Get the Wyze Smart Home Starter Pack and $15 gift card for $99
Merry Wyze Day 2019, everyone. If you've been needing a good reason to finally start automating your home, then you're in luck. On October 24 only, you can get the Wyze Smart Home Starter Pack for just $99. That's $10 off. Plus you'll get a free $15 Wyze Day gift card.
Researchers have found a way to extend Wi-Fi ranges by almost 200 feet
BYU researchers have developed a new protocol that may extend the Wi-Fi signal range of smart home devices. The new protocol only requires the use of software, not hardware to extend the range and it lets IoT devices to be installed over 60 meters away from an access point.
Pani’s smart home water monitor is the Fitbit of water usage
Pani, a company focused on smart home water technology, announced the new Pani Smart Water Monitor today. This water monitor is a smart device that attaches to a faucet, shower, or toilet. Then, it records water usage, checks for leaks, and sends real-time reports to an app.
No need to get down and dirty cleaning your toilet with Shine Bathroom Assistant
If you hate polishing the porcelain throne, then there's good news. Shine Bathroom Assistant, the automated toilet cleaning and maintenance bot, is now a thing. The device can clean the toilet bowl when it's dirty or tell you how to fix any toilet malfunctions that may arise. It is even Alexa compatible.
SwitchBot is the Chromecast of smart curtains
Starting today, October 22, you can get the SwitchBot Curtain through its Kickstarter campaign. The Switchbot Curtain is a motorized device you can attach to your curtains in minutes to make them become smart curtains. Once installed, you can use voice commands or an app to open and close your curtains.
Nobel Prize awarded to physicists who changed our understanding of the cosmos
Three scientists were just awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for work in what the universe is made of and discovering the first exoplanet. Canadian scientist James Peebles and Swiss astronomers Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz are splitting the $906,705 Nobel Prize money for their separate discoveries.
How facial recognition is helping astronomers reveal the secrets of dark matter
Could the same A.I. technology that is used to unlock people’s smartphones also help unlock the potential secrets of the universe? It sounds crazy, but that’s exactly what researchers from ETH Zurich in Switzerland are working to achieve. Here's what they have developed.
Forget the autonomous car, meet the trash can that takes itself out
We think we can wait a while for cars that drive themselves if we don't have to take the trash bins out by ourselves anymore. That's the vision of a new smart home company called Rezzi that just won the Cool Idea Award from digital parts manufacturer Protolabs for a new device called the SmartCan.
The Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box brings immersive lighting to your living room
The Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box removes all the extra steps involved in creating an immersive lighting experience. Just place it between your media player and your TV, and enjoy the experience. Up to 10 Philips Hue lights and four HDMI devices can connect to the HDMI Sync Box.
A perfect match? Google Assistant comes to Control4’s Smart Home OS 3
If you use Control4 products, there's a new way to get control. At CEDIA 2019, Google and SnapAV, a producer of A/V, surveillance, networking, automation, and remote management products, announced their new collaboration. This collaboration adds Google Assistant to Control4's new Smart Home OS 3.
Crestron’s new smart home suite includes support for multiple homes
Crestron is a pretty high-end brand in the smart home market and while it's never been cheap, it's been a powerful solution for users who want dynamic smart home control across as many brands as possible and its newly launched operating system promises complete control, even across multiple properties.
Upcoming Philips Hue lights to add Bluetooth connectivity, filament bulb options
Philips Hue, now under the Signify banner, released a host of new and updated lights and smart home devices Thursday, adding Bluetooth connectivity for the first time. Also coming later this year are brand new filament bulbs and a new smart plug and smart button, the company says.
Amazon cuts the Alexa-enabled Philips Hue Starter Pack to its lowest price ever
We love Philips Hue. While they're not cheap, some of us have first-generation bulbs — now some seven years old — and they are still working just as good as they did on day one. Now in their fourth generation, they're better than ever, and now cheaper than ever on Amazon.
RoomMe, a smart home sensor that knows who you are, finally ships to buyers
RoomMe, the smart home sensor that's long been in the pipeline at Israel-based startup Intellithings,promises smart home automation based on personal identification rather than time-based programming. Now, it looks like the crowdfunded product will finally ship this month.
Your Nest products will still work with Wink, but at the cost of new features
In previous months, Google had said Nest and Wink integrations would no longer work beyond August 31. They've since amended this declaration and will allow integrations to remain, but customers can't access new features like single-account control. Users will receive security updates, however.
Virtual universe machine models galaxies to learn about dark matter
Researchers are discovering new facts about our universe by creating a virtual universe machine that models the way galaxies develop over time. A team from the University of Arizona created a computer simulation of 12 million different galaxies, stretching back 400 million years after the Big Bang.
Telescope array discovers a trove of ancient, massive galaxies
Huge, billion-year-old galaxies have been hiding in plain sight, according to a new study. Astronomers discovered 39 ancient, massive galaxies by combining data from different telescopes around the world. They were hard to find because the light they give off is very faint, and they are obscured by dust.
Arlo’s smart security cams take a bite out of Apple, finally add HomeKit support
After announcing at CES earlier this year that it was launching support to add its popular smart security cameras to Apple's HomeKit smart home platform, device manufacturer Arlo has delivered on its promise in its latest update by enabling users to add cameras to the platform.
Moen is adding support for Siri, Apple HomeKit to its U smart shower
At over $1,000 for even a basic model, the ultra-luxurious Moen U smart home shower is quite an indulgence. But smart home owners who are partial to Apple's HomeKit platform or are heavy-duty Siri users now have a reason to think about buying one: Moen has added support for Apple HomeKit.
The Nanoleaf Canvas can now control your smart home through touch
The Nanoleaf Canvas improves its functionality thanks to HomeKit-based "Touch Actions" that let users turn any Canvas Square into a smart button. These buttons can be set to control devices throughout the home with a single press. This improved functionality is available starting today.
Vizio updates even 3-year-old SmartCast TVs with AirPlay 2 and HomeKit
Vizio joins LG in updating its smart TVs with Apple's AirPlay 2 and HomeKit technologies. Unlike LG, Vizio is adding these features to a huge range of models, some of which date back as far as 2016. The features are contained with SmartCast 3.0 which starts rolling out to eligible TVs today.
Space telescope to probe the mysteries of dark energy and dark matter
Two of the biggest mysteries in astronomy are dark matter and dark energy. A new project from the European Space Agency (ESA), the Euclid mission, will attempt to unravel some of the puzzles over these forces and is set to launch in 2022. Euclid will perform a survey of billions of distant galaxies.
Are people losing interest in smart home technology?
Recent analysis of sales trends suggest that the smart home boom may be over and that consumers are beginning to lose interest in the market, but more factors are at play than just simple sales rank. The reasons people buy, and the number of products available to them, have a huge impact on the market.
Amazon discounts the Alexa Guard Kit with Ring Alarm, Echo Dot, and Philips Hue
Amazon dropped the price on a smart home security device bundle that demonstrates the giant retailer's unique ability to mix its own products with a leading third-party brand. The Alexa Guard bundle is a functionally complete smart home package in a compelling pre-Prime Day 2019 deal.
Dark matter galaxy crashed into the Milky Way, causing the ripples in its disk
New research suggests hundreds of millions of years ago, the Milky Way collided with Antlia 2, a nearby dwarf galaxy. This collision caused ripples in the disk of gas around the Milky Way which we still observe today. Antlia 2 is about one third the size of the Milky Way and is dominated by dark matter.
Your smartphone could be the key to predicting natural disasters
One of the challenges for atmospheric scientists is gathering enough data to understand the complex, planet-wide weather system. Now an atmospheric scientist has come up with a clever idea to gather more data using smartphones and Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
Woot offers huge discounts on Philips Hue smart lighting for one day only
If there's a standard bearer for smart home lighting, it's Philips Hue. As one of the first manufacturers to offer LED light kits for smart homes, Philips Hue light bulbs, switches, hubs, and starter kits command premium prices. That's why we jumped when we saw Woot's one-day sale on Philips Hue smart lights.
Scientists find organic matter from outer space in 3.3-billion-year-old rocks
Scientists believe they have located organic matter that is extraterrestrial in origin, in 3.3 billion year old rocks in the Makhonjwa Mountains in South Africa. This offers support to the theory that organic chemicals arrived on our planet aboard a meteorite and created the building blocks for life.
Alexa, how’s the smart home revolution doing? As it turns out, just fine
More than a third of broadband-equipped households now own at least one remotely monitored internet-connected device, with smart speakers in the lead, followed by thermostats and networked cameras, analysts at Parks Associates reported at the Connections connected-home conference.
Sale at Microsoft Store knocks 20% off Samsung SmartThings devices
Looking to make your home even smarter? Samsung SmartThings is the electronics manufacturer's smart home hub, sensor, and most recently a decent mesh Wi-Fi router system, and everything's on sale for 20% off at the Microsoft Store at the moment.
Control4 assures customers that its products will still work with Nest
Google is ending the "Works with Nest" program that allows third-party companies to build products that integrate with the Nest ecosystem. Smart home product maker Control4 is promising that its products will continue to work with Nest and Google devices through the "Works with Google Assistant" program.
Best Buy cuts the price of Philips Hue Smart Light Kit with 2 Google Home Minis
Best Buy cut the price of the Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance Multicolor LED Starter Kit and added a Google Home Mini 2-pack for no extra cost. This bundle saves $128 from the combined price of the smart light starter kit and the Google Minis. This is a great deal for anyone starting to set up a smart home.
Philips Hue smart bulbs get steep discounts at Best Buy
Philips Hue are some of the best smart bulbs on the market, but they are by no means the cheapest. That's why when we see a deal like Best Buy's on the Hue White and Color Ambiance BR30 bulbs, we recommend stocking up.
Philips Hue users can activate their favorite routines through Google Home
Philips Hue expanded its Google Home integration through the Gentle Sleep and Wake routine. Say, "Hey Google, sleep my lights" and your Philips Hue bulbs will dim over half an hour. Say "wake my lights" and they will brighten instead. This simulates a natural sunrise for a more natural wake-up.