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A tech guide outlines how homeowners can assemble their own smart security systems using motion sensors, door sensors, cameras and video doorbells that store footage locally instead of in the cloud. The approach avoids recurring subscription costs charged by brands like Abode and SimpliSafe, while still letting users customize and expand their setup over time.
ResiClub's latest analysis finds 54 major housing markets across the U.S. still showing year-over-year home price drops, though that count has fallen from a year earlier. The report questions whether a recent rise in mortgage rates could halt or reverse this cooling trend.
Nest Doorbell owners in France and the UK report that visitor announcements have suddenly switched to a US English accent, even though every other Google Home device in their homes still speaks in their local language and accent. The glitch appears isolated to doorbell announcements within Gemini for Home, which otherwise supports ten languages and multiple accent options. One affected user says support staff suggested temporarily adding US English as a secondary language, then deleting it, as a workaround.
Samsung's Good Lock support team has confirmed it is investigating a bug in the DIY Home feature of the Home Up module, which lets users freely arrange app icons and folders. Affected users say hidden folders show a noticeable delay before app icons appear, while regular folders open instantly, with the issue surfacing after updating from One UI 8.5 to One UI 9.0.
Amazon has cut the price of the Dangbei DBOX02, a 4K UHD laser projector, to $948.99 from its $1,199 list price, a 21% discount that matches its lowest recorded price. The device comes with Google TV, built-in Chromecast, and licensed Netflix support, along with 2450 ISO lumens of ALPD laser brightness and HDR10+ compatibility for screens up to 200 inches.
Buying guidance for home network switches highlights two key factors: how many ports you'll actually need after accounting for the router connection, and matching switch speed to your router, internet plan and devices. A switch slower than your router or fastest devices becomes a bottleneck, negating any upgrades elsewhere on the network.
Abode has released two new security sensors in 2026: a $35 garage door tilt sensor and a $50 outdoor contact sensor built for gates, sheds and barns. A CNET reviewer tested both alongside an Abode starter kit and found them accurate, fast to set up, and well integrated with Abode's hub and app.
The comparison explains that wired internet delivers a physical connection via fiber, cable or DSL lines into a modem, while fixed wireless internet uses a gateway that connects to a provider's 4G LTE or 5G network instead of a cable. Once inside the home, both setups function similarly, distributing internet through a router or all-in-one gateway that can support Wi-Fi and Ethernet-connected devices alike.
A hobbyist repurposed an aging Zotac MAGNUS EN1070K mini-PC, originally a media-center rig, into a home NAS to escape cloud storage nagging from Google and other providers. The build uses a 3D-printed enclosure extension, a six-bay ICY Dock drive cage, a Pico PSU powered off the machine's original brick, and an ASM1166 SATA adapter in the M.2 slot to support six drives alongside a 1 TB boot SSD.
Sound engineer Anthony Grimani explains that room acoustics, not expensive equipment, are usually the biggest factor hurting home theater sound quality. Hard surfaces like bare walls and tile floors reflect sound waves, causing echo and muddled audio, but simple additions like rugs, curtains and framed art can absorb those reflections. He also outlines proper speaker placement and angling for both 5.1 and 7.1 setups.
Aqara has released the Multi-Sensor FP400, its latest mmWave presence detector for smart-home setups. Despite being a newer model, reviewers found it fails to meaningfully advance on the capabilities already offered by Aqara's earlier presence sensors.
Thermacell has released LIV 2.0, an upgraded version of its whole-yard mosquito repellent system, replacing nearly all original hardware components except the connecting cables. The reviewer, who previously tested and praised the original LIV two years ago, received the new units directly from the company to evaluate improvements. The core design remains the same: Wi-Fi-enabled hubs plug into wall power and connect via cables to multiple pesticide-emitting repellers spaced up to 20 feet apart in a perimeter.