.png)
German (DE) 
English (US) 
Spanish (ES) 
French (FR) 
Hindi (IN) 
Italian (IT) 
Russian (RU) 
3 hours ago
1
I pay for speedy Internet, so streaming a movie should be as effortless as turning on a light. Instead, this past month, my bedroom TV was buffering, the basement entertainment room was basically a slideshow and my work calls were choppier than my toddler helping prep dinner. After weeks of frustration, I finally fixed the Wi-Fi, but not before realizing how much a tech problem can hijack daily life.
We all have a glitch that drives us nuts, whether it's a Wi-Fi signal that drops right as the quarterback launches a Hail Mary, a phone that refuses to hold a charge or a tangle of cables in the junk drawer. These annoyances add up, and if you're like me, you've put off fixing them longer than you'd like to admit.
That's where Amazon's October Prime Day comes in. I spend my days digging through price histories, comparing retailers and tracking down the deals that are worth your time. When the discounts roll around, I've already done the research to know which gadgets are truly at their lowest prices of the year — so you don't waste money on stuff that won't actually solve your problems.
Sluggish Wi-Fi and dead zones
This is probably the most common tech gripe out there. It's not you; it's your router. In 2025, there's no reason for your entire house not to be blanketed in glorious, wonderful Wi-Fi. Get rid of that router that's been collecting dust since the ice bucket challenge was popular and replace it with a mesh system that actually works for you.
"If you're looking for a more budget-friendly mesh setup, TP-Link's Deco kit can typically be found for under $100," says Yahoo Senior Tech Writer Rick Broida. "That's for two nodes; a third would add about $30 more. (If you live in an apartment or smaller home, two might be plenty. You can always add a third later if needed.)"
Plug this compact extender into a wall outlet where Wi-Fi strength is low, connect it to your network and presto: instant signal boost. It also has an Ethernet port, meaning you can plug in devices that might benefit from a wired connection, like a Blu-ray player or a game console.
Charging anxiety
We've all been there — clutching a phone with 3% battery left, frantically scanning the airport for an outlet that isn't already taken. Everything we own runs on batteries now, and, well, those batteries seem to run out at the worst possible moment. The cure isn't carrying around a brick the size of a VHS tape — newer chargers are lighter, faster and easily slip into a pocket.
The Iniu charger usually goes for $30, making it a juicy 63% off. Compared to similar power banks, this is an absolute steal, especially for something with 10,000 mAh of power (that's a lot). And this is just a smidge over the best price ever, so no need to look elsewhere.
Slow or outdated devices
Does your laptop sound like it's about to take off every time you open a new browser tab? Does your phone take longer to snap a photo than your toddler does to run out of the frame? At some point, no amount of deleting old apps or clearing your cache will help, and if it can't be upgraded to the latest operating system, it's time to downgrade it to the recycle bin.
(Oh yeah: If the battery inside is swollen or cracked, it's not just slow — it's a fire hazard. Time to trade up.)
The newest iPad is an ultra-light, thin tablet that's powerful enough to replace your laptop for most tasks but slips into your bag with room to spare. With a spacious 11-inch Liquid Retina display, you're swiping and scrolling in vibrant color and sharpness that makes any screen that came before it feel like an old tube TV. It's also our pick for the overall best iPad for most users.
Why? Well, this iPad is ready to keep up with whatever you throw its way. If you've got a habit of toggling among a dozen apps, streaming videos and replying to messages simultaneously, you're in for a treat. And if you're into gaming, the graphics capabilities mean you can play even demanding games without dropping a frame.
This updated version of the MacBook Air features the latest generation M4 chip, meaning you'll get a much more powerful computer with everything else you love about the Air, including its outstanding 18-hour battery life and gorgeous 13.6-inch screen.
Cable chaos
Open any junk drawer in America, and you'll find the same thing: a tangle of mystery cords, half of which don't fit anything you own anymore. It's chaos: Lightning, USB-A, USB-C, micro-USB (seriously, who is still making devices with micro-USB?). You don't need 20 — just two or three good ones that don't fray after a week and actually charge your devices at full speed. Just make sure you throw out the old ones so the new ones don't just add to the mess.
Anker makes some of the best tech gear out there, so if you're looking to replace every single cable you've got, the brand has my recommendation. Another recommendation: Get the five-pack. You may not think you'll need that many, but as someone who has now purchased the two-pack twice, I wish I had paid that slight bit more from the get-go and saved myself money in the long run. I also keep a few of the USB-A to USB-C cables for using Apple CarPlay in my car.
If you're looking for a bit more of a deal, say, on Lightning cables, make sure they're Apple MFi certified. That way you know you're getting something that at least meets Apple's standards, which, as you can guess, are pretty high. I bought this six-pack over a year ago to use with my iPad, wireless keyboard and mouse, and so far, none of the cables have failed or frayed.
TV woes
About a decade ago, I stayed at an Airbnb in northern Michigan. I loved the minimalist Scandinavian design, but what stood out most was how low the TV was. Growing up, and even at my then-home, my TV was mounted above the fireplace, but this low TV was so much more enjoyable to watch, with no neck pain at all. Plus, all those ugly cords were hidden in the walls. I immediately went home, moved our TV lower (so the middle is eye-level when I sit on my couch) and I've never looked back.
If you don't need your TV to be less than an inch off the wall, I can recommend this TV mount firsthand. I've had my 58-inch Samsung on it for nearly half a decade now without issue. I like that I can easily pull it away from the wall to access the ports and just as easily push it back. Just make sure you install it into some studs. A new TV plus a drywall repair bill can get pretty costly.
If you really want to make a statement, turn that black box on your wall into a piece of art, with the frame included. "Hisense's first-ever art TV was very good when it debuted in 2024, but a few key software updates have made it even better," Broida writes. "This is now without question the best budget alternative to Samsung's venerable Frame TV."
Do you have power and HDMI cables hanging down from your flat-screen TV like it's mounted in a frat house? Why? Hiding cables in the wall is surprisingly easy, and a tidy setup can make quite the impact.
Renting, or don't want to drill a giant hole in your wall? This will clean things up nicely, without the mess.
Batteries everywhere (or nowhere)
Why is it that when you need a battery, you can never find the right one? AAAs for the remote, AAs for the kiddos' toys, 9-volts for the smoke alarms (that one usually starts beeping in the middle of the night) — they're always scattered across three drawers and a random junk box in the garage. A battery organizer sounds boring, but it saves you from the scavenger hunt and makes it obvious when you're running low. Get yourself one with a tester, so you aren't guessing whether there's any juice left.
No, it's not fun to spend money on things like battery storage containers, but it sure beats running around the house trying to find an AA while your family waits for movie night.
Storage overload
As a pro photographer, I pay for iCloud, Google One (previously Google Photos) and Amazon Photos, not to mention the upgraded storage on my Adobe Lightroom account. But if you want to keep backups, storing your photos locally on a solid-state hard drive is an easy way to do it without a monthly fee. Also, not to get on a soapbox (too late), but print your photos! I've started printing a selection of my favorite photos every month as an album, and looking at them that way is so much better than scrolling.
I'm an Apple user, but this drive should work with any phone that has a USB-C connection. Plug this drive into your iPhone with the USB-C cable. Open Photos, pick what you want, hit Share, then tap Save to Files. Choose the T7 Shield and a folder, and you're done. Now you can go back and delete the copied photos and free up space on your device. The drive's already formatted correctly, so it just works — just make sure your phone's got enough juice since SSDs pull a little more power than other devices.
Too many subscriptions
Last year, I did an audit. I was paying for Netflix, Prime, Max, Peacock and Disney Plus, in addition to Xfinity cable TV that I didn't even know I had. Since then, I've gotten rid of all of them except Prime, and instead bought a new streaming stick and a digital antenna (I have been able to catch almost all of the sports I watch between the two).
Gone are the days of thin plastic paper-looking antenna taped to the wall or window (that's how broke college student Chris watched TV). This antenna easily plugs into your TV and can pull in dozens if not hundreds of channels, depending on where you live.
Cybersecurity worries
Last week, I was sitting at my computer when a mad dash of emails started hitting my inbox in what's known as an "email bomb." While annoying, it seems harmless enough, right? That's what I thought, but I looked a bit closer. In with all of those emails was a shoe order from a site I shop from a couple of times a year, shipping them to an unfamiliar address. I was able to cancel the order (and freeze my credit card), but if I hadn't been paying attention, I would've been scammed out of hundreds. Thankfully, there are ways of keeping things more secure, like stronger passwords, two-factor authentication and a virtual private network, or VPN.
Want to get rid of "the man" constantly looking over your digital shoulder? A VPN is the answer. It keeps your browsing private and your connection secure, whether you're firing up your laptop from the local coffee shop or streaming Netflix overseas. And according to Broida, NordVPN is the crème de la crème. That's French for the best overall. (I think. I haven't studied French since high school).
Heat bill hysterics
I'm not sure if it's the fact that I don't have to run AC or heat for much of fall or if it's my love of sitting by the fire (my house has a gas insert), but when that first heat bill comes in every year, I'm always surprised by how high it can be. One thing that has helped? My smart thermostat. Instead of heating and cooling the house to a single temperature all year long, it adapts to when I'm home, when I'm asleep and, with smart sensors, which rooms I'm actually using. That way, I'm not paying to keep empty spaces comfortable.
This thermostat doesn't have a ton of bells and whistles, but it'll handle the important stuff like automatic scheduling, energy-saver modes and voice control through Alexa. If you've already got Echo speakers around the house, it slides right in without making you think too hard. It's also cheaper than most of the competition, which makes it a solid entry point if you just want your home to stop being an icebox in the winter and a sauna in the summer.
The Nest looks a bit sleeker (if you care about such things), learns your habits over time and gives you more data about how much energy you're actually using — hence the higher price tag compared to Amazon's version. And if you're already deep into Google's world with a Nest doorbell or a bunch of Home speakers, the Nest makes more sense because it ties right in. You'll get smart routines, app controls and a thermostat that actually gets smarter the longer you use it.
For me, the deciding factor is simple: Stick with the ecosystem you're already in, because mixing and matching is just asking for frustration.
My thermostat, like most thermostats, is on the ground level, which means in summer, the upstairs bedrooms can get downright sweltering, and in the winter, the basement can become an icebox. These sensors detect when someone is in a room and relay the temperature back to your thermostat from up to 60 feet away — even through walls and floors. The thermostat then automatically adjusts to keep every space comfortable.
Turns out that some long-awaited technological peace of mind is on sale.
(Getty)
If you have Amazon Prime, you'll get free shipping, of course. Not yet a member? No problem. You can sign up for your free 30-day trial here. (And by the way, those without Prime still get free shipping on orders of $35 or more.)
Comments