The Smart Home Guide is a UK-based resource for anyone building, improving, or just starting out with a smart home. We cover everything from the basics — which smart bulbs to buy and which thermostat actually works with your boiler — to more technical topics like Home Assistant, Zigbee networks, and the Matter standard.
Why we built this site
There is no shortage of smart home content online, but most of it is written for a US audience. Products are reviewed at US prices, with US plugs in photographs, and recommendations that don’t account for the fact that most UK homes have combi boilers, bayonet light fittings, and three-pin sockets. We built The Smart Home Guide specifically for the UK market.
We also focus on smart home setups that actually work reliably — local control where possible, honest assessments of where cloud dependency is a problem, and clear advice on which ecosystems and protocols are worth building on for the long term.
Our approach
- UK-specific: prices in pounds, UK product availability, UK electrical standards (B22 fittings, Type G sockets, combi boiler compatibility)
- Honest: we highlight the downsides of products alongside the upsides — subscription fees, cloud dependency, compatibility limitations
- Practical: we focus on what actually improves daily life, not just what’s impressive on paper
- Independent: our recommendations are based on research and genuine assessment, not sponsorship
Affiliate disclosure
Some links on this site are affiliate links — if you click through and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This is how we fund the time spent keeping the site up to date. It never influences our recommendations. See our full Affiliate Disclosure for details.
Get in touch
Have a question about a specific product, spotted something that needs updating, or want to suggest a topic we should cover? We’d love to hear from you. The best way to reach us is by email — use the address in the site footer.