Testing Apple HomeKit waters with the iDevices Switch
Apple announced HomeKit, their answer for the connected smart home, in June 2014 at their Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). Implementation…
Illuminating Your Home with Dark Sky lighting
You don’t need to be Stephen Hawking or Neil deGrasse Tyson to appreciate the benefits pitch-dark skies bring to even…
Shining a Light on Dark Sky Communities
In some cases, it pays to be in the dark. That rings particularly true in the small city of Dripping…
Pairing Contemporary Door Design With Sustainability
Can the often-opposing forces of contemporary interior design and sustainability blend into tasteful pairings for your doors? And if so,…
Smart home power broker: SmartThings Hub from Samsung
In the powers-that-be battle for dominance on the evolving smart home automation front, electronics giant Samsung took its opening shot across…
Green Building Blocks: 7 High-Performing Highlights
High-performance home building is a carefully orchestrated symphony of site selection, architectural design, component selection, and construction prowess. Having any…
Flexible Climate and Lighting Control With Lutron Caséta Wireless and Smart Bridge
If we were writing the definitive guidebook for smart-home technology integration, the probability is high that we would add flexibility…
Apple HomeKit Sprouts a Home App in iOS 10
It has been two years since Apple first announced the development of HomeKit—their entry into the realm of smart-home automation…
Twelve South PlugBug World a Swiss Army Knife Among Chargers
The classis Swiss Army Knife multi-tool—crafted in the signature red and white colors from the flag of Switzerland—has a well-earned…
Nest App Embraces Apple Watch
The Nest Labs app for their line of smart-home technology products has joined the domain where wrist-borne complications, haptics, and…
iDevices Bridges Apple HomeKit and Amazon Alexa Worlds
Apple HomeKit accessories can often be islands of smart-home automation. That is largely due to the current HomeKit architecture on…
Illuminating a Path To Lighting Flexibility With Philips Hue
As one of first wireless LED lighting systems, Philips Hue has been at the forefront of elevating residential illumination technology…
Apple iOS 10 Elevates HomeKit via Home App and Home Hubs
In a concerted effort to elevate the profile of Apple HomeKit—the Cupertino company’s foundational infrastructure for smart-home technology accessory integration—Apple…
Smart Locks To Play Key Role in Move To Connected Living
Technology touches so many areas of our domestic lives. Our homes are becoming automated, and increasingly filled to the brim…
Tesla Solar Roof: Are Metal Roofs Passé?
Metal surfaces have earned a well-deserved reputation as the leading roofing choice on today’s sustainable architecture homefront, and for good…
Nest Cam Outdoor: Home Security Time Machine
Apple macOS aficionados have long enjoyed seamless data backup and recovery, thanks to the built-in Time Machine software. And when…
Water From Air With the AquaBoy Pro II
With a form factor designed to match that of the typical low-tech water cooler, Aquarius Brands has brought high tech…
Inside the Nest Connected Home at IBS 2017: Part 1
How would a small, modern dwelling look and serve its occupants if it were outfitted with connected home products and…
Smart Home Security Your Way: Yale Assure Lock with Bluetooth
The front door on today’s connected home has taken a turn for the better. By replacing the ubiquitous deadbolt with…
Yale Assure Smart Lock: Unboxing and Installation Video
In this video, we walk through unboxing and installation of the Yale Real Living Assure Lock with Bluetooth and Z-Wave…
Inside the Nest Connected Home at IBS 2017: Part 2
Giving a glimpse into how today’s connected home could serve its occupants if it were equipped with smart-home products in…
Svelte Security: ENTR Smart Door Lock Solution
Advancing your home into the era of connected living can in some instances lead to getting disconnected―from your physical keys.…
ENTR Smart Door Lock Video: Unbox. Install. Operate.
Ready to lose your front door keys? Take a look at our video on the ENTR Smart Door Lock Solution, a sveltely-designed smart-home…
Inside the Nest Connected Home at IBS 2017: Part 3
Proving smart-home technologies can be great go-togethers when carefully selected, the Nest Connected Home at the 2017 NAHB International Builders’…
Apple HomePod: Missing Card From HomeKit Smart Home Deck?
Aiming to be more than a me-too response to the Amazon Echo and Google Home speakers, Apple has played its…
Nest Cam IQ Raises Ante on Home Interior Security
Aiming to raise the ante on security technology inside the connected home, Nest Labs has announced Nest Cam IQ, a…
In Our Connected Garage: 2017 Toyota Prius Prime Plug-in Hybrid
For many owners of today’s increasingly connected and energy-efficient homes, equally connected and energy-efficient automobiles can be the next logical…
Product Brief: Yale Assure Lock SL a Slimmer Smart Lock
With the introduction of the Yale Assure Lock SL, the company adds a slimmer alternative to its line of Yale…
Product Brief: iDevices Dimmer Switch, Smart Home Switch Hitter
Designed to appeal to do-it-yourself homeowners as well as professional integrators and builders, smart-home device manufacturer iDevices has released the…
Product Brief: Nest Thermostat E a Lower-Cost Alternative
Setting a high-water mark for residential thermostat retail pricing in 2011 with the launch of the original $249 Nest Learning…
Video: A Modern Take on Victorian Architecture
In this thoroughly modern home by Austin firm Tim Brown Architecture, classic Victorian forms and scale blend seamlessly with contemporary…
Video: Smart Tiny Homes Built by High Schoolers
With much of the buzz around the tiny house movement focused on start-ups making their plays in the micro-housing ecosystem,…
Sonos and Amazon Alexa Make Beautiful Music Together
With the recent launch of Sonos One, an Amazon Alexa-enabled smart speaker, the company that built its reputation as one…
Apple AirPods Wireless Earbuds
It has been a year since Apple began shipping their AirPods—the Cupertino company’s first wireless earbuds—yet the product is still…
Smart Water Futures Gain Steam at CES 2018
So, you ask, did CES® 2018 yield a watershed moment for the connected home? If the number of water-related devices…
Apple HomePod Set for February 2018 Debut
After creating buzz around the Apple HomePod speaker at their Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June of 2017, the Cupertino…
iDevices Instinct Smart Switch to Debut
Aiming to elevate the lowly light switch, connected home accessory company iDevices has announced their Instinct line—smart wall switches with…
First Alert Onelink Safe & Sound Smoke Alarm Brings Speaker and Alexa to Ceilings
First it was our walls getting smarter with the addition of audio features, such as in the case of the…
Philips Hue Expands Smart Lighting with Cher Ceiling Fixtures
Moving beyond the smart LED bulbs that have been the hallmark product of the Philips Hue brand, the company has…
Moment Photo Case and Wide Lens Review
The cameras on our smartphones keep gaining in resolution and flexibility, but there is only so much manufacturers can do…
Automating Window Shades in the Connected Home Era: Part 1
Once a bastion of high-end home automation systems, motorized window shades are moving into the DIY connected home mainstream with…
Automating Window Shades in the Connected Home Era: Part 2
As we wrote in Part 1 of this series, motorized shades and blinds are moving rapidly into the DIY connected…
Nest and Yale begin Shipping Nest x Yale Smart Lock
Bringing the convenience of the Nest connected home ecosystem to your front door, the Nest x Yale lock is the…
Nest Temperature Sensor enables Tailored HVAC Control
Filling a noticeable gap in their smart thermostat line, Nest Labs has announced the launch of the Nest Temperature Sensor,…
ENTR Smart Door Lock extends Colour Palette with Black Version
ASSA ABLOY built their ENTR smart door lock to blend seamlessly with European contemporary smart home design. Now, the product…
Amazon Drops Nest-branded Items, More Google and Nest News
Silicon Valley smart home brand Nest launched its first product in 2011—an intelligent thermostat—and got purchased several years ago by…
Your Apple TV Now an AirPlay 2 Speaker and HomeKit Sccessory
Since the launch of Apple iOS 10 and the Home app, Apple TV devices have been stealth-like participants in the…
6 Ways to Keep Your Connected Home Safe
Not long ago, most people had barely heard of smart home gadgets. Now, they’re in households around the world. However,…
Apple Home App Coming to macOS with Mojave Upgrade
It has been a long time in coming. The Apple Home app—the Cupertino company's elegant interface to Apple HomeKit smart…
Control Bath Humidity with a Medium-tech Digital Fan Timer
As homes are designed and built to be more air tight, mechanical ventilation becomes a necessity. Once a bastion of…
