About NXT Smart Home
Smart home advice written for Australian homes
Almost every smart home article online was written for an American house: 120V wiring, a neutral wire in every switch box, US retailers and US warranty law. Follow it here and you buy the wrong bulb fitting, plan an installation that is illegal to do yourself, and end up with a warranty that isn't honoured. We write from an Australian starting point instead.
What we do differently
We are specific about the things that actually differ here.
240V / 50Hz and AS/NZS 3000
What you can legally wire yourself here (very little) and what needs a licensed electrician.
Bayonet fittings
B22 is common in older Australian homes and almost unheard of in US product ranges.
Local availability and pricing
Whether a product is actually sold here, and what a parallel import costs you in warranty terms.
Australian Consumer Law
Your statutory guarantees are stronger than a manufacturer’s warranty, and worth knowing.
Our climate and our grid
Time-of-use and feed-in tariffs, rooftop solar, bushfire smoke and humidity shape which automations are worth building.
Renters and strata
What you can install without drilling, rewiring or risking your bond, and what needs permission first.
Most of what we cover — how Matter and Thread work, how to structure automations, how to stop devices dropping off Wi-Fi — is universal. Reading from outside Australia, you will still get the value, plus the occasional note about local wiring rules that does not apply to you.
How our guides are made
Our guides are researched, not bench-tested. We work from manufacturer documentation, published specifications, Australian standards and regulator guidance, and we say which is which. Every article is labelled with its type, so you know whether you are reading a buying guide, a comparison, a how-to or an explainer.
You will not find a star rating from us: a score implies testing, and we will not imply testing that did not happen.
Who runs this site
NXT Smart Home is published by FXN Holdings (ABN 53 274 423 748), PO Box 500, West Perth WA 6872. Kritin Curtis is the editor, responsible for what the site publishes.
Editorial policy
Research, not hands-on testing
Our articles are research-based buying guides, comparisons, explainers and how-to guides. We do not score products, and we do not present research as testing. How we research explains what each article type means.
AI-assisted drafting
Some articles are drafted with the help of AI writing tools, then edited, fact-checked and published by Kritin Curtis, the editor. Figures and legal, electrical or safety claims are flagged for a fact-check, and an article is not published while a flag is open.
Corrections
When we get something wrong we fix the article and update its date, rather than editing it quietly. Spotted an error? Tell us.
Independence
We do not accept payment for coverage, and manufacturers do not see or approve articles before they are published.
How affiliate links work
Some links to retailers are affiliate links: if you buy after clicking one, the retailer may pay us a commission at no extra cost to you. It never decides what we recommend. Details are on our affiliate disclosure.
Not electrical advice
Our guides are general information, not a substitute for a licensed professional. In Australia, fixed electrical wiring work must be carried out by a licensed electrician. Where an article touches on wiring, we say plainly where the DIY line sits — please do not treat a blog post as authority to open a switch plate.
Get in touch
Corrections, questions and requests for what to cover next are all welcome.