With the release of the updated Ecobee SmartThermostat, the company has also refreshed the Room Sensor as the new SmartSensor featuring an updated appearance, that houses enhanced functionality, and improved mounting options. It comes bundled with the new ecobee, but also backwards compatible and sold independently in 2-packs for $79. So what’s new? Most obvious … Read more
Apple has unleashed a ton of new functionality across their device lineup … that’s still being digested. Yet a significant HomeKit update merited WWDC keynote attention. Apple rightly points out that most of our connected video camera content is shipped across the Internet and entrusted to service providers, perhaps without sufficient privacy controls. As such, … Read more
If you’ve been following along, you know ecobee is working on a variety of new products. While the company will expand their reach into the smart home later this year with (at least) an indoor camera and contact sensor, an updated ecobee thermostat and sensor is expected any day now. And, thanks to Lowe’s, all … Read more
Alexa Routines have become increasingly powerful and Amazon just upped the virtual hub ante with sunrise/sunset triggers. As shown in the video, we can use those ever shifting times to put a variety of smart home devices into action. In my case, I’m migrating three less elegant Hue lighting routines into two Alexa routines given … Read more
What if you could take the Arlo Pro 2 1080p cameras, run on standard AA batteries instead of proprietary, significantly lower the price of entry, and potentially have a 2-year camera charge? You’d have the new Blink XT2! At least that’s the Blink sales pitch — and it could be close. Amazon-owned Blink announced the … Read more
I’ve long been a fan of Hue lighting wall dimmers. But those days are about over given the Lutron Aurora. Years ago, the Hue dimmer bridged the analog and digital environments, allowing all household members to easily control room lighting via a more traditional switch. While the dimmers go well beyond simplistic brightness controls with … Read more
If you’ve been following our smart home tracker, you already knew Wyze bulbs were launching “soon” … and now I can provide even more precision: they go on sale next week. Further, due to what looks like some premature web publishing, we seemingly have all the details. Unlike Hue and IKEA lighting, Wyze is going … Read more
Back in January, we broke the news of upcoming Ring outdoor smart lighting and related accessories. This new system was described at CES as a means to extend your existing Ring ecosystem by not only allowing for wireless lighting, but also motion detection. Both can then be integrated with Ring cameras to help capture any … Read more
