Wireless Robot Lawn Mover: Ecovacs GOAT A3500 Review

In this post, I’m going to spend two weeks with the ECOVACS GOAT A2500. I’ll take you through what it’s like to set up, and how you mark out your lawn if you don’t use boundary wire. I’ll take a look at the different settings and options for this robot lawnmower and show you exactly how it works. I’ll wrap things up with both the pros and the cons and let you know if I think this device might be right for you.

I would like to say thank you to ECOVACS for becoming an ongoing sponsor of the channel this year. While the company is paying for my time, it has not told me what I have to say and what I can’t say, and I got to test the lawnmower out as I wanted to. So you can consider these thoughts on my own.

ECOVACS has truly made a name for itself in the crowded market of robot vacuum mops. I gave the last four ECOVACS products perfect review scores as they have enough quality features and capabilities that outweigh their premium price tags and large base stations. Clearly ECOVACS has the technology and full understanding when it comes to cleaning all kinds of indoor rooms.

But can ECOVACS score some outdoor victories too? Back in September 2023, ECOVACS launched the company’s first fully-automated robot lawn mower strangely called the GOAT. This was a bold move by ECOVACS because the robot lawn mower market is crowded with some other brands you might not be familiar with if you never purchased a lawn mower before. To give some examples, I reviewed the Husqvarna Automower 415X more than a year ago and checked out the RoboUP lawn mower at CES 2024. But this 2025, mainstream brands like Eufy are creeping into the lawn mower market and ECOVACS looks set to expand the GOAT to more countries. I finally had my chance to try the GOAT and put it through its paces.

Watch the FULL Video Review of Ecovacs Goat A2500

Unboxing: Ecovacs GOAT A2500

I received the A2500 model, designed to cut up to 5/8 acre, 27,000 square feet, or 2,500 Square meters. In other words… A really big lawn.
The first piece is out of the box are both menacing and mysterious. A spiky triad, and 2 metal posts.
Next stop is the top piece of the base station. Then it’s time to meet our GOAT… the robot is quite large and you might want a hand to get it out of the box.

Underneath the robot is a box of components, cables and connections which will dig into in a moment. Finally at the very bottom is the base tray for the robot.
With everything laid out here some of the components might look mysterious, but in essence what you have is 3 sets of components: the robot, base station, and the cylinder, poles and spikes make up what’s called an RTK Reference Station.

RTK reference station

I’ll pause here for just a second because these components are still unique and new enough to us average consumers that a crash course will be handy.

RTK stands for Real-Time Kinematic , and an RTK reference station is basically a GPS receiver that transmits real-time data about the location of your robot.

This allows the robot to know precisely where it is so it can cut your lawn in very straight even rows, unlike many other robot lawnmowers which are stuck doing random bumps and loops inside a wired boundary.

Assembly and set up

If you haven’t already done so, download and log into or sign up for the ECOVACS app. The app is going to walk you through the rest of the set up process, and it will help you place your components.

You have two things to take into account when you’re doing your set up: first is the location of the base station, and the second is the position of the RTK station post.

For the RTK station, connect the two poles to the metal stakes. To place it, you need an open area at least 6 feet away from buildings and not under trees or overhangs; it needs a clear view of the sky. But you need to take that location into account when you’re placing the base Station to some extent because they are wired together.

Fortunately the app will test the signal and let you know if it’s clear, or you need to move it. Lastly, connect the cable from the RTK Station to the base.

The two parts of the base station simply click together. It probably goes without saying but you will need to keep the base station within reach of a plug. You’ve got about 10 meters/33 feet of cord here which helps.

With the base station, it also needs to be a clear and accessible area where the robot can come and go. You need approximately 6 1/2 feet on either side and along the back of the base.

I was able to place mine on a sandy area adjacent to the grass, but you could certainly place this somewhere right on your lawn as well.
With both the RTK station and the base in place you can use the included pegs or screws to secure the base plate to the ground.

Mapping

The last step before you can have a freshly trimmed lawn is to map your yard.

There are two ways to go about this and which one you choose will depend on your yard. If you have a fairly flat yard without a lot of obstacles, narrow areas or drop offs, you can use what’s called automatic mapping.

The other option is manual mapping and I chose this option because we do have an area of the lawn that does have about a 3 to 4 inch drop where some edging was removed.

The great thing about manual mapping though is that it’s easy and can be done in a couple of minutes.

What you’ll do is enable the mapping function and the app will give you a joystick. You’ll use the joystick to drive your robot along the edges of the yard, while you follow behind, maintaining a local Bluetooth connection for this task. This is fairly easy to do if a bit unfamiliar. You’ll also tell the app when you are leaving the base station and when you arrive so it always knows how to get your goat home. Because my lawn is largely rectangular this was quite easy to do. This might be a little fiddlier with more organically shaped lawns.

How well does Ecovacs Goat cut grass?

When you’re ready to have your lawn cut, you have a few different options. You can simply tap the app and send the robot out anytime you want. You can also schedule daily or weekly cuttings.

I am a huge fan of having ECOVACS GOAT A2500 cut the lawn overnight, every other day. Because the lawnmower runs completely silently it’s not going to disturb me or any of my neighbors. Take a listen… The goat is actually a ninja. You could take a nap right next to this thing and never hear a peep.

The bot moves pretty quickly as well. Officially, the mowing Speed is 2.3 feet or 0.7 M per second, or 400㎡/h* or 4,300 Square feet per hour. That translates to it being able to cut my entire lawn in about

If I flip the robot over you can see a little better how it works. On this model, two spinning blade arrays with three blades each mulch down the lawn. Which brings me to another great feature of a robot like this, and that’s that you never have to rake up grass clippings. Because the robot is only clipping small amounts from the lawn, these are easily absorbed and composted back into your lawn. So that probably goes without saying that you won’t be able to use it to cut extremely tall grass.

Another really great feature I want to call out here is that it will cut your lawn in perfect rows. Older lawn robots without cameras and recognition technology are forced to simply bump their way around your yard in a random pattern, and only constant outings keep the whole lawn clipped.

But with ECOVACS GOAT A2500, the robot can position itself exactly on the map and cut out perfect rows every time. In fact it will even reverse the row direction every other week to keep from developing ruts

Cutting height & Slope

When it comes to the specifics, the goat can cut grass from 1.2-3.6 inches tall, and it’s adjustable to your preference.
And if you have a hilly lawn, this is the ideal bought for you. With its big chunky back tires with plenty of grip, it can easily manage up to a 50% grade or 27 degree slope.

Edge mowing

The GOAT is also able to get right up to edges. To some extent this will rely on you mapping your lawn carefully at the outset, but it’s also assisted by a 3D camera with AI recognition, that can help it see where it’s going. You can also enable something called cross boundary mowing where the robot will straddle the map boundary to further get the edges of the lawn trim

Obstacle avoidance

The recognition tech also makes it pretty remarkable at avoiding obstacles. The camera can help it spot things like a wayward hose, dog toy, or other obstacle, as you can see in my full video review.

It will also divert if it detects a person or a pet in its path, and while it nudged the end of my shoe, it turned right around and moved away.

No-go zones

I noted earlier I have a small drop off on my lawn. It did trip up the robot a handful of times. I decided to set a no go zone for this edge simply to keep it out of trouble.

To do this you’ll essentially use the joystick and walk the robot over to the area you want to block off. Roll the robot around that area, and then save it. It’s easy, and extremely helpful to keep the GOAT from getting stuck.

Zones

Depending on the complexity of your yard, you can divide your space up into different zones that can be cut at different times.

IPX6 Waterproof

Sadly one of the things most robot lawn mowers can’t identify is dog poop. That means you might occasionally need to hose off your robot. GOAT A2500 is IPX6 waterproof, meaning you can rinse it with water from the hose, but it wouldn’t be recommended to use a high pressure garden nozzle.

Security

There are a couple of features that work together to ensure your mower stays on your property and if it is potentially stolen, that you could find it.

First off, you can set a PIN code to make any changes on the device or to start it from the mower’s keypad.

If someone does lift up the mower to potentially carry it off, the GOAT A2500 is going to sound the alarm… and same thing if the mower is brought outside of your virtual boundary; alarms will go off.

The alarm isn’t overly loud, but it is enough to draw attention and perhaps make a thief think twice. Plus, once it sounds it takes a few minutes to shut it off, a further deterrent.

Finally, location tracking will always show the mower’s current location.

Can GOAT cut multiple unconnected areas?

You might be wondering if goat can cut multiple lawn areas. The answer is it depends on how they are separated. If there is no physical barrier, and something like a pathway connecting those two areas, the mower can map the entire space as one and then you can later divide into what are called zones. Then you can schedule cutting when you want on each of the zones.

If there is no way to get between those areas, so for example if you have a fenced front and backyard and might want to carry GOAT over to the other area, sadly, you can’t, because it does not currently support storing two separate maps.

But I will say… Many of Ecovacs robot vacuums now have the ability to store multiple maps, so perhaps this is a technology that could be added via a firmware update later.

Charging

The great thing about this robot is that it has a strong battery life and takes only about 45 minutes to recharge.
Because it will always return to its base station where it’s going to get a full charge, it should be ready to cut your lawn at a moment’s notice.

Overall Thoughts: ECOVACS GOAT A2500 RTK

Overall, I can’t believe what a huge leap forward ECOVACS GOAT A2500 is for robot lawnmowers. It essentially makes this technology extremely easy to deploy in almost any yard, because it removes one of the biggest barriers, which is the need to dig and bury boundary wire.

That alone is reason enough for me to want this machine, but let’s go over the pros and the cons so you can see if it might work for you.

On the pro side, this robot lawnmower could not be easier to set up and get working in your yard. The super easy walk behind mapping takes just minutes. The robot does an outstanding job at cutting the lawn, for a few reasons.
It’s powerful with very Efficient Mowing that cuts your lawn in neat rows, and it’s spinning dual blade discs underneath do a fast job.
It operates completely silently, meaning you can cut the lawn overnight when it’s not being used. It also has adjustable cutting height, and cuts your lawn in nice tidy rows.

It’s waterproof and washable in case it gets into some dirt. Plus with AI Vision and 3D LIDAR navigation, it can avoid obstacles on its own, cut right up to the edges of your lawn, and it has the ability to cut over 5/8 of an acre, so it can handle even some of the largest lawns. This is a truly remarkable robot lawnmower that is about to make older robot lawnmower technology obsolete.

But what are the potential downsides? I suppose for some people it could be finding a suitable location where the base station can access the lawn, while the RTK station can view the sky for connected GPS navigation.

The other potential downside could be the price, but I will take note the price of this product category has been coming down every year.

Ecovacs GOAT A2500 sells for about $1999 USD and is available from ECOVACS’ website and from Amazon.

In short, I can’t believe what an amazing robot lawnmower this is and it’s been an absolute dream for cutting my lawn. I can definitely recommend it for you.
You can also check out a couple other products I’ve reviewed that make me a huge fan of ECOVACS brand— and why I’m so grateful for them as an ongoing sponsor of my channel. The company makes truly great products that you can check out here on the blog.

The post Wireless Robot Lawn Mover: Ecovacs GOAT A2500 Review appeared first on TechGadgetsCanada.com.

I’m going to take a look at all the amazing properties of the Tineco Pure One Station 5: I’ll show you exactly what you get with this combination vacuum and base station with automatic emptying. I’ll also take a closer look at the special filtration options and how they help keep allergens at bay. I’ll put it through my special array of cleaning tests, and I’ll wrap things up with both the pros and the cons of this vacuum so you can see if it might be right for you.

I would like to say thank you Tineco for becoming an ongoing annual sponsor of my channel. Though the company is paying for my time, it hasn’t told me what I have to say or what I can’t say and I got to test the vacuum out on my own terms so you can consider these thoughts my own.

Unboxing/What you get: Tineco Pure One Station 5

Let’s take a look at what’s in the box.

This vacuum is kind of a three-in-one device, so unboxing there are several parts and components in here.

First out of the gate is the motorized brush head with its anti-tangle roller brush. Next is the removable and rechargeable battery. Two key components of the vacuum are next starting with the combination tool which is both a crevice tool and dusting brush, followed by the extension tube.

The tube lets you use the vacuum as a full-size stick vacuum, or remove it and put the attachments directly into the motor for a handy handheld vacuum.

Speaking of which, the main motor unit with dustbin attached is next, and it feels both sturdy and lightweight.

In the bottom of the box are the three pieces of the Pure One auto emptying and charging station; there’s a top section, the main base unit with its extra large capacity dust bin, and in the box underneath the rest of the cardboard, is a base plate.

See it in action: Watch my FULL hands-on video review here:

Assembly

Everything assembles quickly and easily; just stack the pieces of the base station onto the plate until they click into place. Then plug it in.

The vacuum assembles by sliding the battery pack onto the bottom of the motor handle then you can click the extension hose and cleaner head into place.

The vacuum slides into the top of the dock and a small clip holds the bottom of the vacuum firmly in place.

Filtration: 12 layers of filtration to combat allergies

While we let it charge up, let’s take a look at some of the filtration elements, and them I’m going to get to the cleaning tests.

Tineco says there are 12 components to the filtration and that’s what should make it ideal for capturing allergens.

There’s filtration in both the base station and in the vacuum itself.

Starting with the base station, we have the first 6 sets of filtration: two sets of cyclonic force pull debris away and trap it with a larger filter. Then, ever smaller filters, and two sponge filters trap fine particles.

A HEPA filter located in the rear of the base is the final line of defense that prevents fine dust, pollen, and other allergens from escaping back into your home.

The *vacuum* also filters particles too, thanks to the built-in cyclone and large mess filter, air then passes through a second cyclone and two levels of sponge filter before ending at another HEPA filter.

If you’re keeping tabs that’s another six filters in the vacuum for a total of 12 stages of filtration.

Both HEPA filters and the sponge filters are replaceable and should definitely be replaced yearly depending on how often you vacuum.

Cleaning tests

Anytime I test out a vacuum I put them all through the same tests. I’ll use them around the house for a week or so just to see what the overall experience is like, day to day.

Then, I’ll vacuum spills on both carpet and hard floors; everything from finer flower or cornmeal, two middle sized bits like rice or oatmeal and larger cracker pieces.

Let’s take a look at how Tineco Pure One Station 5 vacuum performs on hard floors first, and do consider watching my full review video to actually see how it performs in real time.

On the fine flour test, you can see it’s able to suck up everything in just one pass. With its large diameter roller brush underneath, that means more gets pulled in in each pass, which translates to less work for you.

Same thing with oatmeal.

With larger bits like these crackers, you can adjust the vacuum height with a switch on the front to ensure you have enough clearance to inhale these, not just push them around. The remarkable thing about this vacuum too is the 120-degree wide-angle headlight that reminds me of a light sabre. It’s pretty amazing how much this helps: It lights up tiny crumbs that are all but invisible to the naked eye, like little beacons, making them much more visible so you can better see where you need to go. This feature is super impressive, and one of my favourites.

Moving to carpet and rugs, fine dust is no match for the vacuum, and the Pure One Station 5 vac was easily able to pull flour from down within the fibres. Plus it quickly whisks away rice and crackers too.

Handheld vacuum

Another great feature of the Pure One Station 5 is that you can convert it in two seconds from a full-size stick vacuum to a very capable handheld vacuum. Just clip in any of the attachments directly to the motorized handle and you’ve instantly got a pint sized powerhouse vacuum which is just as powerful and just as capable as the full-size version. As a handheld, it can tackle everything from sofas and chairs, to other upholstery, and even make quick work of spills in the car. We even used it on a recent camping trip in our van to keep all the doggy dirt from becoming a bigger mess!

 Anti-tangle brush

One of the more common things a vacuum will find in this house is long hair. With a lot of vacuums, unless you clean them constantly, the hair tends to wrap around the brush creating tangles and reducing performance.

Tineco has engineered this vacuum with a special anti-tangle design. Take a closer look: The V shaped roller brush is better able to whisk hair off of the brush before it gets wound up, while the dual comb design untangles and lifts it into the dustbin. That makes this vacuum ideal for not just those with long-haired humans in the house, but long-haired pets as well.

Self cleaning vacuum

Usually the tedious part about vacuuming is dumping out the dust bin. Just opening it over a trashcan or tapping it out after each cleaning session can reintroduce all kinds of dust and particles into the air every day.

And if you’re an allergy sufferer—and after you’ve gone to all that trouble of filtration like we talked about earlier, that would be the last thing you want. That’s why Tineco built the Pure One Station for this vacuum.

When you’re done vacuuming, the station will automatically self-clean the entire vacuum, not only fully emptying the dustbin, but it also engages the motorized cleaning head, to ensure that is clean as well, then it cleans out the extension tube too so that small bits won’t become big blockages in the future. You never need to take it apart to clean it after use.

Tineco says Station 5 uses what’s called a full-path self-cleaning process, ensuring no dust hides inside the tube or brush.

The station’s large 2.5L eco dustbin holds days and days worth of debris and dust. And because it doesn’t use a disposal bag, there’s no need to purchase refills. Just empty it every week or two whenever it needs it.

I want to touch on one last great feature of this vacuum, and that’s that the base station is also a charging dock. As long as you keep your vacuum docked, you will always have a fully charged battery, ready to clean your entire house.

Battery life & Runtime

In fact with a full battery you should get about 70 minutes of run time every single time you reach for it. That also gives you the option of keeping the vacuum nearby off the dock, knowing you’ll have more than an hour of running time.

Overall thoughts: Tineco Pure One Station 5

Overall, Tineco has made some really great, useful improvements to this vacuum and self cleaning and filtering dock. Let’s go over both the pros and the cons so you can see if it might be right for your home

On the pro side, the cleaning power is very strong. It was easily able to tackle everything from day-to-day pet hair, to more challenging spills with ease.

The 12 layers of filtration should be a huge boon to those with allergies.

I like the fact the motorized cleaner head is height-adjustable in case you need to vacuum up larger pieces or if you need to get closer to carpet fibers.

The vacuum was easy to set up and assemble and it looks like a nice tidy package, since all the accessories store in the dock. This is the kind of vacuum you won’t mind leaving out in the open.

The vacuum converts from stick to handheld and back in seconds making it incredibly versatile. With anti-tangle construction, it’s ideal for home with pets and long haired humans.

Plus with a long battery life, and automatic charging and auto-emptying and internal cleaning of the vacuum, you should never have to worry about lingering dust, musty smells, or tedious maintenance. Plus with no need for vacuum bags, you’ll have zero ongoing costs.

So what are the potential downsides? Some folks might find the station is quite tall and potentially difficult to place. It does also need to be near a plug. But those should be easy to work around, particularly since the vacuum offers more than 70 minutes of runtime even when kept off the base station.

In short, I’m really enjoying our new Tineco Pure One Station 5. It sells for about $459USD and you can get one from Tineco’s website … or HERE  from Amazon.

The post Tineco Pure One Station 5 FULL review AND how it battles allergies appeared first on TechGadgetsCanada.com.

If you’ve ever just wanted to vent online, but worried about how your true feelings might be perceived, now there’s an app for that. Air Out! is now available across Canada and the United States, giving users a place to put their thoughts in a quick, easy-to-use platform that provides instant emotional relief. Initially conceived to support mothers in sharing unspoken challenges, the app has evolved into a dynamic space for anyone to vent, confess, and brag, with true anonymity.

How does Air Out! work?

With a 100-character count limit, no user names, no interaction between users, and minimalist design, Air Out! provides an exciting and fresh take on how we express ourselves. The app features six chat spaces: Moms, Dads, Work, Love, Vent, and Brag.

“We don’t always want solutions or advice. Often, we just want to feel heard,” says Air Out! Founder, Canadian broadcaster, and mom of three, Courtney Stanfield. “I realized there wasn’t a space where you could unload the heavy stuff without someone making you feel bad about it.”

Is AirOut! a safe space?

With language filters and privacy protocols, Air Out! strives to be a welcoming place for all users, offering a refreshing change from the often volatile and aggressive comments on traditional social media.

“As an advocate for robust mental wellness, I recognize the critical importance of having a safe space for emotional expression,” states Holistic Stress Management expert and award winning executive coach Mitchell Creasey. “This app is an invaluable resource, thoughtfully designed to ensure that personal thoughts do not transform into personal burdens. It’s more than an app. It’s a pivotal mental health resource for our times.”

The idea for the app came to Stanfield in a dream in March 2024, she recalls it being so profound she started emailing app development companies in the middle of the night. “There isn’t a person in America that wouldn’t benefit from an outlet like this,” Stanfield says, “Air Out! is a way to simplify your life by giving your thoughts a place to go without judgement.”

Release your thoughts to strangers and feel better instantly, no guilt. Air Out! Is available for free download across North America on the Apple Store and Google Play.  Or learn more at AirOutApp.com .

The post Vent your true feelings without guilt with this new app: Meet Air Out! appeared first on TechGadgetsCanada.com.

In this video I’m going to show you the Kwikset Halo Select smart deadbolt lock. I’ll take you through the surprisingly easy installation with just a screwdriver, then I’ll look at all the things you can do with it, including locking your door from anywhere on the planet! I’ll wrap things up with both the pros and the cons and help you see if it’s right for your home.

A quick thank you to Kwikset for sponsoring this video. While they are paying for my time they haven’t told me what I have to say or what I can’t say about this lock, so these thoughts are all mine.

What is Kwikset Halo Select?

Kwikset Halo Select is a smart deadbolt that can be used to unlock your door in four ways: using an included key, with a numeric passcode, remotely with your smartphone, or hands-free with your preferred voice assistant.

With the ability to add hundreds of users, you can grant access to relatives, friends or tradespeople easily, including scheduling when those users are allowed to open the door.

With the Kwikset app, you can see who used the lock and when, great for checking on curfews, you can double check if the door is locked, and even get real time notifications about who’s accessing it.

All the features use Wi-Fi so the lock is visible and accessable from anywhere on earth. And with Matter support, that means you can plug the lock into a wider smart home set up too.

Unboxing/What you get

Let’s unbox the Halo Select Smart lock to see what you get inside.

The lock consists of two pieces; a keypad or outdoor touchscreen faceplate and an indoor thumb lock.

Kwikset has cleverly boxed the rest of the components into three separate kits which helps you keep everything straight during the installation process.

In box #1 you get an adjustable latch which should fit any standard door, plus AA batteries are included, as are screws.

Box #2 has a sensor magnet, screws and a strike plate, while Box #3 has a mounting plate, screws and a set of two physical keys, plus a smart key, which allows you to easily re-key the Halo Select lock to match existing locks you may already have at home.

Easy app

Not in the box but integral to the locks operation is the Kwikset app. Once you download the app and sign up for or sign into your account, the app will guide the installation, so get that started.

Installation: just a screwdriver

While it may seem like there’s a lot of intimidating and mysterious parts in the box, the Kwikset app is going to walk you through the entire process and since all you need is a screwdriver, it’s easy—it took me just 15 minutes.

One very important thing to note is that the only tool you need is a screwdriver. If you might consider using a power drill, don’t, because that can over-tighten things and potentially damage your new lock.

I’m going to cover the installation basics, but take note, this is not a detailed how to. You can also watch my video to see how easy it was.

The first step is going to be to remove your old lock, which should just come out by removing a few screws.

Next you’ll insert the deadbolt mechanism into the door and screw it in place. Then grab the faceplate and feed the Cable underneath the deadbolt, and through the dedicated opening in the bottom of the mounting plate. Next, secure the mounting plate at the back to the face plate in the front with the screws. A quick check using the physical keys should tell you if things are aligned correctly.

Then set the thumb screw or turn piece at the back, remove the cover from the interior portion of the lock and pull out the battery tray. Connect the cable into the back of the lock by sliding it into a small opening then you’ll fix the back of the lock to the door with two screws and just your screwdriver. Pop the batteries into the tray and click the battery pack into place. This should trigger the lock to power up and you’ll see a light come on.

There’s a small button inside the back of the cover below the battery pack which you’ll push and hold for three seconds to initiate Bluetooth pairing. Once that blue light is flashing, use the app to pair the lock to your phone. Once paired, the lock will initiate a calibration sequence which will check that the mechanism is opening and locking correctly.

Once that step is complete the app will prompt you to connect to your home Wi-Fi network so you can gain wider use of the lock through the app.

And that’s it – you are done and ready to use your lock… and I’m just going to pause for a second here and call out the fact that this lock, of the many I’ve tested over the years, is the absolute easiest one I’ve ever installed and connected. The instructions were super easy to follow and everything worked on the first try.

Next, the app will prompt you with a few choices for some settings.

For example you can have the lock automatically engage after a certain period of time, or if it detects your phone at a certain distance from the home.

You can also change settings where the lock will use audible alerts, or the indicator light is used.

There’s also another setting I highly recommend on smart locks called Secure Screen. With this setting enabled, the lock will add randomly generated digits you have to tap before you enter your access code. This is very helpful and smart because it prevents someone from potentially looking for fingerprints or smudges on the keypad of the lock and simply trying to input those digits to gain access.

Using Kwikset Halo smart lock

When it comes to using this lock, there’s actually not a lot to talk about because this is going to integrate incredibly easily into your life and routine.

With a bright LED backlit touchscreen it’s easy to see the keypad numbers day or night. The touchscreen is UV-, water- and humidity-resistant to keep your display clear and responsive —Great for those of us who live in extreme climates.

Even in just my first few uses of this lock, I can tell that the touchscreen is far more responsive than my old lock. Keying in the code works as quickly as I can type and the lock mechanism opens quite fast too.

I like the pin code simply for its ease of use and convenience, but of course the lock will also open with a quick tap on your smart phone. This works similarly quickly and allows you to provide remote entry anytime you need to, or to lock the door if you forgotten after you’ve already left the house. Of course you can always use the key if you’re old school like that.

For those folks who are prone to worrying about whether or not door is actually locked after they leave, a simple glance at the screen of the app will confirm your door’s status – no matter where in the city or the world you are. And if you did forget to lock it, just tap on the app to secure your home in an instant.

Smart Home Integration

Because this lock is smart, you can connect it to your preferred digital assistant for easy voice control. Using it with Amazon Alexa, Apple Home and Google Home, you can also create helpful automations or routines where you can say something like Hey G- Goodnight, and all your smart lights will turn off, the doors will lock automatically, and your alarm system will engage.

Add users easily

For people that travel a lot or anyone having cleaning or renovations done, adding users is simple and quick with the app. Just generate an access code yourself or ask the app to create a random one for you and you can issue codes to anyone you need. As I noted you can make these codes active only during certain times of day or days of the week if you want.

Matter integration

Bright even at night.

While we’re on the subject of smart homes, some folks will be glad to know that Kwisket Halo Select is Matter-enabled. Matter allows smart home devices to talk to each other even if they’re manufactured by different companies. You’ll be able to connect your Kwikset lock to other smart home devices and control them automatically through any compatible smart home platform including Apple HomeKit, Google Home, Alexa or Samsung SmartThings.

Plus, Matter uses a technology called Thread and is more reliable because devices can directly connect to each other. That means even if your internet goes down, you’ll still have control inside the house and your automations will still run.

Not all the features in the Kwikset app are currently available with Matter and features are dependent on the ecosystem you are connecting to. If you’re already using Matter and want to know more, Kwikset’s website can help guide you.

Intrusion detection and Door Ajar notifications

This lock has some additional features which can be extremely helpful during unexpected situations.

If you accidentally leave the door ajar, you can get notifications from the app to let you know.

Similarly, if someone is attempting to access the lock or bypass it, the app will send you an alert.

Overall thoughts: Kwikset Halo Select

Overall I have to say I’ve been pretty blown away Kwikset Halo Select. I’ve been using and reviewing smart locks for years, and the technology has obviously come along way in the last decade. But even in the last few years, I’ve still seen smart locks that are incredibly difficult to install, configure, and use. So I can say it without hesitation that Kwikset Halo Select has been the easiest lock to install, the quickest to configure and set up, and the best to use.

And above all it gives me major confidence that my home is secure.

Let’s go over both the pros and cons so you can see if this smart lock might be right for you.

On the pro side, the design is simple and should fit in with many aesthetics. The installation was absolutely dead simple and took me less than15 minutes. I really appreciate the fact this lock uses easily available double A batteries so they can be inexpensively and easily replaced.

The lock itself is incredibly responsive and the touchscreen reacts instantly. I love the option for secure screen where additional numbers are generated before you input your pin so a burglar won’t simply be able to look for fingerprints on your keypad to gain access. Plus with a host of other smart features like door ajar and intrusion notifications, this lock goes along way too making you feel safe.

And the app is incredibly intuitive and user-friendly and makes it easy to add or delete temporary or permanent users in seconds.

Plus with Matter integration, this lock is future proof and ready for the next generation of smart home devices.

So what are the potential downsides? I guess the biggest potential issue could be that at the moment, this lock is only available as a deadbolt, so if you were hoping to get a handle or a knob replaced, this wouldn’t work for that application. Some folks also might not like the idea of changing the batteries instead of recharging them. One thing I will give points to however is the battery life indicator which is visible front and centre on the app, so you’ll always know when you’re running low on juice.

In short, I personally have zero complaints about this lock, and it is now going to replace my old lock permanently because it checks the top four boxes for me which are easy to use, easy to install, highly customizable, and extraordinarily secure. For those reasons I can absolutely absolutely recommend Kwikset Halo Select smart lock for you.

Visit Kwikset.com or your favorite home improvement retailer to learn more or shop Halo Select on Amazon.

The post Kwikset Halo Select Smart Lock Full Review appeared first on TechGadgetsCanada.com.

In this review I’ll try it out here in my home over a couple of weeks so I can test out each of the brand-new features and improvements. I’ll also put it through my special array of cleaning tests to see how well it performs and if it might be worth an upgrade for you. I’ll wrap things up with the pros and the cons of this robot floor clean cleaner to see if I can recommend it for you.

I would like to say thank you to ECOVACS for sponsoring this video. While the company is paying me for my time, it has not told me what I have to say or what I can’t say about its product so you can consider these thoughts all my own.

Watch the FULL  ECOVACS DEEBOT X8 Pro OMNI in-home review

Components / Unboxing

It’s easy to get DEEBOT X8 PRO OMNI up and running very quickly.
In the box, just beside the reading material, is a tiny corner brush… you don’t want to lose this because you’ll need to install this important component before you get underway so make sure you locate it and set it aside.

Also on top here is a ramp for the base station and your power cord.

Underneath all the wrapping is the star of the show which is the brand new DEEBOT X8. The robot feels larger and heavier than previous generations and that’s probably because there’s lots more power built in here. ECOVACS bumped the suction power on the bot to a crazy high 18,000Pa, so it may not be surprising the robot feels more substantial.

Underneath you can see that new scrubbing OZMO ROLLER too.

In the down deep of the box you’ll find the OMNI Station for cleaning and recharging, which comes nearly fully assembled. Just remove all the tape and protective packaging and connect the base station plate to the bottom. Then connect the included cable plug from the station to the wall outlet. You also get cleaning solution and a user manual.

The last step before you charge it up, is to snap the corner brush into place.

Want to learn more about ECOVACS floor bots? Check out my reviews of the ECOVACS T30S Combo, or the ECOVACS X2 COMBO.

ECOVACS App

The last item you’ll need, is not in the box but it is on your phone… Download or sign into ECOVACS app so that you can pair your DEEBOT to your phone for complete remote control, scheduling diagnostics, updates, and the ability to use your robot’s onboard camera. More on that in a few minutes…

I had my robot paired in less than a minute with just a couple of taps.

The new ECOVACS DEEBOT X8 PRO OMNI is an investment at $1,399.99 so you’ll really want to know its full set of features to really appreciate the value and make full use of its advanced capabilities. Why are we let it charge up let’s get to know it.

Special Features

OZMO Roller-Instant Self-Washing Technology

ECOVACS has continued to make upgrades to its mopping technology, and that means it’s switched from dual spinning mop pads and moved to the new OZMO Roller-Instant Self-Washing Technology.

If you’re thinking, so what, this is actually a huge deal because the roller can self-clean without only relying on the base station.

The process works by dispersing clean water from its tank through 16 individual water nozzles to the saturate the OZMO Roller Mop while spinning very quickly at 200 times per minute generating up to 4,000Pa worth of pressure. Thanks to the built-in edge scraper underneath, DEEBOT can effectively wring out the dirty water and channel it towards a new, separate dirty water tank in the back off the bot, without contaminating the clean water. In a nutshell that means while the robot is cleaning it is also constantly cleaning the mop as well and then storing that dirty water for disposal back at the base, so you’re getting a clean that’s a lot more than just rubbing a dirty pad over the floor like some other bots.

The self-cleaning scrubbing roller is just the beginning though: the mop is actually able to reach out from underneath the robot and align with walls and edges so it can mop them extremely thoroughly. This happens automatically thanks to some other technology….

AIVI 3D 3.0 Omni-Approach and TruEdge 2.0 3D Sensor

The right side of the ECOVACS DEEBOT X8 PRO OMNI features a new and highly sophisticated TruEdge 2.0 sensor that uses high precision structured light to effectively scan for edges.

TruEdge Sensor.

The sensor can identify the most protruding part of the edge so it can position itself just close enough for effective edge cleaning without collisions. This makes both vacuuming and mopping super intelligent, in particular when cleaning around edges with hidden skirting boards, narrow gaps, even around boxes, or obstacles like chair legs, as you can see here; each leg gets the close-up mopping treatment.

VACUUM Suction Power & ZeroTangle 2.0 Technology

With the mopping already more advanced, ECOVACS also made significant upgrades to the vacuuming.
For starters, it redesigned the vacuum roller brush on the DEEBOT X8 PRO OMNI, now with a triple V-shaped structure design that completely gathers and untangles hair. Combined with the 18,000Pa of suction power I mentioned, the DEEBOT X8 PRO OMNI is designed to be very powerful.

OMNI Station

The new OMNI Station is where your maintenance happens: here, the robot can empty its vacuum dust bin into a sealed bag, it can empty the dirty water from cleaning the mop, disposing of it in one of the two large tanks on top, and it can refill its tanks for washing, from the large clean water reservoir.

Also hidden in here next to the vacuum bag? A special detergent dispenser which you can fill with ECOVACS cleanser that is dispensed automatically as needed, to ensure your floors and your mopping pads always stay fresh and tidy.

The OMNI Station is a big drink of water, but only because there’s so much going on. Despite the large footprint, ECOVACS has really worked to make it more attractive by adding some beautiful brushed surfaces, and ensuring all the finishes are in the same colour tone.

Cleanser tank & vacuum bag.

The station even evaluates the dirt levels based on which rooms it’s cleaned, and can make adjustments to the mop washing – 40°C water for bedroom cleaning, warmer 55°C for post-kitchen cleaning, and it will wash the mop with 75°C water after bathroom cleaning. Once finished, the station can generate hot air at 63°C to dry the mop for two hours which helps keep the mop from developing mold and mildew, leading to odors and germs.

Yiko Voice assistant

Another feature I’ve been enjoying is the Yiko voice assistant. Just by asking Yiko, I can start or stop a clean, empty the dustbin, wash the mops or pause drying.
You can even go anywhere in your home and call for Yiko to ‘clean this spot’ and it knows where you are by measuring the distance to your voice. Pretty cool.

Schedule

One of the most useful features of a robot vacuum is the ability to schedule cleanings anytime. The app makes it easy to choose regular daily or weekly cleanings and I find this is one of the best ways to maximize your investment.

Cleaning tests

By now you’re likely thinking all this technology is great, but how does it work in real life, in a real home? It’s time to get to my Cleaning tests to find out. With robot vacuum-mops, I always put them through the same set of tests: I will start out by spilling dry goods like rice, oatmeal, and cracker pieces on both carpet and hard floors to see how well the vacuuming works.

Cleans nearly 100% of debris.

To test the mop I will spill liquids on the floor to see how it’s able to clean those up, and then I will also let some liquids dry to test scrubbing performance on dried stains.

At first I just schedule it go out every other day to get the dog hair and minor dust, and it did a great job.

With my spill tests like coffee, DEEBOT X8 is easily able to wash away any still damp spills. And when it comes to more dried on spills, that rotating scrubber does a good job at removing all but the thickest most-dried areas.

When it comes to the vacuuming, it’s extremely thorough gathering up about 95 to 99% of all spills I left for it. It was particularly adapt at lifting extremely fine spills like flour or sugar, and was great at picking up crumbs both small or large.

The robot actually seems to have almost a seeking ability where if it does kick something away with its spinning brush, it almost appears to go looking for it so that it can vacuum up every last bit. On carpet the DEEBOT X8 is similarly adept, and was able to pull dirt from the fibres of both carpet and rugs. [will add more].

Obstacle avoidance

Easily avoids all kinds of obstacles.

I also tried running the robot through another series of tests where I left obstacles in the way to see if I could trip it up. As you can see it seems to know to avoid fallen cords and cables, and I also found this to be very true under the sofa and under the bed where I have plenty of cables running. Other robot vacuums constantly get tangled up in these but the X8 pro Omni didn’t get tangled up once. Similarly it can avoid things like shoes and fallen clothing, even this drinking glass too. ECOVACS robots have always been among the best when it comes to object recognition and avoidance so here I’m delighted but not surprised.

Roving security camera

Part of that object recognition and avoidance comes courtesy of built-in cameras into the bot. While they are ideal for this purpose, they also double as a roving security camera if you want. You can simply tap on the app to access the onboard camera and the video is shockingly clear and sharp. You can even turn onto two way audio with it or send it on a home patrol which will automatically drive the camera around a few key locations so you can see whether your baby gate is still up or if you left a light on or the back door open. Yes… You can even check if your dog is sleeping on the sofa. Pretty cool.

Overall Thoughts: ECOVACS DEEBOT X8 PRO OMNI

The ECOVACS DEEBOT X8 PRO OMNI seems to mark a new gold standard in cleaning, obstacle detection, edge cleaning technology, and you can really tell how advanced things have gotten once you see the robot vacuum in action and how it treats objects like cables and watching it just clean right snug to the edge of walls
Let’s go over both the pros and the cons of this device so you can see if it might be an ideal fit for your home.

On the pro side the suction is outstanding. It’s some of the strongest available in a consumer robot floor cleaner and it cleans very well. The new rotating mopping roller seems to be able to add even oomph to floor washing, wiping up not just drips and dribbles but powering off dried on spills too. The sliding cartridge of the mopping roller is a pretty amazing advancement that lets it clean deeper into corners and hard to reach areas than ever before.
The app is easy to use and trouble free and lets you keep tabs on your robot, schedule cleans and more. And speaking of keeping tabs, the ability to use the robot vacuum as a security Rover is pretty amazing also. With obstacle avoidance, scheduling, Yiko the built-in voice assistant, and self-cleaning from the OMNI station, there’s so much to appreciate.

So what are the downsides? I think the biggest barrier for people may be the size of the base station. There’s no escaping that it’s huge and you do need room for it.

In short I can absolutely recommend the ECOVACS DEEBOT X8 Pro OMNI if you’re looking for the smartest, best cleaning floor bot with extras.
Regular price is about $1299 USD / $1,799 CDN and you can get one from ECOVACS.com or from Amazon. Be sure to check the description for any current coupon codes or special offers. *** Original Price: $1,299.99 – Discounted Price from February 11 – March 2: $1,169.99 (after 10% discount)

Want to learn more about ECOVACS floor bots? Check out my reviews of the ECOVACS T30S Combo, or the ECOVACS X2 COMBO.

The post ECOVACS DEEBOT X8 Pro OMNI: Full in-home review appeared first on TechGadgetsCanada.com.

Coffee is more than just a pick me up, it’s a ritual. But sometimes you don’t need a full pot. If you were the lone coffee drinker in your home or you just want a machine to make smaller amounts, you might be looking at Cuisinart Grind & Brew Single-Serve Coffeemaker. The unique proposition of this machine is that it can make one cup at a time in two ways; you can use prepackaged Keurig pods or fill the included adaptor with your own favourite coffee and make your cup that way.

In this review I’m going to take a look at what this machine is like to use, how it works, what the coffee is like and what you might need to know before picking it up for your kitchen. I’ll wrap things up with the pros and the cons and let you know if I think I can recommend this coffee machine for you.

I’d like to thank Cuisinart for giving me a machine to review. Though they did provide it, they didn’t ask for nor receive permission to have any input into my review so you can consider these thoughts all mine.

Unboxing & Set-up

The Cuisinart Grind & Brew Single-Serve Coffeemaker is the only thing in the box. There are just two other components that come with it… a removable drip tray, which you’ll place under the spout, and hidden inside a side door is your reusable filter cup.

To get ready to brew you do have a couple of tasks: the machine comes with a water filter, which pops into a small compartment at the bottom of a long holder that sits in the bottom of the water tank. It needs replacement about every 60 days or so. Then, fill the 48 ounce/1.4L water reservoir.

Watch my full VIDEO review of Cuisinart Grind & Brew Single Serve

Cuisinart recommends you follow the instructions to run some hot water through the system in order to give it a rinse before your first use.

Let’s get to know the rest of the machine…

Next up you can fill the small coffee beans hopper with fresh coffee beans and clip the lid into place which will help keep it fresh.

Underneath the beans hopper is a small clip which is where you will place your reusable filter cup when you want to use it. The filter cup is a small K-cup style basket which you’ll fill with your own ground coffee. I’ll get to exactly how to use it and how it works in just a moment.

On the right hand side of the machine is the brewing head. Whether you use your own reusable K-cups, or you purchase Keurig pods, they will get placed under the lid here.

Up top is your control and info panel. This allows you to choose three different sizes of coffee; 8 ounce, 10 ounce or 12 ounce cups. You can also opt to grind your own coffee here and you’ll get alerted if your water tank is low.

Making coffee with Cuisinart Grind & Brew: Fresh Ground Beans

I’ll go over making coffee with your own ground beans and using a K-cup, and let’s start with the ground coffee option.

You’ll have a hot cup of Joe in less than a couple of minutes. Start by opening up your reusable pod and sliding it underneath the grinder. Touch the grind button and wait for it to do its thing. The machine will measure the appropriate amount and also the appropriate grind size. There does not appear to be any way to change either the measurement or the grind size.

When the cup is full slide it out and close the lid. You’ll need to remove the K cup adaptor from the brew head and then set the reusable pod inside, close the brew head and choose the size of coffee you want. An 8 ounce cup brews up in less than about 90 seconds, which I think is quite quick.

Coffee temperature

I measured the coffee temperature just after brewing at about 149°F/65°C. This is quite hot but not scald your tongue hot. You could call it hot but quickly drinkable.

I did notice a rather common feature of grinders like this and that is that you can expect a sprinkling of ground coffee to spill out of the device. Most of it gets captured in the drip tray and shouldn’t be a major problem.

Making coffee with Cuisinart Grind & Brew: Using Keurig K-Cups

Making coffee with K-cups is even quicker and easier. Ensure the K-cup adaptor is in the brew head, then drop in your Keurig pod and close the lid. Choose your coffee size and again this brews up in about 90 seconds.

It does seem like it takes a long time, and the coffee tends to dribble out rather slowly, but given the amount we are brewing here, I think it’s actually a perfectly reasonable length of time.

If for some reason you need to stop the brewing process at any time, just push the brew size button again.

Cleanup

The parts including the filter basket and drip tray can go in the dishwasher but are safe for the top rack only. You can also rinse or hand wash under running water.

Overall review: Cuisinart Grind & Brew Single-Serve

Overall I am surprised at how convenient this machine is. It would be most ideal for occasional coffee drinkers as opposed to those who are downing a pot a day. Let’s go over the pros and the cons of this machine so you can see if it might be right for you.

On the pro side it’s incredibly convenient, while at the same time offering two options for brewing; either your own preferred coffee beans or the convenience of a pre-portioned Keurig cup.

The brewing process is incredibly quiet ensuring that if anyone is still sleeping they’re not going to be bothered. A cup brews up in about 90 seconds or so which is a reasonable timeframe.

The coffee is hot by my standards and you have the option of brewing three different sizes. The water tank holds 48 ounces which will make about six 8 ounce cups before it needs refilling.

The Conical Burr grinder does a very good job of grinding coffee extremely well and to an even consistency. You can also take it apart for cleaning.

So what are the downsides? There’s not a lot of deal breakers for me as far as this machine is concerned. I think the biggest standouts for some coffee lovers might be the sprinkling of coffee grounds from the grinder or perhaps the fact that you might have to refill the water tank more often if you’re making larger portions. And on that note, if you did want to insert a large travel mug, there’s not really enough room for that. The footprint of the machine may also be a little on the large size given it’s only producing a single cup, but since Cuisinart has doubled the brewing methods here, the size is understandable.

In short I think this is a great single serve coffee maker that gives you great options whether you want convenient K-cups or your own grounds. I can absolutely recommend the Cuisinart Grind & Brew Single-Serve Coffeemaker to you.

It sells for about $200CAD/ $149USD and you can get it directly from Cuisinart or from several retailers including Amazon.

**A note about Affiliate Links: TechGadgetsCanada & TechGadgetsInternational is supported by our readers. Occasionally I will include affiliate links in my reviews. I do this partly for convenience of the reader (since I’ll almost always include a link to the company website or similar anyway) in case you want to read more or purchase, but I also may get a small commission from the click, which helps me keep the blog running. If you choose to use this link I thank you greatly for supporting the blog. There’s no obligation or cost to you for using these links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 

The post Cuisinart Grind & Brew Single Serve Coffee Maker: FULL in-home review appeared first on TechGadgetsCanada.com.

Air fryers remain hugely popular, and it’s no wonder. They’re a great way to cook smaller amounts of food fast, or to cook for one or two without needing the whole oven. And with air fry cooking, you get crispy food without all the oil. But some folks find another appliance tough to justify and rightly so. I’m a huge proponent of making sure your appliances can do double or triple duty, and that’s the idea behind the Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven with Grill (TOA-70C).

I recently received one of these ovens from Cuisinart to test and review in my home. While the company did provide it to me at no charge, it didn’t ask for or receive permission to approve or view my content so these thoughts are all my own.

Air fryers: we know them well, we covered a bunch of them here on the site and by now, most people in your neighborhood should likely have one. But if you’re either one of the odd ones out or hoping to replace or upgrade your existing oven, get ready for a headache as many manufacturers flooded the market with all sorts of models old and new. In fact, old models continue to sell well in 2024 like the Cuisinart TOA-70C. The oven-styled air fryer has been around for more than three years, which is more than enough time to think twice and consider something newer or more innovative. Is the Cuisinart Air Fryer still a contender in the modern kitchen? Read on for my thoughts!

Watch my FULL hands on review of  Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven with Grill

What is the Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven with Grill

The Cuisinart Air Fryer Convection Oven resembles the traditional countertop oven, but the fry basket included in the package serves as a reminder of its function as an oil-free replacement for a deep fryer. It also offers a grill function as well on top of 7 other modes and some extra accessories that aid in its versatility. To see how that works, let’s unbox it.

What’s in the Box?

The Cuisinart TOA-70C Air Fryer Toaster Oven with Grill is the biggest thing in the box, and it is big; it’s just over half a cubic foot, weighs 23 pounds and measures about 16-inches wide, 14 inches high and 12 inches deep, so you are definitely going to want a dedicated space for this.

If you are going to opt to keep it out on the counter, it’s a good thing the oven is fairly streamlined and nice looking with its retro dials.

Also in the box, you get the air frying basket, a standard baking pan which doubles as a crumb or drip tray, and a grill plate. The grill plate features a two-sided design with one being a flat griddle and the other being a lined grill. The grill plate also has drip holes which help channel unwanted fats and oils into the drip tray below.

All of the trays and accessories will store inside the oven, or you can simply leave them on top.

Features

As an 8-in-1 oven, the Cuisinart TOA-70C lets you prepare all sorts of snacks and meals from main and side dishes to sweets and desserts. Learning its functions is key to making the most out of the air fryer.

The Air Fryer Toaster Oven with Grill will bake, grill, roast, toast, air fry and broil. It’s also got convection cooking options for both broil and bake too.

Four-dial Control Array

The Cuisinart Air Fryer Convection Oven lacks a screen which might be a dealbreaker if you want to track time or the cooking mode at a glance. Fortunately, the four-dial control system is simple to use and since you don’t have to worry about a screen breaking or touch sensors potentially wearing out, the oven could last longer.

First, you set the third dial to the cooking method you want. Then you choose the temperature by rotating the second dial. Finally, you set the cooking time by turning the fourth knob if you picked the toast cooking method, or the first knob if you picked a different cooking method. Turning either the first or fourth knobs power on the oven and activates the cooking indicator light.

You can also press the button below the light to switch on the interior oven light.

Multifunction Powerhouse

The Cuisinart Air Fryer features 1,800 watts of power putting it in line with the Cosori Air Fryer Oven I reviewed last year. The 18-quart capacity makes the oven a bit smaller though which is nice if you didn’t like the Cosori’s larger footprint. The oven interior still measures about 12 inches wide and 12 inches deep which is enough for 6 slices of bread or burger patties or a 12-inch pizza. The 3-inch interior height is okay for cooking flatter items, like pizza, fish or chicken pieces, but it’s completely unsuitable for any kind of larger meats or baking dishes. It’s also not large enough to hold multiple racks to cook different meals or dishes at once.

The oven supports a maximum temperature of 450°F (230°C) and can cook up to an hour straight before it will shut off automatically.

Cooking in Cuisinart Air Fryer Oven & Grill

I tried a variety of foods in this oven.

I decided to start by baking a tray of chocolate chip cookies…because I was both excited and hungry for something sweet. I laid out the cookies on a baking sheet and slid it inside. When my timer went off, the cookies were scorched and crispy. Hopefully this can be a lesson for you… the first time you try to use a new oven like this it’s probably best not to cook something you’re really looking forward to eating, because you will want to get accustomed to the temperature adjustments and changes your recipes may need due to the smaller size of this oven. While I was pretty choked that my snack was practically incinerated, I’ll chalk this up to my own learning experience.

Next I was a little more practical with my second meal choice. I decided to make a tray of french fries just on a regular baking pan. I opted to lower both the temperature and the cook time just a little bit and these turned out much better. They were cooked in less than 10 minutes.

Next step was a piece of chicken. As I noted earlier, this oven would be ideal for cooking smaller pieces of meat for one to four people, but there’s no possible way of getting a full bird in here if you might be inclined.

Again, owing to the smaller size of this oven I assumed it would cook both hotter and faster, and it did. My chicken was thoroughly cooked in about 30 minutes and nicely browned to boot.

Feeling a little more confident with the oven I decided to move onto baking some fresh salmon. Here, the Cuisinart Air Fryer Oven shines. My salmon was cooked quickly and evenly. And it was a fast and quick-heating way to cook dinner – no waiting for the big oven to heat up.

That brings me to another benefit of this oven and that’s that there’s no real pre-heating. Because this oven is so small and quick, I found there’s no need to preheat it. Just add your food and set the timer.

To test the air frying I inserted the basket and added some homemade spring rolls, cooked from frozen.

They cooked in about 20 minutes, and browned quite nicely and evenly. The air frying grill basket does allow air to circulate and cooks thoroughly.

Also worth pointing out is that the racks have a stop inside that prevents you from pulling them out too far. Depending on which rack you use it might be a bit of a struggle to get it pulled out as far as you need it, but I did find this was quite handy as a protective measure against accidentally dropping your food.

Because the Cuisinart Air Fryer has more of a classic oven form-factor, you can’t pull out the entire basket to serve food. However, checking the food while it is cooking is easy and safe as you can pull down the door to automatically power off the oven. Closing the door immediately resumes cooking.

One of the last few tests I tried was making toast. This oven is ideal for toasting for a crowd since you can do multiple slices at once. I found it did a very good job at toast and because you can dial in the level of darkness you prefer each time, it’s easy to get your bread just the way you want it.

Of note, this air fryer oven doesn’t give off a lot of heat, and even the top surface, which on plenty of models can become scorching hot, here it is just warm.

In terms of noise, there is a fan that runs during most of the cooking processes but it runs very quietly and is not at all disturbing.

Cleaning

Cleaning an air fryer is usually the most demanding chore that no one wants to take on. The inside of this oven features what Cuisinart refers to as an easy clean surface. I can agree that it was relatively easy to wipe off. Racks are always a challenge to clean, but I was able to get these clean again with minimal effort.

Overall Thoughts: Cuisinart Air Fryer (TOA-70C)

Overall, while I like this oven and think it’s useful and versatile, whether it will be a winner for your home depends largely on what you intend to use it for and how much space you have to place it. Let’s go over both the pros and the cons so you can see if it’s right for you.

On the pro side, I like the looks and design as it’s both stylish and streamlined. With multiple settings and a handful of accessories and racks, this oven is certainly versatile in terms of how it cooks.

After an initial break-in period for me, I found I was better able to judge if temperature and cook time needed to be altered due to the smaller size of this oven compared to my full size.

I also appreciate the fact it comes with a handful of different racks and grills so that you can cook your food to your own preferences.

So what are the potential downsides? The overall footprint of this oven is quite large. In my home it takes up easily half of one of our counters, and I think it would be unsuitable for smaller kitchens. Also, because of its large size and heavy weight, moving it in and out of storage would also not be a pleasant chore.

And for some users this oven is just going to be too small to feed larger families or if you’re prone to using your air fryer for something like a whole chicken. In this case you could probably get a whole chicken inside but you would have to cut it into pieces first.

The Cuisinart Air Fryer Over with Grill sells for about $229 USD or $310 CAD and you can get it from a number of small appliance retailers including Amazon and I am becoming quite a Cuisinart fan.

**A note about Affiliate Links: TechGadgetsCanada & TechGadgetsInternational is supported by our readers. Occasionally I will include affiliate links in my reviews. I do this partly for convenience of the reader (since I’ll almost always include a link to the company website or similar anyway) in case you want to read more or purchase, but I also may get a small commission from the click, which helps me keep the blog running. If you choose to use this link I thank you greatly for supporting the blog. There’s no obligation or cost to you for using these links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 

The post Full in-home review: Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven with Grill (TOA-70) appeared first on TechGadgetsCanada.com.

In this review I’ll test them out here in my home and show you how they work, what they can do, and how they can make life a bit easier. I’ll also touch on improvements to this next generation model. I’ll wrap things up with the pros and cons and let you know if I think I can recommend this smart string light set for you.

I would like to thank Govee for supplying me with a set of String Lights 2 to review. While they have given me the lights at no cost they have not asked for, or received permission to have input into my content so you can consider these thoughts my own.

About Govee Christmas String Lights 2

The Govee Christmas String Lights 2 is a set of string lights specifically for your Christmas tree. This means you won’t get any special accessories like hooks, ties, or adhesives. Like ordinary Christmas lights, these Govee string lights use a green cable to blend with the holiday greenery and you could absolutely weave these in among a garland as well.

Because the lights use cool running LED bulbs, they don’t heat up making them incredibly safe for even real trees.

And if you use a white Christmas tree, you can pick the white wire version instead. That shouldn’t discourage you from using the Christmas lights for other occasions if you don’t mind buying extra accessories as the Govee app offers special light presets for other occasions like Easter.

Watch my FULL i-home review of Govee Christmas String Lights 2

Set up

Getting these lights set up and running is incredibly easy. Just plug them in and open the free Govee app and tap the plus sign in the top right corner to add the new light. It should recognize them right away and add them automatically to your app.

The app is going to be where you have full control over everything the lights can do. From applying simple single colors to adding moving light effects or even tying your lights in with every other light in your house, anything and everything is possible with these lights. At it’s very simplest you’ll never have to crawl under the tree again because you can simply tap to turn them on or off with the app, or set them up on a daily schedule so the lights will turn on and off all on their own. And of course because there is support for both Google and Alexa voice assistant, you can also ask your favourite digital butler to run the show for you.

New Features

While Govee continues to sell the older first-generation Christmas String Lights model, paying a bit more grants you some extra features with Christmas String Lights 2.

Extra Sizes

The first-gen version of the Govee Christmas String Lights was only available in 10-meter (33 feet) and 20-meter (66 feet) variants so if you want to decorate a tree taller than 2 meters, you’d have to buy a bundle which takes some extra steps to set up and uses an additional power socket. This newer second-gen version introduces 50-meter (164 feet) and 100-meter (328 feet) models for those larger trees— or even massive ones you might have outdoors, since, yes these are also outdoor rated.

Enhanced Durability

Govee made sure these lights can handle rougher weather conditions by redesigning both the lights and control box to meet the IP65 requirements. This translates to full waterproofing and dustproofing.

Integrated Chip

Govee made some internal improvements to the LED bulbs with each bulb featuring its own integrated chip as well as extra white LED beads allowing you to set the light color to a more natural warm white color. This opens up many new presets that utilize the white color. No matter what color or preset you pick, the overall performance and synchronization of the lights are better thanks to the finer control of each light through the IC chip.

Shape Mapping through Shape Camera

With less intelligent string lights, or even with Govee’s first generation model, if you weren’t careful about wrapping the lights around the tree precisely and evenly, or if you had a string that’s too long and you needed to just wind it in somehow, you could get a bit of an odd look.

Govee has solved this issue with what’s called Shape Mapping. Using the Govee app, it can intelligently analyze the entire tree through a video capture, which would pinpoint the location of each bulb on the tree- no matter where it ended up. Using the smarts integrated into this light and choosing a preset means that no matter what the effect is supposed to look like it will appear correct after you’ve completed Shape Mapping. So if you’ve got bands of light cycling around the tree, it’s always going to look smooth and even.

Here’s how to use it..

Open up the app and tap on the string lights. Then choose the settings gear in the top right. Scroll down until you see something called Shape Mapping or Lamp Bead Recognition and open that. It will have you capture a short video using the camera in the app and then it will save that information when it applies any preset lighting effect. It means almost any lighting colour or pattern that you apply to the tree will look correct… even if your wire wrapping is less than perfect.

AI Prompt

It seems like no product is safe from the clutches of AI, and the Govee Christmas Lights 2 is the latest victim. Certainly not a bad thing though, because you can chat with the app and ask recommendations for a lighting setup.

Custom Lighting Scenes Through AI

After you select your light, choose the AI prompt in the app to make text, image, and audio prompts to create some fancy scenes outside of the already diverse selection of presets. Just describe the type of effect you’re going for and let the AI bot figure it out.

Speaking of smart, these lights will also integrate into Govee’s AI-powered lighting synchronization, known as DreamView.

Coordination with other Govee lights

If you’re installing other Govee smart lights or holiday lights, it is possible to get them all working together on the same theme.

You can access this setting by choosing the Home tab at the top of the app and then scrolling down to DreamView, or there’s a second option; choose a light to start with, then select More, and scroll down to Sync All Lights, then select Go Create, and Create.

At the bottom you’ll first choose which lights you want to sync together. Then select the theme to apply. The app will start the show, and will tie it in with some music too if you want.

How do they look?

I think these lights look outstanding whether they are indoors or out. They are quite bright at full brightness and the extraordinary array of colors let you match any type of holiday decor. Whether you want simple single colors or a dancing light show, anything is possible.

If the AI features raise privacy concerns, you can still do things the old-fashioned way and choose from one of the 130+ lighting effects or make one yourself through the Govee app. Once you have familiarized yourself with some of the presets, you can switch to them on the fly via your Amazon Alexa-enabled or Google Assistant smart home product. You can also set timers to automate and trigger presets to your liking or have the lights synchronize to your favourite music beats.

Matter Support

Fans of the open Matter ecosystem rejoice! Govee is fully onboard with Matter allowing you to control the Govee Christmas Lights 2 through other ecosystems that support Matter like Apple Home.

Overall Thoughts: Govee Christmas String Lights 2

Overall, if you haven’t updated your holiday lights in a long time, now is definitely the best time to make an upgrade.

I’ll go over both the pros and potential cons so you can see if it might be a good choice for you.

On the pro side these lights are ultra easy to set up, and the app makes running and programming the lights incredibly easy. The fact that these lights will also coordinate with other newer Govee lights that you may have in your home means you can create a whole room or whole home display with just a few taps in the Govee app.

The lights are very bright or can be dimmed for a more subtle look, and they display thousands of colors. The Shape Mapping feature is absolutely genius for people like me who couldn’t wrap string lights straight around a tree even if you paid me. And the great thing about the Shape Mapping feature is that it’s incredibly easy even for a novice to use.

So what are the potential downsides? I think the biggest detractor for some might simply be the price. Getting this level of smart and coordination does come at a premium when compared to ordinary dumber Christmas string lights, but to some extent I think that’s expected.

Govee Christmas String Lights 2 starts at $129 USD / $179 CAD which is quite steep for mere Christmas lights. Fortunately, these products often go on sale so you might as well get them before the holiday season really kicks off. Both the internal and external improvements are worth the extra cost and the lights are impressively bright and vivid enough to use for other occasions too!

In short if you’re looking for a modern upgrade to your holiday home I can absolutely recommend Govee Christmas String Lights 2.

**A note about Affiliate Links: TechGadgetsCanada & TechGadgetsInternational is supported by our readers. Occasionally I will include affiliate links in my reviews. I do this partly for convenience of the reader (since I’ll almost always include a link to the company website or similar anyway) in case you want to read more or purchase, but I also may get a small commission from the click, which helps me keep the blog running. If you choose to use this link I thank you greatly for supporting the blog. There’s no obligation or cost to you for using these links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 

The post Govee Christmas String Lights 2: full in-home review appeared first on TechGadgetsCanada.com.

I’d like to say a huge thank you to Govee for sending me a light at no charge for this review. While they have supplied me with the products, they have not asked for or received permission to have any input into my content so you can consider these thoughts all my own.

Watch my full video review of Govee Star Light Projector here

What is the Govee Aurora Star Light Projector?

The name explains a lot in terms of what this light does, so let’s get to the how.

Packed into a plastic housing on a swivel base, Govee Star Light Projector uses lasers to project stars onto walls and ceilings. A secondary light source uses dual RGBW lamp beads and a specially made projection sphere allowing the Star Light Projector to display a serene blended aurora lighting effect that mimics the Northern Lights, or the Aurora Borealis.

Compared to cheaper star projectors, this $79.99 USD / $119.99 CAD Govee Projector has a sleek look that resembles a stage spotlight where you can pivot the head up or down to find the right angle for maximum aurora and star coverage.

Unboxing & Set up

The Aurora Star Light Projector is the only thing in the box save for a power cable.

The Star Light Projector lacks a built-in battery so you won’t be able to enjoy it during that rare power outage, but thanks to the USB-C port, a powerbank can easily remedy that! This also means you can connect the included USB-C cable to any 3A charging adapter or a device such as a laptop with a USB port to power it up. There is no AC plug included so you may need one of your own depending on where you’re going to place it.

Once you plug it in and give it some power, turn it on and then open the Govee app. Choose the plus sign in the top right corner and connect to your light. I was online in a matter of seconds.

While the app will give you complete remote control over your light and it’s settings, there are also physical buttons on the side of the Projector.

Buttons or app control

Things are kind of poorly marked so it’s difficult to tell what they do; but from left to right there’s power, a button which will adjust color, volume up and down, a button to choose different white noise sound effect, and a play/pause button which controls the audio. Particularly in a dark room it’s quite difficult to locate the button you may need, and for that reason I recommend sticking with the app.

Features

Although the Govee Star Light Projector doesn’t offer as many customization options as some other Govee light products, the Govee Star Light Projector does hide a few tricks that may justify its price tag depending on your preferences.

Beautiful Aurora Effects Out of the Box

There are a few dozen different themed lighting effects that act as presets. While some are meant to pair with specific white noise, you can also operate both the light and the white noise separately.

The aurora effect can cover an impressive 60 square meters or 650 square foot area making it suitable for a living room all while maintaining a small footprint. If you have kids who have trouble sleeping, this might just end up in the bedroom instead!

Many of the settings are customizable including the speed at which the light changes, and you can also open up a menu which allows you to dial the intensity of either the star effect or the aurora up or down, and even turn either one on or off according to your preference.

Full Spectrum Aurora Customization

The dual RGBW lamp is the component that really brings out the value of the Govee Star Light Projector as it is Govee’s forte in smart lighting. Once you connect the projector to the app, you can conveniently choose any of the pre-built 52 aurora scenes from the interface.

If you want to have a bit more control, you can customize or create your own scene by adding anywhere from 1-8 colors to your aurora. The aurora animation looks impressively fluid and the effect also morphs to the style of your choosing with four different switching methods, known as gradient, breathe, rainbow, and twinkle, all which offer differing levels of movement. This opens all sorts of color combinations and effects. You could think of the app as a special virtual paint palette, and the resulting aurora effect you can generate kind of like a giant mural.

Limited Star Projection Functionality

Unfortunately, Govee doesn’t offer the same level of customization for the LED star projection, and it would be nice to see this in future updates, given its price. Its main weakness is its inability to change the color of the stars and they aren’t even white; they are green. Since this is the first time I’ve ever owned a star projector I probably don’t know any better, and this doesn’t bother me.

You can adjust the stars’ brightness and alter their twinkling and orbiting patterns, but the projector does kind of lay them out in a grid-like pattern that is noticeable if you stare at them for a long time and think too hard about it. This makes the star projection effect look less natural.

Ambient Sound and White Noise Generator

You probably won’t notice it at first glance, but this star projector has a built-in speaker too, technically making this a Bluetooth speaker. Govee doesn’t offer any dedicated Bluetooth speaker lineup so as expected, the sound quality isn’t as good as any of the Bluetooth speakers I’ve reviewed.

The audio does sound incredibly tinny and rather hollow and on some of the presets it can sound down right fake. But if you don’t have a Bluetooth speaker or audio system in the room, this feature is a welcome extra as the Govee app lets you choose from various ambient sounds, like the Govee Night Light I reviewed last year.

The ambient noise options run the gamut from the natural to manmade; from things like bird song and rainforest sounds, to water running or a crackling fire, a ticking clock, a fan and a bunch more. There’s plenty of options to play with so you should be able to find something you like.

Auto Shut off

The Aurora Star Light Projector will shut itself off after four hours. You can disable this function or adjust the specific shut off time by going to the device settings page and adjusting the ‘Auto Off’.

Smart Home Integration with Matter Support

The Govee Star Light Projector has both built-in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz integration as the bulk of the projector’s features hide behind the Govee app. I recommend you use Wi-Fi for connecting as the projector can integrate with your smart home network complete with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and even Matter support!

Overall Thoughts: Govee Star Light Projector

Overall, the Govee Star Light Projector is a terrific aurora generator with the rest of the feature set feeling a bit tacked on. I’ll go over both the pros and cons so you can see if this might be right for your home.

On the pro side there’s no assembly required and it’s essentially plug and play with ultra easy set up in seconds. The Govee app makes adjusting every aspect of this light projector easy, and if you don’t happen to want to use the app the physical buttons on the side do allow for additional control.

The lighting effects are truly beautiful and magical and it goes a long way to creating a beautiful room. The effects can also be spread over a large area of the room making it feel even more immersive. I also like the fact it combines two different kinds of light with the colour wash Aurora effect and the LED starlight.

When it comes to the aspect of this light I enjoyed the least, the built-in speaker is a nice little extra if you don’t have a white noise machine, but I really hope future iterations of this product improve the audio quality, since it can sound quite artificial.

I also think there could be future customization of the star effects, with the option for more natural white or golden starlight as opposed to glowing green pinpoints.

Despite those few shortcomings, I don’t feel like either of those cons wrecks the light for me. I really loved my experience with the Govee Aurora Star Light Projector and I think it would make a great addition to your home also. Govee Aurora Star Light Projector sells for about $79.99 USD / $119.99 CAD and you can get it from Govee directly or any number of electronics retailers including Amazon, and if you’d like to pair this light with some other options, Govee has a lock on the smart light market right now with plenty of clever products!

**A note about Affiliate Links: TechGadgetsCanada & TechGadgetsInternational is supported by our readers. Occasionally I will include affiliate links in my reviews. I do this partly for convenience of the reader (since I’ll almost always include a link to the company website or similar anyway) in case you want to read more or purchase, but I also may get a small commission from the click, which helps me keep the blog running. If you choose to use this link I thank you greatly for supporting the blog. There’s no obligation or cost to you for using these links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 

The post Govee Aurora Star Light Projector: full in-home review appeared first on TechGadgetsCanada.com.