Logitech adds connected-home features to its Harmony Hub product line
Update 5/28/2015: If you've been waiting for this software update, your wait is over. Logitech has released the software and it's ready for downloading. Any Logitech Harmony remote that’s compatible...
View ArticleNotion aims to make home monitoring simple (and cheap)
Most connected-home system use a variety of sensors to monitor your home. One can tell if doors and windows are open or closed, but you’ll need a different sensor to determine the status of your...
View ArticleHarman tops Sonos with an SDK that ties Omni Wireless HD speakers into smart...
When Harman launched its Harman Kardon Omni Wireless HD multi-room audio system last year, some of the speakers had dormant features, such as an embedded microphone in the Omni 20 speaker shown above....
View ArticlePlanty lets you water your plants remotely
More than four months after it was unveiled at the 2015 CES, the price and release date of Parrot’s Bluetooth-enabled, self-watering planter are still a closely-guarded company secret. But the French...
View ArticleLutron’s Caseta lighting controls are now (mostly) compatible with Apple's...
Apple was quick to bat down rumors that its HomeKit connected-home technology wouldn’t be ready until late this summer, and lo and behold, Lutron has announced that a HomeKit-compatible version of its...
View ArticleAwair is a connected air monitor that gets increasingly smarter with use
It’s easy to mistake Awair for an audio speaker at first glance; in reality, it’s a smart device that monitors air quality. The box uses a gaggle of onboard sensors to analyze your indoor environment,...
View ArticleTado brings Nest-like smart control to dumb air conditioners
The crowdfunded Tado Smart AC Control (formerly Tado Cooling) was supposed to arrive in August 2014, so today's launch marks the end of a long stretch of frustration for its more than 1600 Kickstarter...
View ArticleCanary review: A sophisticated home-security system packed inside a camera
The Canary I’ve finally had a chance to review isn’t as sophisticated as the Canary I wrote about when its manufacturer was crowdfunding its development. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad product—it has a...
View ArticleMistbox says its smart device can slash your air-conditioning bill by 30% or...
Late last year, a Texas-based startup showed up on Kickstarter with a smart device that promised to not only cut residential air conditioning bills by nearly a third—saving homeowners enough money to...
View ArticleComtrend PG-9172 review: The first powerline adapter we've tested that's...
The companies backing G.hn—the ITU standard for home networks that rely on a home’s existing powerline, telephone line, and coaxial cable—have for years been touting the technology’s speed,...
View ArticleMisfit wearables now act as remote controls for the Internet
Misfit’s plan to move beyond fitness tracking just got a lot more serious with new IFTTT controls.IFTTT is a handy service that lets you automate all kinds of actions on the Internet. First, you...
View ArticleBelkin partners with Osram Sylvania to bring new classes of smart lights to...
Expanding on a partnership established in September 2014, WeMo builder Belkin and lighting manufacturer Osram Sylvania have introduced a troika of smart-lighting starter kits that combine the former’s...
View ArticleNexia Home Intelligence says its free service can predict heating-and-air...
Nexia Home Intelligence is offering a new opt-in advanced diagnostic service that allows your local dealer to remotely monitor your home’s heating and cooling setup. Should there be a problem with...
View ArticleSaffron’s Silk Light promises to help you sleep better
Electric lights have had a profound impact on human civilization, but their impact on the human body is a different story altogether. A growing body of scientific evidence suggests artificial light...
View ArticleThe Roost Smart Battery available for pre-order today is a better product...
I didn’t have the highest opinion of the Roost Smart Battery when I wrote about it last October. The 9-volt battery will send a warning to your smartphone when it senses that the smoke or...
View ArticleThe Ola smart biometric entry lock eliminates the need to carry your...
An undercurrent of frustration has brewed ever since the first key-operated lock was invented some four thousand years ago, erupting to the fore each time a key is forgotten or goes missing and...
View ArticleMyfox brings its innovative security camera, home alarm, and French fashion...
One of Europe’s leading home-security providers is coming across the pond in a big way. The 10-year-old French manufacturer Myfox today announced the availability of its Myfox Home Security System and...
View ArticleAmazon Echo learns some new tricks, can now control Insteon lights
The Amazon Echo seems a little like something out of Star Trek: The Next Generation: Speak a command, and a centralized home computer carries it out accordingly. And thanks to a new collaborative...
View ArticleNew IFTTT compatibility boosts Amazon Echo's usefulness--and weirdness
You know that a smart-home device or platform has arrived when it get its own IFTTT (IF This Then That) channel. Amazon’s Echo interactive speaker (or, more accurately, the interactive speaker’s...
View ArticleKetra’s bright idea brings dynamic LED lighting to affluent smart homes
The transition from incandescent light bulbs to LEDs improved home lighting in a number of ways. For one, LEDs are more efficient, so even though the upfront cost is higher, the bulbs last much longer...
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