We told you back in December about an iOS app that can control smart ovens from GE and Bosch, and Electrolux has told us that it is next in line.
The Innit app lets you detail your diet, allergies and food preferences to recommend recipes. Once you select one, the app will work with you and your oven to help cook it …
Those of you who’ve been following my Smart Home Diary series will know that I’ve learned a number of lessons – some of them the hard way. But I thought it would be useful to distill these into a single piece offering my best advice for anyone planning to create a smart home from scratch today.
And that advice begins with considering whether or not creating a smart home is a smart choice for you …
iDevices today has unveiled a new connected wall switch that it says lets users seamlessly control their other iDevice accessories and their smart home products. Dubbed the Instant Switch, iDevices touts this accessory as an “intelligently-designed wireless remote wall switch…
Update: In an email to 9to5Mac, Twist says that “the app works fine and the cloud services are paid for and covered for a long while.”
Two years ago, we reported on Twist, a new smart home accessory maker aiming to take a different approach to smart home lighting. At the time, the company debuted an AirPlay-connected lightbulb and speaker system combo, but it now appears that those efforts didn’t catch on like Twist had hoped…
After yesterday announcing Apple Watch control of ovens, washing machines and dryers, Whirlpool now wants to apply connected kitchen smarts to reducing the amount of food that goes to waste …
Whirlpool has announced that it’s working on an Apple Watch app that will allow you to control more than 20 of its connected appliances, including ovens, washing machines and dryers.
The company says that as well as using the app to carry out simple tasks, it will also prove useful for checking on the status of appliances …
A recent IHS Markit analyst note says that lack of awareness of the benefits of smart home technology is holding back growth.
If you’ve been impatiently waiting for a real-life version of Star Trek’s replicators – where all we have to do is tell the unit what meal to make – we’re at least taking one small step in that direction.
‘Eating technology company’ Innit has announced an iOS app that can send cooking instructions direct from an iPhone app to more than 100 different models of Wi-Fi-enabled ovens from GE Appliances and Bosch …
One of the key decisions you need to make when adding smart lighting to a home is whether to have the smarts in the switches or the bulbs. Switches tend to be the easier option if you have non-techies in the home, while bulbs offer more flexibility.
A new smart switch system called Noon Home aims to offer the best of both worlds …
If you like the idea of growing your own food but know nothing about gardening, a new startup thinks it has just the thing you need.
Grow Duo calls itself the world’s first intelligent planter. The companion app shows you how to plant your seeds, the planter takes care of the watering and the app lets you know when it needs your help – either for pruning, or for harvesting your crop …
When it comes to smart homes and IoT devices, the majority of products on the market are for the inside of your home. While there are many smart home/HomeKit devices that can add convenience and some fun to your life, I hadn’t heard of anything that can free up hours of your time, until I learned more about autonomous mowers.
Over recent months, Amazon has quietly started rolling out a new in-house installation service that aims to offer installation of Alexa products, as well as other devices. The effort is detailed in a new report from Recode, drawing similarities to Best Buy’s Geek Squad installation and repair service…
A new J.D. Power study shows that U.S. iPhone owners are more satisfied with their phone than owners of any other brand – though just one point above Samsung. Apple’s average score was 840/1000 while Samsung was just 0.1% behind at 839.
That’s no great surprise, and the consumer intelligence company also noted a further factor that also should come as no surprise …
I wrote last time that despite having 16 HomeKit devices, I was already wanting more. No-one who knows me will be the slightest bit surprised that the interval between ‘wanting more’ and ‘getting more’ was rather short. Every light in my home is now HomeKit-enabled, and I’ve also added some switches and motion-sensors.
The lightbulb additions were the kitchen and bathroom, and the justification of adding these two rooms seemed somewhat flimsy. Were we really ever going to want mood lighting in the bathroom or kitchen? But having added these rooms into the mix, along with some rather old-fashioned HomeKit technology, I’m glad I did it.
That doesn’t mean that HomeKit is perfect, however – but let’s start with what I’ve added and why before I list my complaints …
More than half of 9to5Mac readers responding to a poll last week are using at least a few HomeKit devices. Over a fifth of readers said that they were using ‘lots’ of kit, while more than a third are using ‘a few.’
With smart thermostats like Nest and Tado, it’s easy to set a temperature for your home and let the technology take care of it. We’re also starting to see the introduction of individual smart thermostats for each room – at a price, of course.
But if you just want a low-cost way to monitor the temperature of a particular room, getting iPhone alerts if it falls outside your chosen range, the $30 Sense ThermoPeanut may be for you …
We live in an age when we’re seeing smart everything. All those things that used to be dumb – watches, door locks, electrical sockets, lightbulbs and so on – are now smart, and controlled by an iPhone. As someone who loves home automation, I think it’s great. But I have to admit that even I can’t decide whether an iPhone-controlled smart candle is taking things just one step too far …
Dom reviewed Ring’s iPhone-linked Video Doorbell last year, and was impressed. I was too, with two minor complaints: video is 720p rather than full HD, and it only connects to 2.4GHz Wi-Fi networks.
A smart thermostat that you can control from your iPhone is nice, but if you’re a fan of Siri then HomeKit-compatibly is a must. The ecobee3 Wi-Fi thermostat can be controlled using Siri on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch, and it uses remote sensors to determine temperature and presence around your home to be smarter about automating your HVAC system. Overall, the thermostat itself is rather slick and the software experience behind it holds up well. If you’re curious about HomeKit and in the market for a smart thermostat, the ecobee3 just might be the best option yet …
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HomeKit-certified devices are the slickest way to control your technology, but if you have any dumb technology powered by AA batteries, you can now remotely switch it on and off using your iPhone.
The Tethercell AA Smart Battery Adapter is a really simple idea. Replace one of the device’s AA batteries with this adapter, which takes a smaller AAA battery, and you can then switch it on and off from an app on your iPhone.
It’s Bluetooth LE rather than Wi-Fi, so range will be limited (the company claims 50-60 feet), but if the device is close enough, it’s a cheap and easy way to add remote control functionality. It’s compatible with all iPhones from the 4S onward.
The adapter costs $20 for two from Amazon.
Via BGR
The Elgato Avea Flare is an egg-shaped mood light with an iPhone and Watch app available to control the scene and colors displayed. It sits in the corner of a room or garden and discreetly glows. I tested the standalone unit, but you can also buy the Avea Bulb which is the same concept in a different form. The Elgato Eve Room ($78) is an indoor climate detector — it measures air quality, humidity and temperature. This data can then be reviewed through an iPhone app to act upon or using your voice with Siri questions. The Eve sensor (pictures below) is meant to be tucked away and out of sight, on a shelf or wall, silently checking up on your interior air quality.
These two products are from the same manufacturer, but they sit at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of smart home gear; one has a clear functional purpose and the other is a ‘smart’ whimsical decoration. Both integrate with iOS via an iPhone app and both make cool additions to your life. I’ve been using both for a few weeks; read on for my full review of these smart home devices from Elgato …
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Update: Philips has done a U-turn, stating that it “under-estimated the impact this would have on a small number of customers who use lights from other brands” and has decided to reverse the upgrade. It said that it is “working on the reversal of the upgrade and will shortly confirm when this will be available.” The Friends of Hue program will continue, with Bosch, Logitech and Samsung SmartThings having joined so far, adding to existing partnerships with Apple and Nest.
An update to the Philips Hue system has blocked access to some third-party bulbs, including GE Link LED (above) and Cree Connected LED, citing ‘interoperability issues.’ While existing bulbs already linked to the Philips Hue Bridge will continue to work for now, the system is not currently allowing additional bulbs to be added, and Philips says there are no guarantees that this won’t change in future updates.
We are seeing an increasing number of interoperability issues with these untested third party products, which are causing increasing confusion for our installed base. They are also hampering our ongoing development and damaging the consistency of experience for the Philips Hue ecosystem. Next to confusing differences in setup and resetting, we’ve encountered a number of such issues over the years including 3rd party lights which do not turn off when we fade them to off, lights which do not react correctly to scene recalls and lights which stop proper functioning of our Wireless Dimmer Kits.
This will disappoint many, as one of the promises of the Hue system was support for third-party bulbs. All is not yet lost, however …
The idea of a smart home is a long running meme in technological circles. Apple has made the biggest stride recently with HomeKit and there is now a significant ecosystem of lights, switches, and other accessories to buy for your home. That being said, smart home accessories are still novelties and quite pricey: they aren’t must-have purchases. However, this makes them great gifts for the holiday season — uncommon presents that are fun to play with and have some long-lasting usefulness. We’ve rounded up our favorite HomeKit accessories below …