10 surprising smart home devices you didn't know about

For a long time, smart homes were more trendy than commonplace. Now, technology is taking over the home, making our lives easier than ever before.

You probably know about smart switches, lights and music players. Actually, there are a ton of other devices you may not have imagined could be digitized. For example, smart forks and frying pans can make your dinner routine a breeze.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Check out these high-tech home gadgets.

1. The automatic doggy door

The $3,000 Chamberlain myQ Pet Portal is a high-tech door for your dog. Fully automated and Wi-Fi connected, this portal lets you or your dog control their access to the backyard. It offers twin 1080p cameras, plus safety sensors, microphones and speakers.

It even includes an encrypted Bluetooth Low Energy beacon for your dog to wear. Basically, it lets you watch over your pet and talk to them — all from miles away. This is a must-have for anyone with a furry friend who loves to flee, although you can’t get it yet, so you’ll have to pre-order.

2. Track your baby’s sleep with a smart diaper

If your baby constantly wakes you up in the middle of the night, you’ve got to try this smart sleep sensor. Attach the Lumi Smart Sleep System to your baby’s diapers while sleeping to understand their sleep habits. The app offers sleep training methods to help you get more effective results.

You’ll even get pediatric advice on your child’s development. Overall, this Bluetooth-enabled sleep sensor helps you and your baby sleep through the night.


3. Play music through the Atomi Shower Head

Playing music from your phone while you shower is awkward. If the noise is too low, you’ll have to slap a wet hand over the volume, and who wants to do that? Even if you set a speaker up on the bathroom counter, the sound is muffled by the curtains and rushing water.

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10 must-have products under $10

We’re living in strange times. Not only are many of us working from home right now, but a lot of kids are doing their schoolwork from home, too.

The overlapping of school, work and home life can make it tough to get organized. Most of us have notebooks, pens, schoolbooks, office supplies and computers or tablets strewn across our homes as we try to navigate life during a pandemic. Working from home? Tap or click here for tips for managing remote employees.

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How to download your photos from Facebook

There are several reasons why you might want to download your Facebook photos. You may simply want a backup, or perhaps you want to create a photo book or share them through another platform. You may also want to preserve them if you are planning on leaving Facebook and deleting your account. Ready to back up your Facebook adventures? Here’s how to save your photos for posterity.

Face masks: New standards for choosing an effective mask

The pandemic has brought many changes to our lives, and most of us are adapting as needed. By now, wearing face masks is the standard when in public.

Though they may feel like a chore, masks do help reduce the spread of COVID-19. Tap or click here to see how to more comfortably wear a mask without compromising safety.

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Preorders begin for SpaceX's satellite internet service but read the fine print

When not trying to land reusable rockets onto a launchpad, Elon Musk’s SpaceX company stays busy with other exciting projects. Tap or click here to find out how to take a SpaceX trip into space. One currently on the drawing board is to provide millions of people with high-speed internet through Starlink.

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How to delete your Facebook and Twitter accounts for good

Social media sites were created to keep us connected, but you may find yourself wanting to disconnect for good. Figuring out how to delete your account isn’t easy if you’re not sure where to start. In this Komando DIY, we will show you how to delete your Facebook and Twitter accounts right from your phone.

Comparison: SimpliSafe vs. ADT vs. Vivint

This is pretty cool. We wanted to do a visual comparison to show you how SimpliSafe is the better choice for home security, so we decided to look at two big-name competitors — ADT and Vivint.

You never know what’s going to happen when you compare a sponsor to its competitors, but we were thrilled with what we found.

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White-hat hacker shows how easy it is to scam even a digital pro

Stephanie Carruthers makes her living breaking into phones, private accounts and more. But don’t worry — she’s doing it to help keep you safe. This IBM privacy expert and professional hacker shows Kim just how easy it is to get fooled by a digital criminal. Check out her tips for recognizing scams and keeping yourself secure online and offline.

What the Biden presidency could mean for the tech world

For quite a while, U.S. lawmakers have questioned whether Big Tech companies are too involved (or not enough) in curbing misinformation. Others have accused the big four: Google, Apple, Amazon and Facebook, of antitrust behavior. This has led to several ongoing court cases brought on by federal and state law enforcement.

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How to stop your smart TV from spying on you

Not only is your smart TV gobbling up your viewing data, but it also may be gathering information about your home. Can you minimize your smart TV’s snooping activities? Our advice: Turn off its tracking features. I’ll tell you how.

Here's how to order an FDA-approved COVID test on Amazon

Vaccines for COVID-19 are being administered across the U.S., but infections are still at an all-time high. To make matters worse, cybercriminals are taking advantage of the vaccine to rip people off. Tap or click here for four ways scammers are out to get you.

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SimpliSafe's winter sweater sounds the alarm when people stand too close

Sick of people standing too close to you? Here’s a great new way to enforce the six-foot social distancing rule: Sound a siren through your sweater!

That’s the idea behind SimpliSafe’s new sweater. The company that keeps your family safe and sound made its own festive garment this year, decked out in tech to inspire social distance.

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The workplace goes digital with virtual reality training

We’ve all had those uncomfortable situations at work. Maybe it’s a disagreement with a coworker or a tricky customer interaction — or even firing a long-time employee. Don’t you wish you could practice? Thanks to VR, AR and AI developer Talespin, you can. 

Kim chats with Talespin CEO and co-founder Kyle Jackson about how the company is bringing workplace training to the digital age with its virtual human simulations.

Take the guesswork out of home security

It’s almost a new year, and that means you’re likely contemplating New Year’s resolutions. One of them should be to make improvements to your home security system.

Start 2021 off right and keep your family safe by adopting a security setup from our sponsor, SimpliSafe. It’s Kim’s pick for lots of reasons.

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How to watch ‘Die Hard’ and all your other favorite Christmas movies this season

It’s time to revive an important annual debate: Is “Die Hard” a Christmas movie? We could argue about this all day — but if you go to Netflix, you’ll discover a shocking lack of “Die Hard” to use as evidence. ‘Tis the season to be thankful, though: If you use ExpressVPN, you can access a Netflix library where “Die Hard” is actually available.

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Why digital billboard ads change when you approach

We’re exposed to as many as 5,000 ads a day. To break through the clutter, companies track and target us. Ads are getting even more personal thanks to the next generation of digital billboards. Kim chats with Frank O’Brien, CEO of Five Tier, a company that bridges the gap between the ads you see in cyberspace and the ads you see in person. His secret? The little gadget in each of our pockets: our phones.

The biggest whack job post on Facebook that I've ever seen

There has been no shortage of conspiracy theories being posted on Facebook during the pandemic. It is almost as if the coronavirus is affecting some people’s ability to think clearly.

Putting a Faraday cage over your router to block “harmful” 5G frequencies is just nonsensical. And as we have explained before, not only is this ineffective at stopping the spread of 5G, but it will also make your internet speeds worse!

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How to find a PlayStation 5, new Xbox or Nintendo Switch (and avoid all the scams)

Every couple of years, the video game industry is shaken up by the release of brand-new consoles. These product debuts aren’t minor affairs. They’re major events where supply rarely keeps up with demand from gamers.

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Best smartphone cameras available now, ranked

Smartphones are expensive these days, which makes choosing one a major decision. Aside from price and performance, features like 5G, durability, and cameras are all important to consider.

Smartphone cameras are good enough today that they can replace point-and-shoot cameras for many people. Some are even sufficient for business and work purposes. Tap or click here to see how to turn your smartphone into a webcam.

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