Natee Meepian/Shutterstock

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Smart homes have become very popular in the current day and age, with this industry valued at $24 billion in 2024 and expected to cross $50 billion early in the 2030s. With a nifty mobile app or voice controls, you can easily manage anything and everything in your house … provided that they have some degree of smart functionality. While a smart home ecosystem is easier to set up in a new house, things may get challenging if you already have everything you could possibly want in your home and need to replace a bunch of appliances with smart variants.

Instead of going through this expensive ordeal, one of the cheapest ways to turn your house into a smart home is to install smart switches in various places throughout your house. This way, even regular electrical fixtures and appliances can enjoy a degree of smart functionality that makes them far more convenient to use. The best part is that you can use these switches in creative ways and optimize your everyday routines with the wonders of modern technology. Suffice it to say, these are essential smart home gadgets you should be using if you’re serious about getting into the smart home ecosystem.

Control your ceiling fans and their speeds

lesyeuxdedidi/Shutterstock

Ceiling fans are a convenient, cost-effective way to beat the heat, and they’d be even more awesome if you could find a simple way to control this appliance from the comfort of your couch. After all, getting up to manually operate your fan and its speed can get a bit grating after a point. It’s a minor level of discomfort, but there’s nothing wrong with wanting to upgrade your home’s convenience by letting you turn on the fan and adjust its speed when you’re sitting down.

Instead of replacing your existing ceiling fan with a smart one, why not save around 20 to 40 percent in purchase costs and buy a special smart switch tailor-made to control your existing ceiling fan? Smart switches from brands like Kasa, MOES, and Leviton are among the cool new Amazon finds you can add to your smart home collection. These switches have multiple speed settings that make it easier than ever to use your ceiling fan. Some of them also come with light controls for a nifty 2-in-1 functionality that makes them even more useful for smart home enthusiasts.

Use your bathroom exhaust fan optimally

winnond/Shutterstock

The exhaust fan in your bathroom is very useful to eliminate any bad smells, but it needs to run for a while to maximize its effect. Most people tend to just leave their exhaust fans on after finishing up with their bathroom activities, but this has the unintended effect of wasting electricity if these fans are running long after they’ve cleaned up the air. Sure, you can manually operate this switch to use your exhaust fan as intended, but that isn’t the most practical solution.

Instead of monitoring your exhaust fan manually, a smart switch with a timer can easily get this job done for you. It lets you set up an automation schedule that will turn the switch off after a set amount of time, bringing you one step closer to taking full advantage of your smart home setup. This way, you can keep your bathroom air clean and prevent any electricity wastage.

Automate your lights

Mikkelwilliam/Getty Images

Technically speaking, using smart switches to operate your lights isn’t the most creative use of this tech. In fact, it’s often the first thing that people choose to do with their new tech, which is why smart lights are so popular. Where innovation comes into play is in the many ways you can program your smart switches to operate your lights on a schedule, regulating when and how these fixtures are used without having to move a muscle on your end.

Want to save electricity? Schedule your smart switches to turn off all your lights at night for a quick, money-saving smart home automation that does all the work for you. Not getting enough light in your bedroom? Your smart switches can turn on the lights in the morning to help you wake up. Need to make your date night more memorable than ever? Well, as long as you have the appropriate lights for the same, you can set up a schedule to turn on this mood lighting without having to leave your partner’s side. The possibilities are endless, and you will easily stretch your creative boundaries to their very limits as you figure out the best ways to automate your lights with smart switches.

Conveniently open and close your garage doors

Levon Avagyan/Shutterstock

The age-old problem of having to manually close and open your garage doors — something that is especially grating when you’re alone and need to take your car out — is something that many people are familiar with. Sure, you can ask a family member to close the door behind you when you’re heading out, but why disturb your loved ones when you can just use a technologically-driven solution to make things infinitely easier for you? Electric garage door openers have been around for ages, and smart models are available now, but there is another solution to help you retrofit your current setup and simplify your life in the process.

With a smart switch, a simple tap on the relevant smartphone app will help your garage door open and close painlessly. This way, you won’t have to carry a garage door remote around in your car or inconvenience the people around you. If you want to take things a step further, get a smart garage door opener from trusted brands like eKyro, CHAMBERLAIN, and Meross for even greater compatibility with your existing garage door setup. Chances are that you’re not using this overlooked smart home accessory, even though you should be.

Time your kitchen appliances for supervision-free cooking

Bohdan Bevz/Getty Images

For some people, cooking is a therapeutic affair that helps them unwind as they meticulously craft dishes and bake delectable goods. For others, it can be a bit of a chore as they stand around and supervise the dishes they’re making so that they don’t get burned to a crisp the very moment they take their eyes away from the oven. If sweating it out in a hot kitchen doesn’t sound like the best way to spend your time, then a few smart switches here and there can make this task far more manageable for you.

This smart functionality will help you preheat ovens well ahead of time to make your baking endeavors less time-consuming. Along with this, you can also start up your coffee maker from the comfort of your bed to get that warm cup of joe you need in the morning without having to manually start the machine. If you set up a camera in your kitchen, you can take things a step further and operate your electric stoves and other such appliances with a smart switch. This way, you can supervise whatever you’re cooking from the comfort of your couch and instantly turn off your devices if things go south.

Open and close your window blinds

YuTphotograph/Shutterstock

Power blinds are a great way to eliminate the hang-ups and inconveniences of regular window blinds, ensuring that pressing a switch is all it takes to open and close them without a fuss. As long as you carry out regular maintenance to keep the motors clean and working properly, you shouldn’t face any problems with these gadgets. However, some people want to unlock an even greater degree of convenience, so much so that they won’t even have to get up from their bed to open their window blinds.

Once again, a smart switch will take care of these issues for you. You won’t have to leave the comfort of your bed to open or close your window blinds, and setting up optimal schedules means that you won’t even have to use a smart home app or remote to operate these blinds. Ideally, what you’ll need is a smart roller shutter switch for optimal control. Not only does this let you close and open these power blinds with ease and according to a schedule, if you like, but you can also choose the degree to which they should be open.

Heat up or cool down a room before you even enter it

Kenishirotie/Getty Images

Thermostats that provide central heating or cooling in your apartment generally get the job done from the moment they’re turned on, but standard models don’t do much beyond reacting to ambient temperature changes. If you want to conserve power over the long haul, though, it can be in your best interest to turn off these thermostats from time to time. A smart switch will be very helpful here and let you operate your thermostat remotely — maybe you’re going to be away from home unexpectedly and want to reduce the amount of time the furnace or air conditioner runs, or maybe you learn about an incoming deep freeze while you’re away and want to bump up the temperature temporarily.

Some houses don’t have thermostats and use standalone air conditioners and heaters to regulate temperature instead. Again, these should be turned off from time to time — after all, no one wants to rack up a massive electricity bill because they were too lazy to press a switch. Still, the prospect of stepping into a room that’s too hot or too cold and then waiting for these appliances to get rolling can be quite unappealing. So, to make things more convenient, you can use smart switches to operate these devices. This way, you can turn them on before you even step into the room in question, eliminating the aforementioned discomfort and letting you enjoy a cool or toasty room from the get-go.

Remotely turn on the water heater

evgeniykleymenov/Shutterstock

Unless you’re trying to get used to cold showers for their health benefits, no one wants to step into their bathroom only to realize that the water heater wasn’t on. Delaying your shower or bracing yourself for a cold water spray are both far from ideal outcomes, so do yourself a favor and hook up your water heater to a smart switch. If you know you’re going to take a bath at a specific time, then scheduling your water heater to turn on a few minutes before your shower is very convenient.

Even if you tend to take showers at random times, all you need to do is turn on your water heater remotely the moment you decide to get up for your bathing routine. Most modern water heaters shouldn’t take more than a few minutes for you to enjoy hot, soothing water from your taps and showers, anyway. And if the idea of switching your water heater off and on sounds strange to you because you’re used to the big, old-school models that always have hot water at the ready, then you might want to consider the benefits of an on-demand unit, which include energy savings and an extended lifespan. For those types of water heaters, smart switches can make a big difference.

Charge your devices without leaving them on throughout the night

fadfebrian/Shutterstock

Nowadays, it has been disproven that charging your phones and any other modern battery-powered devices when they’re at 100 percent harms the battery. Gone are the days when this led to a trickle charge that reduced battery capacity. Modern Li-ion batteries take this situation into account and prevent any harm from befalling the battery. Still, if you’re worried about charging your phones overnight, you can plug in the charger to an outlet with a smart switch that is scheduled to turn off after an hour or two, giving you the peace of mind you need.

That being said, there’s one scenario where using a smart switch to regulate battery charging can be useful to preserve this component’s longevity. Unlike the other consumer electronics on the market, the technology powering EV batteries is in its relative infancy. Even now, the nature of the batteries powering these vehicles is undergoing several developments, but one opinion remains steadfast — you shouldn’t charge your electric vehicle to 100 percent all the time. Usually, stopping at 80 percent is the way to go, but this may be hard to monitor if you plug in your EV for overnight charging and go to sleep. Once you have an idea of how long it takes for your electric vehicle to reach 80 percent of its battery capacity, you can schedule a smart switch to turn off after this time has elapsed to keep your EV at a healthy 80 percent and ensure battery longevity. Given that an electric vehicle’s battery is its most expensive component, it’s easy to see why a smart switch could be ideal for pragmatic EV owners.

Monitor appliances that take time to complete their tasks

Stenko Vlad/Shutterstock

Remember how we spoke about how setting up a camera in your kitchen can help you remotely monitor any dishes you’re preparing? Well, this approach can be useful for time-consuming appliances outside of your kitchen, too. Let’s say that you have a 3D printer set up at home and have initiated a task that will take a few hours to complete. If you set up a camera in the same room, you won’t have to stick around to see whether your 3D printer is throwing any errors during the printing process. Instead, you can plug the device into a smart switch and turn it off remotely if things go south to save on valuable 3D printing materials that would otherwise be wasted. This approach is especially useful if you have a resin printer, since these materials are toxic and you should try to keep some distance during the printing process, anyway.

Another instance where this camera and smart switch combo can be very helpful is if you use a CNC router. These computer-controlled machines are useful for automating the tasks of cutting and shaping materials like wood, plastics, glass, and malleable metals. However, they also take hours to complete their tasks, and sticking around to supervise them manually can get boring after a point. Instead of subjecting yourself to this, you can use a camera for the purposes of remote supervision and a smart switch to turn off the CNC router remotely if it goes haywire midway through the cutting process.

Operate your air purifier

Simpson33/Getty Images

It’s no surprise that people want to breathe in clean air that’s free of any pollutants. Unfortunately, this has also become a privilege in modern times, with air pollution being a pressing concern that becomes more and more severe with each passing year. If you live near a construction site or in a location known for its poor air quality, it’s important to get an air purifier to help safeguard your family’s lungs from dust and other pollutants. However, just like most other appliances, keeping your air purifier running all the time isn’t recommended. Not only will this mandate you to change your air filters all the time, but you’ll burn through a lot of electricity in the long run.

At the same time, you’d prefer entering a room where an air purifier has been working for a while, instead of having to turn it on and breathe in polluted air until the device works its magic. The simplest solution here is to plug your air purifier into a smart switch and turn it on remotely before you enter the room in question. It’s a convenient way to save electricity and ensure clean, breathable air in one fell swoop.

Source

Wirestock Creators/Shutterstock

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Owning a home theater system isn’t just a great way to save money on movie tickets and concession costs (a large popcorn is around $10 these days) — it’s a long-term lifestyle investment that can bring years of entertainment to the table, if not decades. But beyond a great soundbar or an awesome pair of floor-standing speakers, there are plenty of other home theater add-ons that can improve or enhance a setup you already love — you just need to think past the more traditional upgrades.

Whether you’re rocking a 9.2.4 Dolby Atmos configuration or a single pair of bookshelf speakers, we have four cool audio gadgets that could have a big impact on how your home theater looks and sounds, regardless of its size. The full roundup is available to shop online at major retailers like Amazon and Best Buy, and we did our best to include reasonably priced products. You’ll find a full rundown of how we selected these items at the end of this article. 

A wall plate for your surround sound connections

Investing in a wired system is one of the best ways to experience premium audio formats like Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, but all those speaker wires and subwoofer leads can make one heck of a mess behind your TV stand. If you’re building your home theater from the ground up and know your system will include in-ceiling, in-wall, or wall-mounted speakers, this Cable Matters Triple Gang 7.1 Speaker Wall Plate with HDMI is a great way to reduce cable clutter.

In a traditional wired home theater, all the non-front speakers are typically wired in-wall or in-ceiling. One end of the wire connects to the speaker, and the other end is routed to the bottom of a stud bay that’s near your AV receiver. Instead of all those leads jutting out of a cable pass-through in your drywall, the Cable Matters wall plate lets you connect those leads to its rear terminals. You’ll just need to run a speaker wire from the matching front terminal into your AV receiver.

Not only does this help to keep the back of your entertainment center looking cleaner, but the plate’s gold-plated connectors help maintain signal strength between your speakers and amplifier. Conveniently, this model also features hookups for one active subwoofer and an HDMI device. The latter will come in handy if you want to keep your AV receiver in a different room or tucked away in a hidden media closet.

A four-pack of acoustic reinforcements

Driving a home theater system requires an AV receiver or dedicated amplifier, but even the most advanced gear can only do so much when challenged by poor room acoustics. Drywall, hardwood floors, and even certain furniture in your home theater may introduce unwanted reverberation; they may also prevent your speakers from delivering immersive sound to your seating area. But there’s a good chance you can skirt around an unfavorable room layout by simply adding acoustic panels to your setup.

This Umiacoustics Acoustic Panels with Hanging Brackets 4-Pack scored 4.7 out of 5 stars on Amazon (based on over 170 reviews). The panels use two-inch-thick fiberglass to absorb and redirect home theater sound. If you’re having issues with dialogue clarity or your system produces too much reverb/echo, these panels should help to corral decibels into a more cohesive soundstage. Each panel measures 23.6 x 11.8 inches, and Umiacoustics offers six unique color options.

All the necessary mounting hardware is included, and the panels can easily be removed and repositioned. For best results, we recommend placing panels at reflection points along side walls, and behind your main seating area. You may also want to try installing them on ceilings if a room’s vertical reflection points are muddying up your audio.

A clever way to power rear speakers, sans long wire runs

Running speaker wire from one end of a large room to the other isn’t impossible, but if you don’t want to cut into drywall or deal with long runs, you’ll miss out on complete home theater sound. Rear and surround speakers may not deliver the same forceful sound as your front channels, but they play a significant role in background details and spatial immersion.

Fortunately, this Rocketfish Wireless Rear Speaker Kit is here to save the day. This is a combo system that uses a transmitter and a receiving unit that operate on a 2.4GHz frequency with a range of up to 100 feet. The transmitter plugs into the speaker outputs of your AV receiver, while the wireless receiver is placed near your rear speakers. You’ll need to connect the receiving end to a wall outlet, and you will still need to run shorter wires between the receiver and your speakers, but you’ll avoid the headache of running 50-foot (or longer) speaker cables. 

The Rocketfish system is a great audio accessory for those building a one-piece-at-a-time home theater, too. You can start by focusing on front speakers and essential AV components, then add wireless rears when your budget opens up again. While a phased approach may not be for everyone, it’s a great way to prevent you from putting time, energy, and cash into a part of your surround sound you’re not ready for yet.

A device to get your new TV shaking hands with your old audio

One of the biggest thrills for an audiophile is incorporating legacy gear into a modern home theater setup. That said, analog connectivity has mostly been de-throned by digital audio and video, which can make wiring up certain parts of your system a bit of a challenge. But if you’re willing to invest in a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) like the Prozor 2.0-Channel PCM DAC, you should be able to bridge the gap between your vintage AV hardware and your newer TV and AV components.

Here’s a common use case: You just bought a brand-new TV and plan on using its built-in apps to stream movies and shows. You want the app audio to run through your surround sound, but your AV receiver is on the older side and doesn’t have HDMI ARC/eARC, digital optical, or digital coaxial. What you’ll do is connect the Prozor DAC’s provided digital optical cable to the output on your TV, and plug the other end into the DAC input. You can then run a left-right RCA cable (red and white) or a 3.5mm headphone jack from the DAC’s output to an available input on your receiver.

This Prozor device supports up to 192kHz/24-bit audio signals, so you shouldn’t have to worry about quality loss when converting. One thing to keep in mind, though: most DACs — including this one — will downsample 5.1 signals to stereo audio, which means you should set your TV’s audio output to PCM. While this means you won’t get “true” surround sound, you may be able to set your receiver to a simulated surround mode that spreads stereo PCM signals across multiple speakers. It’s not bitstream-powered Dolby Atmos or DTS:X, but it definitely gets the job done.

How we chose these audio gadgets

Archideaphoto/Getty Images

The main focus of this article was finding audio accessories to help you vanquish home theater obstacles you may be facing or to enhance your existing setup without overhauling the whole system. Instead of focusing on soundbars, speakers, and other big-ticket items, we set our sights on a range of budget-friendly products that make your home theater nicer, sound better, and add compatibility.

Each of the four products we selected is sold through major retailers like Amazon and Best Buy, and we chose only items that scored 4 stars or higher in user reviews. We also did our best to keep costs reasonable (our most expensive pick is just shy of $100).

Source

Proxima Studio/Shutterstock

Modern routers now allow you to set up a guest network, an entirely separate Wi-Fi network to keep your main network secure. Instead of giving away the password to your main Wi-Fi network, where all your devices and computers connect to regularly, you can allow access through the guest version, a network that runs entirely parallel to your standard one. It segments your regular network even though, technically, every wireless device is connected to the same router and through the same gateway. It’s also a smart way to keep potentially compromised devices off your main channel. If a friend visits and connects with a laptop compromised by malware, that laptop effectively has no access to your core network. This practice is called network segmentation. In fact, before you upgrade or buy a new router, it’s a security feature you should absolutely check for first. If it doesn’t support guest network coverage, go with a different router.

Another benefit of having a guest network is that you can limit the bandwidth so it doesn’t slow down or affect your main network. That makes the guest network a prime contender for a separate IoT Wi-Fi channel, especially if you’re not going to use it conventionally. You can instead use the guest network as a dedicated channel for IoT and smart home devices. It works well because most smart home devices are only compatible with 2.4GHz networks, and many routers only allow you to create a guest network on the 2.4GHz band.

Why use your guest network as an isolated IoT channel?

SOLDATOOFF/Shutterstock

IoT and smart home devices pose a serious risk to all user networks and access points, and it’s not really something you can get away from. They require frequent firmware updates and security patches, and might not receive them in a timely manner. They also often employ robust authentication measures, facilitated through a remote access point or server, meaning they’re always online. Even with end-to-end encryption and strong security measures, they sometimes have glaring vulnerabilities, like a default administrative username and password combo that’s never changed or simply cannot be. 

If even one device is compromised as part of a botnet, attackers can access the rest of the network, moving laterally to more sensitive hardware. An alarming 14,000 devices were hijacked in an unprecedented cyberattack, called KidNap, that targeted routers and edge devices. Keeping IoT and smart home devices on a separate guest network ensures data isolation, as a compromised IoT device cannot interact with more valuable systems on the network, like your phone or laptop. This is especially beneficial with low-cost or non-supported IoT devices that don’t receive regular updates. They can contain weaknesses or vulnerabilities that are never fixed, or fixed too late, and which hackers take full advantage of.

There are pros and cons to using a guest network for IoT

Kazakova0684/Getty Images

You can use your guest network strictly for smart home gadgets, but there are advantages and disadvantages. The benefits are better security through network segmentation, improved performance with proper bandwidth limits, and simplified device management. It’s easier to organize and monitor your devices if they’re on a single network.

However, cons include limited device connectivity, as devices connected to your core network cannot communicate with the guest network. A hub may need access to your smart lights, but if the lights are on a guest network and the hub isn’t, that won’t work. Segmenting devices can also add extra steps to the setup process. Smart home tech often syncs through a mobile app, and your phone must be on the same network as the new device. On your phone, you’ll need to disconnect from your main Wi-Fi, connect to the guest network, install your new smart home device, then disconnect after installation and reconnect to your main network. It’s not a huge deal, but it is an extra step nonetheless. 

Some budget routers run into performance issues when managing two separate networks, leading to latency spikes. You’ll need to do some extra research when choosing a router. Dig into user reviews and commentary. Look for people who have set up a guest network on their router. Whether you’re considering the cheap routers on Amazon that users swear by or the most reliable mesh Wi-Fi routers, user reviews can help you single out a reliable upgrade for your home network.

Source

Markus Wissmann/Shutterstock

After grinding out a string of appearances in TV series and movies, “RoboCop” was a breakout role for Peter Weller. A box office success and a massive hit on home video, “RoboCop” appeared to be the star vehicle he had been waiting for. Despite the heavy prosthetics and makeup and the cyborg nature of its protagonist (and nearly being ruined by a dispute over Oreos), the film provided Weller with a fair amount of leeway to demonstrate his range. The posthumanist cyberpunk drama allowed Weller to transcend the bland action-hero tropes prevalent in the 80s and to exhibit real pathos.

Unfortunately, even before Orion Pictures could capitalize on the film’s success with a sequel, Weller made an unfortunate choice of follow-up roles when he appeared in 1989’s “Leviathan.” While the ’80s produced some deeply underrated sci-fi gems, “Leviathan” was not one of them. The deep sea thriller was blasted by critics and largely ignored by audiences, and arguably changed Weller’s career trajectory for the worse.

Here there be monsters

Markus Wissmann/Shutterstock

“Leviathan” tells the story of a deep-sea mining operation looking to exploit the riches concealed by the ocean’s floor. What the expedition’s corporate overlords don’t realize, however, is that those precious minerals are guarded by a terrifying unidentified lifeform. When it infiltrates the crew’s underwater station and begins to kill and mutate them (in some sequences that rival the most brutal deaths in sci-fi), they’re forced to make desperate choices to survive, isolated in a watery abyss.

Weller plays geologist Steven Beck, who’s assigned as supervisor for the mining expedition’s three-month stint. The film’s title is derived from a Russian shipwreck, which the crew discovers harbors a hostile mutant lifeform. Eventually, the creature is revealed to be the result of the Russians’ experiments, in which they tinkered with human DNA. Trouble begins when the crew brings some tainted vodka onboard from the scuttled ship, and two of the crew members partake; unbeknownst to them, the vodka contains a powerful mutagen that changes them into outlandish tentacled sea monsters that attempt to slaughter and infect the rest of the expedition.

From Cop to flop

Critics brutalized “Leviathan,” calling it a “stale rehash” and a “big, dumb monster movie.” It’s currently sitting at a 23% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. In her review for the New York Times, Janet Maslin called “Leviathan” a film trying “to deflect attention from the material’s obvious derivativeness (to ‘Alien,’ in particular) and from the general disgustingness of much of what transpires,” populated by “a mix of easygoing racial and sexual stereotypes.”

Audiences didn’t find much to love in the film either, apparently. The film only recouped $15.7 million domestically of a $21 million budget at the box office, and currently holds an audience score of 28% on Rotten Tomatoes.

“Leviathan” wasn’t a death knell for Peter Weller’s career by any means. He’s continued to work steadily in television and video games, with occasional film roles sprinkled in. However, he never rose to the level of reliable leading man, and his only notable non-“RoboCop” accolade is an Academy Award nomination for the 1993 short “Partners,” which he wrote and directed. It’s hard not to attribute at least some of that decline to this leading role in a very public flop that happened just as his career appeared to be in its ascendancy.

Source

Marinel Sigue/BGR

Probably the most annoying part of owning a portable battery-powered device like a smartphone is having to charge it. You always have to guess when it will fully charge and be ready for a whole day out. Well, if you have an iPhone, you really won’t need to do any guesstimating. Apple already took the guesswork out of charging and provides a charge-time estimate to iPhones via iOS 26. This is another of the new iOS features Apple recently added to your iPhone, so be sure to update your device to the latest software to take advantage of it.

This charge-time indicator is essentially an estimate of how long it will take for your iPhone to reach 80% and 100%. You can find it in two places. One is right on the Lock Screen, just below the status bar. If your phone isn’t locked, you can also go into the Settings app to view the charge-time estimate. Just launch Settings and head over to Battery. The charge-time estimate will appear at the very top of the screen, along with your current battery level. 

Understanding the iPhone’s charge-time estimate

Marinel Sigue/BGR

The iPhone’s charge-time estimate seems simple at first glance, but it comes with a few quirks. On the Lock Screen, the charge-time estimate won’t stay there forever as you might have hoped. Instead, it only shows up briefly and automatically changes to today’s date after about three seconds. The Lock Screen also displays just the charge estimate for up to 80%. Once you pass that, it will just show you the current percentage of charge the battery has, but not the time remaining to full charge. Unfortunately, the charge-time estimate doesn’t appear on the Always On Display either. You’d always have to wake the screen to see it.

In the iPhone Battery menu in Settings, the charge-time estimate is much more detailed. It typically features two estimates: one for how long it takes to reach 80% and another for the time to fully charge (or reach your charge limit if you have that turned on). The only time you get a single charge-time estimate is when you limit your iPhone’s charging capacity to 80%. Whatever the case is, after you hit 80%, the only charge-time estimate remaining on screen will be for 100% (or whatever charge limit you set it to). After your phone charges to your charge limit, the Battery menu will say “Charged to X% Limit” and a blue button to charge to 100% if you like.

How to make your iPhone charge faster

Marinel Sigue/BGR

If you’re not satisfied with how fast your iPhone is charging, there are some Apple tips you can apply to boost the charging speed a little bit. For one, pick the right iPhone fast charger. Since modern iPhones no longer come with their own chargers, you’ll have to provide your own. Make sure it’s a USB-C Power Delivery adapter. Otherwise, your phone will charge more slowly. To see if what you have is a suitable charger, go to the Battery menu in the Settings app. It should say “Charging” in green. If it says “Slow Charger” in orange, try switching to a different charging brick.

Once your iPhone is plugged into a compatible fast charger, it’s best to leave it alone. If you absolutely need to use it, keep your tasks light. For instance, stop using the camera, playing games, and streaming videos until you’re finished charging. Don’t set the display brightness to full, and don’t use other demanding features, like GPS navigation. These tasks can easily increase your charging time.

Your charging location is another important consideration. It should be in a cool spot away from direct sunlight, as charging will be paused if the iPhone gets too hot. If you’re using any wired accessory with your device, such as a headphone or USB-C multiport adapter, unplug them while you charge. They might interfere with how much power your iPhone battery is getting.

Source

photoschmidt/Shutterstock

Whenever you buy new electronics, they always ship in shiny new boxes. However, once the device is set up, the next big question is whether you should keep the box or toss it away. Generally speaking, there are two types of people. On the one hand, some folks religiously store boxes, and then there are people who throw them away almost instantly. Depending on the device, both approaches have downsides.

Manufacturers spend time designing these boxes, finding the perfect shape and size, and it’s for a reason. This protects the device and accessories inside the box. It is all the more important for fragile electronics. For such devices, it’s worth holding on to the box. Apart from that, original packaging gives the impression that the device was handled well by the owner. So, if you ever plan to sell or exchange the device, it adds to the resale value. Even for returns, you sometimes need original packaging. Additionally, some boxes become collectibles over time, especially with gaming consoles. Those are definitely not the boxes you want to throw away.

So, it all comes down to what the box offers and whether it’s worth keeping. For instance, you don’t need to keep the box that your computer mouse came in, as you are unlikely to sell it or store it for extended periods. But for some devices, keeping the box is the smart choice.

Smartphones and tablets

Mehaniq/Shutterstock

Many of us upgrade smartphones every few years, and the existing one is either resold, exchanged, or handed down to someone. In all these cases, the original packaging and accessories make a huge difference. First, when it comes to selling old phones and tablets, devices that include the original box are likely to fetch a higher value. That’s because buyers tend to associate original packaging with quality. So, if someone has the original box, it creates a perception that the phone was maintained well. Moreover, if you are passing it to someone, the box will make it look like a complete package.

Even if you don’t plan to do any of that, the original box is still useful. For instance, if the phone shows signs of malfunction within the return window, some sellers might need you to send it back in the original packaging, so having the box helps. Besides, the box your smartphone or tablet came in also includes accessories you may need occasionally, say the SIM ejector tool. If kept outside, these often get lost within weeks, but when inside the box, the accessories stay safe and are easier to find.

TVs

ZikG/Shutterstock

Keeping the box your TV came in can sometimes be challenging, especially for people who don’t have adequate storage space at home. While it may feel tempting to get rid of it, you shouldn’t for two reasons. The most important is transportation. If you switch apartments frequently, moving your TV can be a hassle. Newer, bigger models are more fragile, and even a slight bump can damage the display or crack the screen. The box your TV came in is ideal for the job. It fits perfectly, protecting all edges and corners. Generic boxes don’t offer the same level of protection, and buying them can add to the overall transportation cost – something that you could have easily avoided if you kept the original box.

Apart from that, the original box also matters for returns, as was the case with smartphones. If the smart TV develops issues in the early days, you may have to ship it back in the original packaging. So, even if you don’t plan on moving, storing the box at least until the return window expires is the recommended approach.

Laptops, computers, and PC parts

Regina Erofeeva/Shutterstock

When it comes to laptops and desktops, the original box is important for the same reasons as the devices listed earlier. When moving laptops or desktops, the original packaging can come in handy and is absolutely free. A dedicated shipping box, on the other hand, will cost you around $15 to $30. Many modern-day PC cases also feature glass panels, making the original packaging the best choice for transportation. There’s also the resale angle — laptops and desktops with original packaging often sell for more. 

Even PC components benefit from having their original boxes intact. For instance, high-end GPUs and keyboards, with original boxes intact, are more sought after. GPUs can even sell for a 5 to 10% markup in the used market. That said, even smaller boxes for laptops and GPUs can take up a ton of space, so organizing them properly becomes necessary. If possible, you can flatten the boxes or store smaller boxes within the larger ones.

Projectors, drones, and 3D printers

Miro Vrlik Photography/Shutterstock

Projectors and drones fall into the category of devices for which you should almost always save the original box. Tossing it out can prove really costly in the long run. Both projectors and drones are expensive devices featuring lenses, and these are best protected inside their original box. Even a tiny scratch can ruin the entire experience, and replacements can be costly. The original box includes dedicated cutouts to protect the lenses and other fragile parts. And it isn’t limited to transportation. Projectors, drones, and other similar devices often sit for extended periods, only to be taken out when needed. So, even at home, the original box will allow you to safely store the device. This becomes all the more important if you have kids or pets at home.

The same goes for 3D printers. These, too, are fragile devices, and moving them isn’t an easy task. But the original packaging makes the process much simpler and more convenient. In case you don’t have space for the boxes, you should at least store the foam cutouts for smoother transportation.

Gaming consoles

jhxfilm/Shutterstock

Gaming consoles also benefit from storing the original box. These are packed with sensitive, fragile components, and moving them without the original packaging is a real risk. Some models are even oddly shaped, and finding replacement boxes to transport them can be a challenge. Additionally, the box can help keep everything organized, including cables, controllers, and manuals.

It also helps with the resale value. Gaming consoles have a lot of potential for resale, and with the original box, your listing is likely to get more attention. But more importantly, collectors love everything associated with rare consoles — including boxes. Many older gaming consoles like the Nintendo Game Boy hold surprising value in the collector’s market, and ones in like-new condition, with the original packaging, fetch premium prices.

Now that you know when it’s worth keeping the original box, it’s equally important to realize that this won’t apply to everyone. If you don’t plan on moving in the foreseeable future or ever selling the device, recycling the box after a few weeks will keep your house tidy and clean. But in case you plan to keep all the boxes, make sure to use them cleverly. For instance, you can hide indoor security cameras inside old cardboard boxes or even use them for decorations. That way, these boxes serve a purpose until you actually need them.

Source

Dikushin Dmitry/Shutterstock

It’s not uncommon to find a tech enthusiast at a Goodwill or garage sale, looking to uncover rare, vintage, and undervalued gadgets at a steal. It’s that last one in particular where some strike gold when the less tech-savvy let go of extremely valuable tech simply because they don’t know what they have. Such was the case with a Redditor who goes by the name Sam_Under_Ice, who posted on Reddit that they bought an i7 desktop at Goodwill for $20. When they looked at what was inside, they discovered they had hit one of the biggest motherlodes for a tech find in 2026 — 64GB of DDR4 RAM.

There was more inside the chassis, too. It contained an i7-12700K, which is a 12th-generation Intel CPU, with 12 cores and a clock speed of 3.6 GHz (up to 5GHz via Intel Turbo Boost Max). It offers good performance as a gaming machine or high-powered workstation. It also had a 1TB SATA HDD inside, which is just one of the four types of hard drives.

But the star of the show was the RAM. It’s a very coveted item in an age where its prices are skyrocketing due to the AI-driven chip shortage. It’s no DDR5, but even DDR4 can fetch hundreds of dollars these days. The Redditor is thinking of using this find to upgrade his main rig, which has a Ryzen 7 5800X, maybe because he knows it’s too valuable to part with.

What the find is actually worth

Nestea06/Getty Images

When Sam_Under_Ice posted about this deal, he didn’t think much of it, but the Reddit post went viral overnight. It has thousands of upvotes with hundreds of comments on the r/pcmasterrace Subreddit expressing jealousy, joy, and even rage. The 64GB of RAM is split into two 32GB chips, and each of those is worth between $150 and $180. The RAM is expensive because there is a global shortage of consumer-grade RAM. It’s not that people are buying a lot of it. Its cause is as artificial as the thing the data centers that are gobbling it up are trying to enhance the capabilities of: AI.

The demand for AI has skyrocketed in the past few years, so data centers need more RAM to help them process and store vast amounts of data. This situation has led to what is known as the “RAMmageddon” or “RAMpocalypse.” Since there’s little RAM left for consumer products, its prices have shot up because there’s not enough to go around. Manufacturers of these products are making tough choices. They either have to scale down production, raise the prices of their products, or both.

As for the i7-12700K, that alone starts at $350. The hard drive is the cheapest find, as even new ones start at $50. All in all, Sam_Under_Ice walked away with components that could cost over $700 (conservative estimate), which is not bad after initially spending $20.

Source

David McQ/Shutterstock

When looking for a handheld console, you might find yourself choosing between a Steam Deck OLED and the Nintendo Switch 2. One of the biggest considerations would be the game library. While the Switch has an excellent first-party lineup, led by the likes of Super Mario, Pokémon, The Legend of Zelda, Kirby, and Donkey Kong, as well as some stellar third-party indie and AAA games, its library is a fraction of what the Steam Deck OLED offers.

Furthermore, the Steam Deck is more powerful than the Switch 2 due to having more memory and greater CPU and GPU clock speeds. Another area where the Switch 2 can’t touch the Steam Deck is in customization. The Switch 2 is a closed system, meaning you’ll have to jailbreak it if you want to customize it. But even then, the options are limited.

The Steam Deck, on the other hand, runs on the SteamOS, a Linux-based operating system. It allows you to flip to Desktop Mode to install a wide range of tools that the Switch 2 can’t. For instance, you can easily install other game launchers and emulators. You can also stream various services and even turn it into a Windows handheld. You don’t even need to mod the system to do any of this.

Install other store fronts

Nwz/Shutterstock

On the Nintendo Switch 2, you only have access to one digital storefront for all your games — the Nintendo eShop. If you are a Nintendo fan, that could be all you need, because the company does a good job ensuring there are quality games on its system. The process of releasing games on Steam isn’t as stringent as Nintendo’s, and that is why Valve’s platform sees thousands of games released every month. With over 130,000 games on Steam, it’s safe to say that you can always find something to play, but you can extend your options even further on the Steam Deck with other storefronts.

Steam doesn’t have everything. For instance, you might want to play Silent Hill 4: The Room, Star Trek: Armada 2, and Stranglehold, but the only place you can find these is on Good Old Games (GOG). There are also some new games that come exclusively to the Epic Games Store, with notable examples being Alan Wake 2 and Alan Wake Remastered (the original is available on Steam). You can install both storefronts on the Steam Deck OLED. They won’t run natively since they’re meant for Windows, so you’ll have to use a compatibility tool like the Heroic Games Launcher or Valve’s own Proton (unless you actually install Windows on your Steam Deck first — see below).

Stream using Xbox Cloud Gaming

Even though you play games from the Epic Games Store on the Steam Deck OLED, you’ll run into problems when playing some online games. The biggest example is Fortnite. You can download it on the Steam Deck, but once its anti-cheat systems (e.g., Easy Anti-Cheat) detect that you’re on Linux, which they don’t support, the game will not work past a certain point. Your best bet to play Fortnite on the Steam Deck is to use another workaround, and Xbox Cloud Gaming is one of the easiest ways to do it.

To stream Fortnite, you would need to subscribe to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which got a price cut in April 2026 from $29.99 to $22.99 per month. The lower-priced tiers, Essential ($9.99 per month) and Premium ($14.99 per month),  don’t have Fortnite, but you can still stream games from the massive Game Pass library and your very own. Note that you need to use a browser like Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome to start streaming games using Xbox Cloud Gaming on the Steam Deck OLED.

On the Nintendo Switch 2, you’re stuck with Nintendo’s own subscription service called Nintendo Switch Online. It’s cheaper than Game Pass, starting from $19.99 per year for the Individual plan. You can access online multiplayer, cloud saves, and select classic games (more on this later). But with Game Pass on the Steam Deck OLED, your selection of quality games expands significantly.

Install emulators (without jailbreaking)

FotoAndalucia/Shutterstock

The Steam Deck allows you to install a wide range of emulators in Desktop Mode, such as EmuDeck, Cemu, PCSX2, and MAME. With these, you can play games not only from Nintendo consoles (NES, SNES, N64, GameCube, Wii, 3DS, and even the Nintendo Switch). You can also download emulators for the arcade games, Sega Genesis, Sega Dreamcast, PS1, PS2, and PS3. The best part is that you don’t even need a subscription. This allows you to save by playing games you have backed up legally, with the added bonus that they will not be taken away from you. Just keep in mind that using emulators is not illegal as long as you are not playing pirated ROMs.

As of May 2026, the Nintendo Switch 2 has no publicly available jailbreak. But it’s only a matter of time before someone finds an exploit that allows them to install custom firmware (CFW) so people can run emulators. Right now, people can play retro games on the Switch 2 through the Nintendo Switch Online membership, which gives them access to over 150 classic games from consoles like the NES, SNES, N64, Game Boy, GBA, GameCube, and Sega Genesis. It’s a small library, but it’s better than risking bricking a console through unstable jailbreaks.

Watch videos from streaming services

Consoles have become entertainment hubs, allowing you to enjoy passive entertainment during your gaming downtime. While the Steam Deck OLED has no native streaming apps, as with everything here, there is a much easier workaround thanks to its Linux-based OS. Again, this is where emulators like EmuDeck help, as they allow you to download and run ROMs for popular streaming apps like YouTube, Netflix, Crunchyroll, Prime Video, and Apple TV. From there, you can just log into your account as usual and start watching your favorite channels, movies, TV shows, and anime. If you don’t want to use EmuDeck, you can stream using a browser like Edge (recommended), Chrome, or Firefox.

On the original Nintendo Switch, you could download streaming apps such as Hulu and Crunchyroll. It even had InkPen, where you could read comic books and manga. However, Nintendo has since dropped support for all streaming and media apps on the Switch 2, making it a gaming-focused console only. There are rumors, though, that the YouTube app may be coming to the Switch 2.

Run Windows 11 seamlessly

Unlike the Switch 2, the Steam Deck OLED is essentially a PC, meaning you can install another operating system on it. Windows 11 is one of the best choices if you’re tired of using Heroic Games, Proton, Wine, and similar tools. Those solutions don’t always offer a seamless experience, either, so it can sometimes help to give the apps and games a native environment to run in instead of forcing them through a compatibility layer. Furthermore, with Windows 11 installed, you’ll also be able to download games on Game Pass without having to use the Xbox Cloud Gaming workaround. The best part is that you can dual-boot — it’s not a choice between Windows or SteamOS.

There’s a possibility that Windows 11 can run on the Switch 2 since it uses an ARM-based chip like the original Switch. That’s how X user @Patrosi managed to get Windows 11 ARM working on the Switch. However, they did call it the “world’s slowest PC” because every movement takes several seconds to complete. But since the Switch 2 has a more powerful processor, Windows 11 would likely run much faster. Regardless, if it ever happens, installing it would be a more involved process than doing it on the Steam Deck OLED because the Switch 2 will have to be modded. As the X user also pointed out, the process took them three hours to complete.

Source

Paramount

There have been plenty of timelines explored in the “Star Trek” universe, but had NBC originally had its way, we might’ve ended up in one without its most beloved crew member. Before Captain Kirk became a popular name, and even before we’d been introduced to his predecessor, Captain Pike, Gene Roddenberry was having issues with the network that would become something of a nuisance as the show developed. Besides making the sexist demand of swapping out Majel Barrett from a weapon-ready hero to Nurse Chapel, they also took issue with another Enterprise crew member: first officer, Mr. Spock. Well, more specifically, his pointy ears.

According to Herb Solow, who was the Desilu executive in charge back in 1965, NBC was concerned about the Vulcan character’s alien features, which they felt had devilish connotations. “It was as if they believed that, after Satan had been cast out of the Garden of Eden, he was reincarnated as actor Leonard Nimoy and cast into Star Trek as science officer Spock, a pointed-eared, arched eyebrowed ‘satanic’ Vulcan alien,” he explained (per StarTrek.com).

The worry was that local stations and advertisers who dared to go where no one had gone before would also be scrutinized by religious groups for backing a character who resembled Lucifer. A tough back-and-forth between Roddenberry and NBC ensued, and while the show’s creator thought he’d won the battle, the studio took evasive maneuvers to steer clear of Spock, although they’d come to regret that decision.

NBC made the illogical decision to trim Spock’s ears

Bettmann/Getty Images

After defending his science officer and ensuring that Spock stayed aboard the Enterprise, Roddenberry believed the issue was all done and dusted until promotional materials revealed a major change. “They said, ‘Fine, leave him in, but keep him in the background, will you?'” Recalled Roddenberry (via Smithsonian Magazine). “And then when they put out the sales brochure when we eventually went to series, they carefully rounded Spock’s ears and made him look human so he wouldn’t scare off potential advertisers.”

Accepting that playing nice was the safest route, the great minds behind “Star Trek” chose, according to Solow, “to tell NBC exactly what they needed to hear” and reduce Spock’s presence on the show. They, in fact, stayed the course to keep the ship’s first officer exactly where he was originally planned to be.

The bold move proved to be the smart one. In the first four episodes, Spock was, according to Solow, featured in “varying degrees,” which was more than enough. “By the time the fifth show was ready to air, ‘Spockmania’ had erupted and NBC’s anti-Spock campaign came to a grinding halt. Desilu’s mailroom was bulging with huge sacks of fan mail, most of which was addressed to Mister Spock.” The rest is in the Captain’s Log. Nimoy’s character became an essential part of the franchise, which would endure for decades, with Spock’s death a highlight that proved without a doubt how much of an impact he and his pointy ears had made. 

Source

tinhkhuong/Shutterstock

Since Android is an open-source operating system (OS), there’s almost no shortage of unique features Android phones can have. But what about the ones that are a little less flashy than Circle to Search or even Battery Saver mode? Many Android phones allow for screen pinning that ensures your phone stays private even when you hand it over to someone. Moreover, there are also entertainment options that let you cast your device’s screen directly to your smart TV.

It turns out that these are all features you can easily access, but sometimes are slightly hidden away because menus change or become convoluted through updates. While your Android experience highly depends on the manufacturer, most of these hidden features should be present on modern phones. Though the names may differ slightly depending on the phone you’re running, they should all function similarly, no matter if you’re under the Samsung, Pixel, Motorola, or even OnePlus umbrella.

Cast your Android’s screen onto a smart TV

Nikolay100/Getty Images

The built-in screen-casting feature is a bit of a fun one as it lets you cast anything on your screen directly to another device, like your smart TV. So when you spot a YouTube video or capture pictures of your puppy doing dorky poses, you can mirror it from your phone to a smart TV,  instead of sharing a link or attachment with every family member.

You can also pretty much do this on most smart TVs, as long as your Android device is on the same network as your connected smart TV. The option should be listed in your quick settings as either “Cast,” “Screen Cast,” or “Smart View.” You might also need to set something up on your TV to make your phone appear on it. If you’re using a Fire TV Stick or Fire TV, you need to place it in screen mirroring mode. From here, your TV should appear on your phone, and you can choose what to display, whether that’s just the app you’re in or the entire phone display. Just note that this feature should work on most modern smart TVs across the pricing spectrum, but if it isn’t built into the TV OS, you might need a device like Chromecast to make it work.

Manage your alerts with notification cooldown

Studiographic/Getty Images

Notification cooldown is a newer Android feature, so unless you keep up with Android updates and the slew of new features that come out, you might not know it exists. The notification cooldown was introduced in Android 15 and later updated to Android 16. It works by minimizing notification alerts and gradually reducing the notification volume if you receive too many of them in a short span. This can be helpful when you connect to the internet after a while or when there’s a hot discussion in a group chat. That said, the notification cooldown feature does not work on calls, alarms, and other important notifications so you can safely turn it on.

On Android 16 devices, like a Pixel phone, open Settings > Notifications, then tap Notification cooldown under the “General” header. Toggle Use Notification cooldown on. Return to the same section to toggle it off when you no longer need to use this feature.

Enable app pinning for extra privacy

Tero Vesalainen/Shutterstock

App pinning, sometimes called screen pinning, is likely a security feature you missed because its use case is a bit niche. Essentially, when you enable this option, you pin an app to your device’s screen, locking you into using it and nothing else. You cannot switch apps, check notifications, or interact with anything else on your phone except that app. The feature is especially helpful if you are passing your phone off to someone else briefly — like another friend, or even a child who might accidentally open private apps or files. It gives you peace of mind if you’re someone who has trust issues with sharing such a personal device.

To begin using the app pinning feature, open your Android settings, go to Security & privacy, then tap More Security & privacy. Remember that the UI will differ slightly depending on the Android version and the OEM skin, but the steps should be relatively similar. Turn on App pinning, if it’s a toggle, ensure that it is on. Once you’ve enabled the option, open the app, then tap to switch apps. In the app card, next to the app you opened, you should find the three-dot menu at the top-right. Select that, then tap Pin. To unpin that active app, swipe up and hold, or tap and hold the back and recents buttons, then enter your PIN, password, or pattern to verify that you’re the owner.

Use gestures to silence incoming calls

xlaura/Shutterstock

Gesture-related actions are quite helpful when you need to do something in a pinch but don’t have time to fully unlock your phone. Flip to Silence is your best friend if you’re that person who might’ve forgotten to turn on silent mode during an important work meeting or lecture, but wants to do that discreetly without interrupting.

On Pixel devices, the feature is called “Flip to Shhh” and can be found in System settings. It is also a bit more comprehensive than Flip to Silence on other models, as it activates Do Not Disturb to mute notifications. On other Android devices, it is usually located in the Phone app’s settings. Once you’ve enabled it, all you need to do to silence your calls is place your phone face down. Overall, its use case varies by user, but it’s still one of those awesome Android gestures you’ll want to keep handy so you’re not awkwardly fiddling with your phone in a crowded public space.

Try out secret short codes

Photos’ Ka Khzana/Shutterstock

Android has a whole slew of short codes that you can access depending on your phone model and carrier. These codes can show you device information, such as your IMEI number, and some interesting diagnostics/statistics. If your carrier supports it, you can sometimes use short codes to enable or disable caller ID or even check call forwarding or waiting. These codes are accessed via your device’s default dialer, and they vary by Android version since not all are compatible with newer versions.

But if short codes interest you, all you need to do is open the dialer and type a series of symbols and numbers, like *#*#7287#*#*. For example, this code, in particular, will open the repair diagnostics app on Pixel phones. The best way to find usable short codes is to search for your phone and the Android version you’re using, then check a list.

Source