A dusty low-res monitor now anchors household life displaying weather, photo slideshows, calendars and chore alerts.

An ESP32 gadget gives plants playful e-paper avatars that reflect moisture light and temperature changes in real time.

But for all its benefits, the smart home can be complicated, confusing, and occasionally maddening. It’s also hard to keep up with all the changes. New gadgets are arriving daily, new features come to ...