Criterion 01
Australian-spec, no exceptions.
240V where it matters, 2.4GHz/5GHz behaviour appropriate for Australian routers, plug shapes that fit standard sockets, firmware released for the AU region.
If you've ever tried to buy a smart light switch in Australia, you know the problem. Endless lookalike listings on the big marketplaces, half of them sold by drop-shippers, half written by SEO copy that never quite tells you whether the thing will actually work with Apple Home.
We started Synced because we kept being asked the same questions by friends and family. "Which hub do I need?" "Will this work with my Hue lights?" "Why does the app want me to scan a QR code I don't have?" Answering them required hours of forum-archaeology that nobody outside the hobby has the patience for.
So we built a store that does the work in advance. We stock fewer products. We test them. We write product pages that answer the question you'd ask a friend. When something's not the right fit for an Australian home — wrong voltage, wrong Wi-Fi band, wrong ecosystem — we just don't carry it.
Less catalogue, more answers. That's the whole thesis.
How we choose what to stock
Four criteria, applied to every SKU. A product has to clear all four to make it onto the site.
Criterion 02
Open standards first.
Matter, Thread, Zigbee, HomeKit. We carry cloud-only products only when they're the clear best in class — and we say so plainly on the page.
Criterion 03
Local support when it fails.
An Australian distributor or local team we can pick up the phone to. If a brand handles warranty exclusively through international queues, we usually don't stock it.
Criterion 04
We'd put it in our own home.
The whole team uses what we sell. If nobody on the team wants to live with it, it doesn't go on the site — regardless of margin or marketing.
"Sonos's restraint, Apple's ease, with the willingness to use colour where it earns its place."
By the numbers
- 312
- Products in the catalogue, hand-picked.
- 19
- Brand partnerships, all with local presence.
- 4.9
- Average support rating across 2,800 enquiries.
- 2,222
- Postcodes shipped to in the last 12 months.
The team behind the answers
A small Sydney team — three founders, four specialists, one warehouse cat. We answer support ourselves; there's no outsourced tier-one.
Hana Tran
Co-founder · Product
Twelve years in consumer electronics retail, the last five at a national chain. Tired of being asked to upsell extended warranties, started Synced to do the opposite.
Marcus Wei
Co-founder · Engineering
Ex-network engineer with a Matter-certified test bench in his garage. Wrote the compatibility matrix that became most of our product pages.
Priya Kapoor
Co-founder · Operations
Logistics and supplier relationships. The reason orders go out before 11am and the reason your refund posts on time. Keeps the rest of us honest about delivery promises.
- Office & warehouse
- Suite 4, 28 Lord Street
Newtown NSW 2042 - Founded
- August 2021
By three Sydney-based founders - Team
- 8 people
All based in Sydney
Press & partnerships
Independent media, retail partners, and a handful of brand collaborations we've enjoyed working on.
- Gizmodo AU
- Choice
- SMH
- PocketLint
- The Verge
- Matter Alliance
- Aqara
- Philips Hue
- Ecobee
- Eve