Tech Hive

LIFX SuperColor Spot review: Smart, colorful landscape lighting

At a glance Expert's RatingProsConnects to existing landscape wiringExtremely bright, with gorgeous colorsConnects to numerous third-party smart home systemsConsVery expensiveExtra cabling clutters up the yard and gets in the wayDraws considerable power and requires rethinking the way your lighting system worksOur VerdictYou can add a burst of color to your landscaping with the LIFX SuperColor Spot, but be mindful of all the extra wiring it requires. Price When Reviewed$79.97 Best Prices Today: LIFX SuperColor Spot Retailer Price Home Depot $79.97 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 st...

Aqara Ceiling Light T1M review: A subtle but smart ceiling lamp

At a glance Expert's RatingProsTwo lamps in one with lots of lighting optionsWake-up functionSimple and sleek designVisual notificationsConsRequires a hubOur VerdictAqara’s stylish Ceiling Light T1M looks great and offers plenty of smart functionality, including colorful light animations and a wake-up mode. Using it with a (required) Aqara hub unlocks even more possibilities, including visual alerts. Price When Reviewed$149.99 Best Prices Today: Aqara Ceiling Light T1M Retailer Price $149.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backma...

Spectrum TV Stream and the bundle’s continued breakdown

Charter has launched a new Spectrum TV bundle that’s a little less bloated than what it usually offers. The new package, called Spectrum TV Stream, costs $40 per month for Spectrum internet customers. It offers more than 90 channels, including cable news from CNN and Fox News along with entertainment channels such as A&E, AMC, Discovery, FX, and HGTV. What’s missing is equally notable, as the package does include any local or sports channels. (Here’s the full channel list.) Subscribers can sign up for the service online and watch through Spectrum’s free apps for Roku, Apple TV, Samsung TVs, Xb...

Buying a smart lock: Retrofit your old one or replace it?

So, you’ve decided the time has come to upgrade the first layer of your home’s security—the deadbolt lock on your door—to a smart model. The next step is to decide if you should replace the entire lock, or if you should retrofit the one you already have. Hang on, let’s back up a second. What exactly is a smart lock, you ask? It’s any door lock with wireless connectivity and a motor that enables it to be opened without a physical key—and in many cases, instead of one. Smart locks can be operated with some combination of numeric keypad, smartphone app, NFC card, via the internet, with a biometri...

Filthy Roomba wheels? Here’s how to get them clean

Great job keeping your Roomba’s brushes clean, and if you’re wiping down its IR sensors and charging contacts, you get bonus points. But have you checked your Roomba’s wheels lately? If you take a closer look at your Roomba’s caster wheel (the one in front), you’ll probably see plenty of hair wrapped around its axle, while clumps of dust are probably lodged inside the compartments that house the side wheels. While it’s easy to ignore a Roomba’s wheels, you should be checking on them on a regular basis; indeed, iRobot recommends giving them a look every couple of weeks. This how-to is part of T...

Buying a budget security cam? Don’t skimp on these 6 key specs

When talk turns to the “best” home security cameras, the discussion often dwells on the cutting-edge features in the high-end models: Radar, color night vision, and even A.I. If you don’t need that level of sophistication, you can save a bundle by choosing a more basic model. You might also find you can afford to buy more than one camera to protect multiple areas of your home. That said, not every low-priced camera is a bargain. But if you ensure the camera you choose meets these specs at a minimum, you’ll get the security you’re looking for at a price you can afford. And if you have a little ...

The ROXi Interactive Music Channel is coming to NextGen TV

Launched at CES in January, ROXi Music Service is an interactive music service for both smart TVs and, initially through a partnership with Sinclair Broadcasting, NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0) broadcast television. At the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) tradeshow in Las Vegas this week, the Pearl TV consortium of U.S. broadcasters announced plans to use ROXi’s FastStream technology to create other forms of interactive TV, including news, sports, and entertainment in addition to music. Sinclair is immediately adding news to its previously announced deal for ROXi’s music channels, with the tw...

Govee Floor Lamp Pro review: Let the light show begin

At a glance Expert's RatingProsEasy to assemble and set upBuilt-in Bluetooth speakerBright and colorful animationsConsGovee app can be confusingOnly works with Alexa and Google Home (for now, at least)Design is a tad wobblyOur VerdictThe handsome Govee Floor Lamp Pro is adept at setting the mood with gradient and animated light modes, and it can put on a musical light show with its integrated Bluetooth speaker. Price When Reviewed$219.99 Best Prices Today: Govee Smart Lamp Pro Retailer Price Govee $219.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparis...

Roku says 576,000 more of its users were hacked in second attack

Wait, there was another Roku hack? That’s right, and this one was much bigger than the first, although Roku says the actual damage from this latest “credential-stuffing” attack was minimal. Roku notified its users on Friday that following a hacking incident in March that involved 15,000 Roku users, the company detected a second wave of attacks that compromised a whopping 576,000 accounts, Bleeping Computer reports. As with the first attack, the latest incident was a case of credential stuffing–that is, hackers who had obtained stolen usernames and passwords from other services and plugged thos...

LIFX SuperColor Smart Light A21 review: Big and bright

At a glance Expert's RatingProsBright and colorfulWorks with MatterWide range of white-color temperaturesIntuitive appConsChunky, heavy designLIFX ecosystem is still rebounding after a long dormancyNo vacation modeOur VerdictBright, easy to install, compliant with Matter, and packed with features, the LIFX SuperColor Smart Light A21 makes for a compelling smart bulb, even if it’s a tad heavy and chunky. Price When Reviewed$39.98 Best Prices Today: LIFX SuperColor Smart Light (A21) Retailer Price Home Depot $39.98 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price ...