Articles by Chris Wedel

When times get dark, we need bright light to see our way out — and the brightest LED smart bulbs make it that much better. A high-lumen (unit for measuring the quantity of light) bulb can do the trick in a small or large room. Adding in some smarts to that bulb gives it the flexibility to control from your favorite smart speaker or phone. Whether you want a standard A19 E26 bulb or the BR30 for recessed lighting, there’s a bulb for you. The Feit Electric OM100 is our top pick for its incredibly high lumen rating and hubless smart controls, which means it only needs Wi-Fi and your phone to control.

Best Overall: Feit Electric OM100 – RGBW

While Feit Electric may not be the well known smart bulbs, but it’s been innovating and creating high-quality lighting solutions since 1978 — and the OM100 RGBW bulb continues that trend. Since this bulb doesn’t require extra hardware such as a hub, this Wi-Fi-enabled smart LED bulb is simple to set up. It has a peak output of 1,600 lumens ma…

Plugging your phone into the wall is the most common way to power up your device, but it can be a pain fussing with cables. That’s why we’ve rounded up the best Samsung Galaxy S21 wireless chargers out there. While charging with a cord is faster at 25W, the Galaxy S21 can still power quickly at 15W wirelessly. So, here are the best wireless chargers that will help you take full advantage of that cable-free power.

Full speed ahead

Samsung Wireless Charger Stand 15W

Staff pick

The Galaxy S21 devices are capable of 15W wireless charging, and this Samsung wireless charger stand will deliver the precise power you want. Using this stand, you can have your phone in portrait or landscape orientation and still get top charging speeds. There’s even a fan built-in to help keep everything cool.

$58 at Amazon
$59 at Best Buy
$66 at B&H

Purely powerful

Anker PowerWave Alloy

This simple-looking wireless charger is capable of some truly fast wireless charging. Your Galaxy S21 p…

There are lots of Wear OS smartwatches, but these are the watches that support Google Pay. This hand software lets you pay anywhere contactless payments are available using just your watch. There are lots of options for watches with Google Pay, so without further ado, here are the Wear OS watches you should check out.

Top of the line

TicWatch Pro 3

Staff Pick

The TicWatch Pro 3 keeps much of the design lineage from previous generations of the Pro watches. However, the newest model brings an updated secondary display which includes a backlight, improved and new health monitoring like an SpO2 sensor, but the most significant may be the new Snapdragon 4100 processor — it’s very fast. That speed translates to faster payments within Google Pay as well.

$300 at Amazon $300 at B&H

Work smarter

Fossil Gen 5E

The Fossil Gen 5E runs the latest Snapdragon 3100 processor from Qualcomm, which helps to achieve great performance while increasing the battery life. You also ge…

Best answer: Yes, you can hardwire the internet to your Chromecast with Google TV with ethernet, but you’ll need to purchase a separate adapter.

Wired from the source: Ethernet Adapter for Chromecast with Google TV ($20 at Google)
Plug it in: Uni 8-in-1 USB-C Hub ($40 at Amazon)

Can you use ethernet with your Chromecast with Google TV?

While wireless internet is super convenient, it isn’t always the most stable, and that may lead you to wonder, does the Chromecast with Google TV support ethernet. I mean, there’s almost nothing worse than being right in the middle of an epic scene in your favorite movie, only to have it buffer because of a poor connection.

One solution to bad wireless connectivity is to be sure you are using one of the best Wi-Fi routers, the other is to go with the tried and true ethernet cable. However, while the Chromecast with Google TV supports ethernet, it doesn’t have a port to plug a cable into. So, to get your streaming device wired up, you’ll need to p…

Best answer: Yes, your Chromecast with Google TV has access to the Play Store, so you can get your favorite streaming apps as long as they’re supported on the platform.

Is the Play Store accessible on the Chromecast with Google TV?

When Google finally released a Chromecast with a remote and apps, it’s quite exciting but does the Chromecast with Google TV support the Play Store like other Android TV boxes? While this new dongle still has the functionality of a traditional Chromecast that lets you send content to it from your phone when it has its own remote, it should allow you to browse apps without your phone — shouldn’t it?

Thankfully, like with its Pixel phones, Google has baked in a custom flavor of the long-running Android TV streaming platform for the Chromecast with Google TV. The twist on the existing streaming platform has all the Googlely things you might expect like suggested content based on what you watch and, of course, the Play Store. The Play Store is the access …

The complete picture

Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus

$160 at Amazon

Pros

Pre-Roll video
2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz Wi-Fi
1080p HD video
Advanced Motion Detection

Cons

No Google Assistant integration
A bit pricey

The Ring is bringing you some new features with its Video Doorbell 3 Plus. The addition of Pre-Roll video gives you four seconds of video before the detect event. This helps get a better idea of what happened leading up to the notification from your doorbell.

A solid upgrade

Ring Video Doorbell 3

$140 at Amazon

Pros

2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz Wi-Fi
1080p HD video
Advanced Motion Detection
Less expensive

Cons

No Pre-Roll video
No Google Assistant integration

The Ring Video Doorbell 3 carries all of the same upgrades as the Plus version, aside from the higher price tag and the Pre-Roll. The Ring Video Doorbell 3 is a quality upgrade over Ring Video Doorbell 2 due to the addition of the 5.0 GHz Wi-Fi and Advanced Motion Detection.

The Ring Video Doorbell 3 v…

With its high price tag and nearly all-glass construction, you’re going to want to get one of the best Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 cases around. Even with its unique form factor and build, there are still some ways to add some protection to your device. Though the list of cases available right now is short, it will expand as manufacturers have more time to get products ready. Here are the best cases available right now.

Best of both worlds

Spigen Ultra Hybrid

Staff Pick

The Spigen Ultra Hybrid case brings two fantastic features together. It provides all-around protection without being too thick. By utilizing a dual-layer system with a hard outer shell surrounding a shock-absorbing TPU inner layer, the case offers great protection for your phone’s front and back. There are also raised bezels that help to keep the screen and camera up off of surfaces.

$40 at Amazon

Luxury on luxury

Samsung Leather Case

The Galaxy Z Fold 2 is a device with a luxurious price tag and feel, s…

Living in the country has many perks, but fast and reliable internet isn’t one of them.

2020 threw everything for a loop, including internet usage. It’s been known that the US’s broadband situation has been bad for quite some time — this year just exposed it even more. With the pandemic and other issues that arose during 2020, home internet access became almost as necessary as electricity and water. For those like me that live in rural America, decent internet is rare, and the rise of 5G was supposed to be a savior of sorts to those of us that prefer the countryside. Unfortunately, 2020 didn’t deliver on the 5G promise hardly at all, but I’m hopeful that 2021 can bring some focus on 5G to rural areas where it is desperately needed. Because having one of the best Wi-Fi routers or best 5G phones don’t matter if there isn’t anything serving them.

Don’t believe the headlines. Rural broadband hasn’t gotten fixed in the past decade.

Over the past few years, there have been many FCC …

There’s a ton of excitement around the new Sony gaming console, and regardless of your level of gameplay, you’ll need to know how to connect the PS5 to Wi-Fi. During our review, we found that much of that excitement is well deserved. Having a stable internet connection will be vital to have the best experience possible, and while being connected with an ethernet cable may be preferred, Wi-Fi can get the job done too. Here’s how to get your Wi-Fi set up on your PS5.

Products used in this guide

Connected to the future: PS5 ($499 at Amazon)

PS5 Guides

How to transfer games and save data
How to attach the PS5 base
How to set up parental controls
How to connect to Wi-Fi
How to increase download speeds
How to manage multiple accounts
How to set up 2FA
How to update your PS5 system software
How to use Game Help
How to enable 4K/8K resolution
How to factory reset your PS5

How to connect to Wi-Fi on PS5

With your PS5 powered on and hooked up to your TV, using the DualSense cont…

Kids love gadgets as much as adults, maybe even more, so it’s no surprise the idea of having their own smartwatch gets kids excited. Choosing what watch to get for your child can be daunting with so many choices out there. Aside from wading through all the options, it’s also important to consider privacy, durability, and cost when looking at the choices. One watch that does a great job of these core features is the Coolpad Dyno. There are a lot of choices out there, so let us help you find the best kids smartwatch for your child.

Best Overall: Coolpad Dyno

While the brand Coolpad may not be all that familiar to you, its watch is one that should be considered when looking for an excellent smartwatch for your child. The Coolpad Dyno is not only a fun looking device, but it also has some great features to help keep you connected with your child and let them have some fun.

The Dyno can connect via Wi-Fi but also has a SIM card so that it can fully function as a phone. Coolpad has a …