Welcome to Smart Home Tested

In the latest front-door security test, the team at Smart Home Tested swaps out their daily-driver original doorbell to evaluate the brand-new Reolink Video Doorbell (2nd Gen).

For smart home enthusiasts in the UK and Ireland, finding a clean, integrated smart lock has always been an uphill battle. The vast majority of smart locks on the market are engineered around North American deadbolts or European euro-profile cylinders that rely on retrofitted motor adapters sitting awkwardly over the interior keyway. Following its preview at IFA Berlin, the team at Smart Home Tested received early embargo access to install and review the brand-new Aqara Smar

Smart security has reached an inflection point. For years, home and commercial surveillance centered on passive observation—recording endless hours of static video footage to be reviewed only after an incident had already occurred. As cloud subscriptions escalate and privacy regulations tighten, the demand has rapidly shifted toward active deterrence, completely off-grid operation, and intelligent, on-device search capabilities. Reporting from Berlin during IFA 2026, Sm