What Are the Best Tech Review Sites for Smart Home Products

November 22, 2024

Online tech review sites can be really helpful when shopping for smart home products.

Review sites like CNET or Gizmodo do the hard work of testing and researching smart home products for you. Gadget experts write reviews based on in-person testing, looking at a product's strengths and weaknesses, then make recommendations.

Often, though, it's hard to figure out the best option. Check out our guide to the guides that can help you make informed purchases.

Are tech review sites reliable?

There is a lot of information on the internet, and not all of it is reliable. Disreputable tech review sites may even accept money to feature certain products or review them without hands-on testing. So, it's important to only use tech review sites you can trust. We also recommend visiting more than one of the reputable sites we recommend when you're making buying decisions.

Take a look at the 10 top tech review sites and see what appeals to you

Tom's Guide is a great all-rounder for people looking for shopping advice around smart home products and IoT (Internet of Things) devices. You'll find thorough product guides and reviews that are clearly laid out and broadly accessible, with some technical detail for those who want it.

Recommended for: Most people

Wired is a reputable website and magazine that covers new technologies and their impact on wider society. Its Gear section features many smart home buying guides, though it leans toward premium devices rather than budget options.

Recommended for: Tech savvy shoppers with generous budgets

Wirecutter is the product review site of The New York Times, giving these gadget testsa decent amount of prestige. It has extensive smart home coverage and many in-depth product guides, making it a great place to look. There is a paywall for frequent users, though, so you can't read many guides without subscribing.

Recommended for: Shoppers at every level; easiest for New York Times subscribers

PCMag covers much more than PCs. Its smart home coverage is very detailed, with comprehensive reviews and well-organized "best of" buying guides that can be easily skimmed.

Recommended for: Quick decision makers

Engadget features buying guides for the most popular kinds of gear from headphones to tablets to wearables. The site doesn't have much to help you put together a full smart home, however.

Recommended for: People who only want one gadget at a time

The Verge is known for its stylish layout and forward-looking coverage of tech, science and culture. But The Verge covers much more than the obvious smart home products, providing gift guides and buying guides that mix lights and cameras with smart home locks and even smart beds.

Recommended for: Early adopters

Gizmodo has plenty of news and articles across tech, science, AI and entertainment. It doesn't have a huge smart home section or do in-depth reviews of smart home products very often, so don't look here for quick product recs.

Recommended for: Tech enthusiasts who enjoy the story behind the gadget

CNET has provided readers with technology advice for more than 25 years. Its very large team of experts covers a huge range of smart home products and other gadgets. CNET's experts generally have a good reputation.

Recommended for: Anyone who wants lots of advice

How-To Geek is full of explainers. It focuses a little harder than other sites on "how to" articles that guide you through fixes to common tech problems, or help you get started with new devices. It's a good choice if you're not confident when buying and using gadgets and you appreciate a straightforward website.

Recommended for: New smart home gadget owners

Mashable is an accessible tech review site that mainly caters to young adults, with a big social media presence and lots of short-form video content. However, it does have a decent amount of smart home product coverage, with direct reviews that get to the point pretty quickly. Find tips on great deals and lots of buying guides. It's also got a link to the day's Wordle.

Recommended for: Anyone short on time

Quick tips to choose smart home devices

The easiest way to make sure you get a smoothly working smart home is to buy multiple products from the same brand, with the same smart assistant like Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. Of course, you'll also need to keep your smart home devices updated.

That said, smart home products from different companies can play nice together if they use the same software standards, like Matter, Thread or Zigbee. Make sure you check before buying multiple devices that can't talk to each other!

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Product features and availability may have changed and are subject to change.

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