I try very hard to resist piling on when a tech company makes a tone-deaf call, but this time I simply can’t. Seriously Amazon, WTF? If you use Alexa, Echo, or any other Amazon device, you have only 10 days to opt out of an experiment that leaves your personal privacy and security hanging in the balance. On June 8, […]
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If you’re planning to put an Amazon Echo Dot and a home automation (HA) controllable light switch in every room, I guess I can see the value in the $99 Ecobee Switch+. But, I’m not convinced that I want to tie my home so tightly to the Amazon ecosystem, especially because in my experience the 3rd party Alexa experience kinda […]
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We looked at the Flo smart home water monitoring system as part of our CES 2018 coverage. It was a really innovative method using machine learning to keep tabs on your water usage, check for leaks, detect problems, and potentially turn off the water when something really bad happens. Now, it has Amazon Alexa support. So questions like “Alexa, ask […]
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Installing a Google Home Mini or Amazon Echo Dot is a popular way to add the home automation enabling functionality to your house in an unobtrusive way. As neat as that is, it isn’t quite as slick as incorporating the technology straight into a smoke detector. If you have powered detectors already installed, as most modern homes do, the First […]
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Beyond the doesn’t look like a Wi-Fi router visage, the most interesting thing about the ASUS Blue Cave 802.11AC AC2600 Wi-Fi router is that it’s the first Intel Home Wi-Fi Chipset (what a product name :)) based networking kit that I’ve run across. Given the 4×4 1733Mbps + 800Mbps specifications, it has to be using the WAV524. SoC considerations aside, […]
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I wasn’t familiar with abode’s iota security system, home automation controller (HAC), and camera system before meeting them at CES. Overall the system looks quite approachable, and is obviously more intended for users who prioritize ease of installation and user experience (UX) over flexibility. I don’t mean that as a negative, per se. Just something that would need to be […]
Read moreFor my family, smart speakers like the Amazon Echo or Google Home are an essential part of how we interact with the home automation (HA) system, intercom between rooms, and casually listen to music. The privacy implications of this aren’t that concerning for us as I don’t think we’re interesting enough for Amazon, Google, the NSA, or really anyone else […]
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Today, Sonos finally let us know that voice control in on its way. It was originally announced almost a year ago and the company has been extremely quiet on their progress. People got excited when they updated their terms of service to include wording which seemed indicative of the requirements for voice control. So, what are we getting? A beta. […]
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The ecobee4 fortold by Zatz Not Funny! has arrived. Well sort of – you can now pre-order the smart thermostat for $249 (or $313 to include two additonal sensors) with an expected ship date of May 15th. Not bad at all considering that it suports Amazon Alexa (saving you a Dot purchase) and includes a remote sensor. Be comfortable in […]
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