I have always perceived setting up a smart home as a means of convenience, with some luxury added. At least, that’s what I thought a decade ago when I set out to automate my smart home. Today, a wide range of affordable to expensive smart home solutions involve even the most basic and budget components. Despite the evolving smart home platforms, protocols, and devices, I’m guilty of wasting several dollars and committing blunders while setting up my smart home. I hope that my mistakes save others from frustration, headaches, and overspending while setting up a smart home.

Although Microsoft Teams is a widely popular communication tool in businesses and organizations, many of us at XDA have a strong opinion against it, primarily due to its resource-hogging nature, which leads to performance issues. On the brighter side, however, Microsoft is hard at work improving it across different platforms by either adding new features or improving what's already available.

PC graphics have hit a standstill. Of course, we're still getting beautiful games that push the technical envelope on PC, from Doom: The Dark Ageswith its real-time path tracing to Nvidia's Multi-Frame Generation (MFG) that's available in dozens of games. We've hit somewhat of a wall this generation, though. Virtualized geometry like Unreal Engine's Nanite is available in dozens of games, and ray tracing has progressed so far that it's a required feature in titles like Doom: The Dark Ages.

In 2008, when I first began playing Super Nintendo games on a knock-off console, I'd been gaming for about six years on a PC, give or take. I'd never really struggled with difficult games until then, but the Super Nintendo really punched me in the throat and made me realize just how tough things could get. For a lot of games on that console that are still some of the most unforgettable experiences in gaming, difficulty was the whole point.

I’ve never been fully comfortable using cloud-based LLMs. Most of them require sending your data to remote servers, which raises obvious privacy concerns. On top of that, many AI tools are locked behind expensive subscriptions, and you have little control over how they work.

If you've ever built anything, you know that a decent screwdriver is going to go a long way in making the process easier. While you can always go all out with an electric screwdriver from your local hardware store, we think this one that's made for smaller projects is going to be a better option, especially at its current price, which comes in at just $18 during Amazon's Prime Day sales event.

Want to replace your ISP-provided router with a custom firewall? You'll likely be considering a device to run OPNsense, and that's precisely what we have here with the Glovary N100 6L mini PC. While it can run Windows and Linux without much issue, this thing is best suited to running a firewall software such as OPNsense with its six Ethernet ports and passively cooled nature. Usually, you'd be expected to pay around $300, but it's on sale for Prime Day at just $235, including RAM and storage!

Travelling as a tech enthusiast can be a real trial by fire for the first few times. With so many devices that require power, it can be tricky to keep everything topped up at the same time. Fortunately, you no longer have to juggle charging all your devices from a single power socket the hotel provided; with the Anker 727 charging station, you can get six charging ports from a single plug.

APIs are one of the foundational technologies underpinning our interconnected world. They enable programs to talk to each other when they're written in different languages, browsers to get the data they need to show websites to users, and so developers can make Chrome extensions or other tools without direct access to the code of the program they're asking for data from.

Prime Day has discounts applied to countless tech products, and with the price of Wi-Fi 6E hardware falling in recent years, you can bet there are some enticing sales on powerful wireless equipment. TP-Link's Deco XE75 is powerful enough to handle busier households, and this 2-pack mesh router system is available at a low price of just $150. That may sound like a fair amount to pay for a router, but this is a versatile system with an MSRP of $300.

Amazon's Prime Day is an excellent time to upgrade your computer's memory. We often see really reputable and well-received HDDs and SSDs go on pretty impressive discounts, and it's always a fantastic time to take a look and see what kind of memory you can score for less.

Prime Day is one of the best times of the year to stock up on smart home gear. With big price drops on all of Amazon’s many smart home brands, from Blink and Ring to Echo speakers and Eero Wi-Fi routers, plus a ton of other manufacturers getting in on the action, making your smart home better rarely gets more affordable.However, there are a lot of deals, and it’s frankly overwhelming. So, I’ve sifted through them all to find the best deals on some of my favorite smart home products. If you’re looking to get started with smart lighting, add some smart indoor air quality devices to your home, have a robot do your dirty work for you, or get a helping hand in the kitchen, these products will serve you well.Smart lighting dealsPhilips Hue Smart Light Starter Kit My favorite smart bulbs, this starter kit contains four 75W A19-sized E26 color bulbs and a Philips Hue Bridge — all you need to get going. The color-changing bulbs work with Matter, but you’ll find the best features in Hue’s app, which lets you set adaptive lighting and sleep/wake routines as well as fun, colorful options.Where to Buy: $199.99 $159.99 at Amazon $199.99 $165.99 at Best BuyPhilips Hue Festavia string lightsThese are the best holiday lights money can buy and they are on sale in July, so now is the time to grab them. With beautiful colors, a nice selection of festive scenes, and an easy-to-use app, they are super reliable, come in two lengths, work with all the major smart home platforms, and are Matter-compatible.Where to Buy: $219.99 $153.99 at Amazon (65-foot) $359.99 $241.99 at Amazon (130-feet)The Lutron Caseta line of smart switches is one of the most reliable smart lighting lines, and its newer Diva Dimmer Switch starter kit, featuring a more traditional style, is on sale at Amazon for $99.95, 20 percent off. It comes with a Lutron bridge and a Pico remote and works with or without a neutral wire.Govee’s inexpensive, easy-to-use Smart Outdoor String Lights offer 96 feet of full color and tunable warm white light and are great for a patio or porch. With Matter compatibility, they can work with any smart home system and are down to $80 from $120 at Amazon.The Aqara Hub M3 is down to $99.99 from $149.99 at Amazon. It’s not a lighting product, per se, but as a Matter Controller and Thread Border router, it allows you to add any Matter-compatible lighting product to Aqara’s app and control it using the company’s extensive automations. It’s also a good foundation for using any of Aqara’s own smart lighting products, which include a wide range of smart switches (with and without neutral wires), smart bulbs, and a cool ceiling light.Deals on indoor air quality gadgetsEcobee Smart Thermostat PremiumThe Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium is an excellent option for adding smarts and some style to your HVAC system. As well as being a smart way to control your energy use, the thermostat can also act as a video intercom for Ecobee’s excellent doorbell camera and an indoor air quality monitor.Where to Buy: $249.99 $209 at AmazonAmazon’s compact indoor Smart Air Quality Monitor is just $44.99 ($25 off) at Amazon for Prime Day, and can give you a heads up via an Echo speaker or the Alexa app when your indoor air quality changes. It’s LED will also warn you by turning red, and unlike a lot of IAQ devices, it will detect CO levels. Read my review.The super-cute SwitchBot Air Purifier Table is now down to $154.99 from $269.99 at Amazon. This versatile gadget purifies your air while serving as a functional table, plus it has a built-in wireless charger. A three-in-one bargain this Prime Day. It also supports Matter, so you can connect to any smart home system. Security camera dealsRing Battery Doorbell PlusThis wireless Ring doorbell has great video quality, head-to-toe view, and speedy response times for a battery doorbell. It works with Amazon Alexa and can send alerts for people and packages with a Ring Home subscription.Where to Buy: $149.99 $79.99 at Amazon $149.99 at TargetThe new, second generation of the inexpensive Blink Video Doorbell is on sale for $29.99, 57 percent off. That’s a serious bargain for a device that adds better video quality, a broader field of view, and several other upgrades to the original.I’ve been testing the Arlo Wired Floodlight Camera this summer, and it’s a great device for keeping an eye on your property. With 2K video quality and a wide field of view, plus motion-activated security lighting, you’ll catch any action without worrying about battery life. It’s down to $99.99, 33 percent off, at Arlo.com and Amazon, but you will need to factor in the $10 monthly subscription fee for recorded video.Blink Wired Floodlight CameraWith 1080p video, 2,600 lumens, and a 105dB siren for $50, this is a great budget buy. You sacrifice better video quality and tunable lighting over other options. But there’s person detection (with a monthly fee) and local recording (with additional hardware). It integrates with Amazon Alexa, has a nice design, and can be mounted horizontally or vertically.Where to Buy: $99.99 $49.99 at Amazon $99.99 $89.99 at The Home DepotBlink Outdoor 4The Blink Outdoor 4 security camera has 1080p recording, motion detection, night vision, two-way audio, and up to two years of battery life. That’s a lot for $40. There’s also the option of local recording with the Sync Module XR, and the camera supports on-device person detection (for a monthly fee).Where to Buy: $99.99 $39.99 at Amazon $179.99 $69.99 at Amazon (two-pack) $259.99 $99.99 at Amazon (three-pack)Deals on smart speakers and smart displaysAmazon Echo Show 8 (third-gen)Amazon’s Echo Show 8 is the company’s best smart display for using Alexa in your home. Spatial audio and room-adaptation software mean improved audio quality, and it can show different info on its eight-inch display based on whether you’re standing near or farther away. Read our review.Where to Buy: $149.99 $109.99 at Amazon $149.99 at Best Buy $149.99 at TargetAmazon Echo Dot (fifth-gen)The fifth-gen Echo Dot touts a temperature sensor, better sound, and faster response time than the prior model. It can also act as an extender for your Eero Wi-Fi system. Read our review.Where to Buy: $49.99 $31.99 at Amazon $49.99 at Best Buy $49.99 at TargetAmazon Echo SpotAmazon’s Echo Spot smart speaker / alarm clock has a 2.83-inch squared-off display for showing the time, weather, music playback, and other bits of info you may want at your bedside. Unlike the original Spot, there’s no camera to worry about having in your bedroom — though it does have a mutable microphone for Alexa voice controls. Read our review.Where to Buy: $79.99 $44.99 at AmazonSmart kitchen gadget bargainsThe Bosch 800 Series Fully Automatic Espresso Machine is seriously expensive, but also one of the most hands-free machines I’ve tested — literally. You can ask Alexa to make you a latte, and it will do everything but put the cup on the tray for you. Very smart. It’s $400 off for Prime Day, at $1,183.96 at Amazon.When you’re making dinner for the family, don’t forget the pets! Aqara’s Smart Pet Feeder is down to $79.99 (from $99.99). As a Zigbee device, it does require an Aqara hub, but I can ask Siri to feed Smokey, and the job is done. Totally worth it.Robot vacuum cleaner dealsDreame X40 UltraWith a neat ability to remove and reattach its mop pads, the Dreame X40 solves the problem of vacuuming carpets (with 12,000Pa suction power) while also mopping hard floors. Its mops can also swing out and under low furniture, getting where most bots can’t reach.Where to Buy: $1499.99 $799.99 at Amazon (for Prime members) $1499.99 $799.99 at Dreame (with code)Eufy 11S MaxThe Eufy 11S Max is a super slim, repairable bump-and-roll bot with a large 600ml bin and three cleaning levels. Its biggest selling point for some, however, is that it lacks Wi-Fi, meaning you don’t have to fiddle with an app.Where to Buy: $279.99 $139.99 at Amazon $279.99 $148.99 at Ebay (via Eufy) Promo code: SUMMERBFIT10Deebot X8 Pro OmniThe Deebot X8 Pro Omni remains our favorite robot vacuum / mop. It represents a welcome return to form for Ecovacs’ flagship line, with great obstacle avoidance, a small dock, and a convenient self-cleaning brush system.Where to Buy: $1399.99 $899.99 at Amazon $1399.99 $949.99 at EvovacsSwitchBot S10$360 is a steal for this excellent robot vacuum mop, which, while an older model, does a great job and works with a neat battery-powered water refill dock that makes it the most hands-free robovac we’ve tested. A separate auto-empty dock takes care of the dust. It’s big and loud and lacks some features found on high-end robots, but it does what it’s supposed to do without costing a fortune.Where to Buy: $1199.99 $359.99 at Amazon $1199.99 $359.99 at SwitchBot (w/ code SWPD840)Update, July 9th: Updated to reflect current pricing / availability, and to point readers to our day two coverage of Prime Day.