Smart Home

Logitech Harmony Exceeds Apple HomeKit (Today)

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Last year, Logitech announced a new Home Hub which began a transformation of Harmony into a home automation hub by integrating a number of third party devices including as Philips Hue, Nest, SmartThings, and more! Not only could you control your media devices with a single remote / app, but we now also had the ability to control your lights, locks, and temperature of your home. Mix and match devices within your activities to create powerful new automations.

Sadly, at the time, Logitech left their older Smart Hub customers out in the cold. The new Home Hubs seemed to just be software updates, rather than any kind of additional hardware updates. Whether it was a change of heart, the angry voice of Harmony enthusiasts, or a little of both, Logitech has now provided an update for the older Smart Hub bringing it up-to-date with the Home Hub feature set.

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ADT & LG to take on iControl’s Piper (and Samsung, too)

Roll-your-own home automation remains something of a niche endeavor, despite an accelerating mainstream shopping push, given a whole host of compatibility considerations and complexity … that many of us are likely familiar with. It probably doesn’t help that Apple’s HomeKit is largely a no-show at this point and LG rival Samsung has delayed their SmartThings refresh. And perhaps why someone … Read more

Digital Media Bytes

Roku Feed and voice search now available through the Roku mobile app for Android and iOS The CW Network has picked up “The Flash” and “Arrow” spinoff, “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.” Sonos spends millions fighting ‘patent troll’… and wins We should rent our Nest thermostats, Sonos speakers and smartlocks, according to the CEO of internet-of-doorlocks … Read more

Comcast Expands Home Automation To Retail Trailblazers

Amongst a slew of compelling INTX show announcements, Comcast’s further foray into home automation is particularly notable. Whereas Comcast Home started as the typical white-labeled home automation and security solution, featuring a variety of mostly generic components, Xfinity Home will shortly expand to incorporate higher profile retail accessories. For example, my beloved Kevo smartlock and Netgear Arlo cameras will be accessible from both the X1 DVR and Xfinity app this summer, with other leaders this space like Lutron, August, and Nest also onboard. And more can be expected as Comcast introduces an Xfinity Home SDK and partner program.

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I imagine many would appreciate another unified interface to their home automation and security gadgetry. I know I would (especially in regards to Arlo, which is currently silo-ed). Not to mention there’s a huge segment of the population who knows nothing of this, yet could benefit from it. But the question remains: Will folks have interest and confidence in their cable provider, specifically Comcast, as a partner for this sort of service? And what would they be willing to pay?

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Digital Media Bytes

SmartThings iOS app adds Apple Watch capabilities The fact that this update is coming to the iOS app for Apple Watch “further highlights SmartThings and Samsung’s commitment to an open platform,” The team behind SmartThings have released the SmartThings iOS app version 1.7.3 with Apple Watch integration. Cable Cozies Up to TiVo & OTT What … Read more

Nest/Dropcam “Smart Device” Passes Thru FCC?

File this one under pure speculation… Beyond showing up as a new FCC listing, we know next to nothing about this Google “Smart Device.” Some have concluded it’s a Google Glass update. However, I find that unlikely given the naming convention (CAP1 vs X1) and seeking approval for just a single band of low energy Bluetooth. It’s been a long while … Read more

Amazon Echo Nows Controls Philips Hue and Belkin Wemo!

Whoa, Amazon Echo just got way more interesting.Thus far, it’s made for a relatively decent voice-controlled alarm clock and connected speaker. But we’ve found it more novelty than necessity. That may change today. As Amazon just sent a note indicating they’ve enabled linkages to my Philips Hue bulbs and Belkin’s WeMo products for the smart home. Looking forward to checking this out real soon (and, sadly, it seems I may have prematurely unloaded our second unit).

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