Home security monitoring can be an expensive monthly fee for many people. Where it provides value, that’s probably worth it for the peace of mind, and knowledge that if something were to happen emergency services would be notified. Not everyone wants this, can afford it, or even if they do – live in a neighborhood where emergency services can be […]
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I’m not a fan of unnecessary Cloud dependencies in home automation tech. So when I started chatting with Hubitat about their home automation controller (HAC), and we started getting into the details I was thrilled to find out that their model is almost entirely Cloud free. Naturally there is a bit to handle connection brokering from locations outside the LAN […]
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WiSA is neat tech. So I always make a point to put them on the list of groups to meet with at CES. There wasn’t much new this year; the chips still top out at a Dolby Atmos unfriendly channel count. Although as a “better” alternative to a soundbar (i.e good in a good/better/best) for the vast majority of consumers […]
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Last year, I was really impressed with First Alert Onelink‘s Alexa/Google Home enabled smoke/CO detectors. This year, even more so with their plans to release a Wi-Fi mesh model. Details were a bit sparse on the floor, but I was promised more information in “early 2019”. Such an amazing idea, that should solve wireless connectivity in most any modern home. […]
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So in my search lately for better and more controlled home automation, I have tried many platforms. One of them is Home Assistant. Upon reading on a page of Konnected (awesome alarm conversion stuff if you haven’t looked), I came across the fact that Home Assistant is owned by Ubiquiti Networks and really is getting some push beyond it. I […]
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Another Google product comes to an end. This affects me personally using 4 of these great devices. Has me really re-thinking any future google purchases. Our product portfolio continues to evolve, and now we have a variety of products for users to enjoy audio. We have therefore stopped manufacturing our Chromecast Audio products. We will continue to offer assistance for […]
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I often wonder how vendors select demo material to show off their products. Some of them just don’t seem to understand, SVS does not fall into that category however. With a selection of content which always makes their kit look, er sound, great and usually puts a big grin on my face – they clearly get it (who doesn’t love […]
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We all have a friend or family member who would be a great candidate for cord cutting, but the complexity of setting up a NAS or PC “server” is too much for them. The new $199 SiliconDust Scribe Duo could be the perfect solution for them. It has 2 OTA tuners, access to SD’s premium service, 1TB of hard drive […]
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When RHA announced the CL2 Planar was one of the first companies I put on the “must stop by” list for this CES, and I was not disappointed. They are hands down the best headphones I have ever experienced, which, given the $900 price tag they should be. The clarity, responsiveness, and quick transitions all stood out, but it was […]
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Wi-Fi 6, or 802.11ax, is a thing now… And there appear to be real benefits to the updated standard, especially in congested locations. Naturally early adoption isn’t cheap, with this new ASUS RT-AX88U SRP’g for $350. But, if future proofing (at least for a year or two :)) is on your resolutions list, this could be exactly the thing for […]
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