Kwikset, according to a

  The Verge obtained exclusive details from a person familiar with the restructuring who requested anonymity as they were part of the layoffs. They shared an audio recording of a meeting in which Peter Boriskin, CTO for Assa Abloy North America, and Kimberly Cummins, head of North American HR, informed the staff that their positions had been eliminated, effective immediately, as “a part of a larger restructuring of the Level business.” A LinkedIn post from a now-former employee corroborates the layoffs.

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• Jun 19

  Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

  Hue’s wired wall modules bring non-smart lights into its ecosystem

  

  Image: Signify

  Smart lighting company Philips Hue has launched its first wired wall modules. Installed behind existing wall switches, the new devices bring non-smart lights into the Hue ecosystem for the first time. Hue also announced new Play table and floor lamps that are more affordable versions of its Signe series, along with upgrades to its E14 candle bulbs that add a broader white light spectrum and Matter-over-Thread compatibility

  The new lights are now available globally; however, the Wired Wall Switch Modules are Europe-only. Signify CTO George Yianni told The Verge that there are currently no plans to launch them in the US, but the company would consider doing so if there’s enough interest. “DIY modules are not such an established category in the US; it’s more fully integrated switches,” he said. “If people really want these in the US, then maybe we’ll look at it. I think the modules are quite exciting; it’s something that we’ve talked about doing for a long time.”

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• Jun 17

  Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

  Google’s first smart speaker in six years arrives next week

  

  Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

  Google’s first new smart speaker in six years starts shipping on June 25th, narrowly missing its promised spring launch window. Preorders for the Google Home Speaker open today, June 17th

  Nothing has changed hardware-wise in the nine months since the $99 speaker was announced. It has the same slightly squished round design, with touch-capacitive buttons on top and a light ring at the bottom to indicate status. And it still comes in four colors: porcelain (white), hazel (black), jade (green), and berry (red). The last two are US-only

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• Jun 17

  Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

  Your ISP may soon be able to troubleshoot your smart home network

  Thread Group and the Broadband Forum are teaming up to help IoT devices and home internet work better together. The Broadband Forum — the organization that develops the standards ISPs use to manage gateways and routers — is adding support for connecting to Thread networks, giving ISPs visibility into both networks

  Thread Group and Broadband Forum Establish Liaison Agreement to Connect IoT Mesh Networks with Broadband Infrastructure

  [Thread Group]

• Jun 17

  Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

  This global IoT security certification is getting bigger.

  The group behind Matter has released the next version of its Product Security Certification Program, a cybersecurity standard designed to provide a single security label for consumer IoT devices

  The update extends certification beyond devices to include apps, gateways, and remote processes, allowing companies to certify entire ecosystems. It also adds independent validation through physical test labs and is now integrated into the Matter spec, with companies seeking Matter certification encouraged to complete the security certification as well

  Product Security 1.1: The Next Level of IoT Trust

  [CSA-IOT]

• Jun 17

  Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

  Will Matter finally be able to do what it should have always done?

  

  Image: CSA

  Matter, the smart home interoperability standard, might finally get a feature that should have been there from day one: a single shared Matter network managed by multiple ecosystems. With this feature, called Joint Fabric, smart devices added to the network will be controllable by any authorized platform — Apple Home, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and the rest. No need to “share” your smart light between apps; set it up once, and control it everywhere. It’s like your smart home is a joint bank account and your platforms of choice all have signing authority.

  Joint Fabric is part of the new Matter 1.6 spec announced this week at Unify, the Connectivity Standards Alliance’s inaugural conference, in Austin, Texas. While there are no new device types in the spec, there are a few quality-of-life updates

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• Jun 16

  Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

  Apple’s smart home camera service is starting to impress me

  

  Image: The Verge, Getty Images

  Apple’s HomeKit Secure Video service is getting in on the Apple Intelligence party to bring more descriptive alerts from your connected cameras and let you search footage using natural language. The Apple Home app is also getting better notifications powered by AI and is finally adding support for energy reporting

  These improvements were announced at WWDC last week and will be publicly available this fall. I’ve been playing with some of the features in the developer betas for iOS 27 and tvOS 27 for a few days, and based on my first impressions, Apple’s HomeKit Secure Video is much improved — enough to put it back in contention for me as a home security system

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• Jun 11

  Stevie Bonifield

  Expect to hear about Google’s new Home speaker next week.

  A Thursday email to Google Home users says there are over 3.5 million Gemini for Home early access testers, and that people should “keep a very close eye on your inbox next week” for news about “a certain speaker.” That sounds like the Google Home speaker we previewed in October, which was projected to launch in spring 2026

  
  Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

• Jun 10

  Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

  Apple’s Home app will soon show you how much energy your smart plug is drawing.

  The headline feature is the camera upgrades, but the smart home app is getting more new features, including energy monitoring

  As spotted by Matter Alpha, the first iOS 27 dev beta introduces a dedicated Power tab that displays the total energy consumption of compatible devices. There’s also an improved onboarding flow for new devices and support for Thread 1.4

  Apple Home goes pro: Thread 1.4, 4K video, and native energy management in iOS 27

  [Matter Alpha]

• Jun 10

  Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

  Apple, Google add support for Thread 1.4

  

  Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

  Apple and Google are updating their smart home streaming devices to Thread 1.4. As first spotted by Matter Alpha and 9to5 Google, the latest spec has arrived on compatible Apple TVs in the tvOS 27 developer beta and the Google TV Streamer through a software update

  This lays the groundwork for these devices, which serve as Thread Border Routers, to implement Thread credential sharing, enabling them to connect more easily to an existing Thread network rather than creating their own

  Read Article >

• Jun 10

  Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

  Roborock is ready to rock your lawn.

  The robot vacuum company just launched its first robot lawnmower designed for US yards. The RockNeo Q110H combines RTK and VSLAM navigation and costs $1,299. It’s designed for small- to medium-sized yards and handles 45% slopes

  I’m currently testing models from Mammotion and Dreame for a robot lawnmower battle royale take-two, and I’ve been impressed by the improved mobility and navigation of these new bots

  

  Image: Roborock
• Jun 9

  Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

  Hue’s SpatialAware finally made me appreciate color-changing lights

  

  Photo: Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

  I’ve been a fan of Philips Hue smart lights since the early days. It’s one of the few staples in my ever-changing smart home. However, when the Bridge Pro launched late last year, it wasn’t immediately obvious why I should upgrade. The signature feature, MotionAware — which turns your lights into motion sensors — is neat, but I already have motion sensors. While I run two of Hue’s standard bridges to accommodate all my lights and accessories, I’m not at a point where I need the Pro’s higher device capacity. I like the idea of faster response times thanks to the advanced processing power, but that wasn’t quite enough.

  Then in April, SpatialAware arrived. This maps the location of lights in a room to distribute the colors and tones of Hue’s lighting scenes across them more intelligently. Suddenly, my existing smart lights felt new again. While MotionAware was the headline feature when the Pro launched, it’s SpatialAware that finally sold me on upgrading

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• Jun 3

  Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

  Shark is bringing some style to robot vacuums.

  Its PowerDetect UV Reveal now comes in four colors — brown, green, blue, and ivory. The earthy neutral palettes feature metallic accents and look surprisingly good — for a robot. I’ve been testing the blue one, and I like how it blends in with my kitchen cabinets

  As robot vacuums become more capable, they are also getting bigger, so it’s encouraging to see manufacturers putting more thought into how they fit in with your decor

  
  
  1/2

  Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge
• Jun 3

  Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

  SwitchBot’s acquisition of Nanoleaf is about more than lighting

  

  Image: Nanoleaf

  Smart lighting company Nanoleaf has been acquired by OneRobotics, the parent company of SwitchBot. In an exclusive interview with The Verge, Nanoleaf CEO Gimmy Chu says the company will remain independent and that he and his cofounder and COO, Christian Yan, will continue to run it. “Nothing is changing operationally,” says Chu, adding that there are plans for product integrations between the two smart home companies

  The sale, which Chu characterized as “more of a merger,” will provide Nanoleaf with significant resources, including a cash infusion that will, among other things, help the company grow its team at its Toronto headquarters. It will also bring access to the manufacturing facilities and supply chain of the Chinese company, which has a market cap of over $2 billion. “This will enable us to make things at a larger scale, with bigger purchasing power to bring down costs for our customers and have tighter control over the supply chain and quality control,” says Chu.

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• Jun 2

  Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

  Nest cams can now recognize your furry friends.

  The new feature in Google Home lets you add your pets’ faces to your indoor cameras, so you get alerts that tell you which cat is walking on the counter rather than just that a cat is traversing the kitchen. To enable it, type your pet’s name and species into the Ask Home search box in the Home app; you need Google Home Premium Advanced ($20/month)

• Jun 2

  Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

  Thermacell’s latest smart mosquito system is bigger and more expensive

  

  Image: Thermacell

  Thermacell has launched Liv 2.0, the next generation of its Wi-Fi-connected smart mosquito protection system. It features new hardware and can cover a larger area, and Thermacell says its formula can now deter no-see-ums. But it’s also more expensive and requires professional installation

  Liv 2.0 uses the same setup as the original Liv — a central hub with a wired repeller system containing its metofluthrin-based repellent — but it features entirely new hardware. Pricing starts at about $1,746 for a system with three repellers, a six-pack of repellent refills, and coverage of up to 900 square feet. That’s twice as much as the original, which started at $699 and covered about 945 square feet

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• Jun 2

  Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

  Switchbot buys Nanoleaf for $40 million.

  The smart lighting company best known for its modular RGB lighting panels has been acquired by OneRobotics, the parent company of Switchbot. According to a filing on the Hong Kong stock exchange, the purchase will take two years to complete

  Nanoleaf just announced a pivot to robotics and AI, an area in which the smart home company Switchbot is heavily involved, launching its first humanoid household robot at CES this year

• May 27

  Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

  This smart bird feeder captures more of my backyard drama

  

  Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

  Since moving to South Carolina’s Lowcountry, I’ve been spellbound by the myriad of beautiful birds that share the coast with us — ospreys raising their babies in towering nests beside the road to my daughter’s school, roseate spoonbills wading in the marsh on my morning walks, eagles circling over my son’s tennis matches, and a constant parade of songbirds through my backyard. The challenge, as every birder knows, lies in catching these moments. And for that, a smart bird feeder is a fabulous tool.

  These use a small, motion-activated camera embedded in a feeder to capture photos and video of birds visiting your backyard, which you can watch in an app on your phone. Most offer AI-powered bird identification, presenting the species along with a cute clip. No more standing motionless with binos on your porch, balancing a Sibley Guide; the bird life comes directly to you. It’s basically OnlyFans for twitchers

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• May 21

  Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

  Google is turning Google Home into a “full-stack AI offering.”

  It’s combining Google Home APIs with Gemini smart home features, so ISPs, security companies, and carriers can “build monetizable, proactive services” for your homes. In other words, Google wants other companies to put Google Home’s AI in their products — and charge you a Google Home Premium subscription. With manufacturers now able to build Gemini-powered speakers and cameras, it seems entirely possible that Google may never make another Nest device again

  Empowering Service Providers and Hardware Partners with Gemini for Home- Google Developers Blog

  [Google Blog]

• May 21

  Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

  The cost of the smart home is going up

  Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

  Selling the smart home has been hard. Even Amazon has lost money in the space, despite putting hundreds of millions of Echo devices in people’s homes. Google has also reportedly struggled to turn a profit from its substantial investment inNest. But now Google is seeing dollar signs in the prospect of selling AI-driven subscriptions in the smart home. And it’s not alone

  At Google I/O this week, Google announced it’s expanding its Gemini for Home APIs to allow companies to integrate more of its Gemini-powered smart home features into their own apps. In a blog post, Google’s Ravi Akella, director of product management for the Home Platform, said this will enable “service providers and hardware manufacturers to build monetizable, proactive services that care for users and their homes.”

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