All too often, smart lighting ends up looking way more boring than it should. With exceptions here and there, we’ve mostly seen connected lights made to look like the lamps and bulbs we’re used to. Nanoleaf decided to shake things up with Aurora, a smart lighting system that dares to have a little design flair. […]
Remember those souped up new Family Hub refrigerators Samsung showed off at CES? Well, they’re finally ready to be purchased this week, with Samsung confirming the feature set and how much they’ll cost in an announcement yesterday. Maybe the most important change in store for the Family Hub 2.0 refrigerators is that you’ll be able […]
Showing a total disregard for naming, Amazon is pushing out an update that goes against the Amazon Tap’s name. Starting this week, instead of pushing the microphone button on a Tap to activate Alexa, you can simply say her name — same as most other Alexa-enabled speakers. The update basically turns the Amazon Tap into a […]
The difficulty in controlling several smart home gadgets is one of the most common refrains in tech today, to the point where it’s probably overstated — smart home hubs like the Amazon Echo are well on their way to becoming all-in-one control centers. But, even with all the voice commands and apps, there’s no replacing the […]
CES 2017 bore good news for anyone who has bought into Lutron’s Caséta Wireless smart home devices. In addition to Apple HomeKit and Amazon Alexa, Lutron now works with Samsung SmartThings and the Nest Cam, making for a very impressive list of compatible devices and services. There are some hurdles. Caséta Wireless uses a proprietary wireless connection […]
The new MedPeanut and SleepPeanut smart home sensors by Sen.se are great examples of simple, affordable tracking tech. By focusing each peanut-sized tracker on a specific purpose, Sen.se has been able to keep each device at $29 — pretty cheap in the world of smart home gadgets. The MedPeanut is a simple sensor that can attach to […]
With Griffin’s new Bluetooth-connected Coffeemaker, Toaster, and Mirror, your mornings will be a whole lot more coordinated and all from bed. Force one eye open after your alarm goes off, open the app, and tap your way into fresh-brewed coffee without even getting out of bed. Maybe while you are enjoying that cup of coffee […]
Google’s answer to Amazon Alexa is starting to gain some traction in the smart home world. The new Google Assistant made waves when it was introduced on the Pixel phone, but the more significant Google Assistant product announced was Google Home. A speaker and smart home hub like the Amazon Echo, the new assistant can […]
Every year, Philadelphia is home to one of the most incredible holiday spectacles in the world — a whole block gets together to put up one of the brightest, boldest, inflatable Santa-est holiday light displays anywhere. Known as the Miracle on South 13th Street, it’s a way for everyone on the block to get together […]
We’ve seen a lot of connected home security cameras in the past few years — Wi-Fi cameras that can stream video to a companion app or a web browser. What we’ve seen far less of are connected cameras built for outdoor use. For a while, the Netgear Arlo was the only strong option, and while Netgear […]
Tired of roommates using your food? Or, maybe you’re worried that someone will try to swipe your coat while you’re on a night out. Whatever the case, it just became a little more difficult for people to get away with the crime of touching your stuff. Sen.se, a smart home company that launched their first […]
When TCL introduced their 17″ Xess tablet earlier this year, it was meant to be a family communication hub ideal for the kitchen. It could be used by family members or roommates to leave notes and reminders for each other, and parents got the benefit of free Nickelodeon shows for their kids. But, family hub […]
Google is gearing up to claim a big chunk of the smart home market. At their Pixel launch event today, the company also announced Google WiFi and Google Home, a router and smart home speaker. The router can be paired up with other units to create a mesh network, while the smart home speaker will […]
The idea behind a smart home is that it’s supposed to think for you. In reality, we’re a long, long way from being there, so for the time being, we’ll have to make do with simple. Sensors have gotten very cheap, which has resulted in a torrent of smart home products like motion detectors, security […]
In 2012, Philips got in front of smart home lighting with their Hue brand, a series of LED lights that can be controlled using a smartphone. Since then, Philips has spun off their lighting business into a separate company called Philips Lighting, with Hue at the forefront. Usually, we hear about new forms of lighting […]
Smart home devices are pretty awesome and can be very convenient or useful, but they are extra devices to connect and control. After all, as cool as smart lights are, flipping a switch is always going to be easier and more natural than doing anything with an app. We’ve seen a few different solutions […]
Amazon Echo and Google Home, among others, have sought to solve the central problem of the smart home — making everything work together. The concept of a hub that can work with all the connected devices in your home and understand voice commands is one that the market badly needs if consumer adoption of the internet […]
Nothing makes us more self-conscious about our atrocious daily habits like smart lighting. Philips is updating their Hue line of smart lighting with white ambiance bulbs, made to simulate the whole range of white light, including the gentle, warm glow of the early morning sun — not that I know what that looks like. The […]
They say a person’s home is their castle, but with so many high-tech security gadgets on the market to choose from, your castle can easily turn into a smart fortress. The days of protecting your house using an alarm company and landline are going the way of, well, the landline. The smart home is here […]
This time last year, we took a look at how Keen Home was changing up smart home temperature control with their Smart Vent, a smart vent that could replace old vents and help control the temperature in rooms individually. After a number of delays, Keen Home is shipping their smart vents this month, but they […]
As smart home technology is finding its way into more and more lives, many of us are left unsure about what home monitoring solution is the best for us and our homes. With so many different solutions available, it can feel very overwhelming to find a smart home system that works for you. With simplicity […]
