The smart home was once a far-flung pipe dream, but it is now a reality. Wherever you live, your home is ground zero for some of the most interesting tech available right now, and tech that’s yet to come. Best of all, it doesn’t have to cost a fortune to get your home up and running with smart hardware and services.
Home security and monitoring solutions can alert you to a burglary, smoke, fire, or just simple motion activity. There are plenty of options with a range of capabilities, from smart doorbells and smart locks to indoor and outdoor cameras that can see in the dark.
Smart speakers, like the Google Home, Amazon Echo, and Apple HomePod each play a big role in helping you out, too. In the kitchen, they can read out recipes, or if you’re cleaning, you can call out to them to change the song on the fly. If you buy smart light bulbs, for instance, you can turn them on and off by using your voice.
Google’s streaming device is the latest to get a price hike, after similar increases from Apple and Amazon.
Navigating the maze of platforms, ecosystems, protocols, and gadgets on your way to a smarter home is a full-time job. (I should know; it’s mine.)
Its conversational AI agent is called ThinQ Claw (a riff on OpenClaw) and builds on its acquisition of Homey. LG says it can “understand user intent and context and help complete tasks by connecting and coordinating relevant services and devices,” be they LG appliances or third-party products. It’s being demoed for the first time at the big IFA tech show kicking off later this week.
According to Smartlights, Philips Hue is planning to launch a wall light module and adapters for Nanoleaf Triangle, Mini Triangle, and Hexagon panels. It’ll reportedly cost around €40, but that might be worth it if I could control my lights without using Nanoleaf’s laggy app.
As spotted by HueBlog, the Hue Play Sync Box Lite is a stripped-down version of the Hue Play Sync Box, a device that connects to your TV to sync your Hue lights with the content.
Listed at a British retailer for £109.99, about $150, the Lite looks to be less than half the price of the existing 8K model, with a single HDMI output and support up to 4K. With IFA around the corner, we should hear more about this and Hue’s rumored camera soon.
The Shelly Flood S Gen4 is a $28 flood sensor that supports Matter, Wi-Fi, and Zigbee, so it should fit into any smart home setup. It also has a built-in alarm. Two-year battery life on a single CR123A is impressive; Ikea’s Klippbok leak sensor gets a year (but costs half as much). Wireless leak sensors are more flexible than wired models; you can just stick this under your washing machine, and you’re good to go.
Correction: This story previously said the sensor uses a coin cell battery; it’s a CR123A.
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Hands-on with Mova’s new V70 Ultra Complete and its mopping arm that cleans hard-to-reach spots.
The Swedish flatpack furniture maker shared a video through its Instagram account today that seemingly reveals an upcoming collection inspired by the console. The video’s details are vague but it appears to show a piece of furniture inspired by an Xbox controller’s thumbstick as well as a bright green X-shaped cushion.
Gemini for Home promises its Nest cameras can recognize my cats by name — but it can’t tell Boone from Smokey.
The $899 Litter-Robot 5 Pro is a great pooper-scooper wrapped in AI that just doesn’t work.
Is it time to fire the neighbor kid and hire a robot lawnmower instead? Last year I wrote that “in all but a few scenarios, robot lawnmowers still aren’t worth your money,” but there’s a new class of Roombas with razor blades ready to tackle bumpy terrain and dodge crazy chickens. Realtor and smart home reviewer Brandon Doyle joins me to talk about our reviews of the newest robotic mowers and to let you know if they’re finally worth all that money. Read my review for more and check out Brandon’s video review.
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I pitted five automowers against each other to find the best cutter for my challenging garden.
But also pricier. The HydraSense is a new countertop water filter that dispenses water with a button press, filling your cup or bottle in seconds.
The $199 gadget launches today, and is more elegant than a big water jug in your fridge, while costing less than cold/hot filtration devices. I just got one to test, and think it’s useful if you don’t have a built-in fridge filtration system and find waiting on your Brita a pain. Here’s a first look.
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Your Sonos speakers can now control your Lutron Caséta lights, plugs, and shades alongside your music with Sonos Voice Control. This is the second lighting integration for the speaker’s built-in assistant, which added the ability to control your Hue lights last year.
Kata promises to “help users control devices, create automations, set up products, and troubleshoot issues simply by typing or speaking what they need.” It requires SwitchBot App version 9.29 or later.
The Chinese-owned appliance manufacturer announced it will use US-manufactured Texas Instruments semiconductors in its new laundry machines made at its Louisville, Kentucky, headquarters. Along with its Wi-Fi and BLE connectivity solutions, GE Appliances says it’s exploring using TI’s intelligent microcontroller platform to bring advanced AI to its washers and dryers.
You’ll have fewer robot floor cleaners to choose from and higher prices.
The $169 Smart LED Monitor Stand includes a white front LED light strip with adjustable color temperature and an addressable RGB rear light strip. It’s also Matter-compatible and has 23 built-in mounting points for attaching a mic, a ring light, or other accessories.
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The Google partnership has yielded two new Onn outdoor security cameras: the $34.87 Outdoor Camera Plug-In and $77 Floodlight Camera Hardwired. Each 1080p HDR camera features live views, night vision and two-way talk accessible from the Google Home app. You’ll need a Premium subscription to unlock AI-driven features like event descriptions, searchable video history, and daily summaries.
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Google’s more powerful, conversational assistant for the home is now available on first-generation Google Home Mini speaker and Google Nest Hub display. You’ll need a Google Home Premium subscription to make it work though.
According to Hueblog.com, the smart lighting company is readying a new solution for its popular entertainment sync feature. “Screen Sync” is a TV-mounted camera that matches Hue lights to on-screen content. Unlike Hue’s HDMI Sync box and TV Sync apps, a camera-based system — popularized by rivals Govee and Nanoleaf — should be able to sync with any content on the screen.
I tested four locks that unlock with a look, and while hands-free with UWB is better, if you want a sci-fi experience for your front door, facial recognition is worth considering.
Legend has it that we have smart home security cameras and smartphones to thank for discovering the Seattle-based treasure that is Jimothy. At least this modern cryptid doesn’t appear to be AI slop. Happy Friday.
