Transparency, by design

How every score is calculated

Every score starts from published product specifications and this public methodology. Where we've purchased and used a unit ourselves, that's labeled Hands-On Tested — otherwise, it's Spec-Verified. Either way, you always know exactly what you're looking at.

Routers & Mesh Wi-Fi

Methodology version 1.0

wireless

25%

connectivity

25%

features

20%

expandability

15%

value

15%

wireless: Wi-Fi generation and number of simultaneous bands.

connectivity: Wired throughput headroom — 2.5GbE and 10GbE port counts.

features: Mesh compatibility, USB support, and published feature set.

expandability: Ability to extend coverage without replacing hardware.

value: Specification depth relative to reference price.

Monitors

Methodology version 1.0

display

30%

connectivity

20%

color Accuracy

20%

ergonomics Features

15%

value

15%

display: Resolution, refresh rate, brightness, and contrast ratio.

connectivity: Port variety and USB-C Power Delivery wattage for single-cable setups.

color Accuracy: Published color gamut coverage and factory calibration claims.

ergonomics Features: Panel technology, HDR tier, and adjustability/feature set.

value: Specification depth relative to reference price.

Security Cameras

Methodology version 1.0

image Quality

30%

smart Features

20%

connectivity

20%

durability

15%

value

15%

image Quality: Resolution, field of view, and color night vision quality.

smart Features: AI person/vehicle/animal detection categories and two-way audio.

connectivity: Power-source flexibility (battery/solar/wired), Wi-Fi generation, and whether local storage avoids a subscription.

durability: Published IP weatherproofing rating, where a manufacturer states one.

value: Feature depth relative to reference price, penalized when core recording requires an ongoing subscription.

Phones

Methodology version 1.0

performance

25%

display

20%

camera

25%

battery

20%

value

10%

performance: Published processor platform and RAM configuration. Processor tiers are methodology inputs, not third-party benchmark results.

display: Display size, adaptive refresh rate, and manufacturer-published peak brightness.

camera: Published rear-camera hardware, including main, ultrawide, telephoto, and optical zoom capability.

battery: Published battery capacity or runtime, plus manufacturer-published charging capability.

value: Reference-price efficiency combined with storage breadth and selected hardware features. Live promotions are not treated as permanent value.

Score labels

90–100

Exceptional

80–89

Excellent

70–79

Very Good

60–69

Good

Below 60

Limited Value

Beyond specs

Two verification tiers

Every product starts Spec-Verified. As we purchase and use top-ranked units ourselves, they move to Hands-On Tested — the same scoring formula, with real measurements and notes layered on top.

Spec-Verified

Every product, from day one

Scored from published manufacturer specifications and our public methodology. Clearly labeled as algorithmic — this is the baseline every product gets before anything else.

Hands-On Tested

Purchased, set up, measured

A unit we bought ourselves, with measured throughput and real-world notes added to the same structured score — reserved for the products our readers rely on most.

Category roadmap

Each category gets its own weighting — a router formula should never score a monitor.

Live

Routers & Mesh Wi-Fi

Live

Monitors

Live

Security Cameras

Live

Phones

Networking Equipment

Planned

Smart-Home Devices

Planned

Security Cameras