home automation

Natural daylighting is healthy for you, and motorized window treatments can bring smart controls to make it even better. Image: Nice Group USA.

Connected Home / Energy Conservation / Featured Articles / Green Building / Healthy Home / Home Design / Window Coverings

Stay Healthier at Home Through Sunlight and Motorized Window Treatments

Along with brightening our moods, sunbeams can lengthen our lives and certainly make them happier by improving your health. You can get even more out of sunlight by adding motorized window treatment (MWT) systems to your home while getting additional benefits. These systems enable room…

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1 June 2019

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

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

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…

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2 May 2019

Nest Thermostat E smart thermostat. Image: Nest.

Energy Conservation / Featured Articles / Green Building / Healthy Home / Infographic / Smart Lighting / Smart Thermostats / Sustainable Home / Water Conservation

Infographic: Smart Ideas to Save Money, Help the Environment on Earth Day

From our colleagues at CopyPress, here's a timely infographic for Earth Day 2019, where you can learn about some great tips for saving money and helping to save the environment. These include recommendations for switching to LED light bulbs and smart thermostats, tips on water…

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22 April 2019

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

Connected Home / Featured Articles / Review / Smart Lighting / Smart Plugs / Smart Speakers

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

March Madness bliss: Listen to your favorite game on Google Home speakers. Image: Digitized House Media.

Audio Gear / Connected Home / Entertainment / How-To / Smart Displays / Smart Speakers

How to Use Google Assistant for March Madness Listening

As March Madness rolls into its final days, the drudgery of work can get in the way. But seriously, what's more important than NCAA hoops this time of the year, particularly when your alma mater is still in the mix? Solve that dilemma by asking…

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29 March 2019

iRobot Roomba 690 robot vacuum. Image: iRobot.

Connected Home / Healthy Home / How-To / Product Round-up

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

Image: IKEA.

Connected Home / Design / Home Design / Homes / News / Smart Speakers / Window Coverings

IKEA Smart Shades Delayed in European Union, Coming Later to U.S.

Update 15 March, 2019: IKEA has delayed launch of their smart shades in Europe to later in 2019, and an exact date has not been made known, This means they will be coming even later to the U.S. Below is our original article on these…

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15 March 2019

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

Connected Home / 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.

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

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

Smart home tech, such as the Nest Protect Smoke + CO Alarm shown here, can enable real-time detection and alerts for smoke and carbon monoxide events in the home. Image: Nest.

Connected Home / Healthy Home / Privacy & Safety / Water Conservation

Preventing Environmental Hazards with Connected Home Tech

Americans spend an average of 90% of their time inside, where pollutants can be up to five times more concentrated than they are outside, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These pollutants, such as mold or carbon monoxide (CO), pose health risks ranging…

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6 February 2019

Bali AutoView Shades. Image: Digitized House Media.

Connected Home / Energy Conservation / Home Design / Secure Home / Smart Speakers / Window Coverings

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

Among new Amazon connected home products are a line of audio amplifiers and revised Echo speakers. Image: Amazon.

Connected Home / Gadgets / News / Product Round-up / Smart Displays / Smart Plugs / Smart Speakers

The Latest Connected Home Products from Amazon

Online retailing giant Amazon recently held a hardware launch event in which it announced a massive array of new connected home products. With these fresh products, you will see improvements to Amazon's core line of Echo speakers, new Echo devices, new Alexa voice activation skills,…

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21 December 2018

Image: Digitized House Media.

Connected Home / Entertainment / Review / Smart Lighting

Controlling Philips Hue Lighting with Hue TV App on Apple TV

A cottage industry of app development around the Philips Hue family of smart LED lighting has produced a nice collection of software that runs on the popular Apple TV platform. Certainly, the native Hue smartphone app is always an option for lighting control, and remains…

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16 December 2018

Suited to covering an entire wall or ceiling, Nanoleaf Canvas light panels create a mosaic of variable light. Image: Nanoleaf.

Connected Home / Gadgets / Smart Lighting

Nanoleaf Begins Pre-Orders for Canvas Smart Lighting Panels

What does electric vehicle and energy innovator Tesla have in common with smart lighting pioneer Nanoleaf? As it turns out, both companies seemingly want to cover major surfaces of your home with state-of-the-art technology products. In the Tesla case, they intend to reinvent your roof…

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27 November 2018

Just in time for Halloween: August Home brings new Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, and IFTTT skills to its smart locks and doorbells. Image: August Home.

Connected Home / Privacy & Safety / Product Round-up / Secure Home / Smart Door Locks

August Enables More Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, IFTTT Skills

Adding to a repertoire of voice commands for its smart door locks, August Home has added a smart unlock feature for the Google Assistant. Designed to work with the August Smart Lock and Smart Lock Pro, the new integration pairs a voice command with a…

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30 October 2018

The Bose Home Speaker 500 is one of 3 new Bose products with the Amazon Alexa assistant built in. Image: Bose.

Audio Gear / Connected Home / Gadgets / Product Round-up / Smart Speakers

Native Amazon Alexa Controls Debut in Bose Smart Speakers

In a play to make its audio gear more relevant in today’s connected home, Bose has launched new smart speakers and soundbars with the Amazon Alexa voice assistant built in. New products from the company include the Home Speaker 500, Soundbar 500, and Soundbar 700,…

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18 October 2018

Smart tech for cats, like the Petcube Play camera, can add to their luxury life as your pet. Image: Petcube.

Connected Home / Product Round-up

6 Smart Home Gadgets That Help Your Cat Live in Luxury

Anyone who has ever lived with a cat knows that you don't own them—they own you. We love our felines. They're affectionate but independent. Best of all for busy owners, they’re fairly low maintenance. But what if you could make pet care even easier? There…

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15 October 2018

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

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

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…

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11 October 2018

From the new line of hardware from Facebook, the Portal+ features smart two-way video capability on a 15-in. screen. Image: Facebook.

Audio Gear / Connected Home / Gadgets / News

Facebook Bets on Smart Video Calling with Portal Displays

Putting a new face on the social network, Facebook has announced its Portal line of countertop video displays and cameras, designed to enable video calling with Facebook friends or Messenger contacts. Clearly ideated to embrace the video-everywhere mantra of the Menlo Park company, the two-way…

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10 October 2018

Ready to find your inner barista? The Saeco GranBaristo Avanti is a thoroughbred among coffee makers. Image: Saeco.

Connected Home / Gadgets / Product Round-up

Smart Coffee Makers to Energize You and Your Home

You walk into the kitchen and stare at your countertop. It looks so empty and lonely there. Your trusty old coffee pot brews some bitter muck that helps you get through the morning, but you wouldn't call it smart. Sometimes, when you go shopping, you…

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9 October 2018