Olivia Lin

Olivia Lin

Vancouver

Tech journalist covering smart home, wearables, and consumer electronics. Former editor at TechCrunch.

Articles by Olivia Lin

Best Smart Smoke Detector: Protect Your Home with Intelligent Alerts
Home Safety

Best Smart Smoke Detector: Protect Your Home with Intelligent Alerts

Traditional smoke detectors have one job: scream loudly when they detect smoke. That's fine when you're home. But what about when you're at work, traveling,...

samsung vs lg
Technology

samsung vs lg

Best Security Camera System for Home: Complete Guide for 2026
Home Security

Best Security Camera System for Home: Complete Guide for 2026

Here's a truth that might sting: most home security camera setups are either overkill or woefully inadequate. People either spend thousands on professional...

Best Robot Vacuum for Hard Floors in 2026: Tile, Laminate, and Vinyl Made Easy
Smart Home

Best Robot Vacuum for Hard Floors in 2026: Tile, Laminate, and Vinyl Made Easy

Hard floors—tile, laminate, vinyl, stone—are the easiest surfaces for a robot vacuum to clean. Dust and debris sit on top rather than embedding in fibers, so even moderate suction picks up everything. The real differentiator for hard floors is mopping capability and navigation quality.

The Best Smart Blinds to Transform Your Home in 2026
Smart Home

The Best Smart Blinds to Transform Your Home in 2026

Manually adjusting blinds throughout the day is one of those small annoyances that adds up. You're constantly getting up to let in light, block glare, or...

Best Smart Plugs in 2026: Turn Any Device Into a Smart Device
Smart Home

Best Smart Plugs in 2026: Turn Any Device Into a Smart Device

Smart plugs are the unsung heroes of home automation. For under $20, you can make any "dumb" device smart—your coffee maker, floor lamp, fan, or that...

Best Robot Vacuum for Dog Hair in 2026: Keep Up with Your Pup's Shedding
Smart Home

Best Robot Vacuum for Dog Hair in 2026: Keep Up with Your Pup's Shedding

Dogs shed. Some shed a little, some shed enough to build a second dog every week. A robot vacuum running daily is the most effective way to keep dog hair under control without spending your evenings vacuuming.

Google Home vs Amazon Echo: Which Smart Speaker Ecosystem Is Right for You?
Technology

Google Home vs Amazon Echo: Which Smart Speaker Ecosystem Is Right for You?

Both ecosystems offer excellent smart speakers, vast device compatibility, and capable voice assistants. But they have different strengths, and the right...

Best Shark Robot Vacuum in 2026: The Complete Shark Lineup Ranked
Smart Home

Best Shark Robot Vacuum in 2026: The Complete Shark Lineup Ranked

Shark has quietly become one of the most popular robot vacuum brands in Canada. Walk into any Canadian Tire, Best Buy Canada, or Costco and you'll see Shark robots prominently displayed—often at prices that undercut iRobot and Roborock while offering competitive features. For Canadian shoppers wh...

Best Self-Emptying Robot Vacuum in 2026: Set It and Forget It
Smart Home

Best Self-Emptying Robot Vacuum in 2026: Set It and Forget It

The whole point of a robot vacuum is convenience—but if you're emptying the dustbin after every run, how convenient is it really? Self-emptying robot vacuums solve this by automatically transferring debris from the robot's dustbin into a larger base station. You go weeks—sometimes months—without ...

TP-Link Deco M4 Review: Affordable Mesh WiFi That Actually Works
Technology

TP-Link Deco M4 Review: Affordable Mesh WiFi That Actually Works

That one room where WiFi goes to die. If you've been fighting with your router to get decent coverage throughout your home, the TP-Link Deco M4 might be...

Best Smart Scales in 2026: Beyond Just Weight
Health & Fitness

Best Smart Scales in 2026: Beyond Just Weight

Let's get one thing straight: your weight is just a number, and honestly, it's not even a particularly useful one. What matters is body composition—how much...