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Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

Senior Reviewer, Smart Home

Senior Reviewer, Smart Home

    More From Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

    Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
    Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
    This leak detector lasts two years on a single battery.

    The Shelly Flood S Gen4 is a $28 flood sensor that supports Matter, Wi-Fi, and Zigbee, so it should fit into any smart home setup. It also has a built-in alarm. Two-year battery life on a single CR123A is impressive; Ikea’s Klippbok leak sensor gets a year (but costs half as much). Wireless leak sensors are more flexible than wired models; you can just stick this under your washing machine, and you’re good to go.

    Correction: This story previously said the sensor uses a coin cell battery; it’s a CR123A.

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    <em>The Shelly Flood S is compact enough to fit under appliances.</em>
    <em>It can connect to smart water shut-off valves through supported platforms to automatically turn off the water if a leak is detected. </em>
    <em>The sensor uses three large stainless-steel sensors to create a wider contact area for detecting liquid.</em>
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    The Shelly Flood S is compact enough to fit under appliances.
    Image: Shelly
    This robot vacuum solves my kitchen stool problem

    Hands-on with Mova’s new V70 Ultra Complete and its mopping arm that cleans hard-to-reach spots.

    Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
    Google’s Pet Memory forgot who my cats are

    Gemini for Home promises its Nest cameras can recognize my cats by name — but it can’t tell Boone from Smokey.

    Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
    Whisker’s AI-powered litter robot thinks my cats swapped bodies

    The $899 Litter-Robot 5 Pro is a great pooper-scooper wrapped in AI that just doesn’t work.

    Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
    Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
    Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
    Today’s Vergecast: Should you let a robot mow your lawn?

    Is it time to fire the neighbor kid and hire a robot lawnmower instead? Last year I wrote that “in all but a few scenarios, robot lawnmowers still aren’t worth your money,” but there’s a new class of Roombas with razor blades ready to tackle bumpy terrain and dodge crazy chickens. Realtor and smart home reviewer Brandon Doyle joins me to talk about our reviews of the newest robotic mowers and to let you know if they’re finally worth all that money. Read my review for more and check out Brandon’s video review.

    I finally found a robot lawnmower I’d trust with my yard

    I pitted five automowers against each other to find the best cutter for my challenging garden.

    Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
    Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
    Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
    Ninja’s new water filter is speedier than a Brita.

    But also pricier. The HydraSense is a new countertop water filter that dispenses water with a button press, filling your cup or bottle in seconds.

    The $199 gadget launches today, and is more elegant than a big water jug in your fridge, while costing less than cold/hot filtration devices. I just got one to test, and think it’s useful if you don’t have a built-in fridge filtration system and find waiting on your Brita a pain. Here’s a first look.

    If you buy something from a link, The Verge may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

    <em>The HydraSense is a sleek-looking device that plugs into an outlet to power a touchscreen control panel and filtration system.</em>
    <em>It comes with one <a href="https://www.sharkninja.com/ninja-hydrasense-filter-replacement-1-pack/XSKWATFILSUS.html?dwvar_XSKWATFILSUS_size=1">$40 filter</a> rated for 6 months/120 gallons. Ninja claims it removes “up to 99% and 80+ contaminants including microplastics, PFAS, carcinogens, pharmaceuticals.“ You can buy a <a href="https://www.sharkninja.com/ninja-hydrasense-filter-replacement-2-pack/XSKWATFIL2PK.html?dwvar_XSKWATFIL2PK_size=2">two-pack for $70.</a></em>
    <em>There’s no built-in cooling; to get cold water, Ninja says you can store the 96oz tank in the fridge or fill it with ice and hit a recirculate button to cool the water quickly. Its side handle isn’t that easy to grab, though; a handle on top would be more intuitive.</em>
    <em>To dispense water, you touch and hold the droplet button, and the water shoots out very quickly. The button had a tiny lag, which took a bit of getting used to</em>.
    <em>There’s also the option of preset amounts, useful for recipes or filling water bottles hands-free (just make sure you know the exact size of your water bottle!).</em>
    <em>You can set custom dispense amounts, which could be helpful for baby bottles and coffee makers. There’s also a slow pour mode for things like ice trays</em>.
    <em>The device tracks filter life and promises to measure your water intake after 4 weeks.</em>
    <em>The HydraSense comes in pink, blue, black, and white and is available now for $199.99.</em>
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    The HydraSense is a sleek-looking device that plugs into an outlet to power a touchscreen control panel and filtration system.
    Photos by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge