Ring HomeKit Support Nearly Here

Ring announced DoorBell Pro HomeKit support way back in June 2016. And, over the years, the company has continually stated that they have been eagerly waiting to release HomeKit compatibility (us, too). Anyone who’s followed the Ring account on Twitter has been greeted with the following response time and time again. Our priority is to … Read more

TiVo Chaptering: Jump To The Good Stuff

TiVo continues to experiment with their underlying SkipMode technologies. We’ve seen them invert ad skipping to highlight Super Bowl commercials the last two years and they just recently implemented automatic commercial skipping. But now they’re attempting something new with “Chaptering.” Sorta like DVD chapters, TiVo personnel are testing backend content bookmarking within a DVR recording. … Read more

Roundup of Upcoming Smart Home Stuff

Here’s a round up of upcoming smart home products and services from some of our favorite companies. Some possible cancellations as well. Ecobee ecobee4+ thermostat Timing: Soon Key detail: Glass screen new ecobee room sensor Timing: Soon Key detail: Magnetic base ecobee indoor camera Timing: Later ecobee contact sensor Timing: Later Arlo Arlo Video Doorbell … Read more

Amazon Deepens Alexa Ring Integration With “Person Detection” Alerts

Despite questionable privacy practices, it’s increasingly difficult to quit Alexa given Amazon’s continued device integration and Routine enhancements. And today our very own Adam Miarka discovered Ring video now includes Alexa speaker announcements of “Person Detection.” Except it may not actually be active yet, given his limited testing. While Adam can enable the option for … Read more

Ecobee On Sale For Just $66.50

Target is running an amazing ecobee sale today. ecobee has long been my preferred smart thermostat, besting Nest in a number of categories such as remote sensor integration. As such, I’d recommend the ecobee4 for all of $100… with bundled room sensor. At this price, ecobee4 is a great deal and at least half off … Read more

AFTVnews Goes Dark (for a good reason!)

AFTVnews, the preeminent site for everything Fire TV, is going dormant. At first blush, it appears to be a tremendous loss for us Fire TV owners. However, proprietor Elias Saba has been hired by Amazon and will be well-positioned within the Fire TV team to represent consumers. And it’s a fascinating story arc as Elias … Read more

Caavo Wants Your Whole Home, Starting With Sonos

Caavo Control Center, something much more than a universal remote despite having just replaced my Harmony, is out with a humongo update today. First and foremost, beyond managing the connected television devices that they continue to iterate on, the company has picked up TiVo’s original whole home torch and is expanding control deeper into our … Read more

Wyze Sense Smart Home Kit Now Shipping

Revealed late last year, Wyze has aspirations beyond WiFi video cameras and is expanding into full-on smart home capabilities with the new Wyze Sense kit. This $20 bundle includes a wireless bridge, that’s powered by the $26 Wyze Cam, to communicate with a motion sensor and two contact sensor pairs. Monitor your home for under $50? … Read more