HomeAutomation
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Nest outage cuts remote users off from Dropcams, thermostats (update)
If you're trying to login to a Nest (or Dropcam) account at the moment, you probably can't. The company acknowledged a service problem with the mobile and web app on its Twitter account, but so far there are no details about what's behind the problem. Thermostat owners can still change their temperature the old-fashioned way, by walking up to it and fiddling with the device, but that's probably the kind of experience they were trying to get away from. The same probably goes for those with the Nest Protect smoke alarms, although we're hoping no one finds out for sure before things are back up and running. Dropcam users don't seem to have any kind of direct interface workaround for the time being, so they'll just have to wait until access via the cloud is restored. Update: As of midnight (ET), it appears service is back up, we're able to log in and many readers say it's working for them too. Nest tweeted that service is restored, if we hear anything about what caused things to go down for a few hours, we'll let you know. [Thanks, Michael]
LG sensor adds smarts to your 'dumb' home appliances
Sure, it's easy to find connected home appliances, but what if you want to add a dash of intelligence to many of your existing appliances (not just one or two)? LG might come to your rescue before long. It's launching a SmartThinQ Sensor which uses feedback like temperature and vibration to tell you what your devices are doing. It can tell when your washer has finished by waiting for the shaking to stop, for instance, or tell you if someone left the fridge door open while you were out. In some cases, you can even remotely control those older machines. There's no word on when the sensor arrives, but it'll be joined by the smartphone-controlled Smart Lightwave Oven and Smart Air Conditioner at the upcoming IFA trade show.
Samsung's new SmartThings home automation Hub ships next month
Samsung quickly announced a second generation of SmartThings home automation hardware after acquiring the tech for $200 million last year... and then just as quickly delayed their release in March. Fortunately, there's good news: the new Hub and sensors are just about ready to go and the company says they will go on sale in September. While older hardware will still work, the new generation is supposed to be powerful enough to handle processing locally, instead of in the cloud, improving reliability even when your internet connection is out. More info is promised in the coming weeks, but interested customers can preorder the $99 Hub from SmartThings or on Amazon to be first in line.
Amazon Echo gets StubHub event info, further automates your home
Since its introduction, Amazon has continued to add new features to its voice-controlled speaker. Most recently, the online retailer tacked on StubHub integration for keeping tabs on local events. Once you set your city, you can ask the gadget's virtual assistant Alexa to tell you what's going on this weekend, for example. Adding to its home automation toolbox, Echo also plays nice with Cree connected light bulbs and gear from both Leviton and Lightify through the Wink hub. If those don't excite you too much you can rest assured that more of the so-called Skills are certainly on the way for the speaker and its built-in helper.
Apple wants to put Touch ID on your TV remote
Apple has reportedly applied for a patent that incorporates a biometric scanner into the Apple TV remote control. This fingerprint reader could serve a variety of functions such as adjusting the volume and display based on each household member's personal preferences or automatically logging users into their personal streaming accounts. It could also serve as a means for authorizing iTunes downloads. Plus, if Apple begins pushing Apple TV as a hub for future home automation systems, as has been speculated, the biometric remote could act as a universal controller for those features as well. [Image Credit: Robert S. Donovan/Flickr]
Amazon's Echo speaker can control your Wink-powered smart home
If you've filled up your home with Wink-based lighting and similar smart appliances, you're about to get an easy (and official) way to manage it all with your voice. As of now, you can tell Amazon's Echo speaker to control Wink devices -- so long as they're paired, you only have to ask Alexa to "turn on the light" or "turn off the fan." Range limits will likely prevent you from using Echo's new trick around the whole house (you won't be putting on backyard light shows, for example), but this could still save you some hassles when you just want to relax after a hard day.
Nest's smart thermostat will warn if your pipes are going to freeze
Nest didn't just show off its first self-branded home monitoring camera and a revamped smoke detector at its big event. The home automation firm also gave its Learning Thermostat an update that, if you like, will warn you if the temperature falls outside of a preferred range. You'll know if it gets so cold that the pipes are likely to freeze, or if it's scorching enough that your pet will pass out. The climate controller also works in closer harmony with the Protect. It'll show carbon dioxide and smoke alarms that you might otherwise miss, and can shut off your air conditioning or heating to prevent smoke from spreading. It'll take about two weeks for Nest to push the thermostat upgrade to your home, but you can grab the necessary mobile app revamp (which unifies control for Nest's devices) as of today.
Existing Philips Hue bulbs will work with HomeKit this fall
Apple keynotes normally display pictures of pictures of Philips' tech, but it was never clear if the existing gear would work with the company's home control platform. Now, Philips has taken to the internet that yes, the collection of Hue bulbs that you've spent hundreds of dollars assembling will be compatible with HomeKit. The Dutch lighting firm isn't talking about specifics and has said that the details are still being finalized, but pledges that the solid facts will be laid out this September ahead of a launch in the Fall. So, we can rest easy knowing that we won't have to throw out our Sharknado setup when it comes time to renovate our home. [Image Credit: AP Photo / Jeff Chiu]
All of Logitech's hub-based Harmony remotes now control your home
You no longer have to be quite so picky about which of Logitech's Harmony remotes you use to control your smart home. The company is trotting out an update this month that gives the Harmony Ultimate Hub the same home automation support as the Home Hub. Once you've upgraded, you can use the Harmony Ultimate, Smart Control or Smart Keyboard to flick on the lights or change the temperature without leaving the couch. You'll need to own all those connected devices for this software to make a difference -- it's not a free update in the strictest sense, then -- but it's nice to know that your home theater remote is suddenly that much more powerful.
ADT partners with LG and Nest to pair home automation with security
ADT already dipped its toe in the home automation waters, but the company plans to make an even bigger splash in the months to come. It announced today that it'll leverage tech from LG and Nest to add to its connected home tool set. First, ADT and LG are working on a so-called all-in-one "Smart Security" device (pictured above) that'll offer not only video monitoring, but it will act as a hub for connecting other gadgets as well. As you might expect, this means you'll be able to control the whole lot from ADT's app; however, the device isn't schedule to launch until this fall.
Logitech remotes can turn down Hue lights before movie night
Logitech's Harmony remote just got considerably more useful when you're setting the mood for a movie. A recent hub firmware update (available through the Android and iOS apps) for its Smart Control and Ultimate remotes lets you adjust Philips' Hue lights at the start or end of an activity. You can set a colorful backdrop before kicking off a house party, for instance. Frankly, this makes Logitech's Hue integration considerably more useful -- you can now light up a dark room and turn on your TV before you even reach the couch.
Quirky wine rack could refill itself using Amazon Dash
Do you wake up in the middle of the night, soaked in cold sweat and frantically worrying, "Oh God, is my wine rack sufficiently full?" Well, fear not, because this automated wine rack from Quirky not only keeps tabs on your vital vino supply, it could even automatically restock its cellar when you run out of wine. The Poppy Reserve, as it's called, is a two-part system consisting of a smart rack and its associated app. The semi-autonomous wine rack comes packed with temperature, weight and humidity sensors. That way it can monitor how much wine you have left as well as whether they're being stored under the proper conditions.
Wink has a fix ready for its busted smart home hubs
Over the last day Wink Hub smart home controllers were hit with a long outage that left many users disconnected for good and needing to return their units. Now, the company has worked out a solution that owners can apply themselves. Several people who were affected by the problem -- traced to an expired security certificate -- have already tried the fix on their devices and say it works. Ultimately, what owners will need to do is temporarily reconfigure the DNS setting on their router, which directs the Hub to a specially configured server where it can download an update that fixes the problem. Update: The directions are available now, check out the Wink support site here.
Wink smart home hubs knocked out by security certificate (update)
Now for the downside of a house loaded up with "smart" devices to allow remote control and monitoring: turning your home into a computer means computer-like problems. Today's example comes from the Wink Hub, a $50 device sold at Home Depot that's supposed to simplify things by working across standards and link common home appliances (lights, thermostat, garage door, etc.) to your phone. That was the plan until yesterday when Wink sent out a software update that went wrong somehow, and now a number of users have a box "so secure that it is unable to connect to the Wink servers" (Wink's words, not ours). The problem knocked all Wink hubs offline from 12:40PM to 11PM ET yesterday, and while the company says a "majority" of hubs were able to recover and reconnect, those that weren't will need to be sent back. Update: We've confirmed what several Wink users have reported -- it appears that an expired certificate is at the root of the problem. The update pushed out was an attempt to fix the issue, and judging by responses on the Facebook group it did work for some owners. Stay tuned though, we're expecting more information on the issue shortly. [Thanks, Paul!] Update 2: There's a way to fix the problem! Quirky founder Ben Kaufman tells us that Wink is currently testing it with a small group of users but plans to email directions out soon. Click here for more details, and keep an eye out for that email. [Thanks Larry, Steve & John]
Amazon Echo controls Belkin WeMo and Philips Hue with your voice
Amazon's voice-controlled speaker just became a lot more useful. In an email to Echo owners, the online retailer revealed some Philips Hue and Belkin WeMo gadgets can now be paired with the audio device. This means that the unit's ability to accept your spoken commands extends to home automation tech -- in addition to its music duties. Once the whole lot is connected to your home WiFi, a simple "discover my appliances" will automatically pair them. From there, dimming the lights, turning on the coffee pot and more is a matter of uttering the proper phrase. For now, supported products include Philips Hue A19, Lux, BR30, Bloom, and LightStrip as well as Belkin WeMo Switch, Insight Switch and Light Switch. If the added features convinced you to splurge for one, you'll have to wait in line. You can request an invite to order the $200 speaker, but it'll take several weeks to hit your inbox.
Samsung delays its next-gen home automation devices
It'll take a while longer to see how Samsung's acquisition has improved SmartThings' Hub and sensors. The company was supposed to release its next-gen home automation devices this April, but now it's pushing back the launch date. SmartThings isn't even 100 percent sure when it will be able to release the new devices, but it says it will "most likely [happen in] Q3" 2015. Version 2 of its Hub and sensors just aren't ready for launch yet, as the company's announcement says it's working non-stop "to get the experience to the point where it needs to be."
PancakeBot prints flapjacks in any shape you can trace
We've all been there. Awake at some ludicrously early hour -- on a Saturday morning no less -- slaving away over a hot griddle only to have your pancakes snubbed because they're too circular. Next time, impress your brood by frying up some custom-designed flapjacks using this robotic pancake printer. It's called the PancakeBot. This device combines an electric griddle and a patent-pending batter dispensing system to effectively "print" out pancakes virtually in any shape you can imagine -- or at least trace.
AT&T's connected car tech now works with AT&T's connected home
Controlling your home's temperature from your smartphone is cool, but it'd make your neighbors even more jealous if you could do the same thing from your car's dashboard. That's the thinking behind AT&T's latest move, which is to bring its home automation platform in harmony with AT&T Drive, its connected car offering. Such integration means that users can control their security, door locks, thermostat and even garage doors straight from the navigation panel. Perhaps it won't be long before the company starts warning users not to mess with the A/C while riding down the highway in the same way it currently does for text messaging.
GE wants to link your existing fridge to your smart home
There's no shortage of smart appliances now, but that won't help you much if you bought your gear a few years ago. What if you want to get your existing refrigerator talking to the rest of your automated home? GE may soon have a solution... if you're one of its previous customers, anyway. The company tells GigaOM that it's developing a WiFi-based Connect box that will link some fridges from 2009 and newer (all of them equipped with Ethernet jacks) to the Wink smart home system. While it's not clear just what this will do for your not-quite-cutting-edge food box, it wouldn't be surprising if the add-on at least gives you a heads-up when something goes awry.
Apple's home automation tech reportedly won't land until spring
We hope you weren't in a big rush to outfit your household with devices that use Apple's HomeKit automation technology -- you may be waiting a little while. Recode tipsters claim that Apple started certifying HomeKit gear later than it wanted, pushing the release of many supporting gadgets (and their underlying chips) back to spring or later. While Apple hasn't said whether or not there's a delay, the company notes that multiple companies (such as Elgato and iDevices) formally unveiled their first HomeKit hardware at CES. In many cases, the finished goods won't ship until spring or summer.
