Like most of the companies showing off their smart home products at CES, Lutron was busy showing off their continued support for Amazon Alexa. Specifically, the company announced that Lutron smart lighting and shade systems now have support for groups and routines.
Elgato was one of the first companies to fully embrace Apple’s HomeKit, even with Apple’s strict rules and regulations set in place. So the fact that the company continues to bridge the gap between your regular, schmegular home and technology to give you details that you otherwise wouldn’t know is very impressive. So I fully expect the Elgato Eve Button to be a success.
NetGear’s Orbi is an absolutely phenomenal product, but if you wanted to go a bit further out than the four walls of your home with your WiFi to say maybe internet by the pool or in the yard, Netgear has the Orbi Outdoor Satellite that you should check out.
Netgear is the worldwide leader in home networking and smart home security products, so it’s no surprise they brought the heat at CES 2018 by announcing multiple products at the biggest stage in Vegas.
Voice assistants on our phones, from Google to Alexa to Siri, have gone from novelties to key parts of our daily workflow. Up until now, with the exception of the Amazon Echo Show, they’ve been stuck solely on phones, tablets, and speakers. Lenovo is smashing everyone’s perception of a digital assistant with the Smart Display, which will quickly become the main hub of your home. The Smart display one-ups the Amazon Echo Show by offering larger screen options, and instead of Alexa, it’s focused on Google Assistant integration.
If you’re looking for a simple DIY smart home security system that doesn’t need a bunch of fuss to install, abode systems has the answer for you in their “iota” Security & Camera smart home system.
If you have an extra couple of hundred dollars ($499 to be exact) and want to save yourself the hassle of monthly bills for home security all while keeping tabs on every portion of your home, you should take a look at the Aura Home. Using your homes Wi-Fi connection and powered by a source outlet, the Aura Home’s sole purpose is to detection motion in your home. Not everyone wants an intrusive camera in their home, and as someone who does, I can say that it does look very mom & pop store-ish to have cameras strategically placed in your…
What goes on in your home when you’re gone? Hopefully nothing unexpected. Chances are, nothing will happen, but if someone were to be in your home without your permission, wouldn’t you want to know? With the Guardzilla 360 Live Video Security Camera, you can.
Do you live on a busy street? Have noisy neighbors? Do you have a housemate who snores in an adjoining room? All of these things may be no big deal during the day, but at night, when you need to sleep, they aren’t exactly conducive to a solid 8+ hours, are they? You need the Nightingale Smart Home Sleep System.
I’m a huge fan of Ultimate Ears speakers. The UE MEGABOOM was close to perfection. It delivers huge, amazing sound, has great battery life and is waterproof. It is an amazing Bluetooth speaker and one I highly recommend. Now, however, the UE MEGABLAST is here. It improves on the MEGABOOM, which is still a great speaker, in almost every way.
When we replaced our front door over a year ago, I purchased a Ring Doorbell; I love it. I love knowing who is there, being able to “answer” the door while away from the house, and the extra sense of security it gives me. When Ring offered a Ring Floodlight Cam for review I was, and continue to be, thrilled.
If you’re looking for a powerful security camera that is relatively inexpensive, simple to set up and easy to use, the Honeywell Lyric C2 Wi-Fi Security Camera is for you. I reviewed the Lyric thermostat and still use it. (Review) I also reviewed the Lyric C1 Security Camera. (Review) The Lyric C2 is a fantastic addition to our ever-smarter home.
I’ve been a huge fan of Ultimate Ears speakers and have always impressed with both sound and aesthetics. In fact, the ROLL 2, BOOM 2 and MEGABOOM serve as our poolside speakers all summer long. (Check out all the reviews!) Now the company has announced the BLAST and MEGABLAST. They look amazing and have Amazon Alexa hands-free voice control baked in.
Do you ever wonder who might be showing up at your door when you’re away? Perhaps you work across town, and you’re expecting a package; maybe you’re with friends in the backyard, and you don’t want to interrupt your relaxation, or you’ve wondered who’s been stealing your front porch decorations. If you had an iseeBell Video Doorbell, you’d know.
After years insisting their system be as closed as possible with regard to everything but the streaming music services with which it has partnered, Sonos has finally moved into the “smart speaker” space. With the launch of the Sonos One, Amazon Alexa will be available out of the box with support for Google Assistant sometime in 2018.
We all want to feel safe and secure in our homes, and the Ring Video Doorbell Pro is a great place to start. With Ring, you can always keep an eye on your front door, even when you’re out of the country. Featuring motion sensors, infrared night vision, and two-way talk capabilities, Ring is the perfect 24/7 security guard.
I love my Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, and FABRIQ Speakers with Amazon Echo built in. Now Amazon has gone to town with not one, not two, but a host of new products that expand the Echo lineup. They look great, cover a lot of ground and I can’t wait to get my hands on a few of them.
We’ve all been there: A friend comes over, and casually asks you for your Wi-Fi code. Sure, at the time it’s harmless, especially when you factor in that you know the person, but with so many vulnerabilities in the protection of the average home’s internet security, there’s plenty of reasons to consider locking down your network from not just neighbors, but even family and friends.
If you’ve got an Amazon Alexa or Google Home device, then you’ve already found out that while intelligent speakers are okay, they usually aren’t that great to look at nor do they sound as amazing as one might hope.
Do you wonder about the quality of the air you breathe in your home or office? Awair Glow gives you a way to track the temperature, humidity, CO2, and other chemicals in your room, but it also has another trick — it can power on smart and non-smart devices to do something about it.
Since renovating our home last year, we have maintained the temperature in the house using the smart Lyric Thermostat from Honeywell. It is a great way to remotely cool or heat our home. Now Honeywell has released the Lyric C1 Wi-Fi Security Camera, and I’m please to say we have one in use in our home. It’s great!