Device

Don't cancel the holidays this year; just find a new way to celebrate safely.

An AFCI (arc-fault circuit interrupter) can protect you and your family from unseen dangers in your home’s wiring. It is a safety device designed to protect against residential fires caused by a leak in the current outside a wire’s insulation. The device takes over where conventional circuit breakers, which can’t detect damaged wires or faulty electrical insulation, leave off.

You can make your own air filter to help filter particles that may carry the coronavirus. Here's what to know, including step-by-step instructions.

After living in a home or apartment with motion-sensing switches, it’s a safety convenience you take for granted. Whether you’re finding your way on a dark walkway outside or entering a room at night, a light switch with a sensor that turns on when it detects motion is very helpful. These sensors anticipate movement and make it safe going down a dark staircase to the basement, in public bathrooms and even while cruising the lighted freezer section in grocery stores; they conserve energy while providing instant lighting.

CNET TAKE: The Blueair Pure 411 is a simple, straightforward purifier with smart design and solid bang for your buck. You get particle and carbon filtration (which removes odors and gaseous pollutants) that will work well in a 160-square-foot room, all for $120. Some devices, like Sharp's Air Purifier, don't even offer that much cleaning power at nearly twice the price.

When you can't see a chiropractor, this device might be the next best thing.

All it takes is one lightning strike and the damage it causes to realize the value of whole house surge protection. When a surge occurs, the device responds within nanoseconds, diverting the destructive energy to ground; and when it is wired into your circuit breaker system, it absorbs excess voltage and allows only normal voltage to pass through to your equipment.