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.
Smart home upgrades can be pricey, but Black Friday and Cyber Monday bring unbeatable deals! Score up to a third off top-rated Matter-compatible devices from leading brands—perfect for starting or expanding your setup.
It's easy to think the modern smart home must be full of AI—from lights that turn on automatically to voice assistants that know everything! But is it really AI?
Transform your holiday display with Govee’s stunning Matter-compatible icicle lights—whether it’s festive rainbows or sleek year-round lighting, these smart lights are a bright, bold upgrade for any outdoor setup.
The Govee Christmas String Lights 2 offer smart, customizable holiday lighting with Matter support, dynamic scene mapping, and a host of festive features to brighten up any display.
The P200 Pro offers manual air purifier controls and exposes the air quality sensor data to your Matter network.
SmartWings is the leading manufacturer of customized blinds and shades with built-in automated motors. While you'll find retrofit options elsewhere, SmartWings offers a huge range of styles anyone can install. Today, I put them to the test.
While Nanoleaf offers some Matter-compatible lighting fixtures, their most exciting products still don't support Matter. Why is that? In a word: scenes.
In theory, Matter smart home devices should work fine without the internet—the specification says so. But theory and reality don't always match up.
The Aqara FP1E is a slimmed-down version of the FP2, but you lose the ability to detect in different zones—and you'll need a Zigbee hub to bridge this into Matter. But if you just a basic but reliable presence sensor, it's great.
Taking a swipe at the Apple TV 4K, the new Google TV Streamer is an all-in-one powerful streamer and Matter smart home hub, with Thread border routing and home control app.
QR codes are a key part of the Matter protocol, designed to make the process of commissioning a Matter device into your home easy. But what even is a QR code, and how does Matter use them? Let's take a deep dive, in today's technical explainer.
Govee has released a series of EVA Unit 01 themed modular gaming light fixtures. But they didn't just put some purple scenes into the app; they went all in with an industry-first fixture printing and design that must be seen to be believed.
Prime Day is great time to expand your smart home, and Aqara has some great products in the line up.
You could think of Matter as a subset of IoT devices, but the differences go far beyond that.
Been waiting for a bargain on SwitchBot devices? Now's the time to buy at deep discounts.
Mesh networking is critical to the smart home, and it's partly why Thread is the network of choice for Matter.
With the current boom in AI, it won't be long before we all have a HAL9000 to manage our smart homes for us.
Now you can make a DIY Matter accessory... in Swift!
The internet is abuzz with talk of a "secret" Thread radio chip in some Apple devices, so let's speculate on what it could be used for in future.
Pairing your new Matter accessory should be simple—but behind the scenes there’s a lot going on. Here’s what you need to know about the process.
