connectedhome
Latest
August's fourth-gen WiFi Smart Lock drops to $219 on Amazon
It's the lowest price we've seen on the device to date.
Ecobee expands its smart home lineup with a camera and more sensors
Ecobee's smart home monitoring system can change your device settings automatically.
D-Link's latest router uses 5G for super fast home broadband
D-Link has launched a gateway router that shows 5G could be as much about home internet as faster mobile connections. The DWR-2010 5G NR router will pick up 5G networks and deliver speeds to your home as fast as 3Gbps, "more than 40 times faster then the [average] fixed broadband speed in the US," it said. It will reportedly be relatively easy to setup, letting you create a home WiFi network with just a power outlet and SIM card.
Amazon's smart plugs put Alexa in every power socket
As if having access to Alexa on your phone and in your speakers or even car weren't enough, Amazon now has a way to put its digital assistant in literally every room of your house. At its press conference in Seattle on Thursday, Amazon unveiled its latest connected home product, Smart Plugs. These devices don't technically have Alexa on-board, but you can control them with Alexa through Echo speakers or your smartphone.
Samsung found a new smart home evangelist in 'Family Guy'
Samsung gives me smart home fatigue. Enough about Smart Things, enough about how a thousands-of-dollars TV can connect to a new thousand-dollar fridge or washing machine. Enough beautiful families showcasing features in beautiful houses that I can only dream of living in. Samsung's leaning on augmented reality and some Family Guy branding to show the kind of tasks that can be accomplished with connected home assistance -- and make it a little more, well, friendly. With Samsung Galaxy Note 9 in hand, I pointed the camera at an AR doormat to calibrate to the empty room, transforming it into the Griffin household you know and love/tolerate.
Ring's home security system finally ships July 4th for $199
After navigating a lawsuit that put sales on hold, Ring is finally putting its home security system on sale. Ring Alarm includes a base station, motion sensor, door/window sensor, range extender and keypad in the $199 base package. You can augment your system with more motion ($30) and window and door sensors ($20) to cover your entire home if you like.
Engadget giveaway: Win a Logitech Harmony Elite and Google Home Mini!
Universal remote controls have been around for a while, but with a product like the Logitech Harmony Elite, simplicity and future-proofing go hand-in-hand. The Elite's Hub system lets you control IR, Bluetooth and even network-based products beyond your home entertainment system. Not only can you condense your media remotes into one easy-to-set-up package, but your power extends to connected home products like Philips Hue lights or Nest thermostats. That power goes one step further when you link a smart speaker like Google Home Mini to the Hub. Now that single remote can get a little dusty as you turn on your TV and navigate to preset channels using your voice alone. Logitech has provided us with its Harmony Elite and a Google Home Mini for two winners this week, so they can sample they joys of smart home controls and deepen that groove in the couch cushion. All you need to do is head to the Rafflecopter widget below for up to three chances at winning this Logitech Harmony Elite universal remote and smart speaker combo. Good luck! Winners: Congratulations to David F. of Parsippany, NJ and Carlos L. of Boynton Beach, FL!
Nest's $229 video doorbell is a useful addition to its ecosystem
Last September, Nest introduced several products to its connected home lineup: the Nest Secure home security system, the Nest Cam IQ Outdoor and the Nest Hello video doorbell. While both the Secure and the IQ outdoor cam have been out for a few months, the Hello had not come to market yet. That is, until now. Both the Hello and the previously-announced Nest x Yale Lock are now officially available for $229 and $249 respectively. Oh, and Nest is introducing something today as well: the Nest Temperature Sensor.
The Tasty OneTop smart cooker ruined my dinner party
It's been quite a drama for me in the kitchen lately: Due to a leak in my building, my cooking gas was shut off for 11 months. It's back now, but for most of last year I had to get by with takeout, microwaveables and oh-so-many salads. Tasty's OneTop seems tailor-made for these type of situations. It's an induction cooktop, which means it goes anywhere you can plug it in. And Tasty's step-by-step instructions make the whole cooking process manageable. It's the kind of thing you'd happily play with in a college dorm. Or, in my case, a small New York City apartment with no working stove. Every year I always have a few people over to watch the Oscars, so that seemed like a good opportunity to give the OneTop a spin. Home-cooked food and a new gadget to play with! Perfect pre-show entertainment!
The best Alexa-compatible smart-home devices for Amazon Echo
By Rachel Cericola This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter, reviews for the real world. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that support its work. Read the full article here. Imagine walking into your home at night, arms overflowing with groceries. To turn your smart lights on, you'd need to put the bags down, pull out your phone, unlock it, open the app, find the control for the lights you want, and then tap the icon. With an Amazon Echo and Alexa, you simply say, "Alexa, turn on the kitchen lights." And it's not just lights; Alexa is capable of controlling everything from basic smart plugs to garage doors.
Will.i.am hopes buying a smart home platform will get it started
Will.I.Am is at the point of his career where he has the disposable income to throw at basically whatever he wants. Be it a terrible smartwatch (or two) or an insipid iPhone case, he's thrown cash at a variety of money pits. Now, he has another one to add to his list: A smart home platform. His i.am+ company has acquired Wink, which makes hubs for connected household devices.
HP and Intel are building Cortana-powered devices
HP and Intel are both working on connected-home devices that run on Microsoft's Cortana platform. Microsoft announced the devices as part of its Build 2017 conference this morning, but didn't provide details about form, function or release window.
Google conquers more of your smart home with Logitech and Wink
A number of connected home devices already work with Google's smart speaker and today a few more are being added to the fold. Logitech's Harmony line and Wink's lighting gear and thermostats can now be controlled with voice commands from Google Home. "Ok Google, ask Harmony to..." can control your connected speakers, fire up a specific app on Roku, skip forward/backward on content and more for devices that work with Logitech's smart home platform.
Google Pixel's Assistant AI upgraded for smart home control
At Google I/O last May, the tech giant announced its own voice-powered hub to rival Amazon's Echo: the Home, which would be powered by their AI helper, Assistant. The Siri-like software was promoted as a standard feature on the search titan's first phone, the Pixel, which came out later in fall. But Google announced a plan weeks ago to bring the hub and the help back together, promising to bring some of Home's connected device control to the company's smartphone line. Today, they started rolling out Home Control for some versions of their mobile platform, allowing users to use voice commands to fiddle with their network of connected home devices.
Control your connected home with a wave of your hand
The IoT-powered smart home has caught the tech world's fancy for years, promising domestic command at your fingertips. But beyond set-and-forget environmental preferences, connected devices are usually configured via smartphone app or voice-controlled through a hub. But if you want to flick on your IoT machines with a wave or table tap, Hayo has launched an Indiegogo campaign to bring spatial remotes to your living room.
Glympse brings its location sharing to connected home devices
The Internet of Things is set to expand in a big way if all the voice-controlled and Alexa-equipped tech we saw at CES last week is any indication. Glympse has been offering handy location sharing from its apps for quite some time, but now the company is diving into the connected home. With FamilyMap, Glympse allows a group of people to privately share location details not only through an app, but with the help of connect devices like smart appliances, smart TVs or a home assistant like Alexa.
The world now has a smart toaster
It seems like no one really needs a connected toaster. For decades you've been able to adjust just how dark you want your bread with a knob or lever. But maybe we've been missing out on perfect toast because we didn't have the opportunity to really fine-tune the cooking experience. That's where Griffin comes in with its Bluetooth-enabled gift from the breakfast gods.
Olly is like an Amazon Echo but with personality
Everyone's making a smart personal assistant these days -- thanks, Alexa! -- but most of them aren't as adorable as the Olly. It's basically a doughnut-shaped speaker that lies flat when dormant but stands and spins around with lights flashing when active. But what sets the Olly apart from the Echo-clone pack is that it incorporates a bit of personality into the mix. What kind of personality? Well, yours: Olly's personality adapts to yours over time. According to London-based Emotech, its parent company, Olly's behavior will evolve depending on how you interact with it.
The best smart hub
By Jon Chase This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a buyer's guide to the best technology. When readers choose to buy The Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, they may earn affiliate commissions that support their work. Read the full article here. After researching more than 20 smart hubs—the brains that let all of your smart-home devices work together—and living with a half-dozen of them for a few months while putting them through their paces with an array of smart locks, thermostats, room sensors, switches, lights, and more, we think that the Samsung SmartThings Hub is the best hub for most people who want to buy right now. It's competitively priced, is compatible with a large number of third-party devices, and supports most of the major wireless protocols relied on by smart devices. We think it's important to note, however, that we struggle to fully throw our support behind any one model without substantial reservations. The SmartThings hub is the most evolved among a number of well-rounded products out already. Still, to date, we don't believe that any one smart hub is an unqualified, home-run purchase that would satisfy most people—our baseline standard.
Nest seems to be working on a 'smart crib' loaded with sensors
The hyper-connected home of the future will come with an equally connected nursery. Nest, the company widely known for its WiFi enabled energy-saving thermostat and smart smoke alarm system, has filed a patent for a baby crib that could be "embedded with smart sensors". According to the patent application, Nest's potential crib would do away with some of the paraphernalia that comes with a baby's bed. So instead of buying separate monitors, the crib would be loaded with cameras, microphones, a communication device and sensors to track the baby's movements and even detect "a deviation from the pattern of behavior."
