The Smart Smart Home Handbook: Control Your Home With Your Voice

Starting immediately with "The Stuff They Don't Tell You," the Smart Smart Home Handbook is a book designed to save its readers time and money, while still opening the possibilities of smart tech (from lighting to robot lawnmowers). It does this by explaining a little about the underlying technologies in human terms, before moving on to look them one by one.

The book also shares some experiences of families who have installed tech you might be considering, helping you ask - and answer - questions that won't be in the glossy promotional videos (from "How good is Alexa with accents?" to "How will your spouse feel if she needs her phone to turn the lights on?").

On the other hand, it will also introduce you to exciting possibilities you may not have thought of, from lighting that matches the TV screen to create a movie effect, to methods to let the delivery guy in from your desk at the office. Find out how to create programs and sequences.

Finally the book will address the digital security concerns which retailers never do, and show you the best ways to ensure that you get all the advantages of smart home tech, with none of the risks of hackers.

Adam Juniper has had a longstanding interest in consumer technology, having written his first gear review for a magazine before he was old enough to drive. He's written and edited dozens of books, especially on photography, drones and now the arrival of the digital assistant. Obviously deep down he is yearning to say "Tea, Earl Grey, Hot" to the computer and be rewarded with the perfect refreshment, but for now he's putting his experience into identifying which of the tidal wave of "smart" gadgets are worth having by living the smart home dream in suburban London.