Smart home news, reviews, and guides — making your home smarter.
Smart home news, reviews, and guides — making your home smarter.
First leaked images reveal LG’s smart deadbolt, thermostat and temperature sensor co-developed with Apple. FCC filings confirm Thread, Matter and UWB support, including auto-unlock on approach. The seven-device lineup is expected to debut alongside Apple’s smart home hub on October 13.
Read MoreApple is reportedly teaming up with LG on a lineup of smart home accessories — a wired video doorbell, smart deadbolt lock, thermostat, temperature sensor, and indoor, outdoor, and floodlight cameras — built with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Thread, and Matter, with UWB on the lock for proximity unlocking. The LG-branded devices would expand the ecosystem around Apple’s upcoming home hub, expected October 13.
Read MoreThe Connectivity Standards Alliance has released Matter 1.6.1, a maintenance update that finalizes Groupcast for faster, synchronized group control and adds separate volume and mute controls for doorbell chimes. Here is what changes, why your lights will react together, and when platforms will catch up.
Read MoreIKEA’s 21-device Matter lineup has pushed smart home prices to new lows, with a color bulb at 9 pounds and sensors at 7 pounds. But pairing failures, devices dropping offline, and weak owner ratings show that the ecosystem’s biggest challenge is reliability, not price.
Read MoreUGREEN’s HomeAgent is a local AI smart home hub with the on-device Uliya LLM, Matter and Thread support, plus NAS and camera NVR storage — no cloud subscriptions. Pre-orders are open at $899 ahead of an October 27 Kickstarter, with shipping in 2027. Here’s what the HA100, HA100 Pro, and MasterAgent MA100 offer.
Read MoreSamsung has confirmed that all of IKEA’s Matter-over-Thread devices — smart bulbs, plugs, remotes, and sensors — now connect directly to compatible SmartThings hubs, no DIRIGERA hub required. Here is the full list of supported devices and what they can automate in your home.
Read MoreThread 1.4 has landed on Apple TV via the tvOS 27 beta and on the Google TV Streamer, bringing standardized credential sharing that should finally unite fragmented Thread networks. Here is what it fixes, what still does not work, and what Matter 1.6 has in store next. We explain the credential-sharing fix, the current beta limitations, and what to do in the meantime.
Read MoreTCL unveiled Matter-over-Thread smart locks at CES 2026: the D2 Pro with touch-free palm vein biometrics and local AI learning, plus the D2L fingerprint lever lock. Both carry BHMA Grade 3 certification.
Read MoreHome Assistant 2026.9, released September 2, 2026 by the Open Home Foundation, adds a Matter network map showing Thread and Wi-Fi paths, border routers, and signal strength — plus AI voice upgrades and a new security dashboard.
Read MoreAqara’s FP400 spatial multi-sensor launched in September 2026 after its CES debut. With 60GHz mmWave radar tracking up to ten people and a choice of Thread or Zigbee connectivity, it shows where presence sensing is headed.
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