If you’ve been thinking “What my smart home really needs is a flying robot,” then you’re in luck because that’s exactly what Aevena is making. The company has a Kickstarter for its Aire, which is an Alexa-controlled robot that flies around your house monitoring for trouble or just snapping photos and video when you ask. It’s essentially a cross between a security cam and drone that uses multiple sensors and cameras to detect intruders and let you remotely see what’s happening. They say the Aire is quiet so it won’t distract by sounding like a swarm of angry flying machines. You can check out the Aevena Aire on Kickstarter and sign up to get your own flying robot to watch over your home.
A Robotic Lawn Mower to Save Your Pennies For
Jeff Butts loves all sorts of home automation gadgets, so it’s little surprise he’s interested in these yard machines.
Philips Hue Dimmer Switch, Motion Sensor, Tap, Get HomeKit Support
Philips just added HomeKit support to its Hue dimmer switch, motion sensor, and tap with a software update to the Philips Hue iPhone app.
Amazon Intros Echo Plus and Spot, Fire TV 4K
Amazon just ramped up its smarthome game—and Echo product line—with new Echo and Echo Plus smart speakers, and the Echo Spot.
An Introduction to Home Assistant, the Open Source Home Automation Platform that Can Even Talk to iTunes
Imagine having the experience of the lights automatically dimming when the movie begins, all in the comfort of your own home.
Elgato Intros HomeKit Door Lock, Smoke Detector, More
Elgato is expanding its Eve HomeKit-compatible smart home product lineup with a new door lock, smoke detector, window sensor, and lawn watering controller.
Here's How to Control Your WeMo Switches From Your Mac
Controlling the WeMo devices in your smart home isn’t a task that has to be limited to your iPhone or iPad—your Mac can get in on the action, too.
Apple's 4K Apple TV, Arduino Smart Home Experiments - TMO Daily Observations 2017-08-07
John Martellaro and Jeff Butts join Jeff Gamet to share their thoughts on a leak that seems to confirm a 4K Apple TV is in the works, plus Jeff B fills us in on his Arduino kit experiments and HomeKit.
Apple Patent Details Controlling Your Smart Home from a Single Device
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published a new Apple patent application on Thursday describing a system for controlling your smart home from a single device that can learn new functions. The patent sounds a lot like an iPhone with HomeKit, which is no coincidence at all.
Turn Your Pull-Chain Ceiling Fan Into a Smart Fan
I’ve found a cool HomeKit-compatible device that can turn an ordinary ceiling fan into a smart fan. That’s the one thing missing in my smart home setup right now, my ceiling fan. I can turn my lights on and off with Phillips Hue, but that won’t control those spinning fan blades. Hunter Fans has an accessory that will. The Hunter SIMPLEconnect looks pretty cool and easy to install (if you’ve ever installed your own ceiling fan.) It uses a Bluetooth receiver wired directly into almost any ceiling fan with pull chains. There’s a Bluetooth controller that plugs into an electrical outlet and a remote control for quick adjustments. The final piece in the puzzle is the Hunter SIMPLEconnect app, which you install on your iPhone. Et voilà, you’ll have a smart ceiling fan that you can control straight from your iPhone.
Interactive HomeKit Demo Stations Come to Apple Stores
If you’re having a hard time wrapping your head around HomeKit and why you might want smart home devices you can now try them out it Apple’s own stores.
EFF Tech Company Score Card, Smart Home Appliance Surveillance - TMO Daily Observations 2017-07-11
Bryan Chaffin and Jeff Butts join Jeff Gamet to sort out the EFF’s tech company score card, plus they have some thoughts on home voice appliances calling the police for us.
Amazon's gets Savvy About Smart Home Setup with On-site Techs
Amazon is relying on its own smart home consultants to help make it only place you go shopping.
Amazon Updates Echo With Home Intercom Feature
The feature works with the Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Show, and even with the Alexa iPhone app, so you’ll be able to annoy your family from anywhere in the world.
Smarter Coffee Brews How You Want, When You Want
There are smart coffee makers, and then there’s Smarter Coffee. This coffee maker is so smart it can start brewing when you round the bend home from your morning jog. With the explosion in app-enabled appliances and smart home technology, it’s not too surprising. With Smarter Coffee, you can use the app or start brewing with a command to Alexa. That’s not all, though — the coffee maker has a built-in bean grinder. It will grind your beans to the perfect consistence, then brew your coffee just the way you like it. Connect Smarter Coffee to a fitness tracker. The coffee maker will start brewing when you near home after your jog or evening commute. Finally, the coffee maker tells you, through the app, how much water is in the reservoir. If you want to set it to brew eight cups of coffee, you’ll know right away if you need to add more water.
Tim Cook's Take on a Siri Smart Home Controller - TMO Daily Observations 2017-06-15
Bryan Chaffin and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to offer up their thoughts on Apple CEO Tim Cook saying we don’t need a Siri smart home controller because we already have the iPhone and Apple Watch.