James spent seven years in Japan, where he brought technology into the classroom as a teacher and worked part-time as a data centre engineer. Formerly the CTO and Reviews Editor of MakeUseOf, he has also contributed to publications like TrustedReviews, WindowsReport, and MacObserver. With a BSc in Artificial Intelligence, James combines his technical expertise with a passion for writing, programming, and tech reviews. Now based in Cornwall, he enjoys the slower pace of rural life, building LEGO, playing board games, and diving into VR.
Superbly smooth lighting that folds neatly around corners, with strong brightness, excellent whites, and DreamView support for immersive gaming setups.
Govee lights up IFA 2026 with three new products: dual-zone permanent outdoor lights, a fake skylight, and ultra-smooth COB strips — all with Matter support.
The Zemismart M1 Hub Pro tries to be a Matter bridge, Zigbee gateway, Thread controller, and IR blaster all at once, but falls short. Thread support is frustrating, IR devices aren’t bridged into Matter, and Tuya remains a weak point. Most users should look elsewhere.
The SwitchBot RGBICWW Ceiling Light is an affordable Matter-over-Wi-Fi smart light with solid reliability and adequate brightness — but cheap build quality, awkward installation, limited effects, and buggy out-of-box Matter support hold it back.
The Busy Bar combines a Pomodoro timer, programmable pixel display, smart-home trigger, and desktop status indicator into one delightfully over-engineered gadget, and Matter support makes it far more interesting than the average productivity toy.
A Matter-over-Wi-Fi curtain motor tested with Zemismart’s smart curtain track system. Reliable, app-free, and thankfully... Thread-free.
There's a reason Govee dominates the Matter-compatible smart lighting market: because they offer great value, full Matter support, and have a huge range of compatible products. Here's our pick of the Govee Prime Day deals!
Why? It targets the biggest pain point for shoppers (price and reliability) and acts as a bold, expert recommendation.
SwitchBot’s AI Hub promises local AI, camera recording, Matter bridging, Home Assistant, Frigate, and OpenClaw support in one tiny box. In reality, it would have benefitted from more focussed direction and is nowhere near ready as an AI smart home hub.
An incredible 9-foot portable LED pixel display with 1,536 LEDs, AI effects, music sync, and Scene Stage multi-light mapping for indoor or outdoor use.
The Govee Chromatic Outdoor String Lights are mesmerizing and gorgeous, with multiple colors per bulb. The most exciting features can't be accessed through Matter, but if you want maximum visual flair for a deck, pergola, garden bar, or party space, these look incredible — day or night.
mmWave presence sensors use radar instead of old-school motion detection, letting your smart home know when someone is actually still in the room, not just when they wander past it. Here’s how mmWave works, where it shines, and why it’s one of the best upgrades for smarter lighting and automation.
Matter-compatible neon rope lights are one of the easiest ways to add bold lighting effects to a gaming room, studio, or feature wall. But with several brands now offering similar products, choosing the right one isn’t obvious.
Thread is a low-power, IPv6-based mesh networking protocol built for modern smart homes. Learn how Thread works, where it came from, how Border Routers fit in, and why it’s central to the Matter standard.
Not content with being a neat little NVR with local AI processing, the SwitchBot AI Hub is gaining a new superpower: an autonomous AI agent in the form of OpenClaw.
Hands-on review of the SwitchBot Lock Ultra with Keypad Vision, including installation, uPVC compatibility, Matter, NFC, and face unlock.
Matter over Thread is elegant in theory and infuriating in practice. From broken meshes to zero debugging, here’s why Wi-Fi still wins in my smart home.
The SwitchBot Video Doorbell nails the basics: clear video, long battery life, fast response, and fully local storage with zero subscription traps. It’s great hardware, dragged only slightly down by half-baked Matter support.
Gone are the days of twinkly white lights with five patterns; now you can have a rainbow cornucopia of music-reactive and Matter-compatible smart lighting to lift the holiday spirits.
They’re brighter, smarter, and “more sparkly” than the Xmas Strings 2 — and still DreamView and Matter compatible — but the complex app is starting to show signs that it's really not suitable for simple holiday displays.
