Smart home news, reviews, and guides — making your home smarter.
Smart home news, reviews, and guides — making your home smarter.
Google is testing firmware 3.79.550760 for the original Google Home, Home Mini, Nest Mini, and Nest Audio, bringing improvements to audio streaming, Wi-Fi connectivity, Google Assistant, smart home controls, and stability. Here is which devices are covered, how to check your version, and why continued support for decade-old speakers matters.
Read MoreToday’s best smart home deals (October 15): the eufy Smart Lock C33 at 40% off, Philips Hue White Ambiance bulbs at 36% off, a Roborock Q10 robot vacuum at 35% off, the Blink Video Doorbell at 20% off, and the Emerson Sensi smart thermostat at 15% off. All prices were verified on Best Buy and Walmart US this morning.
Read MoreApple’s new $299 HomeView smart display has no App Store, but updated developer documentation shows third-party audio and video apps will work through the CarPlay framework, and iPhone widgets can appear on the hub too. Here is how the pairing model works, what needs an iPhone nearby, and what it means for the smart home race.
Read MoreSKYX Platforms Corp. has completed its merger with Deako, a smart home technology supplier to more than 50 U.S. home builders including D.R. Horton and Toll Brothers. The combined company targets the AI smart home, builder and hotel markets with an estimated pipeline of over 4 million units at about $50 per product, plus expected annual savings of more than $6 million from operational synergies.
Read MoreAqara has launched the Smart Lock U600, a Matter-over-Thread smart lock designed specifically for British multipoint doors, with Apple HomeKey, Samsung Wallet Key, and fingerprint unlocking. Priced at £229.99 and available now on Amazon UK, it fills a long-standing gap for UK Apple Home users who previously had to replace their door hardware.
Read MoreApple’s October 13 smart home launch puts it head-to-head with Amazon’s Echo and Ring and Google’s Nest. With HomeView, the LG-built Home Collection, a new Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini 2, Apple is attacking on three fronts — and CIRP market data shows exactly which customers it’s after first.
Read MoreApple has unveiled the fourth-generation Apple TV 4K at its October 13 “Welcome Home” event: a $299 streamer with an A19 chip, hands-free Siri, hardware AV1 decoding, a Find My-equipped Siri Remote, four-speaker surround with HomePod, and a deeper role as a Thread and Matter smart home hub.
Read MoreToday’s best smart home deals: the Google Nest Thermostat E at 50% off, the Roborock Qrevo Curv 5A1 robot vacuum at 39% off, plus verified discounts on a Ring wired doorbell, a solar eufy camera kit, and Dyson’s new robot vacuum. Every price was checked on Best Buy’s live US product page on October 14.
Read MoreApple’s October 13 smart home launch brings HomeView, HomePod mini 2, a new Apple TV 4K, and nine accessories — but Siri AI arrives on different schedules for each device. We break down what works on day one, what’s delayed, and the fine print: Apple Intelligence iPhone requirements, English-only launch markets, iCloud+ camera limits, and which features need a home hub.
Read MoreApple unveiled the HomePod mini 2 at its October 13 ‘Welcome Home’ event. The $149 smart speaker packs an S10 chip, Wi-Fi 6E, a new Sound Glow visual effect, and four-speaker surround sound with the new Apple TV 4K. It ships October 30 — but Siri AI won’t arrive until a later software update.
Read More