If the thoughts of turning your “dumb” home into a smart home sounds appealing but also too expensive and too daunting, consider Neurio. Instead of connecting individual sensors to all of your main appliances, Neurio is one sensor that installs into your home’s electrical panel (no cutting or disconnecting wires is required). This one sensor uses […]
Neurio turns your house into a smart home with just one sensor Read More
We told you about Tilt My Blinds, a device that attaches to and automates your existing horizontal blinds. But what if you have plantation shutters instead of blinds? Well, there’s a way to automate them, too. A Kickstarter campaign has been successfully funded, and ShutterEaze is currently production phase. ShutterEaze requires you to mount the AA
Automate your plantation shutters with ShutterEaze Read More
Kuna isn’t just a lighting fixture, of course. This outdoor fixture also has a WiFi camera and intercom system built in. You connect the Kuna fixture to an app on your Android or Apple phone, and Kuna can send you alerts whenever someone is at your door. You can customize the app to notify you
Keep a eye on what’s happening at your front door with the Kuna lighting fixture Read More
I use both Philips Hue and Belkin WeMo products to automate the lighting in my house. I have to use two separate apps to control the products, so I was happy to hear about Apple’s HomeKit, which promised to be a single, centralized solution to control all your home automation products. Well, happy until I
Incipio announces their line of Apple HomeKit-compatible Home Automation products Read More
You want to have a smarter home – one that can notify you of events happening at home through your mobile device – but you don’t have purchasing all new equipment in your budget. You can make your current carbon monoxide and fire detectors smarter just by using a smart battery from Roost. They say:
Make your existing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors smart with Roost Smart Batteries Read More
Now you don’t even have to bother entering your passcode on your iPhone or iPad running iOS 8 to control your Phillips Hue connected lights. When you update to the latest version of the Phillips Hue app, you’ll have access to the Hue widget for the Notification Center. To add it, just swipe down to
Now control your Hue lights with a widget in the iOS 8 Notification Center Read More
We have 1″ wood venetian blinds in all our windows. Most of our windows are floor-to-ceiling length, and they have long tilt adjustment wands that I can reach. The windows in our sunroom are placed at ceiling height, but they stop about 3 feet above the floor, and their tilt wands are too short for
Turn your existing blinds into motorized blinds with this Kickstarter project Read More
My mission is to automate the lighting in my house. I don’t have to have every light connected to the internet, but I would like to have WiFi-connected and controllable bulbs in certain rooms in my house. I got the Hue Starter Kit for Christmas last winter, and I use them in my living room
Philips now offers a warm-white LED bulb for their Hue WiFi-connected lighting system Read More
Actually, they’ll be shipping on September 18, 2014, but Belkin is finally taking pre-orders for these WiFi-controllable light bulbs. I’ve used Belkin WeMo Switches for a long time now. I have lamps plugged into them around my house, and the Switches are programmed to turn my lights on at sunset and off several hours later.
Belkin WeMo LED Lighting Starter Set is finally shipping Read More
There are a lot of home automation devices out there, each with their own app. As you work towards the smart home of your dreams, before long, you’ll have multiple apps for your multiple devices. You can simplify things by controlling everything with the SmartThings Hub and iOS/Android app (you’ll need at least iOS 7.0
Simplify your home automation with the SmartThings Hub and app Read More
I have a set of Philips Hue lights that I got for Christmas last year that can light up my living room and foyer with white light or with colored lights – whatever I choose. I can define light “recipes” where I can make each Hue bulb whatever color I want so set the mood
Control your Philips Hue lights without a smart device Read More
I reviewed the Belkin WeMo Smart Home Automation Switch about a year ago, and at the time, you really needed an iOS device to control the products. There was an Android app, but it was in beta, but Belkin announced late last month that the Android app is ready. Just like with the iOS app
The Android app for Belkin’s WeMo line of home automation products is now available Read More
This Kickstarter project gives you the tools to turn any dimmable light bulb into a WiFi-controllable bulb. You don’t need hubs, and getting your house connected is as easy as signing the bulb into your router. The emberlight is a screw-in base that you can use with any of your current light fixtures or lamps
Turn any light bulb into a WiFi-connected bulb Read More
I’ve been playing around with home automation products for awhile, but so far I haven’t found anything that is easy to use or conforms to a well established standard. I have some Insteon devices, X-10 devices, and there are also Zigby and Z-wave protocol devices available. All of these require some sort of hub
D-Link mydlink WiFi Smart Plug review Read More
Belkin has announced some connected light bulbs in their WeMo home automation line, but they have been “coming soon” for a long time now. I discovered some other internet-connect LED bulbs while checking on the status of the Belkins recently. The Connected by TCP smart lighting system consists of 11W LED bulbs, a gateway to
Manage your lights from your living room or from anywhere in the world Read More
Thermostats, in my day they only came in two varieties: round and rectangular . Today, thermostats are still available in rectangular and round, but now they also come in smart versions and programmable versions as well. With features such as digital and touch screens, humidity sensors and even some that will learn your habits. Thermostats
Honeywell Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat review Read More
You’ve just come home to a dark house and your arms are full of groceries. With the wave of an arm or hand over the iON capacitive switch, you can turn on (or off) your lights without having to set your groceries down! And for the germaphobes out there, you no longer have to touch
Magically turn on your lights with a wave of your hand using the iON capacitive switch Read More
I got the Phillips Hue lights starter kit for Christmas, and I control them with an app on my iPhone or iPad. Sometimes I’m at my computer and would like to turn on the lights, but I can’t unless I have one of my mobile devices with me. Phillips made the API available for third-party
Now you can control your Phillips Hue lights from your Mac computer Read More
Programmable thermostats are great for minimizing heating and cooling costs while maximizing your comfort, but they don’t work for people who rely on window air conditioning units. Leave it to the folks at Quirky and GE to develop the WiFi-connected Aros Smart Window Air Conditioner. It works with the Wink app, so you can monitor,
This connected window air conditioner keeps your home cool on your schedule Read More
According to Belkin’s latest press release, they are introducing new WeMo products at the 2014 CES. I’ve been using Belkin WeMo Switches to automate my lamps for months now, and they have worked flawlessly. I wanted to use some of their WeMo Light Switches to control ceiling lights, but the wiring in my older home
Belkin expands its WeMo line with internet-connected light bulbs and a Crock Pot Read More