We're a team of experts that tell it like it is when it comes to connected home services and products.
We test the products and services that connect your home to your life, so you can answer not only if something is “good” before you buy it, but if it’s good for you.
What's a connected home, you ask? Well . . . it's your home if you have any of these services: Internet, TV (or Streaming!), Home Security, or even a Mobile plan. Because landlines are old news, am I right?
The truth is, we provide information that other reviewers don’t. We put the products and services we review through rigorous stress testing to find the breaking point. We seek to answer these main questions:
All we really want to know before we spend money is whether or not we’ll get a good return for our hard-earned cash. The underlying question in every consumer’s mind before they buy something: Is it good, though?
With these questions, we place the services and products we review into a comparative space. We answer both whether the product is “good” in a vacuum (based on its own advertised criteria) AND whether it’s “good” compared to its competition.
Lucky for you, we’ve done the same stress testing on every product and service we review to confidently make this call.😉
We find that one size rarely fits all. That’s why we dig in and unearth how particular products and services perform under a variety of situations and stress tests.
“Stress?” you say.
Yes, stress.
By stress we mean we go beyond theorizing “how much internet speed you need for gaming,” and we actually put it to the test. Product by product. Service by service. Brand by brand. We even cross-test services to see how they affect each other.
We might buy 5 different security cameras, throw them in a freezer, and wait to see which one lasts the longest in below-freezing temperatures. (You’re welcome, Minnesota.) Or we might sign up for Xfinity’s 250 Mbps plan, start streaming 4K video, and gradually add more devices until we slow down—and eventually crash—our home network.
Meanwhile, we’ll update you on our findings so you can make an informed decision whether or not the product or service you’re looking to buy can withstand the extended siege you’re about to put it through.
We’re talking about real life here, people.
Real talk. Our experts are our cheat code. You think we’d ask you to trust our recommendations without having the best tech experts in the industry leading the charge? We didn’t think so, either. Reviews.org experts leverage years of industry expertise to carefully craft, execute, and report on our various stress tests. Check ‘em out.
Mindy has been writing about technology for seven years. She covers all things smart home for Reviews.org, and keeps track of the latest robot gadgets. Mindy attended the University of Utah and her work has been featured on the likes of Parents.com, Digital Care, Hostfully, and more.
Brianne has a degree in English and creative writing from Westminster College. She's spent the last 10+ years writing professional, research-based content about technology, luxury retail brands, chicken sandwiches, and everything in between. Before joining Reviews.org, Brianne wrote safety and security content for ASecureLife.com. Her pieces and quotes are published across the web, including on MSN.com, Social Catfish, and Parents.com. Brianne loves to read, write, travel, cook, and spend time with her family. Contact her at brianne@reviews.org.
Chantel is all about finding the best tv or streaming service to watch as many football games as possible to keep her Fantasy Football team in check. A former TV and Streaming Tech Reporter for Reviews.org, she has also worked for NFL Network and The Alliance of American Football. Before that, she received a B.A. of Communication at the University of Utah and an M.S. in Sports Journalism at USC. Go Utes and Fight On.
Tyler has been obsessed with watching sports as efficiently as possible since the creation of the DVR. He is always on the lookout for the best tech in TV and wireless so he can watch all the sports and still have enough time to hang out with his baby. He has written about streaming, wireless, and TV for over three years. He hopes the Lakers will eventually get better.
After graduating from Southern Utah University, Jessica began her career as a content marketer at an award-winning digital marketing agency. She has worked with some of the top brands in e-commerce, SMB, and B2B industries, such as eos, Jetson, FIGS, and Gigamon. As a staff writer at Reviews.org, she gets to combine her love of writing and research with her love of discovering the latest tech. Jessica is dedicated to writing content that educates and connects readers with products that will elevate their everyday lives. She is an avid traveler, self-proclaimed foodie, and coffee connoisseur.
Brenna has been writing for Reviews.org since 2021. Always a lover of poetry and the arts, she discovered her knack for academic writing while earning her degree in English and literature from Utah Valley University. She loves horror movies, being creative in any capacity, and watching all the reality TV she can get her hands on.
Jessica loves bringing her passion for the written word and her love of tech into one space at Reviews.org. She works with the team’s writers to revise strong, user-focused content so every reader can find the tech that works for them. Jessica has a bachelor’s degree in English from Utah Valley University and four years of creative and editorial experience. Outside of work, she spends her time gaming, reading, painting, and buying an excessive amount of Legend of Zelda merchandise.
Tshaka is a nerd and Griot. Founder of the non-profit digital literacy organization Digital Shepherds, he’s also been a broadcast technology reporter, writer, and producer. In addition to being an award-winning broadcast storyteller, he’s also covered tech online and in print for everything from paintball gear technology, to parenting gadgets. He blathers on about his many curiosities on social media everywhere as @tshakaarmstrong.
Craig is a long-time writer, presenter, and podcaster, and he now runs the Reviews.org YouTube channel, where he strives to be far more charming and presentable than he is in real life. Within the Reviews.org umbrella, he has accidentally become a streaming expert after covering the streaming wars for almost three years. Craig is also the founder and host of The Legendarium Podcast, his outlet for his love of fantasy and sci-fi literature.
Juan is a former casting director and voice over director, who once had security clearance for a DOE facility. Now, he produces videos on consumer electronics and the telecommunications industry. Regularly hosting discussions on Right to Repair, Net Neutrality, and Broadband competition, Juan hopes to make interesting videos that help consumers understand challenging topics. You’ll regularly hear him rambling on about smartphones, gadgets, and hearing health around the web as @SomeGadgetGuy on social media.
Joe Hanlon has been immersed in mobile phones, plans and the internet for over a decade, having written for publications like CNET, Techradar, Gizmodo, Lifehacker and WhistleOut. He steers the editorial ship and makes sure that we are always serving up the most useful guides and recommendations. If you ever bump into Joe on the street, don't be afraid to ask for a phone recommendation. It's embarrassing how much he enjoys talking about this stuff. He also loves listening to podcasts, so feel free to email Joe with recommendations.
Brodie Fogg is the local Editor at Reviews.org Australia covering all things tech, TV and gaming. Brodie has over four years of experience writing for a diverse range of tech and entertainment topics for sites like Finder, WhistleOut and Reviews.org and has appeared in the print pages for Game Informer Australia and digital magazine Grab It where he covered Australian indie games. Brodie studied a Bachelor of Education degree at the University of Newcastle while working part-time at one of Australia’s biggest telcos, which fostered a bizarre cocktail of passions: education and Critical Information Summaries.
Georgia Tan is an Associate Editor at Reviews.org Australia where she writes about the latest mobile plans, smartwatches, streaming services and more. Georgia has written about tech, culture, travel, shopping and credit cards for more than two years. She is constantly on the lookout for the best deals around, often seen with an almond cap in hand. Previous to Reviews.org, Georgia was the Editor of the University of Sydney’s student publication, Hermes and has had her by-line published on Finder, AdNews and Honi Soit.
Jacqui Dent is a Content Strategist at Reviews.org Australia, where she manages the team of experts’ mobile and broadband coverage. Over her ten-year career she has worked to provide informed advice to the public, first for organisations such as the NSW Writer’s Centre and the Australian Society of Authors, and now in the world of consumer tech with WhistleOut and Reviews.org.
Kenny McGilvary has been working in the world of mobile phones and internet for over a decade with companies like Telstra, Motorola and HTC, and if your memory goes back far enough, brands like O2 and Sony Ericsson. He’s your primary contact for a nugget or two of commentary and insight into the latest tech, entertainment and telco developments, and he’s also the guy to speak to about Reviews.org Australia’s industry and consumer research campaigns.
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