connected garage

The Amazon Key In-Garage Delivery service has launched in 50 U.S. cities. Image: Digitized House.

Connected Garage / Review / Connected Home / Apple HomeKit / Security Cameras / News / Featured Articles

Amazon Key In-Garage Delivery Launches with Chamberlain myQ Technology

Zeroing in on doorstep package theft, Amazon has partnered with garage door opener maker Chamberlain in the launch of the Amazon Key In-Garage Delivery service. Available now to Prime customers in 50 U.S. cities—including our home base of Austin, Texas—the service requires a Chamberlain myQ…

0 Comments

2 May 2019

Google Home Hub aims to be the central command center for your connected home. Image: Google.

Energy Conservation / Connected Home / Smart Displays / Gadgets / News / Secure Home

Google Home Hub Embraces the Hybrid Connected Home

Making a wager on the existence of connected home life beyond pure voice activation, Google has announced Google Home Hub, a 7-in. touchscreen tabletop display with the Google Assistant built in. As part of the growing Google Home speaker family, the device dutifully processes voice…

0 Comments

11 October 2018

The Rachio 3 Smart Irrigation Controller has been upgraded to support Apple HomeKit. Image: Rachio.

Connected Garage / Connected Home / Amazon Alexa / Apple HomeKit / Water Conservation / Google Assistant / Sustainable Home

Rachio Brings Apple HomeKit and Siri to Irrigation Control

Filling a gap in the Apple HomeKit home automation ecosystem, Rachio has added HomeKit compatibility to their latest smart irrigation controller, the Rachio 3. The Colorado-based company says this is the first smart irrigation controller with onboard HomeKit firmware. The integration facilitates control with the…

0 Comments

28 September 2018

Locky brings smart features to conventional door locksets by enveloping your key with a hi-tech housing. Image: Locky.

Connected Home / Smart Door Locks / Homes / News / Privacy & Safety / Secure Home

Locky Adds Smart Safety to Dumb Door Locks

One of the caveats of converting your home into a “smart” space is that you essentially have to replace the devices, items, and components you have already invested in with updated tech. So, for example, if you want to install a smart lock on one…

0 Comments

12 September 2018

Now more than ever, your smartphone and your voice can make you master of your domicile. Smart tech makes sense in your current home or the one you are moving to. Image: iStock.

Energy Conservation / Connected Home / Amazon Alexa / Apple HomeKit / Google Assistant / Gadgets / How-To

6 Tips for the Road Ahead—to Your Smart Home

Smart home technology is among the best things to come out of Silicon Valley in recent years. The ability to control your home from your smartphone or with your voice, even when you’re not there, can be quite compelling.  Summer can be the perfect time…

0 Comments

1 September 2018

Featuring integration with Apple iOS as well as watchOS, the Philips Hue app for Apple Watch enables Hue lighting control via widgets. Image: Digitized House Media.

Energy Conservation / Connected Home / Apple HomeKit / Product Guide / Gadgets / Privacy & Safety / Secure Home

5 Apple Watch Apps for Smart Home Mastery

There are a variety of watchOS apps that enable you to control your smart home accessories from Apple Watch. Variances in functionality and interface make evaluating each app a prudent endeavor, especially if you're seeking a premiere app that lets you get the most out…

0 Comments

28 August 2018

Robotic mowers can be a big time saver in your landscape, giving you more time to tend to the garden. Image: Husqvarna.

Connected Garage / Connected Home / Water Conservation / Sustainable Home / Healthy Home / Homes / How-To

Smart Solutions to Accelerate Garden Growth

Having a garden is one of the biggest joys a nature enthusiast can have in their lives. You get to hand pick the little plants you want to raise in your yard and take pride in raising them well into their blooming stages. The trick…

0 Comments

10 August 2018

Do you know if your garage door is open or closed right now? The new generation of smart garage door opener controllers can let you check via your smartphone. Image: Digitized House Media.

Connected Garage / Connected Home / Amazon Alexa / Apple HomeKit / Google Assistant / Product Guide / Gadgets / Homes / Secure Home

5 Smart Controllers to Elevate Your Garage Door

There are smart door locks and intelligent room lights and thermostats, so why not smart garage door controllers, too? As it turns out, you can buy those and there are a growing number to choose from. Here are five of the best ones.  [1] Chamberlain…

0 Comments

8 August 2018

Skydrop Arc Controller. Image: Skydrop.

Connected Garage / Green Building / Connected Home / Amazon Alexa / Water Conservation / Google Assistant / Product Guide / Sustainable Home / Smart Speakers / Smart Water

6 Best Smart Irrigation Controllers to Keep Your Lawn Happy

As the temperatures creep up during the long days of summer, lawns grow thirsty. Even though you might have the best intentions to keep your lawn properly watered and looking lush and green, busy work schedules and family activities can derail you from those plans.…

0 Comments

21 July 2018

The Digitized House channel in the Apple News app. Image: Digitized House Media.

Connected Home / Amazon Alexa / Apple HomeKit / Sustainable Home / Healthy Home / News / Secure Home

Tune into our Apple News app channel

Chances are high that you are reading this on a mobile device. And if that device is from Apple and running iOS 9, 10, or 11, you have the option to get this and all other Digitized House content around the connected home straight from the Apple…

0 Comments

30 May 2018

ChargePoint Home EV chargers work with Amazon Alexa. Images: ChargePoint and Amazon

Connected Garage / Energy Conservation / Connected Home / Amazon Alexa / Sustainable Home / Smart Speakers

Connected garages just got smarter: ChargePoint brings Amazon Alexa to EV charging

The connected garage just got smarter. Home-based 240-volt charging stations are becoming de rigueur for many electric vehicle (EV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) owners, as cars with high-capacity battery systems can be painfully slow to charge when plugged into standard outlets. Fulfilling the…

0 Comments

5 January 2018

Connected Garage / Energy Conservation / Connected Home / Sustainable Home / Video

Sights and sounds: 2017 National Drive Electric Week in Austin

https://youtu.be/ketaycdph0M Organized by Plug In America, the Sierra Club, and the Electric Auto Association, the 2017 edition of National Drive Electric Week (NDEW) was a rolling, week-long, multi-national series of 288 or more locally-organized events aimed at promoting electric vehicle (EV) adoption and awareness. In the…

0 Comments

27 September 2017

Austin Energy Electric Drive launch event.

Connected Garage / Energy Conservation / Connected Home / Sustainable Home

Austin Energy lights up E Source Forum with Electric Drive award

On the heels of their March 2017 Electric Drive event, utility provider Austin Energy lit up the 2017 E Source Forum by winning the Best Event/Experiential Marketing award at the annual conference—an energy-saving mecca of sorts for electric or natural gas utilities and large business customers…

0 Comments

18 September 2017

2017 Toyota Prius Prime Advanced.

Connected Garage / Energy Conservation / Sustainable Home

Join us at National Drive Electric Week in Austin

The 2017 edition of National Drive Electric Week (NDEW) is a prime time to see, touch, and experience a broad range of electric vehicles—and if you are planning on attending the Austin, Texas, event on September 16, you can get up close and personal with our…

0 Comments

15 September 2017

Connected Garage / Connected Home / Sustainable Home

In our connected garage: 2017 Toyota Prius Prime

For many owners of today’s increasingly connected and energy-efficient homes, equally connected and energy-efficient automobiles can be the next logical step. And taking that next step often includes snubbing conventionally-powered gasoline and diesel autos in favor of searching among a new generation of hybrid, plug-in…

0 Comments

30 July 2017

Connected Garage / Connected Home / Architecture / Design / Healthy Home / Secure 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’ Show (IBS) in Orlando, Florida, earlier this year was a showcase for what can be done through the integration of off-the-shelf products. In this final…

0 Comments

10 April 2017

Connected Garage / Green Building / Connected Home / Solar Photovoltaics / Sustainable Home / Architecture

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 reasons. The benefits of these roofs are many, including an extremely long service life, near-zero maintenance, increased safety through fire resistance, higher energy efficiency, and…

0 Comments

31 October 2016

Featured Articles

Announcing Digitized House

So what is the raison d’être of Digitized House? Quite simply, we have architected our all-digital publishing mission to guide you along the winding road toward making your dwelling a smarter, more energy efficient, and healthier place to live. As we rev up in the…

Comments Off on Announcing Digitized House

8 October 2015

Connected Garage / Connected Home

Arrival of the Connected Garage

Connected garage is the term we have coined here at Digitized House to posture the garage or carport as not simply a place to park an automobile, but as a natural extension of the zero net energy (ZNE) home and the accompanying lifestyle. In this…

0 Comments

7 October 2015