Homey Pro review: A very particular set of home automation skills
Enlarge / The Homey Pro, settling in for some quiet network check-ins at dusk.Kevin Purdy I know there are people who will want to buy the Homey Pro. I’ve seen them on social media and in various home automation forums, and I’ve even noticed them in the comments on this website. For this type of…
Mazda’s DMCA takedown kills a hobbyist’s smart car API tool
Jonathan Gitlin Before last week, owners of certain Mazda vehicles who also had a Home Assistant setup could create some handy connections for their car. Enlarge / A glimpse at some of Home Assistant's Mazda data potential, before it was removed.One CX60 driver had a charger that would only power on when it confirmed his…
Willow could be the $50 hardware piece of the DIY voice...
Enlarge / Google's smart home ambitions are exactly the kind of thing Willow and Home Assistant are trying to help people avoid.Patrick T. Fallon/Getty Images Big Tech voice assistants are struggling. Alexa is Amazon's biggest money-loser, Apple's Siri is mired in organizational dysfunction and cautiousness, and Google is leaning hard into every kind of AI…
The 4 best smart displays for your kitchen, bedroom, and wall
Best with Alexa: Amazon Echo Show 8 If you want an Alexa device, the Amazon Echo Show 8 offers the best balance of features and price. Jenny McGrath/Business Insider Dimensions: 7.9 (L) x 3.9 (W) x 5.4 (H) inchesDisplay: 8.0 inches, 1280 x 800 resolutionSpeakers: Two 2-inch speakersCamera: 13 megapixelsPros: Impressive camera, good screen size,…
SwitchBot’s Hub 2 is the first Matter device that really matters
Enlarge / SwitchBot's new Hub 2 is most helpful for those who already have SwitchBot products in their home, but also those with infrared devices they'd like to automate.SwitchBot The Matter smart home connectivity standard has huge promise and lots of device makers lined up to engage with a theoretically more open, less server-dependent future.…
How to control your smart home without yelling at a dumb...
Enlarge / We don't have to rely on megacorp obelisks to operate the things we buy. We don't have to learn their language. We can break free.PonyWang/Getty Images For many people, an automated smart home is about little things that add up to big conveniences over time. Lights turning on when you pull into the…
With voice assistants in trouble, Home Assistant starts a local alternative
Enlarge / Home Assistant running on a Google Nest Hub, via a wild Chromecast hack. Native hardware like this would be nice. Are cloud-based voice assistants doomed? That seems like an overly dramatic question to ask if you look at the current state of millions of users of Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, and Apple's Siri,…
SmartDry’s useful laundry sensor to be cloud-bricked next month
Enlarge / The SmartDry laundry sensor was widely regarded as a useful smart home gadget that saved money and time. When its owners' servers go dark at the end of September, users face a useless device or a notable DIY journey.Getty Images SmartDry was a smart home product that did something useful: tell you when…
How to make HomeKit see more of your gadgets with Home...
Enlarge / The Apple Home application is seen on an iPhone screen on November 15, 2017. The Home app allows people to control accessories in their home, like living room and kitchen lights, from their phone.Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images) I've been buying and tinkering with smart home devices for years. As a result, my…
