I hate smart home tech, but the Skylight Calendar 2 is an exception

I'm not wild about smart home technology. The furthest I got was a few Amazon Echo Dots around the house before I gave up on the whole thing.

Sure, it's cool to control my home lighting with a smartphone, but the setup is cumbersome and not worth the result to me.

I have the same problem with smart thermostats and other products designed to automate my home.

So you can imagine how skeptical I was when Skylight sent me the Calendar 2 to test. It's not something I would've had on my radar otherwise, but I'm glad I gave it a shot.

If you're apprehensive about smart home products, the Calendar 2 has plenty to offer while mostly staying out of the way.

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By  Dhruv Bhutani

The Calendar 2 setup was easier than I thought

Nothing turns me off faster than a complicated smart home contraption

I knew the Calendar 2 had a shot when I took it out of the box. Installation seemed simple enough, and Skylight has done an excellent job making it appear less intimidating.

I knew I didn't want to mount the Calendar 2 on my wall, but even if I did, I'm confident I could've installed it correctly.

I'm the least confident person on the planet with a hammer in his hand, but Skylight includes all the brackets, wall mollies, and even a leveler to make sure the Calendar 2 wouldn't be an eyesore on your wall.

I wanted mine propped up with the included stand for use on my desk, but I can easily see you preferring it on a wall in the kitchen or office.

It also blends in well. I was sent the 15-inch Calendar 2 with an aluminum frame, which runs $320, while the standard version without an aluminum frame is $300.

It's pricey, but there were ways to find value in it, so it won't take long before the initial cost is worth it.

Organization is easier when it's easy

The Calendar 2 keeps it simple

I'm all for products that will help organize my life, but I often feel I need a PhD to get any use out of them. That's not the case with the Calendar 2. Its 15-inch LCD panel is bright and colorful, with a 1080p resolution.

The Calendar 2's performance is smooth. Navigating through menus is snappy, and syncing feels instant whenever I update the app on Android or iOS.

For all my reservations, the Calendar 2 is a solid tool for organizing your life. I love how I can have multiple lists running for work and my personal life. There's also something about having your tasks set out in front of you in a simplified list that makes them easier to tackle.

I've been adding two or three things a day I absolutely must get done, complete with the phone numbers of any people I have to call for appointments, and rip through the list whenever I have a spare moment.

I enjoy the calendar view, which lets me see my week or month broken down by appointments and meetings. Calendar events can sync right from Gmail, or I can add them manually in the Skylight app.

Thankfully, updating tasks or adding a new item to my To-Do lists takes seconds — eliminating a huge barrier.

If I have to fiddle through several menus just to set a glorified reminder for myself, I'm not going to bother. I keep the Skylight app on my home screen, click it when I think of something, and add an item quickly.

It's great for when I think of something lying in bed, or the other day, when I was waiting in line at Wendy's, I remembered a bill I had forgotten to pay. I pulled up the app, added the task, and it was waiting for me on the Calendar 2 when I sat down at my desk the next day.

The Calendar 2 can be used to improve eating habits

Plan meals for the entire week

It's not necessary for the bulk of what the Calendar 2 can do, but a subscription is available for those who want more. The Calendar Plus subscription costs $80 a year and unlocks a few features.

With a subscription, your Calendar 2 can help with meal planning. You can plot out meals for the entire week, and even have the Sidekick AI assistant mix them up for you.

If you're really stuck, you can upload a picture of your fridge, so Sidekick can meal-plan with what's on hand — just in case you don't know what to do with that carton of eggs and bacon.

If you're into importing recipes and really drilling down into your eating habits, it can be helpful. For me, I tend to avoid getting into the weeds of meal planning, but that's probably why I'm thinking of tasks to add to my Calendar 2 while in line at Wendy's.

The subscription lets you turn the Calendar 2 into a large picture frame when it's not in use. I currently have pictures of my daughter rotating, and it's a pleasant addition to my desk.

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If there were a reason I'd consider paying for the Calendar Plus subscription, it's the ability to forward any email or PDF outlining school events and calendars straight to the Calendar 2, where it'll plot out all the dates for you.

If you're a busy parent juggling several school-aged kids, that's a huge leg up to keep your life slightly more organized.

There's another useful item for kids that doesn't require a subscription. You can add rewards for completed tasks, so kids can stay focused on helping around the house and with their schoolwork, and stay motivated by tracking their own progress.

I'm willing to make an exception for the Calendar 2

I'll admit the Calendar 2 is useful, and it'll stay on my desk after the review period is over. It hasn't completely converted me to transform my entire home, but it does its job well.

It's a product that doesn't try to do too much, and Skylight understands that keeping things simple results in people actually using their product.

Devices meant to make my life easier should do just that, and the Calendar 2 fits into that category.