#smart-home

Robot hoovers and mowers are old news. Now machines like the £1,349 Thermomix TM7 want to cook your dinner. Here is what they actually do and who should bother.

Smart indoor gardens promise fresh herbs and salad on a worktop, with automatic lights and watering. What the kit actually does, what it costs to run and who should buy one.

Solar lights, cameras, pumps and the new plug-in panels promise free power for your garden. Here’s which ones work under a British sky and which ones are landfill.

Touchscreens, cameras and apps on a fridge sound clever. Here is what a smart fridge actually does, what it costs over its life and who should buy one.

Sensors now run your heating, watch your doorstep and keep the motorway moving. Here’s what they collect, what UK law now requires of them and how to keep them under control.

The first cold morning arrives and your heating app demands a login. Before buying, check whether a simple schedule and proper manual controls already do the job.