Google Assistant

Just beginning your smart home journey? A smart speaker is a great place to start. Image: John Tekeridis on Pexels.

Connected Home / Energy Conservation / Amazon Alexa / Smart Door Locks / Google Assistant / Smart Lighting / Smart Plugs / Smart Speakers / Security Cameras / How-To / Featured Articles

How to Choose the Ideal Smart Gadgets for Your House

You’ll be surprised how far technology has come in recent years, and the latest gadgets for the home are slick and super useful. Move over, sandwich toaster, and make way for smarter and more utilitarian devices that are internet connected and can be controlled remotely.…

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4 August 2019

Bond Bridge can integrate up to 6 remote-controlled fans with your connected home. Image: Digitized House.

Connected Home / Energy Conservation / Amazon Alexa / Google Assistant / Review / Smart Speakers / Featured Articles

Bond Smart Home Bridge Review

Designed to make standard remote-controlled ceiling fans smart, the Bond Bridge by Olibra can integrate up to 6 fans with your connected home. Once added to Bond, these fans can be controlled with the Bond app on smartphones and tablets, enabling you to preserve your…

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23 July 2019

These Aoycocr LED smart bulbs offer a wide color temperature range and broad digital assistant support. Image: Digitized House.

Connected Home / Energy Conservation / Amazon Alexa / Google Assistant / Review / Smart Lighting / Smart Speakers / Featured Articles

Aoycocr LED Smart Bulb Review

Aiming to offer voice-controllable LED smart lamps at an affordable price point, Aoycocr has launched a line of lighting that brings broad compatibility with the Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant ecosystems, while also enabling Apple Siri Shortcuts control. These RGBW color lamps have been designed…

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20 July 2019

The Samsung SmartThings hub and smartphone app. Image: Digitized House.

Connected Home / Smart Displays / Google Assistant / Smart Lighting / Product Guide / Smart Speakers / Smart Thermostats / Security Cameras / Featured Articles

7 Best Automation Systems to Turn Your House into a Smart Home

Are you ready to bring your home into the 21st century? With automation products like lights, outlets, security systems, lamps, humidity sensors, and more, you can control your entire home from the palm of your hand. But managing dozens of products can get tricky. That's…

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18 July 2019

Amazon Alexa (Echo), Apple Siri (HomePod), and Google Assistant (Google Home Mini) are all vying for a place in your smart home. Images: Apple and Digitized House.

Connected Home / Amazon Alexa / Apple HomeKit / Smart Displays / Google Assistant / Smart Speakers / How-To / Featured Articles

How to Choose the Perfect Smart Home Assistant for You

If you plan to turn your house into a smart home, choosing a digital voice assistant is one of the first steps. On the surface, it seems like a simple decision—pick the one you’re familiar with. But the choice of a home assistant shapes the…

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16 July 2019

The ConnectSense SmartOutlet2 features an over-outlet design. Image: Digitized House.

Connected Home / Amazon Alexa / Apple HomeKit / Google Assistant / Review / Smart Plugs / Featured Articles

ConnectSense Smart Outlet2 Review

Smart outlets have become de riguer in modern homes, as they offer an express route to automating non-smart devices such as lamps, fans, and myriad other appliances. Moreover, their rapid adoption can largely be attributed to the integration of voice assistants, enabling the use of…

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8 July 2019

In Irvine, California, KB Home is selling homes with smart tech trickle-down from its KB Home ProjeKt concept house, revealed at CES 2019 in Las Vegas. Image: KB Home.

Connected Home / Energy Conservation / Google Assistant / Sustainable Home / Architecture / Smart Speakers / Healthy Home / News / Real Estate / Featured Articles

KB Home Trickles Down Smart Tech from Concept Home to Production Builds

Shall we call it KB Homenomics? The national home builder has just trickled down smart health, wellness, and automation technology from its futuristic KB Home ProjeKt concept home to production builds in California. Located in the Genoa at Orchard Hills community in Irvine, the new…

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21 May 2019

Google Nest says they will not be turning off Works with Nest integrations en masse on August 31, 2019 after all. Image: Google Nest.

Connected Home / Smart Displays / Google Assistant / Smart Speakers / News / Featured Articles

Google Nest Backtracks on Works with Nest Hard Line

Responding to fallout from developers and consumers alike, Google Nest has revised their plans for sunsetting the Works with Nest (WWN) integration program. In a blog post on The Keyword, Google’s corporate blog, Google Nest clarified their approach regarding the planned transition to the Works…

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17 May 2019

From the new Google Nest brand, the Nest Hub Max. Image: Google Nest.

Connected Home / Smart Displays / Google Assistant / Smart Speakers / News / Featured Articles

Goodbye, Google Home and Nest. Hello, Google Nest.

In a move to streamline the connected home accessory lines of Alphabet Inc. sister companies Google and Nest, the new Google Nest brand has been hatched as an umbrella for all Google Home and Nest Labs products. Announced at the 2019 Google I/O developer conference…

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7 May 2019

Gosund Mini WiFi Smart Plug. Image: Digitized House Media.

Connected Home / Amazon Alexa / Google Assistant / Review / Smart Lighting / Smart Plugs / Smart Speakers / Featured Articles

Gosund Mini Smart Plug Review

Smart plugs have become a staple in today’s connected home, and for good reason. They are perfect for converting standard table and floor lamps into smart lighting, controlling small appliances such as coffee makers and fans, and saving on energy consumption. This is the sweet…

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9 April 2019

Big Ass Fans Haiku L fan. Image: Digitized House.

Connected Home / Energy Conservation / Smart Displays / Google Assistant / Review / Smart Speakers / How-To

Hey Google, Control My Haiku Fan

Haiku Home fans and lights just got smarter. These high-end products from the home division of Big Ass Fans have been uplifted by new integrations with Google Assistant and the Google Home ecosystem. We just tried out the new voice-activation features with the Haiku L…

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7 April 2019

iRobot Roomba 690 robot vacuum. Image: iRobot.

Connected Home / Amazon Alexa / Google Assistant / Product Guide / Healthy Home / How-To

6 Technologies to Make Spring Cleaning a Breeze

Whether you do spring cleaning every year as a personal tradition or not, it's something everyone ends up doing. There's something about being cooped up inside all winter that makes any living space feel stuffy. Once warmer spring weather arrives, everyone wants to start fresh.…

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17 March 2019

Google Home Mini + Google Home Hub displaying energy data from Reliant Energy. Image: Digitized House Media.

Connected Home / Energy Conservation / Smart Displays / Google Assistant

How Google Home Hub Can Help Trim Energy Costs

Does your relationship with your electrical utility seem grounded in 1995? Anemic websites, cryptic data access, and paper bills can become a relic of the past with leading-edge utilities, where they are using a Google Home Hub and voice activation skills to enable frictionless access…

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15 March 2019

KB Home ProjeKt. Image: Builder Magazine.

Connected Home / Energy Conservation / Smart Appliances / Solar Photovoltaics / Water Conservation / Google Assistant / Architecture / Smart Speakers / Healthy Home

Smart and Healthy Features Abound in KB Home ProjeKt: Part 2

As we wrote in Part 1 of our coverage of the KB Home ProjeKt, this Las Vegas-area concept home endeavors to deliver connected home and holistic design features aimed at the long-term health and wellness of its eventual occupants.  In this segment, we will take…

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10 March 2019

Amazon Echo vs. Google Home Mini Speakers. Image: Digitized House Media.

Connected Home / Amazon Alexa / Google Assistant / Smart Speakers

Amazon Alexa vs. Google Assistant for Smart Home Control

The soaring popularity of virtual assistants has set the stage for competition. With contributions from Amazon and Google, consumers across the country have to choose between two of the tech industry's leading brands. Neck and neck, Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant and each deliver value…

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27 February 2019

Image: KB Home.

Connected Home / Energy Conservation / Green Building / Google Assistant / Architecture / Smart Speakers / Window Coverings / Healthy Home / Home Design

Smart and Healthy Features Abound in KB Home ProjeKt: Part 1

First revealed at CES 2019 in January and carrying over into the 2019 NAHB International Builders' Show (IBS) in February, the KB Home ProjeKt near Las Vegas strives to deliver on connected home and design features to focus on the long-term health and wellness of…

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18 February 2019

Yale Assure Lock SL YRD256. Image: ASSA ABLOY/Yale.

Connected Home / Amazon Alexa / Apple HomeKit / Smart Door Locks / Google Assistant / Product Guide / Privacy & Safety / Secure Home

5 Smart Door Locks to Buy in 2019

Smart locks prevent you from fumbling with physical keys and can also allow you to grant temporary access to someone such as a house sitter or delivery person. But, the market is growing, and it can be difficult to determine which one to buy. This…

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13 February 2019

Image: Lutron.

Connected Home / Energy Conservation / Amazon Alexa / Apple HomeKit / Google Assistant / Smart Lighting / Smart Speakers / Window Coverings / News

Lutron Adds Smart Fan Control to Caséta Wireless Switch Line

Giving homeowners another choice for controlling air circulation in their dwellings, Lutron announced at CES 2019 they will launch the Caséta Wireless Fan Speed Control in March 2019, enabling flexible smart control for non-smart ceiling fans. The in-wall fan control joins the rest of the…

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19 January 2019

Bali AutoView Shades. Image: Digitized House Media.

Connected Home / Energy Conservation / Amazon Alexa / Google Assistant / Smart Speakers / Window Coverings / Home Design / Secure Home

Why You Should Use Smart Technology to Control Your Blinds

Getting enough natural sunlight in your living space is vital if you wish to feel good and stay healthy, and focusing on the blinds is the easiest way to do that. Controlling blinds through motorization might not be on the top of your list of…

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14 January 2019

Phyn Plus. Image: Phyn.

Connected Home / Amazon Alexa / Water Conservation / Google Assistant / Sustainable Home

Phyn Adds Alexa, Europe Availability to Phyn Plus Smart Water Assistant at CES 2019

In synch with CES 2019 in Las Vegas, Phyn has announced that Phyn Plus—a smart water assistant, leak detector, and automated shut-off valve—has gained Amazon Alexa voice control. Furthermore, Phyn Plus will be soon be expanding beyond the shores of the U.S. to include wide…

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7 January 2019