Articles about Smart Home

The concept of a "smart home" is finally becoming a reality for many; devices are becoming both more affordable and easier to setup. It is not uncommon for a home to have Wi-Fi cameras, voice assistants, smart thermostats, and more, nowadays.

One of the coolest aspects of the smart home is the ability to control lights -- bulbs, switches, and outlets. In my home, I leverage Belkin's Wemo outlet adapters to turn my lamps both on and off using Alexa -- it is awesome. Now, Belkin has a new smart device that I cannot wait to add to my home -- the all-new Wemo Wi-Fi Smart Dimmer Light Switch. Not only can it dim lights with Alexa, but Google Home too. It can even integrate with a Nest thermostat for learning purposes and cost-savings. Of course, you can use the Wemo mobile app for Android and iOS too.

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Summer is right around the corner, meaning the temperatures in many places will begin rising to uncomfortable levels. It's funny -- in the winter, many people get cold and dream of summer, and once that season comes, they complain about the hot weather. There' s just no pleasing some folks!

Thankfully, with the invention of air conditioning, human beings can use technology to stay cool. If you aren't lucky enough to have central air in your home, a window unit is the next best thing. Today, GE Appliances announces that its Wi-Fi connected window models are getting Amazon Alexa support. In other words, using the power of your voice, you can control the air conditioning.

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Like Amazon Echo, Google Home is a device that can answer your questions, play music, and control home automation tasks. It's a handy thing to have around if you don't mind Google listening to you on a regular basis.

Now the device is gaining a bit more operability. Thanks to its announced update of the Weave platform, it can now work with the Wink home automation hub.

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Love it or hate it, Swedish home furnishing brand IKEA has a strong track record of providing affordable, well-designed home wares with unpronounceable names.

The company is now moving into smart lighting with a range of remotely controlled energy-efficient LED bulbs, lighting panels and doors. There's also an app which allows you to personalize and control your lighting from your smartphone.

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As the proud owner of an Amazon Echo (and Echo Dot), I often like to show it off. My favorite demonstration is using the internet-connected voice assistant to control a lamp in my home. Like a giddy kid, I tell guests to prepare to witness magic. Then, I say "Alexa, turn on the lamp." Guess what happens? The lamp turns on! This is thanks to Alexa's connection with my Belkin WeMo outlet device. Guests are seemingly never as impressed as I am, but I digress.

If you also own Belkin WeMo devices, but opted instead for a Google Home rather than Amazon Echo, you were out of luck. Today this changes, however, as the search-giant's voice assistant can now control WeMo home devices. This includes Wemo Mini, Wemo Switch, Wemo Insight Switch, and Wemo Light Switch.

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Looking for that last minute gift? You're running out of time, and some things are simply just no longer available. Many of the hottest devices this shopping season have proven tough to come by -- not really a surprise, as it's been this way every time for years.

While Amazon is offering free shipping (for Prime customers) through today, some things simply are not there and you won't be getting them in time.

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A while back Wink released its first hub and we put it to the test. After a few minor hiccups, everything worked fine and provided great integration with many products including voice control through Amazon Alexa, which can then control lights, Nest thermostats and more.

Recently the company announced version two of the device and now Wink has officially made it available for purchase.

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Most people with a passing affinity for home media likely know the name Sonos. The company has become the go-to whole-house media system. It's a bit high-end, but those who buy in swear by the setup.

Perhaps just as important as the sound and overall capability to many people is the aesthetics. After all, if a device is sitting in your home in plain view then it's nice if it looks like it belongs and isn't some alien object.

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Smart lightbulbs have become an in-thing these days. Philips brought it to the mainstream with Hue, but we've reviewed others in the market such as LIFx. All do basically the same thing, working from a phone or tablet to turn on and off, or change colors. It mostly comes down to what the app can do and how easy is it to use?

Can the market handle one more? Of course. Competition is great for consumers, so the more that come to market the better for everyone. Which is good news for TP-Link which is jumping in with a new bulb that it hopes will light up your life.

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Nest has become a popular choice for those getting their feet wet in the new world of home automation. A thermostat that thinks for you, learning your habits and adjusting the temperature in your home accordingly, sounds great. It's not always perfect, but it improves over time as it gathers more and more information.

Now the company is aiming to push this feature further, welcome news for those who have found the process a bit off with temperatures adjusting by themselves, sometimes at inopportune times.

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One of the fastest growing areas in home automation seems to be lighting. Every day new products come on the market and one of the most popular has been the Philips Hue, thanks to not only simple automation but also the ability to change colors. However, it is not the only one on the market with such a chameleon quality.

LIFX also produces bulbs that can set the color to your mood or taste. The LIFX Color 1000 is one of the latest models from the manufacturer and it will do all that other bulbs in this market are capable of.

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If you have a Wink hub then it's easy to set up home automation across a number of different platforms. Throw in Alexa and do a little additional setup and you'll be able to control it all with voice commands.

In the past you've been able to use groups to control multiple bulbs -- simply name each bulb and then add them to a group which you also name.

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About a year ago, Wink released its first home automation hub and it came out of the box with a great deal of compatibility, working with a good many of the products already on the market, along with Amazon Echo for voice control of the home.

Since then the list of supported products has grown and Wink has added many new ones, but it seemed increasingly clear that the hub could eventually get overwhelmed. So now the company is introducing a new model known simply as Wink Hub 2.

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As prices continue to drop, and the technology becomes easier to use, 'smart home' devices are set to explode in popularity. As someone who once swore off such things, I now have Wi-Fi-enabled electric sockets and home cameras. When I am away, I can turn on a lamp and monitor my house. It is very cool, but slightly annoying that there is no central app for all of my connected home devices. Since I chose different brands, I unfortunately have a few different apps on my smartphone and tablet.

Today, iDevices announces 'Smart Home Essentials'. This focused kit is both Apple HomeKit and Amazon Alexa compatible. By purchasing this well-designed kit, you can avoid managing multiple apps. It even comes with free concierge service based in the USA for help setting things up (if needed).

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Connected-home technology and the Internet of Things are poised to explode in popularity over the next several years. My, how far humanity has come -- having our refrigerators, thermostats, and door locks connected to the internet. Huzzah! All joking aside, it is actually exciting stuff, folks.

Today, Logitech announces a very curious home device. Simply called "Pop", it is a switch, that when pressed, can perform an action. Actually, each switch can do three actions, depending on how the user interacts with it. It is looking like Logitech has hit a home-run with Pop.

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