Articles about Smart Home

Smart locks have become another popular product in the market commonly known as the Internet of Things, or IoT. It's designed to make a home safer, but also more accessible. It has its limitations though, and companies are constantly working to overcome those.

Now SmartThings has a solution which utilizes Lock Codes. These allow the user to create temporary codes for friends and family, which will give the owner more control of comings and goings from their abode, hopefully leading to more peace of mind.

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The launch of the eagerly anticipated Apple HomePod has been delayed until next year. The iPhone maker had planned to release its answer to Google Home and Amazon Echo in December, but now admits that more development is needed.

The delay means that anyone hoping to get a HomePod for Christmas is going to be disappointed. Apple has not elaborated on the exact cause of the delay, but with a "premium" price tag of $350 -- and this being a product coming from the Apple stable -- customers are not going to be happy with something that is less than perfect.

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While the Internet of Things, or IoT, has been around for several years, voice control is a more recent development. It is convenient for performing all sorts of actions, such as switching lights off and on, changing the settings on a thermostat, and countless other things that you may never have thought of.

Of all the IoT devices on the market, the thermostat is one of the most popular and there are several competing brands on the market.

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Amazon has come up with a novel approach to make it painless for Prime customers to receive their packages. It is a new service, called Amazon Key, that leverages smart locks to let couriers open your front door to make in-home deliveries. And, to help folks keep an eye on things, the online retailer also announced a new security camera, called Cloud Cam.

The idea behind it is not just to enable deliveries when the customer is not home to receive the package, but also to enable folks to open the door remotely to friends or workers. Using the security camera, they can monitor who entered their home and when.

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As Americans strive to be greener and more conscious consumers, ironically, the ordinary light bulb has found itself thrust into the spotlight. First, there was the "ban" on incandescents. Then, as CFLs slowly made their way into the mainstream, LEDs were also becoming more economical and practical for home use. Now, with so many factors to consider -- from lumens to watts to kelvins to CRI -- it’s tough for some consumers to confidently choose between CFLs and LEDs.

In the era of "smart" technology, things can get even more complicated -- so much so that many consumers would rather just avoid change altogether. Unfortunately, that means that they’d also be missing out on a number of outstanding benefits that come from simply changing a light bulb. Still unsure if it’s worth making the switch? Here are 7 ways LEDs outperform CFLs and why you should get on the brighter path with LEDs:

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Earlier this year, my local energy company emailed me with an offer I couldn't refuse -- a big discount on a Nest Thermostat. While I had never really cared much about such a product -- I was OK getting up from my chair to control my home's temperature -- the price was too enticing. And so, I installed the product and linked it to my Amazon Echo. With the power of my voice, I can now control both my air conditioning and heating. It is amazing. The energy company has even issued me a check for allowing them to control it during a few weeks in the summer. Yeah, Nest is actually making me money!

Understandably, not everyone wants to spend an arm and a leg to get an energy-saving "smart" thermostat. Thankfully, today, the Google-owned Nest announces a new lower-priced "E" model. This affordable variant should be attractive to more thrifty spenders. It features a "frosted" screen, which could look even more classy than the pricier model, although that will ultimately be a matter of personal preference.

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It's been a long time since Thomas Edison gave us that little gift that slowly took candles from necessity to decoration. We've since come a long way, from gas lights through incandescent and on to compact fluorescent and now LED.

Each iteration has brought improvements in terms of such things as energy use and longevity. Today's, LED bulbs have a lifespan of roughly twenty years so changing them is almost unheard of. They are also full bright when you switch them on which is a big step up from the compact fluorescents we'd just grown used to. Those were almost like watching a sunrise.

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Are you automating your abode? It's become the in-thing these days with more and more products hitting the market. While we can't stress enough about the insecurities that have been discovered, it still can be a fun experience, although sometimes a difficult one.

There's no end, seemingly, to the things you can do, but where many people start is with lights, which, in theory, are easy. Some aren't, so be warned.

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Logitech recently unveiled the versatile Circle 2 -- its second-generation home surveillance camera. Unlike the first version of the cam, the newer variant can be used both indoors and outside. Plus, thanks to the many mounting options, you can position it in many different ways. It looks like a great product.

Today, the Circle 2 gets even more attractive thanks to an upcoming new feature. You see, the internet-connected camera is getting integration with the upcoming Echo Show -- Amazon's assistant device that features a display. This actually makes a lot of sense, as it transforms Amazon's screen-having device into a voice-controlled surveillance monitor.

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Home automation, "the internet of things" or IoT, has been a popular subject for the past couple of years. Unfortunately, that subject isn't always good -- some things have proven infinitely hackable, making it a bit on the worrisome side.

One of the first items to make the mainstream was light bulbs, and we've played around with a few and here is what we have found.

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It feels like everything is internet-connected nowadays -- lights, televisions, coffee-makers, and more. Heck, even doorbells are connected! One of the most popular such devices -- the Ring Video Doorbell -- allows the owner to not only see who is ringing the doorbell, but to communicate with them too. This can be done remotely with a smartphone, so even when you aren't home, you can give the illusion that you are. In theory, this could thwart burglars that are testing to see if a home is occupied.

Today, Ring Video Doorbell gets a generation 2 refresh. All of the features of the first-gen model are here, but it gets an improved design with 1080p video support and more.

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Internet-based home surveillance cameras are gaining in popularity nowadays, thanks to decreasing cost and easier setup. These devices allow you to monitor your home using your smartphone for ultimate convenience.

Back in 2015, Logitech unveiled its first such product. Simply called "Circle," it was affordable and easy to use. The problem? It lacked versatility. It didn't offer much in the way of positioning and couldn't be used outside. With that said, the battery aspect allowed it to be moved about a residence. Today, the company unveils the successor -- Circle 2. This time the camera is far more useful, even offering the ability to be used outdoors. There are two models -- wired or wire-free, both of which work with Amazon Alexa.

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Continuing what has already been a newsworthy week for the world of smart speakers, rumors are beginning to circulate that Samsung plans to get in the game with its own news-reading, weather-watching, talking tabletop device.

It seems a logical progression for the smart device giant, after it launched its own voice assistant platform, Bixby, with the Galaxy S8 line of smartphones. That would presumably be the same platform that Samsung would use in a proprietary smart speaker.

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A new study analyzing the way users interact with their "smart speakers" shows that the most used feature of devices like the Amazon Echo and Google Home isn't to stream music or even to get the latest weather.

The most commonly used feature of smart speakers is asking "general questions," proving that getting answers to life's daily queries and curiosities from a cloud-based computer voice is becoming an increasingly standard practice in today's society.

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Google-owned Nest has unveiled the latest addition to its range of smart products -- the Nest Cam IQ. The new security camera not only boasts a 4K video sensor, but builds upon the motion detection feature offered by other similar cameras by adding facial recognition.

What this means is that the Nest Cam IQ is able to send out personalized alerts when it detects the presence of a particular person -- such as when your kids arrive home from school -- but it can also send out warnings when an unrecognized person is spotted. There's even Night Vision so it functions as a nighttime security camera.

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