All Articles by Christopher Close
-
Oct 29, 2024
The Best Matter-Compatible Thermostats
The smart home environment is rapidly evolving, transforming our living spaces into places of convenience and efficiency. One key aspect is creating a comfortable and energy-saving environment, and Matter-compatible thermostats are poised to be game-changers in this arena.
Oct 29, 2024 -
Oct 28, 2024
The Best Matter-Compatible Window Blinds
With Matter, you can seamlessly control your blinds from a single app or voice command, regardless of the manufacturer or platform. In this article, we will explore the top Matter-compatible window blinds that are currently available on the market.
Oct 28, 2024 -
Oct 24, 2024
Big Ass Fans Are Now Matter-Compatible Thanks to a New Firmware Update
Matter finally has its first ceiling fans with the release of a new update for Big Ass Fans.
Oct 24, 2024 -
Oct 22, 2024
The Best Matter-Compatible Outdoor Smart Plugs
With the prices of indoor Matter-compatible smart plugs falling rapidly, you may be tempted to place one outside for tasks like holiday lighting. And, although it may get by for a while, chances are, it won't last more than a few seasons—especially if it gets hit by rain or snow. To get the job done safely, you'll want to invest in a Matter-enabled outdoor smart plug.
Oct 22, 2024 -
Oct 21, 2024
The 5 Best Matter-Compatible Plugs
Today, we're going to look at Matter-compatible smart plugs, showcasing the top 5 picks that stand out for their ease of use, feature set, and compatibility with multiple smart home platforms.
Oct 21, 2024 -
Oct 16, 2024
Eve Energy Outlet Review: Automation You Can't See
As much as we love the original Eve Energy smart plug, it certainly isn't the prettiest of devices. Thankfully, Eve has a smart solution for this design/functionality dilemma: the Eve Energy Outlet. We go in-depth with this clever in-wall solution.
Oct 16, 2024 -
Oct 14, 2024
Tapo S505 Smart Wi-Fi Light Switch Review: A Solid Switch That Won't Break the Bank
For just under $25 MSRP—and often much lower on sale—the Tapo S505 Smart Wi-Fi Light Switch is without a doubt one of the most attractive Matter devices on the market. But with such a low price tag, there are bound to be a few dealbreakers that hold it back from being one of the best Matter-compatible light switches, right?
Oct 14, 2024 -
Oct 9, 2024
The Best Matter-Compatible Under Cabinet Lights
We've previously discussed how Matter-compatible strip lights with their flexibility and easy installation are an excellent fit for kitchen lighting—especially for cabinets. However, they aren't the best choice for those with existing under cabinet lighting or for those that want a clean integrated look. For these situations, consider a Matter-compatible under cabinet light.
Oct 9, 2024 -
Oct 1, 2024
The Best Matter-Compatible Air Purifiers
Whether it is VOCs, allergens, or smoke, there are a lot of things in the air that can make an impact on your health. To make managing your home's air a breeze, consider a Matter-compatible air purifier.
Oct 1, 2024 -
Sep 27, 2024
The Best Matter-Compatible Radiator Valves
Radiators are great for keeping costs down by heating just the rooms or areas around them. However, they are not so great when it comes to convenience and controls, as most require making a trip over to the unit to make a simple adjustment. To reduce the number of trips, consider installing a Matter-compatible radiator valve.
Sep 27, 2024 -
Sep 25, 2024
IKEA SOMRIG Shortcut Button Review: Affordable Automation With a Click
At just $9.99, IKEA's SOMRIG Shortcut Button is an incredibly enticing solution for adding physical controls to Matter devices. However, there are some requirements and limitations that you'll want to know about before making the trip to your local IKEA.
Sep 25, 2024 -
Sep 24, 2024
The Best Matter-Compatible In-Wall Smart Outlets
Even though the best smart plugs have decreased in size over the years, they can still be an eyesore. If you are tired of seeing unsightly boxes hanging from your walls, consider installing a Matter-compatible in-wall smart outlet.
Sep 24, 2024 -
Sep 16, 2024
iOS 18 is Now Available. Here’s What’s New in the Apple Home App
iOS 18 is officially here and with it come some small, but significant changes to the Apple Home app. This year, Apple has introduced new ways for managing your smart home, expanded the capabilities of the Energy tab, and opened its doors to a whole new category of devices.
Sep 16, 2024 -
Sep 16, 2024
Nest Thermostat vs Nest Learning Thermostat
Even though Matter has been around for a while now, Nest is still the only game in town when it comes to thermostats that support the smart home standard. However, with two options to choose from, how do you know which is the best Matter-compatible thermostat for your home?
Sep 16, 2024 -
Sep 5, 2024
Tapo TL135E Smart Wi-Fi Light Bulb Review: Cheap, Colorful, and Consistent
The lack of color and ambiance in my household has always been on my mind so I recently branched out a bit by deploying a pair of Tapo Tl135E Smart Wi-Fi Light Bulbs in a few bedside lamps. At just under $15 each and with full multicolor capabilities, the price was simply too hard to pass up. After spending a few weeks with Tapo's bulb, am I regretting my decision?
Sep 5, 2024 -
Sep 2, 2024
IKEA DIRIGERA Hub Update Brings Matter to Smart Plugs, Blinds and More
After rolling out a limited beta for lighting earlier this year, IKEA has finally expanded its Workshop program to include Matter support for even more device types. Starting today, users can download a new firmware update (version 2.615.8) for the DIRIGERA smart hub that brings Matter support to seven devices.
Sep 2, 2024 -
Aug 29, 2024
How to Use Apple Home Adaptive Lighting With Your Matter Lights
While the transition to Matter for Apple HomeKit users was pretty seamless, the omission of one major feature—Adaptive Lighting—left some smart home fans in the dark. Thankfully, that changes with the release of iOS 18. Apple is finally bringing Adaptive Lighting to Matter devices with its latest operating system, so users both new and old can put their home's lighting on auto-pilot.
Aug 29, 2024 -
Aug 12, 2024
The Best Matter-Compatible Recessed Lights
Ready to give your home a smart lighting upgrade? These Matter-compatible recessed lights may be just what you're looking for.
Aug 12, 2024 -
Aug 7, 2024
The Best Matter-Compatible Ceiling Lights
Whether you need to replace an old non-working fixture, or looking to modernize your home, there's a Matter-compatible ceiling light that can meet almost any need. With a Matter ceiling light, your home will not only benefit from an updated look, but it will also gain convenient smart controls and maybe even a few extras like colorful scenes.
Aug 7, 2024 -
Aug 5, 2024
How to Use Matter Multi-Admin to Share Your Devices Across Ecosystems
While Matter brings enhanced security, reliability, and a streamlined pairing process to the smart home world, the real star of the show is interoperability through its Multi-Admin feature. But how exactly do you use Multi-Admin with your devices? We'll walk you step-by-step through the process.
Aug 5, 2024 -
Jul 30, 2024
Tapo P125 Mini Smart Wi-Fi Plug Review: Mini plug, mini price
Is Tapo's $20 Matter-enabled smart plug too good to be true? We put one of the most affordable plugs around to the test.
Jul 30, 2024 -
Jul 23, 2024
The Best Matter-Compatible Relay Switches
Are you tired of waiting on Matter software and product releases? Then it's time to go DIY with one of the best Matter-compatible relay switches.
Jul 23, 2024 -
Jul 22, 2024
Eve Door and Window Review: Constant Contact
At $39.95, the Eve Door and Window is one of the most expensive Matter contact sensors around. But how does it actually perform especially when considering the abundance of low-cost alternatives? Let's take an in-depth look.
Jul 22, 2024 -
Jul 17, 2024
Tapo P400M Matter Outdoor Smart Plug Review: Matter Goes to the Great Outdoors
By now, you've most likely heard about all the many ways that Matter can simplify your smart home. But up until recently, Matter was limited to inside our homes, leaving key areas out in the cold—quite literally. That changes with the Tapo P400M Outdoor Smart Plug.
Jul 17, 2024 -
Jul 10, 2024
How to Set Your Preferred Apple Home Hub
If you have multiple HomePods or Apple TVs in your smart home, you may notice that the Home app doesn't always pick the most centrally located or the most powerful home hub. This can lead to slower response times and disconnections, and it may even break Matter device automation. To better optimize your smart home, you'll need to know how to set your preferred Apple Home hub.
Jul 10, 2024 -
Jul 5, 2024
Eve Motion Review: Smart, Speedy, and Ultra-Reliable
Motion sensors play a critical role in automating and securing our smart homes. With their wire-free ability to turn on the lights when our hands are full, and sending smart notifications for potential activity around our homes, it's hard to imagine life without them. This includes the Eve Motion, which I have been using to automate my home over the course of the past year.
Jul 5, 2024 -
Jul 4, 2024
How to Update Matter Devices in the Apple Home app
Staying on top of the latest firmware updates is crucial for securing your Matter devices and ensuring your smart home runs smoothly. However, navigating through various vendor apps for each of your devices can make tracking down updates rather tedious.Thankfully, some Matter platforms—like the Apple Home app—can help by offering firmware updates directly to compatible devices.
Jul 4, 2024 -
Jun 26, 2024
The Best Matter-Compatible Garden Equipment
With the Matter standard hitting the scene almost two years ago, we've seen the market flooded with smart home staples like plugs, sensors, and light bulbs. Now with the basics covered, manufacturers have begun turning their attention to other important aspects of our daily lives—which includes the great outdoors.
Jun 26, 2024 -
Jun 25, 2024
A Complete List of Thread Border Routers on The Market Today
Although Thread doesn't need a "hub" in the traditional sense, you will still need another piece of hardware—a Thread Border Router—to take advantage of its benefits. So, if you are just starting a smart home or making the move to Matter, you'll need to know which devices act as Thread Border Routers. Here's our complete list of all the Thread Border Routers on the market today.
Jun 25, 2024 -
Jun 19, 2024
The Best Matter-Compatible IR Blasters
In our guide to the best smart plugs, we covered how they are a simple, yet effective way to add Matter capabilities to older devices with physical controls. However, smart plugs aren't so hot when it comes to devices that don't save their state after powering down or for those that rely on a remote. For these types of devices, you'll need to turn to a Matter-compatible IR Blaster to get the job done.
Jun 19, 2024 -
Jun 17, 2024
TUO Smart Button Review: Matter Gets Physical
For some smart home users, there are likely household members who don't quite share the same level of enthusiasm for home automation. For them—or just for those times when pressing a button is just plain quicker and easier—having a smart button or remote in the home is a must. Enter the TUO Smart Button.
Jun 17, 2024 -
Jun 13, 2024
The Best Matter-Compatible Power Strips
As great as they are though, smart plugs are not always the best answer for every situation—especially when multiple devices are involved. When you need the versatility of smart plugs for your desk or behind a TV, you'll want to consider a Matter-compatible power strip.
Jun 13, 2024 -
Jun 3, 2024
Eve Energy Smart Plug Review: Privacy at a Premium
To stand out in today's smart plug market, vendors will need to look for new ways to differentiate themselves from the plethora of low-cost alternatives. One company, Eve Systems, hopes to do so by offering their Eve Energy Smart Plug that focuses on user privacy while utilizing cutting-edge technology.
Jun 3, 2024 -
May 23, 2024
The Best Matter-Compatible Lamps To Light Up Your Life
No smart home is complete without proper lighting that you can control from the couch or from across the world. And while you may think to look for a smart bulb, plug, or switch when building the connected home of your dreams, you may benefit more from an all-in-one solution like a Matter-compatible lamp.
May 23, 2024 -
May 21, 2024
How to Add a Matter Device to the Amazon Alexa app
Matter, the smart home standard that aims to unify the connected home is here, and with it comes significant changes—especially for Amazon Alexa users. Now, instead of trying to figure out whether a device integrates directly with Alexa or through a Skill, you'll only need to scan a QR code to set up compatible hardware.
May 21, 2024 -
May 9, 2024
The Best Matter-Compatible Buttons and Remotes
Instead of wading through potential distractions on your phone, or shouting to a voice assistant the next time you need to toggle the lights, consider a Matter-compatible button or remote. With just a click, Matter-compatible buttons and remotes can turn on the lights, close the blinds, or fire up a movie night scene with ease.
May 9, 2024 -
May 1, 2024
The Best Matter-Compatible Temperature and Humidity Sensors
Keeping an eye on your home's climate is crucial for ensuring the comfortability of everyone in your household. While smart thermostats are a great place to start, they only monitor the room in which they are installed. For expanded coverage, you may want to consider a Matter-compatible temperature and humidity sensor.
May 1, 2024 -
Apr 24, 2024
The Best Matter-Compatible Strip Lights
LED strip lights are truly a smart home staple - and for good reason. These flexible wonders of light can bring color and ambiance to pretty much anywhere. Whether you are looking for a strip light for underneath the cabinets, or you want to amp up your holiday displays, you've come to the right place.
Apr 24, 2024 -
Apr 18, 2024
How to Add a Matter Device to the Google Home app
If you are going with Google for all your smart home needs, you'll spend the bulk of your time managing devices in the Google Home app either on Android or iOS. In this guide, we'll cover everything you need to know about adding your device to Google's smart home platform.
Apr 18, 2024 -
Apr 15, 2024
How to Add a Matter Device to the Apple Home App
For iPhone users, Apple's Home app serves as a one-stop destination for controlling and managing your Matter devices. We'll show you how easy it is to add your Matter devices so you can be up and running with Siri voice and Apple Home app controls in minutes.
Apr 15, 2024 -
Apr 10, 2024
The Best Matter-Compatible Door and Window Sensors
If you want to enhance your home's security or add an extra touch of automation, consider installing a Matter-compatible door and window sensor. These versatile sensors offer much more than their name or appearance might suggest.
Apr 10, 2024 -
Apr 2, 2024
The Best Matter-Compatible Motion Sensors
With the ability to detect motion, send timely notifications, and automate your home's lighting, motion sensors are essential to the modern smart home.
Apr 2, 2024