I’ve had a couple Amazon Echo Dots for about a year now. I thought they were great. Then this past Christmas, I picked up a couple Google Home Minis just because I wanted to check them out. Now Amazon’s Echo Dot has been pushed to a backup system as I think the Google Home system is so much better.
My family can’t be the only one who’s accidentally left the garage door open overnight, right? Chamberlain wants to solve that problem by making your dumb old garage door smarter with the MyQ Smart Garage Hub, which allows you to open and close your garage door or check its status from your smartphone. Grab yours today for $99.99.
Just about everything is becoming “smart” and wirelessly connected these days. And now Night Owl, a company that has been very successful in the wired home security camera market, is about to launch a connected smart safe.
Sonos has seemingly put the final nail in the coffin for the extremely overpriced HomePod by announcing a deal that will get you not one, but TWO Sonos One speakers for the same $349 you would get for Apple’s latest speaker.
Kwikset has become a leader in the smart lock space, but for some their rounded Kevo lock design was too traditional. That’s why Kwikset has come out with the Kevo Contemporary. Like with the original Kevo, the Kevo Contemporary offers a DIY smart lock solution with a neat touch-to-open feature. But instead of a traditional rounded look, the Kevo Contemporary thinks it’s hip to be square. Of course all of the features you’ve come to expect from Kevo have carried through to the Kevo Contemporary, that includes being able to use your phone as a key, the ability to track…
It’s a natural progression for the smart speaker market to go from speakers alone to adding screens. Mobile assistants are becoming an everyday part of our workflow, and being able to move from query to visual aid quickly, or from voice request to tv show, adds a whole new level of value.
Apple’s absence from the smart speaker market is being corrected in early February with the release of the HomePod, but it won’t improve their fortunes in that market. It isn’t because HomePod is too expensive, or too late to the market, it’s because HomePod is handicapped by Siri. Sweet, but painfully useless Siri.
Smart toothbrushes have been around for a few years, and all, for the most part, have the same premise: Making sure you’re teeth are clean, while giving you a better glance at how well (or not) you are doing so. Then there’s the Kollibree Ara Toothbrush, which uses artificial intelligence endgames to encourage longer brushing.
Back in 2016, I wrote a pretty lengthy review of my experience with the original Logi Cam by Logitech. I still use them to this day because it’s the one camera on the market that works straight out the box, uses the cloud, and on top of that, doesn’t look blatantly obvious in my home. So when the company sent me their WIRELESS Logi Cam 2, I’ll admit, I was excited to try it out.
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.