Nest and Yale begin Shipping Nest x Yale Smart Lock

Nest x Yale smart door lock. Image: Nest and Yale.

Bringing the convenience of the Nest connected home ecosystem to your front door, the Nest x Yale lock is the ...

Automating your window shades is easier than ever. These Graber Mezzanine layered shades have onboard Z-Wave motors and work with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Image: Digitized House Media.

Automating Window Shades in the Connected Home Era: Part 2

by Tom Kolnowski

15 March 2018

As we wrote in Part 1 of this series, motorized shades and blinds are moving rapidly into the DIY connected ...

Graber Layered Shades with Virtual Cord Motorization. Image: Graber.

Automating Window Shades in the Connected Home Era: Part 1

by Tom Kolnowski

12 March 2018

Once a bastion of high-end home automation systems, motorized window shades are moving into the DIY connected home mainstream with ...

Philips Hue Cher ceiling fixture. Image: Philips.

Philips Hue Expands Smart Lighting with Cher Ceiling Fixtures

by Tom Kolnowski

21 February 2018

Moving beyond the smart LED bulbs that have been the hallmark product of the Philips Hue brand, the company has ...

First Alert Onelink Safe & Sound smoke alarm and speaker. Image: First Alert.

First Alert Onelink Safe & Sound Smoke Alarm Brings Speaker and Alexa to Ceilings

by Tom Kolnowski

13 February 2018

First it was our walls getting smarter with the addition of audio features, such as in the case of the ...

iDevices Instinct smart wall switch. Image: iDevices.

iDevices Instinct Smart Switch to Debut

by Tom Kolnowski

29 January 2018

Aiming to elevate the lowly light switch, connected home accessory company iDevices has announced their Instinct line—smart wall switches with ...

The Apple HomePod voce-activated speaker arrives in February 2018. Image: Apple.

Apple HomePod Set for February 2018 Debut

by Tom Kolnowski

25 January 2018

After creating buzz around the Apple HomePod speaker at their Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June of 2017, the Cupertino ...

U by Moen Digital Shower, controlled by Amazon Alexa or Apple HomeKit and Siri. Image: Moen.

Smart Water Futures Gain Steam at CES 2018

by Tom Kolnowski

14 January 2018

So, you ask, did CES® 2018 yield a watershed moment for the connected home? If the number of water-related devices ...

Sonos speakers gain voice control through the Amazon Alexa assistant. Image: Digitized House.

Sonos and Amazon Alexa Make Beautiful Music Together

by Tom Kolnowski

24 November 2017

With the recent launch of Sonos One, an Amazon Alexa-enabled smart speaker, the company that built its reputation as one ...

Product Brief: Nest Thermostat E a Lower-Cost Alternative

by Tom Kolnowski

31 August 2017

Setting a high-water mark for residential thermostat retail pricing in 2011 with the launch of the original $249 Nest Learning ...

Product Brief: iDevices Dimmer Switch, Smart Home Switch Hitter

by Tom Kolnowski

19 August 2017

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: Yale Assure Lock SL a Slimmer Smart Lock

by Tom Kolnowski

16 August 2017

With the introduction of the Yale Assure Lock SL, the company adds a slimmer alternative to its line of Yale ...

Nest Cam IQ Raises Ante on Home Interior Security

by Tom Kolnowski

26 June 2017

Aiming to raise the ante on security technology inside the connected home, Nest Labs has announced Nest Cam IQ, a ...

Apple HomePod: Missing Card From HomeKit Smart Home Deck?

by Tom Kolnowski

6 June 2017

Aiming to be more than a me-too response to the Amazon Echo and Google Home speakers, Apple has played its ...

Inside the Nest Connected Home at IBS 2017: Part 3

by Tom Kolnowski

10 April 2017

Proving smart-home technologies can be great go-togethers when carefully selected, the Nest Connected Home at the 2017 NAHB International Builders’ ...