CES 2026 is officially in the books, and this was one of those years where you walk out thinking, “Okay… smart home tech just leveled up.” In this video I recap 26 standout products I saw across smart lighting, robot vacuums, robotic lawn mowers, smart locks, security cameras, home backup power, and a couple of genuinely futuristic AI wearables. It can be overwhelming if you’ve never been to CES, but this is my seventh year, and I tried to focus on what actually felt new, useful, or just plain jaw-dropping. On the lighting side, I dug into Matter-enabled launches from Govee and the “install it and forget it” vibe from Jasco’s permanent outdoor lighting (plus those ridiculously bright hexagon garage lights). For home robots, we’re seeing the big pain points get attacked head-on: stair climbing prototypes like Roborock’s Saros Rover, smarter mopping from Ecovacs and Narwal (hot water + AI), and some wild concepts like a “flying vacuum.” Outside, robot mowers were everywhere—wire-free mapping, RTK + LiDAR navigation, and even an Ecovacs GOAT mower with an integrated string trimmer that could finally kill the annoying edging problem. I also covered new lock tech (UWB, Matter over Thread, face/palm recognition, even a lock that trickle-charges from across the room) and a growing concern I can’t ignore: more devices quietly recording audio/video in ways people may not realize. The tech is exciting, but we’re going to have to figure out the privacy norms fast.