REVIEW – Here was a typical scenario in our household: We’re getting ready to go somewhere and hop into the car parked in the garage. We open the garage door, back out, and drive away. “Did I close the garage door?” my husband asks me. After thinking about it, I respond, “I don’t remember.” We […]
Momentum Niro WiFi Garage Door Controller with Built-in Camera review Read More
NEWS – The Sensibo Sky Smart AC Controller can make any remote-controlled air conditioner or heat pump into a smart, WiFi-connected device. Sensibo says it takes only a minute to install the controller, then you use a smartphone app to maintain the temperature of your home. You can set seven-day schedules to control the temperature throughout
Now any air conditioner with a remote can be smart Read More
I’ve mentioned before that my home tends to have uncomfortable rooms regardless of the season. As I’ve said: “Because of the location of the thermostat and the long shape of the condo, our bedrooms tend to be chilly in the winter and hot in the summer while our living and dining rooms are uncomfortably hot
Rid your home of hot and cold rooms with help from the Keen Home Zoning System Read More
My condo is a rectangle, with the HVAC unit and thermostat at one end and the bedrooms at the opposite end of the condo on the long axis. The air flows out and has a straight path to the living and dining room areas, but it has a 90° turn to the hallway towards the
My first experiences with the Nest Temperature Sensor Read More
Depending on the terms of your rental agreement and the flexibility — or lack thereof — displayed by your landlord, it may not be possible to install smart home items in your abode if they require making permanent alterations. Fortunately, there are still plenty of high-tech items that cater to your apartment-based lifestyle. 1. Belkin
5 Smart tech gadgets for apartment renters Read More
What is Jarvis Farley you ask? It’s the home automation digital assistant that Matt Farley created that controls almost every aspect of his home from security cameras, to TVs, music, thermostats, etc. This system even gives his kids credits when they do their chores that they can then redeem for time allowances for watching TV
Jarvis Farley will give you inspiration to turn your home into a smart one Read More
The Bestek MRJ1011 Wi-Fi smart plug is a device that can turn on or off the AC outlet on it’s front. The device can be controlled manually, self-controlled by timers set by an app, or controlled by the IoT through the Smart Life app, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, or IFTTT. It also has two 2.4 amp USB ports.
Bestek MRJ1011 Wi-Fi smart plug review Read More
Smart devices are becoming all the rage in the popular press. For many Gadgeteers, they are pretty much old hat, but if you’ve not yet taken the plunge, there may be no easier way into the world of home device automation than a smart plug. These are small wall warts that sit between your current non-smart
Etekcity Voltson Smart Wi-Fi outlet review Read More
The problem with having your home automated is you’ll need to have your smartphone or tablet in hand to turn on the lights or control a device using an app. With The Button from FIBARO, you’ll be able to control smart home functions without opening an app. The Button connects via Bluetooth to the smart
Control your smart home with FIBARO’s The Button Read More
I’m particularly fond of home automation and have enjoyed making things light, whirr and spin with a poke at my phone or voice command. Adding the ability to monitor power is icing on the cake so I was eager to give Elgato’s Eve Energy Switch & Power Meter and Eve Button a try. What is
Elgato Eve Energy Switch & Power Meter and Eve Button review Read More
Over the past decade, I’ve slowly been adding automation to my home, starting with X-10. Powerful new devices, like Geekbes Smart WiFi Plug, have made it easy to remotely control lamps and appliances with ease, even when outside my home. What is it? The Geekbes Smart plugs are single-socket, WiFi modules that turn on or
Geekbes USB Smart WiFi Plug review Read More
Do you have security cameras or other automation devices in your home? All of these IoT gadgets are great until your home network goes belly up for one reason or another. In the past, I’ve had issues with my wireless router locking up after a power flicker. It’s not only annoying but frustrating when I’d
This adapter performs CPR on your router if it becomes unresponsive Read More
The ecobee Switch + is the smarter light switch with built-in Amazon Alexa. Unlike other smart switches that just work with Alexa, the ecobee Switch + has the voice assistant built right in. Use the built-in mic to ask Alexa for lights, news, music, and more. Or control other voice-enabled devices in your home. Depending
Ecobee recruits Amazon’s Alexa for their new Switch+ smart switch Read More
Turning your home into a smart home is a whole lot easier if you add the home automation tech during the building phase instead of waiting years later to retrofit tech into an existing home. Although that’s great advice, it won’t help you if you want to get into the home automation game with an older
Sonoff S31 WiFi socket and Slampher RF bulb adapter review Read More
With the ISO ceiling exhaust fan and light, your bathroom exhaust fan will be as smart as everything else. The ISO is a humidity-activated fan that turns on when it senses moisture in the air and turns itself off when the humidity level has dropped. No more coming home and finding that you forgot to
Everything else in your house is smart, so why isn’t your bathroom exhaust fan? Read More
iDevices recently announced the availability of their new Instant Switch, a wireless remote control switch that connects to your favorite iDevices product. The Switch is battery powered, so it doesn’t require wiring. You can mount it directly on the wall with its included 3M Command adhesive strip and faceplate anywhere you’d like an extra control
Expand your control over your iDevices home automation products with the Instant Switch Read More
The LightCam is a smart lightbulb with a security camera built in that’s currently seeking funding on Indiegogo. The project is very popular and has been funded at more than 425% with 20 days still left in the campaign, so you have plenty of time to reserve one for yourself. The lightbulb works in any
Easily add a security camera by screwing in this smart lightbulb Read More
When you have home automation devices, you find you’ll need to have a mobile device handy to be able to control your devices. It’s not always convenient to carry a tablet or phone with you, and there may be people in the home – guests or children – who won’t have a mobile device with
Control your HomeKit devices with the Elgato Eve Button Read More
I grew up watching Star Trek and always thought that talking to a computer was the coolest thing! With Siri, Google and Alexa were getting darn close to Captain Kirk’s Enterprise. Ahhh, the joys of home automation! I love it when something cumbersome becomes effortless. Adding ConnectSense’s new Smart Outlet to my home automation system
ConnectSense Smart Outlet review Read More
There are many ways to control your Hue WiFi-connected lighting system – smart Hue Switches, apps for mobile devices or computers, Alexa voice commands, IFTTT – but those are limited in various ways. Perhaps there are some areas, like a dark hallway or stairs, where you would like a hands-free way of turning on the
Philips adds a motion sensor to the Hue lighting system Read More