All posts tagged: backyard

The Best Pool Accessories to Upgrade Your Summer (2026)

The Best Pool Accessories to Upgrade Your Summer (2026)

Published by skeptic

This floating gadget monitors temperature, pH, and ORP (a stand-in for free chlorine), together giving you a solid picture of your pool’s disinfection capabilities, automatically updated every 15 minutes. While many chemistry monitors require replaceable supplies (quite costly) and regular battery replacements to work, Iopool’s solution is solid-state, needing no maintenance at all except for storing it out of the pool in winter months. I used mine for two full swimming seasons until it died (at which point it must be replaced)—and I like it so much I just dropped its successor into the water for the summer. —Chris Null For Floating Around With a Drink Funboy Vintage Stripe Floating Cabana Bar and Tube Floats When our first 90-degree-Fahrenheit day popped up on the forecast last month, I immediately started searching for a floating cooler for drinks that had a canopy to block the sun and would not cost a fortune, and ended up buying this Funboy one off Amazon. It can easily handle a six-pack of cans on a raft of ice, the canopy …

Kiwibit’s AI-powered bird feeder is my new backyard buddy

Kiwibit’s AI-powered bird feeder is my new backyard buddy

Published by skeptic

Earlier this month, I got my hands on the Kiwibit Bird Feeder Pro 4K AI Camera, and it has become my favorite backyard accessory.  Setting it up is pretty straightforward. Multiple mounting options allow you to place the feeder on a pole, window ledge, or tree. Its dual seed compartments are designed for easy refills and cleaning. The solar panel on top ensures you don’t have to worry about batteries running low. Durability and camera quality are also strong points. Other specs include support for 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, cloud storage, built-in two-way audio with a microphone and speaker, and a 130-degree wide-angle lens. Image Credits:Kiwibit As soon as I installed it in the backyard, I connected the feeder to the companion Kiwibit app on my phone. This is where you can be notified when a bird stops by, watch recordings, and track all the visits. A few weeks into testing is when the real fun started. My phone buzzed with a notification every time a new visitor showed up, and I found myself eagerly waiting for updates. …

The Best Smart Sprinklers and Irrigation Systems: In-Ground Sprinklers, Hose Timers (2026)

The Best Smart Sprinklers and Irrigation Systems: In-Ground Sprinklers, Hose Timers (2026)

Published by skeptic

Planting a garden or laying down sod for your yard is the easy part. Keeping that foliage appropriately hydrated, that’s the real challenge—and it’s one that just keeps going and going, only getting more complicated as the seasons change. In recent years, interior smart home technology has spilled outside, and you’ll now find dozens of wireless watering systems on the market that can take some of the confusion and complexity out of irrigating your plants. Whether you have a sophisticated in-ground sprinkler or drip irrigation system or you rely on an old-fashioned hose, multiple smart watering solutions are readily available. The good news: We’ve got you covered no matter what type of outdoor environment you have. Be sure to check out our other guides to backyard tech, including the Best Smart Bird Feeders, Best Grills and Smart Grills, Best Flat-Top Grills and Griddles, Best Coolers, and Best Pool Cleaning Robots. What Can Smart Irrigation Systems Do? AccordionItemContainerButton Across the board, smart watering solutions are fundamentally designed around scheduling. While you can always initiate a manual …

Memorial Day 2026 Grill and Griddle Deals: Weber, Traeger, Recteq

Memorial Day 2026 Grill and Griddle Deals: Weber, Traeger, Recteq

Published by skeptic

I don’t make the rules. I just know them: The days leading up to Memorial Day are the best time to buy a grill (or a mattress, for that matter). That’s when the big grill and griddle makers are eager to show off their new line. It’s when they hope to lock you in for the whole grilling season—right before your big Memorial Day barbecue. And so, the lead-up to Memorial Day is also when grill manufacturers offer some of their best grill deals of the year. Every appliance listed here has been tested by either me or one of my colleagues on the WIRED Reviews team—these are the ones we recommend, and often the ones we’ve been using and testing for years at a time. Which is to say: These are the best Memorial Day deals on the best grills, smokers, and griddles I know. For more backyard action, check out WIRED’s guide to the Best Grills and Smokers, Best Outdoor Griddles and Flat-Top Grills, Best Pizza Ovens, and Best Smokeless Fire Pits. Want …

How to Upgrade Weber and Kamado Joe Into Smart Grills

How to Upgrade Weber and Kamado Joe Into Smart Grills

Published by skeptic

Because each part attaches wirelessly, the whole package is pretty flexible. ChefsTemp advertises bundles for Primo grills, every version of Kamado Joe, Big Green Egg, Akorn, Vision, Old Country Smoker, and a Weber Smokey Mountain. If you’re willing to drill a hole or two, you could even install the ProTemp into any classic kettle. But what I had to play with was the big red egg of a Kamado Joe ceramic grill, known for building heat slowly and holding that heat for a long time. I rarely use ceramics, and so it turned out I was bad at getting the temperature right. I kept underestimating how good the Joe would be at holding heat, and so I let the temp get too high. The ProTemp helped me cook good ribs anyway. The ProTemp S1 itself basically looks like a thermometer with a digital readout. That’s because this is precisely what it is. Unscrew the original thermometer from the Kamado Joe and screw in the ProTemp. This is the only permanent installation I had to do. …

These backyard solar panels saved me /mo on my power bill – here’s my setup

These backyard solar panels saved me $20/mo on my power bill – here’s my setup

Published by skeptic

Anker Solix F3800 Plus + 410W Solar Panels pros and cons Pros Works well as an expandable, small-scale solar setup. Helps you save between $12-$25 a month, depending on local rates. Flexible scalability means a smaller initial investment. Cons Savings depend on your location, panel angle, and rates. The F3800 Plus isn’t as portable as other batteries. While cheaper than whole-home backup systems, it’s still expensive. Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. With the increase of daily temperatures, power bills tend to follow. I’ve been experimenting with offsetting my own power bill with solar, and found a sustainable solution. The Anker Solix F3800 Plus is an expandable battery with a 3.84kWh capacity, working like a cross between a traditional gas generator, a permanent home battery backup system, and a portable battery.  Also: Switch to plug-in solar? My advice after testing the DIY energy tech at home Don’t let its wheels fool you, though. The F3800 Plus isn’t designed for tent camping (though you technically could if you can easily lug around all 136 …

Golf-Rai’s Knockout Punch in Rocky’s Backyard Ends Century-Long English Drought at PGA Championship

Golf-Rai’s Knockout Punch in Rocky’s Backyard Ends Century-Long English Drought at PGA Championship

Published by Sam Flores

NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pennsylvania, May 17 (Reuters) – Down the road from the city that produced one of Hollywood’s ultimate ⁠underdog ⁠stories, Aaron Rai wrote an equally inspiring script at the ⁠PGA Championship on Sunday, delivering the knockout punch to become the first Englishman to win the Wanamaker Trophy since 1919. Rai came into the ​week a little-known long shot to win but emerged from a packed leaderboard on one of golf’s biggest stages and was the last man standing at Aronimink Golf Club just outside Philadelphia. “To be standing here is definitely ‌outside of my wildest imagination,” said Rai, the first player ‌in PGA Championship history to lower his score in each round. Rai pulled away from the chasing pack with four back-nine birdies, including a 68-footer at the par-three 17th that delivered the knockout blow, en ⁠route to a five-under-par 65 ⁠that left him at nine under on the week and three shots clear of Jon Rahm (68) and Alex Smalley (70). When ​Rai’s final putt dropped there were still two pairings on the course, …

Oto Smart Sprinkler Review (2026): Solar-Powered and Simple to Use

Oto Smart Sprinkler Review (2026): Solar-Powered and Simple to Use

Published by skeptic

Once configured, setup proceeds much like the Aiper and pricier Irrigreen apps: You create a zone, then use the app to define its boundaries. Similar to the aforementioned systems, Oto’s sprinkler is designed for precision watering, firing water in a beam in a single direction instead of a wide spray. That said, Oto’s spray is comparably narrow, only hitting a single, designated patch instead of producing a two-dimensional curtain of water like Irrigreen’s “water printing” system. You get a nice preview of this as you set the boundaries of your yard. Like its competitors, Oto lets you set each zone as a spot (for watering a single tree, perhaps), a line (for a flowerbed), or a 2-D area (for a yard). I tested all of these modes but spent most of my time working with area zones, which are the most complex option. When defining an area zone, I found Oto’s system to be virtually identical to that of Irrigreen and Aiper, though ever so slightly slower to respond to commands. Even so, it’s very …

The 6 Best Grills and Smokers of 2026: Smart, Portable, Pellet

The 6 Best Grills and Smokers of 2026: Smart, Portable, Pellet

Published by skeptic

It’s likewise smartly designed, packing up into—as you likely already gleaned—the shape of a suitcase. The heavy-duty handles and latches are strong. Though the Nomad is 28 pounds, which is a bit on the heavy side for a single-hand carry, the shape and large handle actually make it easier to carry than smaller and cheaper models. The Nomad uses a dual-venting system to achieve good airflow, even when the lid is closed. The vents, combined with the raised fins on the bottom of the grill (which elevate your charcoal, allowing air to flow underneath), allow for very precise control of both high and low temperatures. If you live and die by overlanding, this grill could be your new constant companion. Photograph: Weber A Great Budget Portable Grill: WIRED reviewer Scott Gilbertson also loves the simple Weber Jumbo Joe ($90), a smaller version of the classic Original Kettle. It’s an easy choice for tailgates, especially. And if you want to use it at home, you can build yourself a stand for home cookouts. It’s low-cost, light, …

The 5 Best Outdoor Griddles and Flat Top Grills (2026)

The 5 Best Outdoor Griddles and Flat Top Grills (2026)

Published by skeptic

A big outdoor griddle can change what summer feels like. And the best flat-top grills can make dinner feel like an event to be proud of. What’s a more satisfying sound than the slap of a spatula onto the chopped onions and rib eye meant for a perfect cheesesteak? The blister of corn tortillas cooked in the grease left by hard-seared carne asada? The smash of a burger at a backyard barbecue? The blessed evenness of pancakes cooked on a well-seasoned griddle plate? All you need is a great griddle to set you up for success. An outdoor gas griddle is an essential backyard counterpart to the satisfying direct heat of a high-performing charcoal or wood-fired grill—adding all the versatility of your favorite diner to your sunny-day toolkit. I’ve spent months cooking dozens of smashburgers, bacon strips, tacos, and pancakes to find the best outdoor griddle for each kind of backyard cook. Now, I find myself using the griddle more than a classic grill. My top-rated Traeger Flatrock ($1,000) offers the most even and reliable …