If your teen is still trying to do their coursework on the kitchen island or on the family dining table, it's time to consider some teenage desk ideas. 

As schools, colleges and universities explore virtual learning, a proper table and chair, suited to their age and height is an essential bit of apparatus for their learning.

From 'smart' teenage desk ideas to ladder desks that make use of vertical space, give your teen the room they deserve to do homework or mindful doodling!

It's time to pass the test of providing a study solution to give your son or daughter. A stylish and functional desk in one of these teenage bedroom ideas will give them the best chances of buckling down. But, don't just recycle an off-the-shelf idea you've seen in your adult workplace.

Teenage desk ideas for successful studying

1. Limit the risk of 0% battery with a smart desk

If you've ever seen your teen scramble for a laptop charger, you'll know the sheer panic in their eyes. Hours of reading, research and creativity, only to be lost by a lack of power going to their electronic device.

So instead of calculating how long they've got left to save down their work, why not invest in a smart desk? Just like Amazon Alexa and Google Nest devices, smart home technology aims to make our lives easier. And this desk is no exception.

Today's features include premium Bluetooth speakers, wireless charging technology and a USB charging point. Toughened glass work surfaces are perfect for taking notes with a whiteboard pen. Simply let your teen wipe off their revision notes (or doodles) after use.

Luck ends there however, as it can't do their homework for them. What a shame.

2. Integrate plants into a teenage desk design

So you've got your ideal teenage desk idea - but now what? When it comes to accessorizing the space on and around the study table, you'll want to be creative and sympathetic to the environment.

Sure a pen pot and some sticky notes are practical, but have you thought about adding a few great indoor plants? 

Asides from jumping on the biophilic trend, our green buddies can help reduce exam stress, increase productivity and clean the air. We're sure you might agree that this'll especially beneficial in a boys room idea.

3. Add a storage idea next to the desk for easy access

Looking for a sweet girls bedroom idea that's full of space for stationery and sewing materials for a budding fashion or interior designer?

Asides for the actual teenage desk idea, you'll want to think of other ways to amplify her storage opportunities. A cute bedroom cabinet can de-clutter and organize her space effectively. Placed next to her desk, it will mean that the table isn't littered with lots of little bits and bobs.

Tidy desk, tidy mind as the old adage goes, so maintain her concentration by keeping a sparse but stylish space.

4. Incorporate texture into your teenage desk design

By incorporating texture into your teenager's bedroom, you can create a comfortable interior scheme for them to socialize, relax or study in.

This cream swivel boucle chair with its super-comfy material will look perfect in a cozy bedroom idea. Coupled with a soft rug or flooring design, your teen won't want to venture out of their room. Bonus.

To style, add shades found in nature. We love this olive vase filled with on-trend Pampas grass to complement the rattan feature on the desk drawer. And, while Bieber may have got his peaches back in Georgia, you won't have to travel far for orchard-inspired hues.

This pastel orange bedroom paint color adds sunset vibes to this space. Shop Monticello Peach from Benjamin Moore for a similar shade.

5. Design a teenage desk idea underneath the stairs

If your teenager has inherited a small kids bedroom, it's unlikely that they'll want to be trapped inside this box room to complete their after-school activities.

But, if your under-the-stairs space is not being used as a powder room or extra storage space, then use it in a way that'll enrich your teen's education experience.

If you're building from the wall out, you may wish to consider a built-in design. If not, modular desks and shelving ideas will allow you to be flexible once your teen has flown the nest. Better still, keep this solution for yourself. 

It'll come in handy as a remote working spot or just a purposeful place to file your tax returns.

6. Use an awkward wall or alcove for a study corner

Alcoves and awkward walls can be a real pain in the butt when it comes to living room ideas. But, styled correctly, you can transform this wall recess into tidy teenage desk design.

Opt for a slimline desk design to ensure that you use the snug space to your advantage. Lighting can be an issue in this area, so invest in slender task lighting solutions to reduce eye strain.

Sara Dawson, founder of The House Office, says: 'A corner desk allows home workers to make the most of the tightest of nooks, without taking up precious floor space and dominating the rest of the room – something which is hugely important if you’re working from your living space or bedroom.'

Explore overhead storage solutions to keep the floor space neat. For example, knowing how to hang a shelf with brackets is a life skill we wish we'd learned much sooner!

7. Add a footstool for a comfy teenage desk design

When Canadian musician Drake penned the lyrics: 'I only love my bed and my mom, I'm sorry', we could definitely relate. While not a smart solution for studying, most teenagers will lay on their bed to read over their lecture notes.

Aside from looking a little lazy, studying in bed is not ergonomically ideal. Bad for posture; pillows and cushions provide a poor solution for your teen's back. What's more, multiple papers spread over your son or daughter's duvet will lead to decreased productivity. 

Rather than forcing him or her to take up a teenage bedroom desk idea, a footstool can provide a comfy compromise. Adopting a semi-reclining position can keep both parties happy and gives them outdoor stimulus if the desk is positioned near a bedroom window design.

8. Add interest to a plain desk with a statement rug

Sometimes less is more when it comes to a teenage bedroom desk idea. This is especially the case in a minimalist or modern bedroom design. 

But, if you want to add some fun to your teen's bedroom decor, then a statement rug is a simple and budget bedroom idea to invigorate a bland space.

This cow-print rug will add expensive vibes to a boring black and white bedroom idea. But whatever design you decide on, add a rug gripper underneath. This will ensure the rug doesn't get damaged, the chair doesn't scrape or mark wooden flooring, and your child doesn't trip up.

9. Elevate the space with a desk ladder idea

The Cofield desk from Wayfair is a cleverly designed desk that brings out the best in a Scandinavian bedroom design. Made from powder coated steel and mango wood, it blends a somewhat industrial idea with classic charm.

A sturdy yet compact ladder desk provides a functional drawer and some serious shelving and most importantly, space to move around their room.

We'd style this teenage desk idea with faux climbing plants or maybe even some fairy lights for evening study sessions.

Nadia McCowan-Hill, resident style advisor for Wayfair says: 'Ladder desks are a trendy option that are great for adding much needed storage into a small room, making it as easy as possible for your teenager to keep a mindful, clutter-free space.' 

10. Create a comprehensive office with an armoire

Got a teen whose a bit of a Francophile? Then say Bonjour to this French bedroom idea.  An all-encompassing teenage desk design, an armoire can also fit seamlessly into a rustic bedroom design.

Commonly known as a desk or computer cupboard, treat it as you would a wardrobe storage idea. Generously proportioned, it is a space-efficient design that takes care of tucking away your teen's laptop and monitor with pull-out shelving.

In line with a clean aesthetic, this design by The Dormy House has holes at the back to hide unsightly wires and plugs. Double-hinged cupboard doors ensure that your teenager can hang notes and noticeboards for space-savvy study nook. 

Once your child has no need for this cabinet, store crockery and dining essentials for a country kitchen idea that has a farmhouse feel. If placed in a communal area of the house these doors can be closed for when you're entertaining guests.

11. Add positive thoughts with a slogan wall design

2020 was a tough year for teenage kids and adults alike. Social restrictions, not being able to see our family and a fair share of TV reruns. Not seeing our loved ones in real life may have contributed to a decline in mental health.

And so it was and still is important to be surrounded by positive messages and affirmations. This wall art idea by Wallsauce is supplied as a printed wallpaper design. 

What makes it special is that the made-to-measure mural is bespoke to your older kids room idea, so is just as individual as they are.

McCowan Hill confirms this by saying: 'Don’t neglect the area around your teens desk. Thought-provoking artwork is wonderful for drumming up ideas.'

'Go for typographic designs with motivating slogans, perfect for focusing the mind or bold abstract prints are another great option for boosting creativity.'

How can I make a desk look good?

'Exams are an inevitable part of every teenager's life so a dedicated study area will always come in useful. Space saving options such as floating desks are ideal as handy shelving day to day, which can then convert into a space for homework or creative pursuits,' says McCowan-Hill.

'Be sure to choose a desk in keeping with your teens youthful space. Opt for fun, colorful products in  mood-boosting shades such as yellow, perfect for adding a feel-good fix to a tired space.'

'A neutral color palette of navy blue and grey will never date, adding grown up style throughout their teenage years. Style up a desk area with bold geometrics and faux greenery, to suit even the most novice of houseplant owners!'

'The area under your staircase is a great opportunity for fitted storage, and there are many design options for this space,' says Simon Tcherniak, senior furniture designer at Neville Johnson.

'From a compact home office with desk space to compartments for storing books, as well as open and closed shelving, fitted furniture is a great way of creating a multi-functional space.'

What is the best posture for sitting at a desk?

According to one expert, it's not just the colors and interior scheme you need to focus on. Chair design and movement can also be critical elements of a healthy study space.

Lucinda Newbound, partner at ergonomics company, Back in Action says:

'We’ve seen workers sitting in unsuitable dining chairs at the kitchen table, propped up on a stool at a kitchen island or breakfast bar and even working from bed and bath.'

'Any of these could lead to back pain, bad posture, sore neck and shoulders and more.'

'We wouldn’t wear clothes that stop us from being able to move, so why do we spend eight hours a day sitting on furniture that does just that?'

'If you’ve never sat on a chair that moves with you, rather than stopping your natural movement, it’s probably not something you’ve ever thought about… but it feels like freedom.'

'We live in the body of a hunter-gatherer, yet spend most of each day sitting still. Not surprisingly, we experience reduced circulation. In particular our blood and lymph systems work more slowly.'

'This is why movement is so vitally important.'

In February energy regulator Ofgem announced that the price cap for domestic energy bills would be raised to cover suppliers' rising wholesale costs. The current price cap saves households around £100 a year, but with this being lifted, millions will see their yearly bill rise at least £96, with larger properties facing a hike of as much as £1,138 according to the BBC. 

So what can homeowners do to reduce their energy costs to mitigate the impending bill rise? We spoke to boiler experts BOXT who recommended that one of the most effective (and easiest) ways to reduce your energy costs is to fit smart heating technology such as one of the best smart thermostats – a service they now offer with their boiler installations. According to research by Google, data captured from their Nest Learning Thermostats showed homes across Europe saved an average of 20 per cent on their energy consumption after a Google Nest Learning Thermostat was fitted.

Google Nest aggregated data from thermostats that have been working in real homes since 2014. They calculated how much energy these homes would have used if the heating had been at 20ºC all the time, and factored in that a percentage of these homes would turn their heating down to 9ºC for seven hours at night in Britain. In mainland Europe, the energy assumption was slightly different – homeowners were typically turning their heating down to 15ºC overnight, much higher than the UK. Google then compared this baseline data, to the figures from real people's thermostats and found that homes were saving at least seven per cent more energy than they would have otherwise used, with some homes saving as much as 27 per cent on their energy and bills.

Homes in Spain and Italy had the largest saving range (seven per cent to 27 per cent shown above for Spain and seven to 25 per cent in Italy). In the UK, homeowners saved 8.4 per cent to 16.5 per cent, while those in Ireland were saving as much as 18.1 per cent on their energy usage. When all the figures are added together, Nest Learning Thermostats were saving an average of 20 per cent.

By using less energy, these homeowners find their bills are much lower than the average – something they will be grateful for when the April energy price rise comes into effect in the UK.

But how does a smart thermostat save energy? BOXT who have been installing Google Nest products with their home boiler service since 2019 explained: "Learning thermostats learn the temperatures you like, where and when so to heat your home efficiently. The Google Nest Learning Thermostat also turns itself down when you’re away to avoid heating an empty home, and you’ll receive monthly usage reports. Just when you thought saving energy couldn’t get any easier – a green leaf will appear on your thermostat when it is set to an energy-saving temperature." So the Nest teaches you to save energy as it learns your usage by giving you goals.

The initial costs of installing smart heating controls can easily be recouped with these energy savings, as it is estimated that turning your heating down even one degree can save as much as £75 a year. BOXT will install a Nest Learning Thermostat for free with many of their boilers, but with prices for a standalone smart thermostat starting around £170, it is easy to see how one pays for itself over time.

Other ways to save energy this month

Statista estimate that by 2022 there will be at least one connected home product in 40 per cent (or roughly 10 million) households, with smart heating growing in popularity. But for those not ready to install a smart thermostat or upgrade their boiler there are still plenty of energy saving ideas to put to use before the April energy bill rises. As well as hands on methods like adding insulation and filling draughty gaps, homeowners are encouraged to do an free energy comparison to see if they are paying too much in the first place. Many might be on a standard variable tariff or default tariff that rises with every energy price rise – something a fixed rate tariff will protect you from.

Combining these energy saving methods could save you even more than the 20 per cent of a smart thermostat alone, so get a more efficient boiler with smart controls, switch energy supplier and check your homes thermal efficiency and those energy bill price hikes will be far less of a concern.

^{Source: price rise information published by the BBC 5th Feburary 2021}

Want to enhance your home security? We've reviewed the Ezviz C3N Outdoor Smart Wi-Fi Colour Night Vision Camera which could be just what you have been looking for.

I’ve been testing this outdoor home security camera, along with several other models in the range, for the past month to help you choose the best home security solution for you and your family. The main criteria I’ve been looking out for is how it looks, how it works and other factors to consider when it is in use.

Keep scrolling to read the full review to see if this is the outdoor home security camera for you, but if you want to see more great options check out our best home security system guide for more top security cameras, for the best prices.

JUST LAUNCHED: Ezviz C3X Dual-Lens Colour Night Vision Security Camera| £153 at AO
The Ezviz C3X has the same look and feel to the Ezviz C3N, apart from one standout point: the Dual-Lens. With this set up, the C3X produces colour video in extremely dark environments (lab test result: 0.005 lux condition), without turning on the spotlight. It is claimed that users will see authentic details in night time images, such as the colour of clothes and cars which can often be a missed detail in lesser quality footage. 

How it works? The two lens work in harmony – one lens records the ambient brightness and the other captures colour information – which are then merged using EZVIZ’s own proprietary algorithm.

Ezviz C3N Outdoor Smart Wi-Fi Colour Night Vision Camera specifications

• Resolution: 1920 x 1080
• Connectivity: WiFi 2.4GHz / Wire (Ethernet)
• Waterproof: IP66
• Compatibility: Amazon Screen and Google Home 
• Smart Features: Smart Motion Detection
• Special Mode: Sleep Mode
• Storage options: EZVIZ cloud service; microSD card(Max 256G)
• Required power outlet: DC 100-120V

Installing the Ezviz C3N Outdoor Smart Wi-Fi Colour Night Vision Camera 

To test the Ezviz C3N I set it up round the back of our house directed towards the guinea pig hutch. I thought that this would provide us with some good motion detection (amongst other things) so, bless them, they were in the spotlight again.

Once I had unpackaged the camera from the compact yet adequate box, I connected it up to the (included) power adaptor so I could switch it on and connect it up to the Wi-Fi. It’s from here on in that you’ll need to make sure that the security camera and you smart device is connected to a strong Wi-Fi network because it is within this zone that the camera will need to stay so you can use it as intended.

If you don't have the Ezviz app already installed on your device, it's at this stage that you're promoted to download it. Just follow the registration process - allowing access to your camera phone – and you'll be set up in no time. During the registration process you can opt to have notifications sent to you as an alert and subscribe to CloudPlay storage (free for the first 23-day days, then a fee from £2.99 will be incurred depending on your choice of plan).

How easy is the Ezviz C3N Outdoor Smart Wi-Fi Colour Night Vision Camera to use?

The installation was the most trickiest part of getting the security camera working so once you've sorted that, it's pretty much plane sailing from here-on-in.

From the app you can take photos of the footage, pan a 360 degree shot, flick between resolutions (HDR, HD or high res) and see up to four cameras live on a split screen. It’s from this rather fab app that you can set push notifications, too. You can even choose which Night Vision Mode you would prefer; Colour Night Vision, Black/White Night Vision or Smart Night Vision. I opted for Smart Night Vision which is Black / White by default, then switches to colour when motion is detected.

I couldn't fault the image quality. The colour and image definition, night and day, is spot on. And the audio is pretty sound, too.

However...

Being at the back of the house is a vacuum for Wi-Fi signal – the joys of living in a Victorian terrace – so the signal kept dropping out. This caused a lag in the footage when watching live AND when I selected the Smart Night Vision setting, thinking / hoping it would control the light, it stayed on for 15 - 20 minutes. I turned off the camera after this time because the light was shinning bright into the guinea pigs hutch and towards our neighbours.

The only installation options are to have it mounted onto a wall or ceiling. You can then opt to have the approx 3 metre long cable running through the house to a mains socket, or hard wire it in. It is pretty invasive, more so than a wireless camera, BUT it is very affordable for what it is so depends on what you are looking for with a home security camera.

Anything else?

Something which is very cool about this camera is the AI Human Detection. It has built-in deep learning model which detects the motion of person and vehicle shapes in real-time. This means that false alerts will be reduced for more accurate readings, although other reviews have claimed that moths have triggered notifications (more on this shortly!)

The app also gives you the ability to draw zones so you can decide whether you want to keep people, cars, or both out of the area you're surveillancing. Upon detection of objects of interest, the camera will issue a loud siren and flash the strobe light to drive intruders away. I must say that I didn't actually test this, given the cameras set up and close proximity to neighbours, but it is a feature which I feel would be very appealing to houses with a little more land around them.

How does the Ezviz C3N Outdoor Smart Wi-Fi Colour Night Vision Camera rate online?

Looking at the camera on Amazon – where it's new in – it has received just one five out of five star review with no comment, but I guess that says enough about it if you're seriously looking into buying it.

Is the Ezviz C3N Outdoor Smart Wi-Fi Colour Night Vision Camera worth buying?

If you can get over the hurdle of Wi-Fi drop outs, or you have strong Wi-Fi, then I can absolutely recommend this security camera. It's an incredible piece of kit which can be used on it's own, or alongside other security cameras in the range, for total piece of mind. It's very affordable for what it is, too.

More cameras in the Ezviz range we've reviewed:

• Read our Ezviz C6N Indoor Wi-Fi Home Security Camera review if you're serious about monitoring your home
• For another outdoor cam option, read our Ezviz C4W Outdoor Smart Wi-Fi Home Security Camera review
• Or for a battery-powered camera, read our Ezviz Battery Cam review

What is a smart speaker? The world of smart tech can seem like a confusing one, but it doesn't have to be. We're here to cut through the jargon and deliver the clear, concise information you need to increase the connectivity of your home, which will ultimately make daily life easier and more efficient. We'll fill you in on exactly what a smart speaker is, as well as providing information on what they can offer and why you might think about investing in one, if you haven't already.

What is a smart speaker?

A smart speaker differs from the average speaker in that it's designed to provide a home for a smart assistant – Alexa for the Amazon Echo, Google Assistant for Google Home and Siri for Apple devices are the most popular examples. 

This, in turn, allows you to play music, set timers, receive weather updates and control your smart home devices using simple voice commands, which has the power to make daily life easier and more efficient. 

Here's how a smart speaker might make life more efficient:

• Access your diary, with ease, so you know exactly what you're doing, when
• Connect smart bulbs – this will allow you to set lighting schedules for enhanced home security, improved ambience and more
• Turn off your heating with a single voice command, or from any location, to improve energy efficiency and reduce bills
• Keep a closer eye on your home from any location by connecting smart security systems, be that cameras, video doorbells or something more specific
• Keep up to date with the latest news, match results and other important information
• Order an Uber, and receive a notification when it pulls up, without having to reach for your phone
• Call friends and family members while pottering around your home

Discover more about smart tech

• 10 reasons you need a smart speaker
• Can't sleep? Here's how Alexa can help

Our Nest Hello review is a must read if you're looking to invest in the best video doorbell and want to consider all your options. Stylish, with an easy-to-use app and added features (for added cost), including facial recognition, the Nest Hello gives the Ring Doorbell 2 a serious run for its money.

Reviewed by RealHomes.com's Ed-in-Chief, find out how the Nest Hello stood up to our rigorous testing process. We've also answered the question: do you really need a video doorbell?

Who will the Nest Hello suit?

Anyone who a) has a smart phone, b) likes to be able to check who's at the door before answering, c) hates to miss a delivery, d) likes to keep tabs on who's coming to their door (and who their teens are bringing in and out).

The Nest Hello doorbell is slim and neat (W4.3cm x H11.7cm x D2.6cm), making it perfect for tight spaces around your door frame. It comes in black, with a blue halo that lights up when callers arrive. It's undeniably contemporary in its design, which may put off owners of period-style properties, but its compact, no-fuss design means it suits my Edwardian terrace well by simply blending into the background.

Nest Hello specifications

• Power: requires a 16 V AC–24 V AC, 8 VA transformer, chime and a wired doorbell
• Camera: 1/3-inch, 3-megapixel (2K) colour sensor, 8x digital zoom
• Connectivity: needs working broadband internet connection with at least 2 Mbps upload speed plus a compatible phone or tablet with the free Nest app and Bluetooth 4.0

What's the Nest Hello like to use?

I quickly found this smart doorbell useful – first when a delivery arrived while I was out and I was able to ask the driver to leave it in a safe place (much to his obvious initial surprise at being addressed by a doorbell); then, later, when I was able to ignore a door-to-door salesman, having identified him on the video. 

So what happens when someone comes to the door? First, you get an immediate notification of either movement caused by a person or of the bell being rung (by the way, the bell does just work as a normal doorbell, too). Then, you simply tap the app and you can view the live video stream. The live stream has audio, so you can hear the caller and, if you tap the microphone button on the app, they can hear you, too. 

Assuming you have a good Wi-Fi connection, there's very little lag, so you can communicate pretty quickly (or just answer the door if you're in). With a slow Wi-Fi connection, they'll have given up and left by the time you get the app to react (or reach the door); with no Wi-Fi connection, you're as out of touch as you ever were with your old-fashioned doorbell when you're out and about. 

Here's what the app looks like on live stream at my door (see below). You can see it has a good 160 degree view (including a decorator's ladder in the front garden and my car parked outside) and it shows me what the weather's like at home, too. 

What else can the Nest Hello do? Well, it also allows me to look back at a three hour snapshot of activity at the front door (see below), and the camera's night mode is as clear as its daytime one – if night vision-tastic. Plus, I can quickly send pre-recorded messages to callers if I don't want to talk live (ie, 'Please leave the package in the porch') or if Wi-Fi connection is poor. 

How good does your Wi-Fi connection need to be?

The quality of your home's Wi-Fi does dictate how good the video stream and recording are. Without good Wi-Fi, you'll get poorer recording quality and buffering. If you're stuck with poor Wi-Fi, you can adjust the video quality (you get three levels to choose from in the app) to speed up the Hello's responsiveness. With good Wi-Fi, though, resolution is fantastic, as is response time. 

Tip: A Nest Aware subscription comes with 24/7 continuous recording for up to 30 days. It allows you to scan through your entire video history to see what's happened, and to receive intelligent alerts, such as when it spots a familiar face. However, this does mean it uploads lots of data to the cloud, so if you're on a restrictive broadband plan you'll want to bear this in mind.

How easy is it to install the Nest Hello?

The Nest Hello needs to be hardwired to your home's mains electrics at an extra cost. You'll also need to buy a chime box too, if your home doesn't have one. 

We used a Nest-approved installer (expect to pay around £100) and, although he said it was a bit of a tricky job, he was quick (just over an hour), neat (he swept up after himself) – and even got me set up on the app.

So, what was involved? The installer identified the best spot for the doorbell, we decided on the camera angle, then he drilled through the door frame, tacked a slender length of white wire along the inside frame and skirting to the chime (see the box below), with another hole drilled for connection to our electrics – all checked and agreed with me up front.

With the Hello installed, I don't need to worry about changing or charging batteries, which is the downside of the Ring 2 (although the Ring's obvious upside is that you can DIY install battery-powered models). 

Installing the Nest Hello app

With the Nest Hello wired up, I downloaded the app (available on Android and iOS) and set up my account (you might already have one if you have one of Nest's other products, such as a smart thermostat; if this is the case, just add the Hello to your existing app). 

Set-up is surprisingly quick and easy, and before you know it, you're obsessively checking what's happening at your front door every few minutes (that compulsion wears off eventually, although the urge to text your other half with 'I didn't like what you were wearing when you left this morning' doesn't). 

Nest Hello additional features

With a Nest Aware subscription, you can have the Familiar Face function, which uses facial recognition to let you know who's at the door (you can assign names to those you know within the app). This means you'll get a notification when someone you know (aka, your kids) leaves or arrives home. The more someone comes to the house, the better the facial recognition is, so you'll find this part of the app improves with time.

Subscriptions come in three choices: five day (£4 per month; 10 day (£8 per month) and 30 day (£24 per month) video history. Each subscription includes 24/7 continuous recording; intelligent alerts; clips and lapses; activity zones – handy if you have Nest security cameras indoors, too. 

The good news is that you get a 30 day trial of Nest Aware for free, so you can work out if you think it's worthwhile. Start with the five-day subscription to see how you get on with the added features – you can always upgrade later.

More reviews to check out:

• Google Assistant review
• Amazon Alexa review
• Amazon Blink home security camera review

Want to know how to pair Philips Hue with Google Assistant? If you've recently purchased some of these best smart bulbs and are feeling lost, don't sweat: getting connected is easier than you might think – even for the least tech-minded amongst us. 

To make the process of connecting Philips Hue to Google Assistant as straight-forward as possible, we've enlisted the help of TechRadar’s James Peckham. Still not sure what Philips Hue is and how it works? Read our break down first. Then, discover how to control your lights with your voice, set schedules and more.

How to pair Philips Hue with Google Assistant

Pairing Philips Hue with Google Assistant isn't difficult, especially thanks to our handy step-by-step instructions.

1. Make sure you have the Philips Hue Bridge

The whole range of Philips Hue products can all be installed together, and you can pick and choose the best products for you to add to your lighting collection. The one gadget you need to have to hand to get started is something called the Philips Hue Bridge.

This works as the central hub for all your Philips Hue products, and will soon become the core part of the system you’ll need to connect your other light up to. You can either buy this separately or you can just get the Philips Hue Starter Kit that has a Bridge included.

Before you start buying kit, you’ll want to take a look at the whole range from Philips and ensure you’re buying the right lighting for you. Just remember, you can always add to it in the future.

2. Ensure you have a device that's Google Assistant enabled

Before you get started, you'll want to check you have the correct, Google Assistant enabled device to connect your newly purchased lights to.

You’ll be able to do this if your speaker comes with Google’s voice assistant on board, and that’s ready to roll inside the Google Home range as well as a variety of other third-party products from the likes of Sonos, JBL, Sony, LG and many other manufacturers.

3. Download the Google Home app (if you don't already have it)

To connect your smart lighting, you’ll need your smartphone that you’ve got paired to your Google Assistant speaker. If you haven't yet established this connection, you'll need to ensure you do before you can proceed. 

If you have – which should be the case if you've got a smart assistant set up already – you’ll want to start up that app now.

4. Navigate to Home Control

If you press on the three horizontal lines in the top left corner you’ll find an option called Home Control. Press on this and it’ll show all of your active smart devices. Here you can add new ones by pressing the plus symbol in the bottom right hand corner.

5. Select Philips Hue

Scroll down in this menu to find Philips Hue, and press to be taken to a new menu that asks for the details of your Philips Hue account. Enter those details to sign in and it will sync across all of your Hue devices that are set up already.

6. Set up device nicknames for ease of use

From here, you can set up nicknames for each of your devices. If you have a night light in your child’s bedroom, for example, you can call it 'night light' and Google Assistant will then know the specific light you’re referring to when you say those words to your speaker.

7. Establish rooms if you're connecting multiple smart bulbs

If you’ve got more than one Philips Hue light, you’ll want to setup what Google calls Rooms. In the Home Control section of the app you’ll find the ability to create Rooms; it's here you can add devices in that are installed in that area of your home.

For example, if you have three sets of Philips Hue devices in your living room you can include all of these under a title of 'living room'. This allows you to say 'OK Google, turn on my living room lights' and stops you having to ask your speaker to turn on all three lights separately.

This is perhaps the easiest way to control your lighting with Google Assistant, and we recommend doing this as soon as you set it up to ensure you get the best experience from Philips Hue.

Once you’ve assigned all of your lights to your respective rooms, you’ll have to tap done and a message will appear that says you’re all ready to go. Now it’s time for the fun bit… actually controlling your lights.

How to use Philips Hue with Google Assistant

It really is as easy as speaking to your smart speaker. The best way to control your lights is to say 'OK Google' and then the instruction followed by what room it is you’re changing the lighting in. If you’ve not set up individual rooms, you’ll have to say whatever nickname you’ve set for your light or its full name that is shown in the Google Home app.

You can ask Google Assistant to turn on your lights, change the colour of the lights, change the brightness and much more. If you’ve got Philips Hue colour bulbs, you’ll be able to ask it to choose from a variety of pre-set colours, or you can set up your own favourite shades within the app.

Most in-depth features – like setting up timers for when your lights will automatically turn on, – will have to be done through the Google Home app.

Everyday controls are easiest through your Google Assistant toting speaker though, and now you’ve got your lights all setup we recommend experimenting with how you speak to it.

We recommend trying out a variety of different instructions within one sentence, and usually Google Assistant will be able to handle this. Maybe try 'OK Google, turn on my lights in the colour blue'.

There are thousands of different ways to speak to Assistant to control Hue, and you can’t really go wrong here so be sure to experiment.

What is Philips Hue and how does it work?

Not quite sure what Philips Hue is? Put simply, it’s a range of smart lighting solutions designed to help users create custom lighting set-ups, enhance their home security and more. Options currently available as part of the range include bulbs, strip lighting, standalone lights and more.

What makes these lighting solutions ‘smart’ is the fact that they can sync with your smart phone. From there, it's possible to control your lighting from any location, as well as via the three main voice assistants hiding inside some of the best smart speakers. That’s Apple’s Siri, Amazon Alexa and – of course – Google Assistant. Read our reviews for more information on each.

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Looking for more advice?

• The best smart home tech for your house
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Looking for an honest Google Assistant review? You've come to the right place. Despite being one of the youngest of the leading smart assistants – discover more about them in our beginners guide – Google Assistant can now be found in a wide variety of the best smart speakers designed both in-house by Google, as well as from a variety of external companies. 

But is Google Assistant worth the hype? And, more importantly, is it the smart assistant for you? If you're taking your first step into the world of smart home tech you'll want to know before committing to a specific smart eco-system. We enlisted the help of tech expert James Peckham to help us cut through the jargon and deliver the cold, hard facts. Here's what we found...

What is Google Assistant?

Released in May 2016, Google Assistant replaced a similar feature called Google Now, bringing a two-way conversation feature to smart enabled devices for the first time. Google's answer to a smart assistant – much like Alexa – Google Assistant 'lives' inside a smart speaker, responding to a variety of voice commands and controlling your wider smart home system.

You can use Google Assistant in phones and tablets as well as the Google Nest range of speakers that includes the Nest Mini and Nest Max (previously known as the Home Mini and Home Max). Google Assistant can also be sound in a variety of third-party products such as Sony, Sonos and JBL speakers, as well as an increasing number of touch screen devices.

Is Google Assistant the smart assistant for you?

With a wide variety of third-party speakers and the whole Google Nest range to choose from, you won’t struggle to find a top-end speaker that allows you to make the most of Google Assistant's ever-increasing capabilities. The smart home control is second to none, and there are lots of apps that support the platform as well.

One of the highlights of Google Assistant is the Chromecast integration that allows you to easily control your TV – including access to Netflix and other streaming platforms – even when you can’t find the remote control. 

The search functionality and contextual information Google Assistant offers is also a big highlight. With some clear highlights and very few negatives, the Google Assistant is an easy to use platform that many can embrace easily and we think you’ll be happy with what it offers.

Google Assistant standard features

Much like the other voice assistants, you can just call out to your smart speaker with a command to wake it and use your voice to state your question, query or request. 

With Assistant, you’ll have to say 'OK Google'. You can then ask a variety of questions relating to features like playing music or podcasts, directions for your journey, information from the internet, smart home features and more.

Google Assistant will be able to answer your music requests from a variety of services such as Google Play Music, but there’s also support for Spotify, Google Podcasts and services such as TuneIn where you can listen to the radio over the internet.

Do Google Assistant's basic features work?

Where Google excels at the moment is contextual information in your searches. It’s particularly good at answering queries such as 'how long is it until Christmas?' or 'when was Marilyn Monroe’s birthday?'. Amazon Alexa and Apple’s Siri are slowly getting better at this, but the power of Google’s search engine currently makes it consistently the best for these sorts of searches.

It even has conversations with you, so it’ll remember your last search and it’ll often understand the context of a follow up question. For example, we asked 'how old is Taylor Swift' and got the correct answer from Google. We then said 'play her music from Spotify' and it managed to remember we had been talking about Taylor Swift and played a playlist of her music.

This is useful for a variety of searches and isn’t something that’s offered to such a high hit rate on the other voice assistants at the moment. 

If you use a lot of Google services such as Gmail or the calendar, you may find the Assistant suited to you as it connects with your accounts and means you can set up reminders and more from your speaker.

For example, if you have a calendar meeting set up, the Google Home (or other speaker) can remind you of it on a morning. You can also set it up so the speaker will remember your commute and let you know on a morning if there’s a delay on your normal route.

Plus if you own the Google Home speaker, you can use it as a way to make phone calls to other speakers in other people’s homes too. It’s a useful way of having a conversation in your home when you can’t find your phone.

One nifty feature is if you have a TV with a Chromecast plugged in – those are the affordable streaming dongles from the company that connect your telly to the internet – you can even use Google Assistant to play things on your TV.

For example, if you’re in the room with your speaker you can ask 'Play Orange is the New Black from Netflix on my TV'. It’ll then connect to your Chromecast and automatically play it for you. It may sound lazy, but this is good when you don’t want to spend time sifting through all the menus on your favourite streaming services and just want to dive straight into the action.

Smart home compatibility

Google has done well to get its voice assistant to support a wide variety of smart home gadgets. It means you should be able to control your smart home tools with a Google Assistant ready speaker without much hassle at all.

If you’ve got Nest set up in your home, for instance, you’ll find you’ll be able to ask your speaker to set the perfect temperature or you can turn it all off together. It’ll also control Philips Hue lighting gadgets in a similar way too.

Google has support for over 200 brands of smart home tools, and that adds up to around 1,500 products across its range. Examples include Philips Hue, Roomba, TP-Link, LIFX, Nanoleaf, Arlo, Swann Security and many, many more.

Google Assistant makes it easy to control your smart home gadgets with your voice, plus the new selection of smart speakers with screens allows you to play around with the settings of your home on the tablet-like interface as well.

Discover more of our handy guides

• How to use Philips Hue with Google Assistant
• Google Nest Hub review

The Google Nest Mini is without doubt one of the best smart speakers around, particularly if you're new to the world of smart home tech. Why? Because it offers the best of Google Assistant's capabilities – we're talking everything from setting alarms to receiving news, weather and diary updates – all from a small and (pretty) stylish device.

So, when we spotted the Google Nest Mini on offer as part of the Currys January sale we had to share it with you. Retailing for just £34, down from its usual £49.99, there's never been a better opportunity to invest in this handy smart device. And whether its your first step into the world of smart home tech, or you're a convert looking to expand an existing set-up, you can rest assured that you're getting your hands on this super smart speaker for the best price possible. Shop it below...

The Philips Hue Starter Kit is without doubt the best smart lighting available. Why? Because it's stylish, easy to set up and super straightforward to use.

And while – at face value – smart lighting may seem like an unnecessary expense, when you dig a little deeper you'll soon discover that it's actually super handy for helping enhance your home security system, as well as transforming your home audio and cinema experiences, creating the perfect ambience and more.

Since so many of us received Amazon Echo and Google Home smart devices this Christmas, it's no surprise that we're (already) on the hunt for ways to expand our smart home systems – please don't tell us we're the only ones now surprisingly obsessed with all things smart home. And smart lighting is without doubt the best way to go.

The only downside to the Philips Hue Starter Kit is that it's not the most affordable option available on the market – though it's more than worth the investment – which is why we've rounded up the best prices currently available. 

Our handy table constantly compares the best prices from your favourite retailers to ensure you never pay more than necessary. So, if you're in the market for a Philips Hue Starter Kit, this is the place to be.

• Want to know more? We've written a comprehensive, jargon and bias free Philips Hue Starter Kit review 

So you’ve decided to invest in a smart speaker. But not just that, you’ve decided that Google Assistant is the smart assistant you want to sit at the heart of it. Now there’s just one more decision to make: which of the Google speaker family do you want to bring into your home?

Whether budget or features is at the forefront of your mind, Google produces a speaker to suit. You can choose from the standard Google Home speaker range (Google Home or Google Home Max) or the smart displays from the Google Nest arm of the business (Google Nest Mini, Google Nest Hub or Google Nest Hub Max). 

But before we jump into which speaker is for you, let’s just have a recap of some of the key benefits a Google speaker could bring to your home.

For more on smart speakers, read our guide on the best smart speakers 2019 and our no-jargon guide on everything you need to know about smart assistants.

What can a Google speaker do?

Google Assistant is being updated with new talents every day, meaning any speaker you choose to invest in is only going to get better with time. At the time of writing, some of the core benefits include:

Answer questions

With all the power of the world’s best search engine sitting at the heart of it, Google speakers are very clever indeed, and can answer questions (and family arguments) ranging from the latest sports scores to what year your favourite movie came out. 

Hold conversations

It can answer questions in context too. That means if you ask when a movie came out and then ask who the lead actor was afterwards, it will know you’re talking about the movie you mentioned before. It makes for a more natural conversation that other smart assistants haven’t got spot on just yet.

Play music

Use the Google Home app to connect your subscription services, such as Spotify, Deezer or YouTube Music, and you can ask your Google speaker to play some music, either from a playlist or a specific song and album. You can also use TuneIn Radio to summon your favourite radio stations with your voice.

Tell you about your day

Ask Google how your day is looking and it will serve up a whole load of information, such as the weather in your area, the traffic on your commute to work, anything you have in your calendar (if you use Google’s calendar) or reminders, and even give you a brief rundown of the news headlines. It even recognises voices, so the whole family can register their schedules and get personalised information.

Control your smart home

If you have smart home products that work with Google Assistant, you will be able to use your Google speaker to control them, whether that be turning off lights or starting up your robot vacuum. With a Google Chromecast dongle in your TV, you can even ask your speaker to load up your favourite TV shows on Netflix, as well as control playback.

Fun for the kids

Google Assistant has some great features for kids, including the ability to read bedtime stories and play games.

How do I set up my Google speaker?

For any official Google product, you’ll want to download the Google Home app onto your smartphone, which will walk you through the steps to get the speaker onto your wi-fi network. 

Once plugged in, most products are found automatically, and will appear as ready to set up when you open the app. For speakers, you’ll get a test tone to ensure the sound is working correctly and the ability to name which room it’ll be in, so you can differentiate between them if you have more than one. 

You’ll also have the option to voice match your voice, so you can get personalised results on things like calendar events and reminders, plus you can add your own music service accounts too.

Which Google speaker should I buy?

The Google Nest Mini is small and inconspicuous for those still feeling a little unsure about introducing large smart devices into their homes. It’ll blend into your decor with a choice of grey, white, coral and pale blue fabric finishes, can be wall mounted out of sight with its built-in wall mount and at just £49, it’s a really reasonable price point.

Considering its size, it probably won’t surprise you that it isn’t the most powerful sound out there, so you might want to consider a larger speaker if you’re hoping it will fuel your house party’s soundtrack. 

That said, it has had an audio boost compared to its Google Home Mini predecessor (which is available for just £29, while stocks last), and comes with all the Google Assistant smarts of larger speakers, making it a great way of adding in some subtle smart assistance to your home on a budget.

If you’re looking for the Goldilocks of Google smart speakers, then the original Google Home is the one to consider. It’s larger than the Nest Mini, which means its sound quality is better, but it isn’t going to take up considerable surface area like the Home Max will, nor drink your budget dry.

That said, you’re still not going to want to rely on this for your main music speaker, but for the kitchen or office, it’ll give you a decent background soundtrack.

It contains all the smarts of the Nest Mini, but the extra power under the hood pushes the price up to £89 - still pretty reasonable for its functionality. It comes in at £89, and is available in grey, with the ability to add interchangeable bases in copper, carbon or coral fabric, from £18.

The Google Home Max, as its name might suggest, is the largest of the Google Home family and goes big on audio, offering plenty of punchy, room-filling sound. If you are looking for a smart speaker that will also double up as a proper speaker to do your music proud, this is the one for you. 

Its design leaves a bit to be desired for those looking for something more stylish though, and at over 5kg and 34cm long, it’s both weighty and bulky. At least it can be positioned in landscape or portrait to suit your space.

As with the other speakers in Google’s fold, expect the same Google Assistant smarts, but with much, much better sound, and a price tag to show for it. It's £299, in fact. Ouch.

The Google Nest Hub is a Google speaker like the rest of the devices in this list, but with a seven-inch touchscreen thrown in. This means it adds a visual element to all of your smart assistant activity, so it will pull up pictures to support anything you ask it. It also means you can watch YouTube videos, great for following recipes in the kitchen.

There’s no camera here, so you won’t be able to use it for video calls, but it’s great for using as a smart home hub where you can control all of your smart home devices, rather than needing to use your phone or tablet.

Soundwise, it’s perfectly fine, but the audio quality here is secondary to its added screen functionality.

Read our full review

If you like the sound of the Google Nest Hub, but want to add in a camera for offering video calling and Nest Cam security functionality, the Google Nest Hub Max is the device for you.

Not just that, it also offers a larger 10-inch screen, which makes watching videos on the Hub Max much more enjoyable, plus its larger body allows for much improved sound quality, thanks to the addition of more speakers.

It costs an extra £100 compared with its smaller sibling, but it arguably delivers the best of Google Home and Google Nest in one device, meaning it could be worth the investment if you’ll get the use from it.

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Our Google Nest Hub review is a must-read if you're considering purchasing a smart speaker. It's the smart display (by which we mean 'screen') that sets the Google Nest Hub apart from other smart speakers on the market. And it makes controlling a wider smart home system easier and more efficient.

If you think the Google Nest Hub looks familiar, it's likely because you've seen it before. But, under its another name: the Google Home Hub. Following a recent rebrand – and a £20 price drop – it now forms part of the Nest family of smart products, which include everything from smart thermostats to security cameras and video doorbells. 

But, what did we think? We spent a week with the Google Nest Hub in our home to see what it’s all about, and to decide whether its worth investing in. Discover everything you need to know, below.

• Head over to The Hub for more smart home advice, information and unbiased reviews

What is the Google Nest Hub?

The Google Nest Hub is part of a growing section of tech called smart displays. Like the Amazon Echo Show 5 (see our review on that too), the Google Nest Hub is ultimately a smart speaker, like Google Home, and contains all the smarts of Google Assistant, but with a 7in display tagged onto the front of it. (We've written a Google Assistant review, if you'd like to learn more about that, too.)

That display naturally forms the focal point of the device, and hides the majority of the fabric-covered speaker, which doubles as a stand.

The display means not only can you get a visual information as part of any smart assistant activity, but it can also double up to offer media playback from YouTube, work as a digital photo frame for displaying your pictures and be act as a hub for controlling all of your smart home devices in one place. Plus it makes a pretty fancy desk clock too.

What it isn’t is a tablet – there’s no ability to download apps or do any internet browsing here. This is a smart display in the purest sense.

How easy is it to set up the Google Nest Hub?

When you first plug in the Google Nest Hub and turn it on, you’ll be prompted to download the Google Home app (iOS/Android) on your phone. If you have other Google smart devices in your home, you may well already have it downloaded.

From the app, you will need to add the Hub to your devices by pressing the '+' icon – the app will then look for devices ready to connect, display a code on both devices to be sure you’re connecting to the right one and that’s it done. You’ll then have an option to name the speaker so you can easily identify it, connect it to the same Wi-Fi that your phone is on, and confirm you want to switch on Google Assistant.

Once you’ve done all that, you can start to personalise your Google Assistant experience, by adding your accounts for Spotify or YouTube Music, teach Google Assistant your voice and set up Duo W-Fi calling. 

The only downside is the Hub has no camera so can offer voice calls only, rather than the video calls you can do with something like the Echo Show 5.

Who will the Google Nest Hub suit?

If you’ve been thinking about investing in a smart speaker, but like the idea of the visual element to bolster the experience, then the Google Nest Hub could be worth considering – as long as you don’t mind paying a bit more for the privilege. 

By comparison a Google Home Mini, which also offers all the smarts of Google Assistant but without a display, is only £49. So it’s something to consider.

While having a smart home setup to control isn’t a necessity, it’s worth thinking about whether you’ll want one in the future (and what you might want), as well as considering any smart devices you already have, to make sure they’re compatible with Google Home. 

Of course anything from Google’s Nest line will be a perfect match, as will Chromecast and Google Home devices, not to mention a whole host of third party products. But if you already have Amazon Echos dotted around your house, for example, you might find the Alexa-packing Echo Show 5 a better match.

How will you use the Google Nest Hub?

There are several areas that the Google Nest Hub excels in, which I found useful. 

Its display makes the smart assistant experience better

The big one, of course, is that it adds a visual element to any smart assistant activity. Ask Google for a weather update and you’ll get a weather graphic for the day; ask Google for a recipe for onion soup and it can pull up a YouTube video; ask Google to play your cooking playlist and it’ll find it on Spotify and offer you on-screen controls. 

It will even recognise your voice with a bit of pre-programming. That means when you ask it things like “how’s my diary looking today?” or “how’s my route to work?”, it will bring up personalised information for you, based on what you’ve told it, and not your partner, for example.

It just adds a whole new dimension to the smart speaker experience, and I found the combination of voice control and touchscreen interaction makes the very most of a voice assistant.

And for those times you’d rather there wasn’t a smart speaker in your room? There’s a physical mute button that will give you peace of mind that the Google Nest Hub isn’t listening in.

It’s a gorgeous digital photo frame. 

The screen on the Google Nest Hub screen is clear and punchy but not reflective, so when it’s not doing other things, it does a grand job of displaying your pictures just as well as a real photo frame would do – and its size is perfect too.

It also features an Ambient EQ Light Sensor at the top of the screen, which – if turned on – will adjust the display to match the colours and lighting in your environment. Not only does this mean the photos it displays will blend in with your home decor, but your screen won’t be blaring brightly in the corner of a dimly lit room either.

You can choose to have the Hub cycle through pro photos from Google’s vaults, or connect it to your Google Photos account, and have your own pictures scroll through instead. 

Even better, you can choose specific albums or even faces you want to see using Google Photos’ facial recognition feature, so you don’t get random email screengrabs appear in the middle of your favourite holiday snaps. Plus Google will only show the good shots, using machine learning to avoid duplicates and blurry snaps – clever stuff.

It’s great for media playback

While it’s very unlikely you’ll sit and watch a whole movie on the Nest Hub, its 7in display is a great size for quick internet videos, plus offers on-screen controls for music playback too. 

The sound is just ok though – it’s fine for casual listening, and nice and clear for radio or podcasts, but you’ll want to invest in the larger Google Nest Hub Max if you were hoping for something to fuel the playlist for a kitchen party.

You can control your smart home from it

As long as you’ve set up a smart home device within the Google Home app, you will be able to control it either by touch or voice from the Nest Hub.

Swiping down from the top of the screen will give you the ability to monitor all your devices in one place, including your connected cameras, lighting, heating and speakers. It’s here that you can also set up routines, to trigger a number of smart home devices into action with a single command. 

For example, saying 'hey Google, good night' could lower your thermostat, turn off your lights and TV and turn on your security camera.

As you’d expect, the Google Nest Hub works seamlessly with other Nest devices. I was testing a Nest IQ home security camera at the same time as the Hub, and could bring up a live video stream on the screen with ease. 

Equally, Nest Hello doorbell owners can have their doorbell video stream pop up when the doorbell rings, and if you subscribe to Nest Aware for facial recognition, the Hub will even announce who it is when it does.

What did I like about the Google Nest Hub?

The Google Nest Hub is a superb smart display that has all the brains of Google Assistant but with the richer experience that having a display offers, including smart home control.

Its screen and form factor are just the right size for a desk or bedside table too, and its display is great quality for displaying your pictures.

What didn’t I like about the Google Nest Hub?

The sound could be better, and the lack of camera is a shame, particularly when you can get one on competitor devices. It would be nice to have the option to video call.

It needs plugging in constantly too, so you have to make a careful decision about where you’re like to get the use from it most. I plugged it in in the living room as that is where I spend a lot of my time, but it could equally find a home in a bedroom or kitchen, depending on what you see yourself using it for most.

Is it worth buying a Google Nest Hub?

If you’re keen to invest in a smart home set up and want an easy way to control it all from a central location, while also bagging a natty digital photo frame in the process – yes, absolutely.

At £119, it’s not prohibitively expensive, though the fantastic Amazon Echo Show 5 is now available with a £40-cheaper price tag of £80.

At 5.5in, the display on the Echo Show 5 is smaller though, and is arguably not as good quality, but it does come with a camera on board for video calls, and the ever-brilliant Alexa. You have to upgrade to the £219 Nest Hub Max to get a camera from a Google smart display.

Ultimately though, with the difference in capabilities between Google Assistant and Alexa getting smaller by the day, it probably comes down to what smart home devices you decide to invest in that will determine which smart display is right for you.

Real Homes verdict

Small but mighty, the Google Nest Hub offers all the smarts of Google Assistant and throws in a great screen for a richer experience. Smart home fans will find it a great tool for controlling all their devices from a single place, and Nest users will find it particularly slick at controlling other parts of the Nest family. The enhanced with a sharp display that doubles up as a great digital photo frame is a bonus.

More smart reviews:

• Still not sure whether a smart speaker is for you? Here are 10 reasons why we think you need smart audio

The Arlo Pro 2 is one of an eight-strong line of smart security cameras by Netgear, including the recently announced Arlo Pro 3, the 4K Arlo Ultra and the company’s smart baby monitor, Arlo Baby.

The kit we tested comes in a pack with two cameras as standard, so it’s a great choice if you have more than one room you want to keep an eye on. You can also buy larger kits, or add individual cameras as and when you require them.

Unlike the Nest Cam IQ Indoor, the cameras are wireless, but its features are arguably not quite as extensive.

At around £460 it’s a considerable investment too, but not wildly out of the price range for a premium smart security setup.

Compare the best home security systems in our handy guide. Then, we answer the question: do you really need smart security cameras?

• Head over to The Hub for more smart home technology news, advice and unbiased reviews
• Then, discover more tips on how to protect your home

What is the Arlo Pro 2?

The Arlo Pro 2 is a full HD wireless smart security camera setup, that comes with two cameras and a hub that connects to your router via ethernet for a more stable performance.

The hub is about the same size as your router, and stands upright. It’s not the smallest thing to tuck away, but it does give your cameras the flexibility of being wireless so you can place them wherever suits, without worrying about plug sockets.

The cameras themselves are nice and compact too, and stand upright on their own, or they also come with wall brackets that they connect to magnetically. Like the Nest IQ Cam Indoor, the focus is fixed, so there’s no remote panning around, but the wide-angle lens should you have most rooms covered.  

Arlo reckons their built-in battery will last six months, but we’d be surprised if they make it quite that long. It’ll depend on how much you check in to them remotely as to how quickly they’ll drain, but after a month of usage, our cameras had dropped around 20–25% of their charge.

Thankfully they only take two hours to charge from flat, so it’s something you can do relatively quickly, and you’ll only need to think about it a couple of times a year.

For slotting into an existing smart home, the Arlo Pro 2 works with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple’s HomeKit, so no matter what smart home ecosystem you’ve bought into, this camera setup should work with it.

How easy is it to set up?

Pretty easy indeed. You can set up the Arlo Pro 2 using your laptop and browser or by downloading the Arlo app, and we’d thoroughly recommend the latter.

It’ll walk you through the setup step by step, first getting your hub online, which needs to be hardwired to your router via ethernet, then adding your cameras, one by one. 

This is done by pressing the sync button on the top of the camera and then the same button on the top of the hub – three green lights will show on the hub when it’s been synced successfully, and you do that for each camera you want to add. It only took us a couple of minutes to get our two-camera system up and running.

Once you’re set up, you’ll see both feeds on your main app screen, and you can click into each video stream to watch live. From there you can record, take a picture or speak through the microphone. Unlike the Nest Cam IQ Indoor, there is no indication light to let people know they’re being filmed.

Who will the Arlo Pro 2 suit?

The Arlo Pro 2 will suit anyone with a decent budget looking to keep an eye on their home when they’re out and about. It’s a particularly good package for those with larger homes, with more than one room they’d like to monitor, as it’s all here in one box. Adding extra cameras is easy too, and you can add up to five to your Arlo account free of charge.

It’s compact size means the Arlo Pro 2 is easy to tuck away out of sight, so anyone who doesn’t want obvious bits of tech sitting around in their home might prefer this to the Google Nest Cam IQ Indoors. It also helps that there are no plug sockets to worry about, so there is no restriction as to where they need to be placed (and no wires running up walls either).

It’s certainly not the cheapest way to keep an eye on your home, but it does offer a great quality picture, is reliable and offers a pretty good feature set without needing to sign up to the subscription service.

How does the Arlo Pro 2 perform?

Bold, punchy video quality

The picture quality on the Arlo 2 is great. The colours are bright and vivid for the day time shots, and while it’s not quite as natural a picture as the Nest Cam IQ Indoor’s picture, it is clear, sharp and pleasing on the eye.

Night vision fares just as well, and it’s easy to make out people and animals, even when there is no light at all. If you need to get a closer look at something in the footage, you can just pinch to zoom on your smartphone.

Wireless convenience

As we’ve already mentioned, the fact the cameras are wireless, not to mention nice and compact, makes them really easy to install in your house. They’re one of the smallest smart security cameras we’ve tested, alongside the Moobox Pro XT.

Generous cloud storage

Arlo is more generous than many when it comes to its free cloud storage, saving footage of any suspicious movement or sound for seven days, compared to Nest’s three hours and Hive’s 24 hours.

There is a subscription offering, which will stretch this cloud storage to a month or longer, as well as give you a few more features too. 

These include more specific and customisable alerts (such as if it’s spotted a person, vehicle or animal) and the ability to set activity zones for the camera to keep an eye on or ignore to reduce unnecessary notifications. 

The subscription starts from £1.99/month per camera, which is half the price of Nest’s lowest priced subscription and should cover the majority of households. 

Built-in alarm

If you see something you don’t like the look of, you can remotely start the alarm on the hub, which rings at 100+ decibels – one of the great things about having the larger device. 

You can also choose to call-a-friend, if you’re away from home and you want someone to go and check in on what’s going on. This feature simply stores three emergency contacts within the Arlo app, and allows you to dial one directly from the app to save time.

It’s weatherproof

The Arlo Pro 2 is IP65 rated, which means it should withstand the rain, cold and – when we get it – heat and sunshine, and since there are no wires required, having it mounted in your garden shouldn’t be too much of a problem at all. 

Other brands offer outdoor versions of their cameras, but this package could happily cover both indoors and outdoors in one fell swoop.

It knows when you’re out

To reduce the amount of notifications you get, you can choose to have Arlo in Geofencing mode, which will switch the camera on and off automatically when you’re in or out of the house. It does this based on the location of your phone.

If you’d rather not have location settings turned on on your phone, there is also the option to set a timer for the times you’re at work, for example.

Two-way audio

There’s a small built-in speaker on the Arlo Pro 2. While it doesn’t include smart speaker functionality like the Nest IQ Cam Indoor has, it does serve as a way of speaking to intruders from your smartphone… or just for having a chat with your dog.

To do so, you simply press the microphone icon within the app, and speak through your room of choice, which comes through loud and clear.

Tailor your alerts

As well as telling your camera when you’d like it to record, with timers or geolocation, you can also tailor the alerts you receive. If you pay for the Arlo Smart subscription, it can tell the difference between people, vehicles and animals, and send you specific alerts based on the motion it detects. 

I have two dogs, so decided to turn off animal notifications to prevent my phone buzzing every two minutes.

Any motion that triggers an alert is saved as a video clip and stored in your library, where you can then download, forward or delete it – or even “donate” it to Arlo to help them improve their alerts.

What did I like?

The wireless, compact convenience of the Arlo Pro 2 is brilliant, and the picture quality is fantastic, in both day and night. If you need to call on this for security footage, you won’t be piecing pixels together to make out the features of a suspect.

The app is really well featured, and if you can make do with more generic notifications, there’s a lot you can do without needing to subscribe to Arlo Smart.

Having the built-in siren is a fantastic way of upping this from smart security system to fully fledged burglar alarm, which should send any intruders packing quick sharp.

What didn't I like?

It’s not quite as clever or accurate as some smart security cameras we have tested. It doesn’t have the ability to recognise specific faces like the Nest Cam IQ Indoor, for example, which was great for reducing unnecessary alerts.

I also found it would occasionally send me false alarms, letting me know it had spotted a person in the house, which when I checked, turned out (thankfully) not to be the case. I didn’t experience as much of this with the Nest Cam IQ Indoors.

The Geofencing could be a bit erratic too, and sometimes I would be sitting in the house and it would say it had switched into 'Away' mode. It required me to open to app for it to correct itself and switch back to 'Home'.

Real Homes verdict

The Arlo Pro 2 is a fantastic smart security setup, with great picture quality and wireless convenience. It’s not quite as smart as something like the Nest Cam IQ Indoor, but it’s a bit cheaper too, particularly when you consider the cost of their accompanying subscription services.

Even better, you could probably do without buying into Arlo Smart if you didn’t want to. Your notifications would be a bit more generic, but the seven days of cloud storage is hugely generous for free. You couldn’t say the same for Nest, which feels more reliant on its subscription service for all its good bits.

Overall, the Arlo Pro 2 is a brilliant performing smart security system for the more premium end of the market. The Nest Cam IQ Indoor might pip it for out and out performance, but there’s plenty to love here.

About our reviewer: Verity Burns

Verity Burns is our smart home tech expert. She has been writing about technology for over a decade, and spends a lot of time tinkering with the latest in smart home tech for The Hub section of Realhomes.com. You may even spot her chatting about smart home best buys and top tips on The Real Homes Show. 

When she's not writing, reviewing or offering tech support to various members of her family, she's a mum of three – one real baby and two furry ones. You’ll always find her in the living room, or recalibrating terrible TV settings at parties.

Read more on smart security:

• Best video doorbell
• Ring Doorbell 2 review

Not everyone has hundreds of pounds to spend on a smart security set up, and not everyone needs to either. The Moobox Pro XT is a simple, affordable smart security camera that, at £80, comes in at a third of the cost of some of offerings from the premium brands.

Despite its low price tag, it still comes with a number of important features, including a compact, battery-powered design, 1080p full HD resolution, an IP65 waterproof rating and motion detection alerts.

But is this an area to scrimp on or are you better saving up to go for a pricier model? Read on for our thoughts.

Compare the best home security systems in our handy guide. Then, we answer the question: do you really need smart security cameras?

• Head over to The Hub for more smart home technology news, advice and unbiased reviews
• Then, discover more tips on how to protect your home

What is the Moobox Pro XT?

The Moobox Pro XT is a wireless full HD smart security camera, with a separate hub that connects to your router.

Unlike the Arlo Pro 2’s rather chunky hub, the Moobox Pro XT’s is much more compact, and hooks up to your router in the same way, via ethernet cable. The cameras are a very similar size though, and aren’t dissimilar to look at either. You can sync up to four cameras with each hub.

The Pro XT stands upright on its own, or it comes with a magnetic wall mount if you prefer, which works really well with its wireless design. Moobox says the battery will last for four months, but the actual amount of time between charges will depend on how often it is recording.

For smart home enthusiasts, the Moobox Pro XT is not currently compatible with any smart speaker, so can’t be controlled with your Amazon Echo or Google Home speakers, for example. There’s also no web interface to control it with – you have to use the Moobox app, making it a little more restrictive than the pricier competition.

How easy is it to set up?

Getting the Moobox Pro XT online follows a similar process to setting up the Arlo Pro 2 and other home security cams. First you scan the QR code on the base of the hub to set it up within the app, then you go about adding your cameras. 

Each one requires the button on the camera’s base to be held down for a few seconds to put it into 'pairing' mode, and then a button on the hub to be pressed, to get them linked. It took us a few tries to get the lights flashing the right colours to connect, but we got there in the end.

Once the hub and camera have connected to one another successfully, their LEDs will flash green and then go out. You will then see that camera in your Moobox app.

Compared to some of its competitors, the Moobox app is pretty basic, which makes it very easy to use. On the homepage you’ll see all your cameras (extra cameras are available separately for £70 each), with an events tab for storing clips of any detected motion. The Moobox Pro XT can record video in 10, 15 or 30 second clips.

Who will the Moobox Pro XT suit?

The Moobox Pro XT is a very straightforward smart security setup, and would suit those on a budget looking for some very simple home surveillance.

That’s because, while it has specifications that match a lot of pricier cameras on paper, the features it offers are much more limited – and the experience is too.

So while it is wireless, full HD and weatherproof, it doesn’t have the ability to tell the difference between animals and humans in its notifications, for example. That means you could end up getting a lot of notifications indeed, especially if you have pets or are monitoring a garden.

If you were hoping to build it into a wider smart home setup too, you would need to look elsewhere – this doesn’t support any of smart assistants, like Alexa or Google Assistant.

How does the Moobox Pro XT perform?

The Moobox Pro XT is a bit of a mixed bag on the performance front, and it will depend on your requirements and expectations as to whether it will suit your needs.

Simple feature set means lots of alerts

The Pro XT is one of the simplest smart security cameras we’ve used, in terms of the number of features you have to play with once set up. That makes the app uncluttered and easy to use, but there is very little you can tweak in terms of settings. 

You can adjust the sensitivity of the motion detection to reduce unwanted alerts (like trees blowing in your garden, for example), and also set a timer to schedule when the camera should be on watch. However it leaves fancier controls like geolocation (being able to switch the camera on or off automatically based on when you’re at home or not), face detection and the ability to differentiate people and animals out of the equation. 

This means you get more notifications than you would with other, more sophisticated systems, which in turn affects the wireless camera’s battery life. While you can turn off the push notifications in your phone’s settings, you would have to trawl through hundreds of clips to find anything of note, which is not very convenient.

Average picture quality

Despite being a 1080p full HD camera with 120-angle wide angle lens, the image quality does lag behind the competition somewhat, which is probably due to the quality of the sensor the Pro XT uses. 

While day time shots are sharp enough for the most part, the image can become blocky and pixelated during motion playback, and is a little soft on detail thanks to heavy handed compression. Night vision footage fares a lot worse in this respect, and is grainy and poorly defined, even when there is ambient light. Pricier alternatives perform better in the pitch black.

Can be used indoors and outdoors

The fact the Moobox Pro XT can be used indoors and outdoors, thanks to its IP65 waterproof rating, makes it very flexible for the money. I found the range on it to be pretty good too, and had no problems installing it in the garden, some distance from the hub.

Free cloud storage, no subscription required

As part of its simple approach, Moobox doesn’t offer a subscription service, and just offers seven days of cloud storage for your footage for free. That means there are no hidden costs to Moobox, which will be reassuring for many. 

If you prefer, you can also store your footage locally on the Moobox Pro XT’s 16GB included SD card so it’s always to hand, no internet connection required.

Two-way voice is clear enough

The built-in mic and speaker allow for two-way talking via the camera, which is loud and clear. It’s arguably not as crystal clear as the performance from Arlo or Nest, but it should do the job at scaring off any unwanted visitors if required.

Motion detection only

The Moobox Pro XT only detects motion, and not sound, so it won’t pick up the sound of a window being smashed in another room, for example. Motion detection footage also doesn’t capture sound, despite there being a microphone on board for the two-way voice feature, which seems like a missed opportunity.

What did I like?

It’s a great, convenient design that rivals the likes of the Arlo Pro 2, and it’s also super simple to use. 

The price is also very attractive if you just need some casual surveillance for when you’re out of the house, and aren’t keen on paying for an ongoing monthly subscription to unlock the very very best features. With the Moobox Pro XT, you get everything that it offers straight out of the box.

What didn’t I like?

While its simplicity will be part of its charm for some, the amount of notifications that you receive when the camera is recording can be quite annoying. As I have dogs, having this camera in the living room when I was out meant I got a lot of notifications, even when I set sensitivity to low. If you have this focused on a garden or a driveway, I could imagine you’d get even more. Overnight, that could be very annoying indeed.

The video quality is also not the best, which is frustrating. If you have a product like this, you want to be sure what it captures will be reliable and usable when you need it, and at night, I’m not convinced it would be.

Finally, with no smart assistant compatibility, this won’t slot into a larger smart home set up, which is a bit of a shame.

Real Homes verdict

The Moobox Pro XT offers a decent performance for the price, but we can see the experience being frustrating for many due to inability to tailor the notifications you receive. 

These will be particularly frequent if you own pets or are using the Pro XT to keep on eye on the outside of your property, and those people may want to consider choosing a more sophisticated system to improve that.

The video quality isn’t the greatest either, particularly at night, so you’ll have to manage your expectations as to what this is capable of. Plus this works entirely on its own - there’s no way of adding it into an existing smart home setup, which is a bit of a blow for a smart security system.

If you’re happy to overlook these issues to get a surveillance system on a real budget, then the Moobox Pro XT could well be worth a look.

About our reviewer: Verity Burns

Verity Burns is our smart home tech expert. She has been writing about technology for over a decade, and spends a lot of time tinkering with the latest in smart home tech for The Hub section of Realhomes.com. You may even spot her chatting about smart home best buys and top tips on The Real Homes Show. 

When she's not writing, reviewing or offering tech support to various members of her family, she's a mum of three – one real baby and two furry ones. You’ll always find her in the living room, or recalibrating terrible TV settings at parties.

Read more on home security tech:

• Best video doorbell
• Ring Doorbell 2 review

As part of their #MadeByGoogle conference, Google outlined their intentions to make their smart devices – as well as their business, more generally – more sustainable. And it certainly shows in their latest range of product releases.

While plenty of companies have been shouting (in some cases very loudly) about their move towards sustainability, Google has already made a series of behind the scenes changes in a bid to reduce their impact on the planet. The most notable? Being carbon neutral since 2007. Impressive, right?

Below you'll find five more changes Google have made in a bid to make their latest smart devices more sustainable – most notably in their famous Google Nest Mini. Then, when you're done, head over to The Hub for the latest smart home news.

• Pre-order the all new Google Nest Mini in the UK
• Pre-order the all new Google Nest Mini in the US

1. The Google Nest Thermostat will continue to significantly reduce household energy use

If current data is anything to go by, plans to increase sales of the Google Nest Learning Thermostat will dramatically decrease the amount of energy used by the average household. This is good news for the planet, as well as our purses. 

So far, Google's smart thermostats have helped to save 41 billion kilowatts of energy. That's enough to meet Denver, Colorado's energy needs for six years. Wow. 

Learn more about the best smart thermostats in our buying guide. We've also written a guide which answers the question: what is a smart thermostat and do I need one?

• Shop the Google Nest Learning Thermostat in the UK
• Shop the Google Nest Learning Thermostat in the US

2. All Google Nest Minis will now be made from 35% recycled plastic

Google also announced their commitment to using increasing amounts of recycled materials. In the case of the soon to be released Google Nest Mini, this means an outer shell made from 35 per cent post-consumer recycled plastic.

While the details are still a little unclear, Google have also committed to increasing the amount of recycled plastic used across the entire Google Nest range by 2022. So, we're excited to see what's next.

3. And their fabric cover will be made from 100% recycled plastic bottles

What's more, the fabric used to cover the all new Google Nest Mini will be made from 100 per cent recycled plastic. For context, a single half-litre plastic bottle makes enough fabric to cover more than two Nest Mini devices, which is a great use of the excess plastic in the world. 

Plus, this is all possible without sacrificing the quality of the new device. Trust us, we've had a play with them already. 

4. Google have committed to offsetting 100% of carbon released to ship their goods

While Google themselves have been carbon neutral since 2017, the same can't be said for companies they partner with. But, that's in the process of changing.

Google have also committed to offsetting 100 per cent of the carbon released during the shipping of their products, demonstrating their commitment to the cause. 

5. And they're investing $150 million into renewable energy

Outside of their own work to offset the carbon produced by partner firms, Google are set to invest an incredible $150 million into renewable energy projects internationally. We're excited to see exactly what this entails.

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You may remember that we reported on Boxt – the 24 hour boiler replacement service – a couple of weeks back. No? Don't worry, we've recapped the basics, below. 

We've since discovered that in addition to guaranteeing boiler replacement in less than 24 hours, a collaboration between Boxt and Google means that customers will receive a free Google Nest Learning Thermostat and Google Home Mini with every installation. This will give standard boilers smart capabilities, and homeowners the option to control their boiler with their voice. We're intrigued...

• For the latest smart home news, advice and information, head over to The Hub
• Consider all your options in our essential heating guide

As if guaranteed installation with 24 hours wasn't enough, a recent collaboration between Boxt and Google means it's now possible to control your boiler using your voice. Here's everything you need to know:

What is a smart boiler?

For a boiler to be considered smart, it myst be synced with a smart phone, tablet, or another smart enabled device. This often requires the assistance of a third party smart assistant. In this case, Google Assistant. 

Want to learn more? You may also find our Google Assistant review a handy read.

Boxt smart boilers

Every boiler installed with Boxt is currently available with a free Google Nest Learning Thermostat – which allows users to control their heating from any location, as well as setting schedules and discovering super easy ways to reduce energy usage – and a Google Home Mini which enables voice control. When everything is set up, all you'll have to say is 'OK, Google', followed by your command, for complete control over your heating system. 

You can learn more about the Google Nest Learning Thermostat in our guide to the best smart thermostats (hint: it's our top pick). 

Who are Boxt?

Despite having only launched in 2017, Boxt has already earned its place as the UK's second largest boiler installer, as well as having the highest rated smart home installation service in the UK. Pretty impressive credentials, we think you'd agree. But how does the service work?

Well, it might be easiest to think of Boxt as the Uber of the boiler installation world. You start by downloading the Boxt app, where a selection of super simple questions are used to determine exactly what it is you require. From there, you are connected with a Boxt approved boiler installer, based in your local area, who guarantees installation within 24 hours.

By offering a unique real time price and booking service that bypasses the (often lengthy) process of acquiring quote, Boxt prioritise the customer. In a bid to enhance customer safety, they also promises to provide full installer profiles prior to their arrival.

Speaking about the thinking behind Boxt, co-founder Andy Kerr says, 'The home installation (sector) is ripe for disruption and we want Boxt to be the first choice for customers who want to install heating, cooling or any smart technology in their home. We’ve developed our platform to ensure that the process for customers  is easy, transparent and always good value – and with no hidden costs or antiquated sales techniques.'

• Burglaries increase by 35% during winter – but smart home security can protect you. Here's how
• Are smart bulbs worth the hype? And what can they do? Which to buy? We reveal all...

The Nest Cam IQ Indoor camera is the smartest security camera currently offered by the smart home mainstay, and improves on the company’s original Nest Cam Indoor (which is still available) by improving video quality and adding in more advanced features. 

It’s not cheap, but if you’re looking for truly sophisticated smart security, within a tried and tested ecosystem, it’s hard to argue with what it offers. 

Find out more about the benefits of smart security cameras, then discover more ways to protect your home and make it secure. Find more smart home technology info, advice and reviews on our hub page.

What is the Google Nest Cam IQ Indoor?

The Google Nest Cam IQ Indoor is a wired smart security camera that sits within Google’s Nest ecosystem, which includes a smart thermostat, smart locks, the Nest Hello smart doorbell and the two-strong family of Nest Hub smart displays.

As its name would suggest, it’s intended for use inside the house – you’ll want the Nest IQ Outdoor camera if you need to keep an eye on outside your house too. 

It has an 8MP 4K sensor with HDR imaging, and a 130-degree wide-angle lens, which helps it to capture the majority of all but the largest rooms in one shot. That’s good, as there’s no ability to actually move the camera via the app, you’ll need to position it when you set it up and adjust it manually if needs be.

The Supersight feature allows it to zoom in and track moving subjects with impressive accuracy, and that good-quality sensor and excellent night vision ensures the picture is nice and clear whenever you need to check on it.

Its firmware was recently updated to include Google Assistant, but is slightly limited in what it can do compared to a Google Home speaker – it can’t stream music for example – but the majority of the other functionality is there.

When you summon Google Assistant, the Nest Cam IQ Indoor’s LED ring lights up so you know it’s listening. This also comes on when you use the Walkie Talkie feature, which gives you the ability to talk through the camera from the Nest app.

How easy is it to set up?

If you’ve been putting of investing in smart security because you’ve been worried about it being a hassle to install, the Nest Cam IQ Indoor is the opposite. 

To get it up and running, simply plug it in, download the Nest app to your smartphone or tablet and scan the QR code on the bottom of the camera to pair it with the app. You can do this for every camera you have and then name them to your liking.

It is wired, unlike some of its competitors, so it does need to be relatively near a plug, and is better suited to being placed on furniture, unless you’re willing to run the 3m cable up your wall.

I set mine up in my living room, because that’s the place where my dogs sit when I’m not there, and it’s the biggest area of coming and going. It’s also the room anyone would have to pass through if they were an intruder, so with only one camera to play with, it seemed like a good option.

Who will the Google Nest Cam IQ Indoor suit?

If you’re interested in keeping an eye on your home when you’re not there, the Nest Cam IQ Indoor is one of the best and most comprehensive smart security cameras you can buy. In particular, if you’ve already bought into any of the Google Home or Google Nest ecosystems, it will slot right in with ease. 

At £249 per camera though, it’s a fair investment, and those not concerned about the very best in picture quality and who don’t mind losing a few features like the Supersight track and zoom, might find it worth considering the regular Google Nest Cam Indoor at around half the price.

Anyone considering buying either should also be mindful of Nest Aware, the accompanying subscription service, which offers a lot of the enhanced functionality that makes the Nest Cam IQ Indoor so good. 

After your first free 30 days, there are a choice of levels, from £4/month, to £8/month and up to £24/month. All offer the same extra features, but will hold onto footage longer, either 5 days, 10 days or a whole month.

Each camera you own needs a subscription too, but Google does offer a 50% discount on this for subsequent cameras.

How does the Nest Cam IQ Indoor perform?

Some of its standout features include:

Excellent video quality

That 4K sensor means the video quality is fantastic, in day or night, and the track and zoom Supersight feature is really effective, and not something offered by its competitors. Also, considering the wide angle of the lens, there’s very little distortion, or “fisheye-ing”, to the image whatsoever.

Face detection

The face detection is pretty spot on. You’ll need to have subscribed to Nest Aware for it to work, but it logs every new face that it spots and gets you to approve it as someone you know. You can then adjust your notifications, so you’re only notified of someone in the room you don’t know, for example. It even recognised my dog.

Constant recording, if you want it to

Unlike some of its competition, the Nest Cam IQ Indoor records 24/7, if you want it to. It only depends on whether you’re subscribed to Nest Aware, and what level, as to how long it holds on to the footage for. If that sounds like a lot of footage to trawl through, Nest Aware helps you to pick out key moments of interest with its Sightline feature, which is like a timeline of events over the past five days where it’s noticed movement, sound or familiar/unfamiliar faces. 

Switches off when you’re in the house

The Home/Away feature is fantastic for ensuring you’re not getting stacks of notifications when you’re in the house. When switched on, Nest knows when your phone – and therefore, very likely, you – are at home, and so it will stop recording, and only switch on when you leave. And it’s accurate. Furthermore, you can also set up all your family members on different profiles, and only have it switch on if none of you are home.

Want it to ensure your camera is doing its job at night when you’re sleeping? You can choose to override the Home/Away feature at certain times if you want, so you can get the best of both worlds.

Privacy concerns addressed

When I first started testing the Nest Cam IQ Indoor, it could be filming and there would be no way of knowing, as you could turn the small notification LED off. Part way through testing, that changed. As part of Nest’s commitment to privacy, all of their cameras will now always have a clear visual indicator as to when they’re on and sending video and audio, and the ability to turn off the status light has now gone.

Two-way audio is crystal clear

The Walkie Talkie feature is great, and speaking through the camera from the app comes through loud and clear. Preferably used for telling your dog he’s a good boy rather than having to ask a criminal what they’re up to, of course.

You can set zones of interest

This is another paid-for feature using Nest Aware, but ‘Activity Zones’ allow you to mark up an area in a room where you want to receive particular notifications if there is movement. This could be around the front door or windows, for example. 

Equally, you can set a zone that you don’t want notifications for, if the tree outside your window is always setting off a motion alert. Activity zones need to be set using a computer and you can set up to four per camera.

Save your videos

Whether your camera caught an epic must-share moment around the family dinner table, or you need it for more practical purposes, with a Nest Aware subscription, you are able to save your videos to your phone and share them as you need to, hopefully with your Facebook friends rather than the police.

It works well with other Nest products

Nest has been in the smart home game a while, so not only does it have its ease-of-use down to a tee, but also its integration with other Nest products is superb. If you’ve invested in a Nest Home Hub, or Nest Hello doorbell, this will slot right in.

What did I like?

I loved the ease of use of the Nest Cam IQ Indoor. Getting it set up and tinkering with the type of notifications I wanted to receive was really straight forward, and the Home/Away feature is also really handy for ensuring you’re only getting notifications when you really need them.

The video quality is also brilliant. Even in the pitch black, its night vision could pick up out faces for the face detection without issue, and offer a decent picture too.

What didn’t I like? 

It’s a shame that so many of its great features are so reliant on signing up for the Nest Aware subscription, though the recent introduction of the £4/month tier does at least make this a little more manageable. It is still an ongoing cost though, on top of an already pretty high initial price.

I also felt it could be a bit jumpy with its motion sensing – I received several notifications of movement when I was out of the house, which when I looked at the footage, I couldn’t see any movement at all. 

Real Homes verdict

Overall, the Nest Cam IQ Indoor is a brilliant, reliable smart security camera that offers excellent picture quality and stacks of features – if you subscribe to Nest Aware. 

The £4/month option should be enough to cover the needs of most households, but that’s still another £48 you need to budget for every year on top of the £249 base cost.

If you just want basic home surveillance without all the bells and whistles, you might be able to do without the subscription – you get three hours of footage and included person alerts as standard – but it might also be worth looking at Nest’s regular Nest Cam Indoor, which is only £119 (at the time of writing). 

The video quality isn’t as good, it doesn’t come with the Supersight zoom and track feature and it’s not quite as clever – it can’t offer up person alerts without a Nest Aware subscription, while the IQ comes with that as standard.

However, if you have a good budget for smart surveillance, we don’t think you’d be disappointed if you spent it here. Cheaper options are available but they come with a few more compromises. The only compromise here is the price.

More on home security:

• The best smart lock
• Best home security system
• Amazon Blink home security camera review

The Google Nest Hub Max is on sale now. Yup, the smart display is on sale in charcoal in limited quantities. 

• Read our Google Nest Hub review

Let's cut to the chase. If you want one, click through to these links now before stocks (quickly) run dry. Nest Hub Max is on sale in the UK for £219 from John Lewis & Partners. In the US, it is on sale for $229 at Target (Charcoal only).

Not familiar with Google's new smart display? Let's give you the low down on the Nest Hub Max – pretty big news from Google's smart home team. As we said back in May, when the launch was announced, it seems they, like us, have quickly understood that not that many of us are interested in making our homes smart, but are interested in what smart homes can do for us. And the first step in this is to bring the Home products under the Nest brand (bear with us, we'll get to the meat in a minute).

'We’ve been working to make the smart home a little less complicated, and well, more helpful. It’s a home where products work together to help you feel comfortable and safe, keep an eye on things when you’re away, and connect you to friends and family,' says Rishi Chandra, VP of product and general manager, Good Home and Nest. 'Our first step as Google Nest is to go beyond the idea of a “smart home,” and to focus instead on creating a “helpful home.”'

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So, what is the Nest Hub Max and, more importantly, what can it do for us? 'Nest Hub Max has all the things you love about Nest Hub (formerly Google Home Hub),' continues Rishi Chandra. 'It has a digital photo frame powered by Google Photos and the home view dashboard, which gives you full control of your connected device. With our new display, you'll get a bigger 10-inch HD screen and a smart camera that helps you keep an eye on your home and keep in touch with family and friends. Nest Hub Max is specifically designed for those shared places in the home where your family and friends gather.'

And how can you use it? Here are a few suggestions:

As an extra TV – whether in the kitchen or for the kids to use while you watch something more edifying on the main TV. With a subscription, the Nest Hub Max can stream your favourite live shows and sports on YouTube TV. All you do is tell the Nest Hub Max what you want to watch or ask the Assistant (you can read our review on that). 

As a smart assistant – learn how to cook, play your music (there's a powerful rear-facing woofer), and see who’s at the front door. 

As a smart camera – the Nest Hub Max has a Nest Cam that you can switch on when you’re away; download the Nest app to your phone and check what's happening from wherever you are in the world. You'll get motion notifications, too.

The camera, together with Google Duo, makes video calling easy, too. Chat live or leave video messages for other members of your household.

As a digital photo frame – with Recent Highlights from Google Photos, anytime you take photos on your phone, your best shots will show up on your Nest Hub Max automatically. You can  share your Recent Highlights with friends and family, so they can see your latest photos on their Nest Hub Max, too – no manual updates required. And you can enjoy specific photos by asking: “Hey Google, show pictures from Cornwall” will automatically bring photos from that location.

Voice and Face Match – with these features, the Assistant can recognize your voice and respond specifically to you. So if, in the morning, you walk past the Nest Hub Max, the Assistant will greet you with everything from your calendar to commuting details.

Quick Gestures: pause and resume any music, podcasts and other entertainment playing on the device by just looking at it and raising your hand. Perfect for those moments of chaos in the house or when the baby's asleep and you don’t want to raise your voice.

To control your entire home: Nest Hub Max can be the centre of your smart home, helping you and everyone in the household control all of your compatible connected products from home view. No more switching between apps to turn on the lights: the home view dashboard gives you complete control, or you can always say “Hey Google, turn on the lights.” You can also control your compatible TVs and speakers from Nest Hub Max with your voice or from one dashboard. You can turn them on and off, control thhe volume, play, pause and search.

• 10 reasons why you need a smart assistant

Although 57 per cent of us own a smart assistant, playing music is still the main reason we buy one. This is according to research of 1,042 people carried out by the Real Homes Show, our online TV show, sponsored by Checkatrade, which now features a smart home tech section. But, it turns out, we're missing out on a whole world of fun.

If you're one of the 53 per cent of people who own an Alexa-enabled voice assistant (such as the Echo, Echo Dot or Echo Plus), or amongst the 22 per cent of people who own a Google Home device, here are nine of the weird, wonderful, and occasionally useful, things you could be using it for.

If you haven't got smart speakers yet, or you want extra speakers for other rooms, make sure you check out the best Amazon Prime Day deals when the sale goes live this weekend.

1. Ask Alexa or Google Home to play a game with you

Remember the days when everyone sat around playing Monopoly of an evening? Nah, us neither. You've got more chance of getting the whole family involved in a game if it's of the digital variety. Ask your smart assistant to play a game and you'll be spoilt for choice. From a name-that-song music quiz to a testing of your general knowledge, you'll find something to keep everyone entertained.

2. Add to your joke repertoire 

Friends fed up of your cheese jokes? They're probably not very Gouda (sorry). Luckily, both Alexa and Google Home Assistant can help improve your puns. Ask either to tell you a joke, remember it and prepare for the laughs to roll in. You might even pick up a cracker (sorry, again).

3. Tell everyone when dinner is ready

If you've got teenagers in front of Fortnite and your other half glued to the TV, then yelling that dinner is ready can fall on deaf ears. Instead, use your smart assistant and speakers as an intercom. Great fun for making announcements, especially if they embarrass the kids... 'Josh, hope you're having fun up there with your new girlfriend...'.

4. Make a handsfree phone call

Still dialling friends and family on the old dog and bone? That's sooo 2018. Instead, sync your phone to your smart assistant and then use it to make handsfree calls, either on the phone or to your smart assistant. Letting your mum natter away while you get on with something useful? Priceless.

5. Get help in the kitchen

If it's that time of the week when there's nothing in the fridge but some cheese, an egg and half a pepper, your smart assistant can come to your rescue. Ask your smart assistant for recipes containing the items you have. And if you're confused as to how many grams are in a cup, they can help with that, too.

6. Learn a new language

If 'paella, por favor' is the extent of your Spanish skills, then use your smart assistant to learn some more of the local lingo before you jet off on holiday. Alexa can teach you a word of the day in your chosen language, or let you listen and learn from a daily audio lesson, both using the Daily Dose app. Google Home Assistant, meanwhile, can translate words and phrases into English, German, French, Spanish, Italian and Japanese for you. Bonne chance!

7. Remember all the stuff you usually forget

Fed up of getting home from the shops and realising you've forgotten the milk? Then use your smart assistant to send you reminders or make lists for you. For instance, say 'Alexa, add eggs to my shopping list' or 'Hey Google, remember my work door passcode'. Using the linked app, you can listen back to your reminders or get them entered into a linked app, such as AnyList, and Todoist.

8. Get a better night's sleep

Having trouble nodding off? Ask Google Home Assistant to play you white noise on your bedroom speaker, which is proven to help you drift into the land of nod. Alexa, meanwhile, can teach you to meditate – simply ask Alexa to open Headspace or Mindful Meditation and then sit back, relax and fall asleep.

9. Control your smart home

Okay, we're guessing you already know this, but as most of us are only using our smart assistants to play music, it's worth a recap. Both Alexa and Google Home Assistant-enabled devices can be synced with everything from smart lighting to smart washing machines, allowing you to control your devices using your voice if you're at home, or using the app if you're out and about. Clever, aren't they?

Choose your Alexa or Google Home device...

Check out these related articles:

• Check out the best tech to help you get a good night's sleep
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We are all pretty used to the concept of smart assistants now. If you don't own one yourself you probably know someone who does. We've become accustomed to saying things like 'Okay Google, what's the weather like tomorrow?' and 'Alexa, what happened on Love Island last night?'. But just how much have these virtual assistants become part of our homes?

A new survey conducted by the Real Homes Show has revealed that smart assistants are in fact the most popular home tech gadget, with Amazon Alexa and Google Home being used by over half (57 per cent) of those surveyed. 

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According to the 1,042 participants of the survey, the most popular smart assistant was by far the Amazon Alexa (53 per cent). The next most popular choice was Google Home Assistant, with 22 per cent saying this was their preferred smart assistant (check out our reviews on both). And, we've reviewed Apple's Siri, too.

The factors that affected buyers the most when choosing which smart assistant to go for was easy connection and ease of use, and the most popular type of smart device bought was a smart audio gadget, with 37 per cent of smart devices bought being some kind of speaker.

• Best smart speakers 2019 – an expert buyer's guide

As well as smart assistants, the homeowners surveyed also noted they are considering prioritising their investment in smart audio, smart lighting, smart security, smart heating and smart plugs with in the next year. Well over 50 per cent also stated that they regularly control their home tech remotely from their smart phones and tablets, and they do tend to use their smart gadgets more than once a day. 

Feeling tempted to invest in your own smart assistant? Well with Amazon Prime Day coming up (starts next Monday 15th July), there will be some amazing deals go on, so now is going to be the best time to get your hands on one. Not sure what device to go for ? Check out these reviews and advice:

• Smart assistants: a beginner's guide
• The smart plug: a beginner's guide
• Smart meters: everything you need to know
• Amazon Echo Show (2nd Generation) review

Jason Orme, presenter on the Real Homes Show, sponsored by Checkatrade, says, 'We’re quite a smart home tech nation, according to the Real Homes audience survey. It’s gratifying to know that in this fast-paced world, the Real Homes Show is attracting a loyal audience who are keen to hear more about the latest products and to educate themselves on ways in which they can enhance their homes, make the most of their space and enjoy their surroundings even more by introducing small improvements that won’t cost the earth and are user-friendly.  We’re really excited about the second series which will bring more hints, tips and advice to our home loving, tech savvy viewers.'

For a load more content on smart home tech then make sure you check out our new section, The Hub. You'll find plenty of advice and in depth reviews over there. 

Plus, make sure you check out the latest episode of the Real Homes Show, which is back for a second season tomorrow and has a new smart home tech section. Each episode, tech expert Verity Burns will give viewers a beginner's guide to creating a more connected home, focusing on everything from robot vacuum cleaners to smart fridges. 

Smart tech – do you own loads of gadgets already, are you excited about the prospect of owning some, or mistrustful of all the new technology entering our homes? Or is it more a question of coveting only the best smart tech for your home (but having no idea where to start)?

Recent research* suggests that some smart tech gadgets are more desirable than others. A digital home assistant, such as Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa, is by far the most anticipated smart home tech, with 41 per cent of UK households expecting to get one via a smart speaker within the next five years. 

• Best smart speakers 2019 – use Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri and more

The same percentage are keen on a smart thermostat such as Hive or Nest, which will allow them to control their heating remotely. 

Smart lighting and a smart video doorbell are an anticipated purchase for 36 per cent; this despite our report last week that video doorbells are the least trusted pieces of smart home kit.

By contrast, interest in smart appliances is relatively low, with only 17 per cent saying they are interested in a smart oven, while a smart washing machine or fridge only appealed to 19 per cent of respondents. This may be partly because people aren't sure about what such appliances can offer that isn't already covered by their non-smart counterparts.

And where would we like to buy our smart tech from? It turns out that only 15 per cent would like to buy from a specialist smart tech provider. The majority of us, it seems, are happy to continue purchasing our tech gadgets from retailers such as Amazon. 

Speaking of which, the upcoming Amazon Prime Day is a good time to get your smart tech at a good price. 

* Based on a survey of 2,500 UK households by Ernst & Young, analysed by property specialists FastSaleHomes.co.uk.

• What is a smart fridge and do I need one?
• What is a smart washing machine and do I need one?

Searching for the best smart plug? Smart thinking. An ingenious gadget for your house, the humble smart plug allows you to do things like schedule the length of time an appliance in your home runs, saving you money and the planet energy. In short, it comes in pretty handy.

Let's face it, we often leave our phones and laptops on charge for far longer than necessary. Likewise, printers and scanners can spend months left on standby, clocking up a hefty electric bill. Plus, there's nothing worse than realizing your curlers have been on all day – eek! But with a smart plug, these nightmares are no more. You can set a time to switch off in advance or perhaps at your leisure from a smartphone.

Why not go all out and create your very own smart home? For your home office needs, there are the best Wi-Fi extenders, to boost the reach of your home internet. Read on to see how the best smart plugs can also help manage life and work.

The best smart plugs in 2022

While the Philips Hue branding is most often associated with smart bulbs, rather than plugs, the company has expanded its range to allow previously 'dumb' lighting to join the party.

What we liked

We tested the Philips Hue smart plug alongside corresponding smart bulbs, integrating them into our existing routines set by a Google Assistant speaker. Once the Hue Bridge was set up, adding both devices to the app was incredibly simple, and we were able to add them to our Google Home profile.

Keeping with the lighting theme, we replaced an existing smart plug used to control a set of curtain lights in our bedroom with the Hue plug, and it worked brilliantly over the course of several weeks. This included switching on with our morning alarm (through the Google Home Mini), switching off with our night routine, and detecting when we left the house and came home.

It's also worth noting that - despite very patchy WiFi in our home - the Philips Hue placed at the back of the ground floor (connected to our router via Ethernet) had no trouble communicating with the plug in our first-floor bedroom.

What could be better

We mentioned the Hue Bridge, which is required for many of the features - such as geofencing - that you'll want from the Hue plug. Ours was sent with the bulbs, so you may need to purchase this separately in order to use the device to its full potential. It's an additional expense that many people may not be expecting.

The Philips Hue smart bulb also lacks energy monitoring, which is a useful feature for those using smart home devices to decrease their energy wastage.

Real Homes rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The only-just-second-best smart plug you can buy, there are a lot of reasons why we rate the Hive Active Smart Plug so highly. 

Whether you want the option to turn off lights, fans, electric heaters, and more without having to get out of bed; or want to be able to check – wherever you are – that you did in fact turn off your hair straighteners, iron, or whatever else, the ability to control a smart plug from your smartphone is a super handy feature. Thanks to the ease of the Hive system, this is easier than you might imagine.

Perfect for those looking for easy ways to increase their home security, the Hive Smart Active Plug allows users to schedule up to six separate time slots, daily, making it easier than ever to give burglars the impression that someone's home (even if they're not). Or, perhaps you want the slow cooker to turn on (or off) while you're at work, so dinner's ready when you get home? Or the coffee machine to make a brew just as your alarm goes off in the morning? Scheduling sorts it.

Forming part of the wider – and equally recommended – Hive Smart Home System, makes opting for a smart plug from Hive the easiest option if you're looking to build your home set-up and want the guaranteed ease of committing to one, specific brand where quality and functionality is guaranteed. While this isn't essential – most smart product brands are inter-connectable – we understand the desire of many to minimize hassle through brand loyalty.

If you're an Alexa user who's on a budget, the Amazon Smart Plug could be just what you've been looking for. While it may not come with all the bells and whistles of its competitors, this is a handy piece of kit that's perfect for those just beginning to break out into the world of smart home tech.

Perfect for those already operating on the Amazon Alexa system, it's super simple to control your smart plugs via the Alexa app. Unlike other systems, there's no need for any extra apps to clutter up your phone.

On top of this, the fact that this smart plug model was designed, in-house, by Amazon, means it's unlikely that you'll be met with any difficulties when connecting to your wider Amazon smart home system.

Much like many of the other smart plugs mentioned in this buying guide, it's super easy to schedule when your smart plugs turn devices on and off. That's your home security and hard-to-reach plug socket dilemmas solved. 

Interested in using smart plugs to monitor your energy usage? The TP-Link WiFi Smart Plug with Energy Monitoring could be the option for you. 

Providing weekly and monthly feedback, as well as real-time stats, this model is perfect for those looking to keep track of their energy usage. They say knowledge is power and once you know exactly how much energy each of your devices is using, it'll make it all the easier to look for ways to reduce it. Good for the planet and good for your pocket, this feature is a real winner.

Providing peace of mind for those who *sometimes* forget to turn off their appliances, this option from TP-Link comes complete with a countdown timer feature, which switches off running household appliances, automatically, if you have set a time limit prior to use.

The Belkin WeMo Insight Switch is the best all-around smart plug. While it's not the most affordable option available, it's more than worth the investment if you're serious about having a smart plug that does everything you'd expect it to, and more. 

The main draw of a smart plug for many is the ability to control electronic devices from afar. So, whether you're keen to maintain some control over the kids' TV watching schedule – even when you're not there – or want to put your mind at ease, safe in the knowledge that you did turn off the iron, this model from Belkin covers the basics. 

A step up from simply being able to control your appliances from afar, the WeMo Insight Switch allows you to set schedules. Perfect for helping reduce your energy usage – you can schedule all non-essential electronics to turn off when you leave the house, and turn back on when you return – schedules can also be used to enhance your home security by using smart plugs on lamps, giving the appearance that someone's home, even when they're not.

Plus, for the more tech-savvy among us, there's the option to connect the WeMo to an external automation tool, such as IFTTT (If This Then That) which allows for more complex commands. 

While, admittedly, you're not going to single-handedly save the planet by switching your appliances off at the socket when you're not using them, there is something to be said for being more conscious of your energy usage. With this in mind, the WeMo Insight Switch can help users identify where they're wasting the most energy and make changes, accordingly. 

Compatible with Amazon, Apple, and Google, the WeMo Smart Plug should slip, seamlessly, into a wider smart home system.

Choosing the best smart plug for your home

When it comes to buying the best smart plug, it's easy to assume that all models offer an almost identical function, but that's not quite true. In order to find a model that best suits your needs, there are a few factors worth considering – all of which we've factored into our reviewing process. These include:

Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connectivity

Most smart plugs operate via Wi-Fi, but there are a few instances in which you'll need to connect via Bluetooth instead. While Wi-Fi is the best option, if you live in an area with particularly awful WiFi speeds, you may benefit from opting for a Bluetooth model.

Zoning

If you're planning on investing in a number of smart plugs to streamline your use of energy, it's worth considering whether the model you're considering offers a zoning function. As the term suggests, this allows you to create handy plug 'zones,' which can be turned off, or scheduled, collectively. Think all living room table lamps within one zone, for example.

Scheduling

If you're planning on using your smart plug to aid your home security set up – in most cases this will mean programming lights to come on, intermittently, while you're away from home – you'll need to ensure you're opting for a model that offers a scheduling function. 

While, of course, you can turn lights on and off, manually, via your smartphone if you opt for a model without a scheduling function, we imagine that a few days into your holiday, you'd rather focus your attention on downing Sangria than sorting out your home security.

Compatibility

The final consideration comes down to whether you're running the rest of your smart home system on Android (Alexa or Google Assistant) or iOS (Siri). In order to connect everything together, effectively, you'll need to ensure you opt for a compatible device.

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Confirmed this week, Google are officially releasing a rival product to Amazon's Echo Show (read more about that launch in our news feature). With a 7-inch screen and similar functionality to Amazon's version, the new first-party smart display Google Home Hub will be released this month.

WHAT does the Google Home Hub do?

The Google Home Hub is a smart speaker with a screen; it can talk to you, help you out with to-do lists and also act as a photo frame to display all of your favourite memories. 

What features does the Home Hub have? 

An Ambient EQ light sensor, which allows the screen to automatically adjust to match the lighting in the room, and Home View, which shows an overview of all of your other smart products, allowing you to turn them off and on as you please. 

In the morning, Google Home Hub can give you a quick snippet of your day including the weather, what's on your agenda, your commute information (from Google Maps) and reminders from your to-do list. 

Unlike the Echo Show, Home Hub can access Google Maps, Photos and Calendar, and you can watch YouTube and YouTube TV on it (a serious advantage, we think). Better still, because they're the first retailer to offer a product this of this kind with YouTube on tap, Google is giving everyone who purchases a Home Hub six months of YouTube Premium for free. 

Oh, and did we mention it's also available in four different colours? Choose from chalk charcoal, aqua and sand. 

Why no front camera? 

Admittedly, no front camera makes video-calling trickier, although you can still easily voice call from the device. The reason for not including a front camera? Google want us to feel comfortable putting the Home Hub in bedrooms and bathrooms as well as kitchens and living spaces.

WHEN will the Google Home Hub be available to buy?

You can purchase the Google Home Hub from October 22 2018 onwards.

HOW MUCH will the Google Home Hub cost?

When released, you'll be able to get your hands on one of these for around £110 (that's $149, AU$210).

What's the difference between Amazon Echo Show and Google Home Hub?

The two products do basically the same thing, showing visual information about your day as well as controlling your smart home devices. The only difference is that Amazon's version has a front-facing camera and Google's doesn't. 

Amazon's 2nd Gen Amazon Echo Show (reviewed here by our mates over on TechRadar) is released on the 11 October, 2018. Here's an at-a-glance comparison:

• Screen size: Google Home Hub 7-inch | Amazon Echo Show 10-inch 
• Price: Google Home Hub  £110 / US$149 / AU$210 | Amazon Echo Show £219 / US$229 / AU$349
• Missing features: Google Home Hub front-facing camera and video call | Amazon Echo Show YouTube and YouTube TV

Check back for a first look soon, but for now...

• The best smart home tech for your kitchen
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• The best smart home tech for your house

Today Google launched their latest smart home product – the Nest Thermostat E, a cheaper smart thermostat that anyone and everyone (hence the E) can install themselves. 

The new Nest Thermostat E is only £199 (a bit of a steal when you compare it to other similar products on the market) and is one of the first that can easily be installed with a bit of DIY, no need to call a heating engineer. 

The Thermostat E is a two part system, a thermostat featuring Nest’s traditional dial interface, and a Heat Link E which is wired into your boiler. The Nest app on a smartphone or tablet will run through step-by-step instructions on precisely how to install the Heat Link E, with tools included in the box.

The Nest Thermostat E is then placed somewhere else in the home and plugged into a standard mains outlet and placed on a table top, sideboard, coffee table, whatever. The two temperature sensors can then work together to ensure even heating.

‘In 2011, we reinvented the thermostat category to make it easy for people to save energy,' said Lionel Guicherd-Callin, Global Head of Energy Product and Services, Nest. 'Fast forward seven years: Nest owners have globally saved more than 25 billion kWh – that’s the equivalent of more than £1.2 (€1.3) billion in energy saved and now we are bringing beautiful design and proven energy saving capabilities into even more homes. To do that, we needed to simplify. The more subtle look and feel of the Nest Thermostat E will seamlessly blend into any environment. And it uses existing European thermostat wires so it’s a simple installation. It’s everything our customers have come to know and love from Nest thermostats with a renewed focus on user simplicity and control.’

Of course one of the key benefits of the previous Nest products is their ability to learn your heating schedule, and while the Thermostat E will also come with this feature it has a twist. The new model has a simpler pre-programmed schedule, which has been developed using data from Nest’s existing European customers to be the best fit for most people. It will continue to learn over time and still use smart features like True Radiant, adjusting heating accordingly for a more even temperature.

The Nest Thermostat E is available for pre-order in Europe for £199 and shipping by mid-October.

Read these 10 reasons why you need a smart thermostat (in our expert's opinion).

Looking for some of the best internet money can buy? Fios® Gigabit Connection is for you.

Streaming 4K TV shows, playing video games online, downloading big files from the internet and running a fully connected smart home can put a real strain on your internet connection – but what if you could get some of the best home internet on the planet?

Fios Gigabit Connection provides speeds up to 940/880 Mbps with 99.9% network reliability, on the 100% fiber-optic network. Here are our top five reasons you should consider Fios Gigabit Connection in your home.

It’s the fastest available

You may not already know, but in 2018 Gigabit internet is one of the fastest connections you’re going to find coming directly to your home. It’s not available everywhere yet, so if you find your home can get the connection speed you should embrace it.

Fios Internet is the fastest and most reliable internet available. Speeds up to 940 Mbps download and 880 Mbps upload available in select areas of NY; NJ; Philadelphia, PA; Boston, MA; Providence, RI; Washington, DC; and Norfolk and Richmond, VA.

If you just want internet, Fios offers 100/100 and 300/300 Mbps options. These packages give you superfast broadband on multiple devices at the same time. Giving you and your family all the options you need for gaming and streaming and enjoying your broadband at home. 

You can get $200 towards a range of google and nest smart home devices

Sign up for a 2 year agreement on a qualifying Internet, TV, and Phone package and you can get $200 to spend on smart home tech.

The $200 can be used toward a range of Google and nest smart home products, such as a Google Home or Home Mini, a Chromecast Ultra or even a Google Home Max.

You can also apply the $200 toward a range of Nest products, including the Cam Indoor, Cam Outdoor, Thermostat E, Learning Thermostat, Protect, or the Hello. This means you can equip your home with some top-end smart tech to go with your brand new super-fast connection.

Stream in 4K with less waiting

If you own a 4K TV and a subscription to Netflix or Amazon Prime, you can find TV shows and movies to watch in incredible high-definition that’s going to give you the amazing viewing experience.

Even YouTube has 4K content, and if you have Fios Gigabit Connection you’re going to find that loads up and plays within the blink of an eye.

Slower internet speeds may struggle to load up 4K content even after a few seconds of waiting, but if you have Fios Gigabit Connection you should find these videos load up in no time at all. Now there’s less waiting around for your next Netflix binge.

Play virtually lag-free on Fios Gigabit Connection

Are you – or perhaps someone in your home – into online gaming? There’s nothing more frustrating than a slow internet connection when you’re at that final tense battle in an online match, and with Fios Gigabit Connection you should find that happens less.

Whether you’re playing on Xbox Live, PlayStation Plus, your home computer or any other gaming service, this type of connection should give you a revolutionary experience that will do its best to ensure you won’t have to rage quit your game again.

You’ll keep your whole home happy.

Are you part of a large household with multiple devices in use all at once? With children streaming YouTube and playing video games online in one room, someone else trying to stream 4K content in another room, and your smart home devices running, you may see your current internet slowing down.

If you find that frustrating, Fios Gigabit Connection, with speeds up to 940/880 Mbps, can support up to 100 devices at the same time. The days of having internet service only on your primary computer are way behind us – so why should sluggish broadband speeds slow down all the devices in your home?

Visit the Verizon Fios website now to find out more, and to sign up for Fios Gigabit Connection.

Google’s new facial recognition video doorbell, the Nest Hello, is launching in the UK.

Initially released in the US in March, it’s Google’s first home security product line up to make it to the UK.

Nest Hello is a WiFi-connected smart doorbell that features a wide-angle camera and in-built speaker so users can see and speak to whoever is on their doorstep. It will send alerts to the user’s phone along with pictures of their front door and allows them to communicate through the doorbell from anywhere with internet connection. 

Nest’s most advanced feature however is the machine-learning technology. The doorbell can analyse the video footage from the front door and differentiate between visitors – it can decipher the difference between people just walking by, delivery people and guests, only sending alerts when it’s necessary. 

'Your front door is where home begins. It’s the entryway to special moments with family and friends – but also the most common way burglars enter your home,' says Lionel Guicherd-Callin, head of EMEA Product Marketing for Nest Labs. 'So we have designed a doorbell experience that makes your front door safe and secure, yet still feels friendly.'

There is also the added option to subscribe to Nest Aware (starting at £4 per month), which allows the user to use Google’s face recognition technology and name visitors, meaning they will be automatically identified when they arrive at the door. 

The smart doorbell can also connect to other smart home devices, such as Google Home and Google Assist speakers. If the visitor is recognised by the Nest Hello the speaker can announce who is at the door. 

The Nest Hello will cost £229 for DIY fitting powered by existing doorbell wiring and a 2MB WiFi connection, or is available with professional installation for £329.