Use the linked smartphone app to start, stop, schedule, and monitor vacuuming.

The third-gen Nest has a high-res 229ppi display that's 40 percent larger than its predecessor.

The Philips Hue Wireless Dimming Kit combines a remote dimmer and a white LED that works with other Hue lights, but they also work together out of the box with no app or bridge required.

Each kit comes with a Philips Hue white light bulb and portable battery-operated dimmer switch.

The Ecovacs Winbot W730 robot aims to clean your windows, but proves that some household chores are simply better tackled by hand.

You'll now be able to yell at your Amazon Echo to turn your SmartThings-friendly lights on and off (or lower/higher).

The BloomSky Solar Powered Weather Station Kit records local weather information, snaps photos, and posts time-lapse videos each day, but setting it up is a bit of a headache.

The Flir FX is a versatile home surveillance camera that lets you monitor activity, temperature, and humidity levels from your mobile device, but it's susceptible to false alerts and its cloud storage plans can get pricey.

The Nest Cam Indoor is a dual-band Wi-Fi surveillance camera that offers crisp 1080p video, motion and sound detection, and integration with other Nest devices. It's a snap to install, but you have to pay to view recorded video.

Amazon is now allowing other hardware makers to integrate Alexa into their own (microphone-equipped) devices.

I believe that Amazon's long-term goal is to create a home server that can be accessed from any room in the house.

Cupertino is making way for the first set of smart home products designed for its HomeKit platform.

The PicoBrew Zymatic is a very expensive connected brewing system that makes it easy to create and brew your own craft beers.

The Chamberlain Wi-Fi Garage Door Opener HD950WF lets you open and close your garage door using your smartphone or PC. It's very quiet and will let you know when your door has been opened and closed, but you'll pay a bit more for the connected features.

The MiPow Playbulb Rainbow is a solid smart bulb that doesn't require a hub, and stands as the one of the most affordable entryways into the world of colorful connected lighting.

The versatile Playbulb Color from MiPow works well as a smart bulb, but disappoints on the Bluetooth speaker and mobile app fronts. You're best sticking with dedicated devices for now.

The Hue Go is a fun, portable addition to Philips' connected lighting ecosystem, though less expensive alternatives abound.

The Blossom Smart Watering Controller is a connected lawn sprinkler controller that performs flawlessly, but it lacks some of the features you'll find in competitors.

The Explorer can be thrown into an area, snap photos of its surroundings, and send images to a nearby smartphone.

If you have pets, the self-cleaning brush roll on the Eureka Brushroll Clean with SuctionSeal is hard to beat, but it's a pretty average vacuum otherwise.