Smart home technology provider Zigma launched its Smart Aerio 300 Wi-Fi Air Purifier. The company said the device can analyze air in a home or office in three minutes and clean air in spaces up to 1,580 square feet in an hour.
Aqara’s affordable new USB-powered controller, the Smart Hub E1, makes it easy to control devices and sensors through Apple’s HomeKit and other smart-home systems. The company’s Zigbee-based devices, such as smart sensors, connect to the cloud through a central smart hub.
Because Aqara bridges all its devices to HomeKit, you can mix and match automations using different vendors. What’s more, you can power the Aqara Smart Hub E1 with any USB port you have, whether it’s a wall plug or a powered USB port on a console, computer or smart TV.
Nanoleaf rolled out the latest in its catalog of modular, HomeKit-compatible LED smart-light panels. Following a parade of shaped-product releases — triangles, squares, hexagons — you can now buy Nanoleaf Lines for $200 and use them to make all sorts of lighted shapes. And you can sync them to action on a screen or to music.
It’s not too late to get ready to give trick-or-treaters a fright on Halloween night. Philips Hue offers 20% discounts on various HomeKit-compatible multicolor lighting packages. Think what you could do with a well-placed Grim Reaper and a motion-activated spotlight, for example. And maybe a blood-red lightstrip along the hedge. Throw in a few fiery jack-o’-lanterns, and you’re good to go.
As announced at Apple’s WWDC conference earlier this year, Siri voice support has come to the Ecobee SmartThermostat with Voice Control — the first hardware not made by Apple to get it, with many others to follow. Ecobee said a new software update bringing the change rolls out over the coming weeks.
In the expanding world of smart home accessories, window blinds are among the most complicated items to install and use. But Eve Systems and window-covering retailer Coulisse have announced they’re about to change that with Eve MotionBlinds. The HomeKit-enabled motorized blinds — the first to support the Thread standard — will come out early in 2022.
Not too long ago you didn’t have a whole lot of choices for high-quality cameras to run with Apple’s HomeKit system, but that’s changing all the time. For example, Zorachka has released its new, high-end Homam 64GB camera. It joins recent offerings from the likes of Aquara, Eufy, Eve and others.
The Yale lock company dates back to 1868, but that doesn’t mean it’s only about that heavy padlock grandpa had on his shed. These days, it even makes smart locks for your smart home system. The Yale Smart Cabinet Lock, for example, integrates with HomeKit to protect your indoor valuables.
Meross wants to help clear the air in some of your small-to-medium-sized rooms with its new MAP100 Smart Wi-Fi Air Purifier. It works with HomeKit and other systems. And it’s priced affordably.
Update your home entertainment experience with an Apple TV 4K at its lowest-ever price. OWC is offering brand-new previous-generation units for just $109 for a limited time only.
That price is a whopping $70 off the hardware’s original price, and well below the previous low of $119. Act fast — you can buy up to three while inventory lasts.
The Linksys Velop AX4200 Tri-Band Mesh WiFi 6 System offers the features Apple users need. And that’s especially true for fans of HomeKit as the routers add extra security to these home automation accessories. Plus, the system offers an improved version of Wi-Fi.
To test the system out, I added Linksys mesh Wi-Fi routers to my home. Here’s how they work in real-world use.
The rollout of Matter, the standard expected to help smart-home systems like Apple HomeKit, Google Nest and Amazon Alexa Smart Home use devices in common, is delayed again.
Smart home hardware maker Arlo recently released an iOS app software update to fix a bug. It kept users from adding the company’s smart devices to Apple’s HomeKit system.
Meross rolled out a new smart LED floor lamp the other day with HomeKit support for $79.99, and it’s already available at a considerable discount.
Smart home accessory maker Aqara’s new gadget for HomeKit lets you monitor air quality in your house. As pollution rises from wildfires and other causes — depending on where you live — you may find it handy to glance at the Aqara TVOC Air Quality Monitor to know whether you need to do something about the air you breathe.
Linksys has rolled out support for Apple’s smart-home platform, HomeKit, in a firmware update for its flagship affordable Wi-Fi router system. Now users can enjoy high-speed internet access throughout the house with a little extra peace of mind.
AirPlay 2 and HomeKit support is now rolling out to Insignia and Toshiba television sets produced in 2020.
The free firmware update lets you stream content from Mac, iPhone and iPad directly to your TV set. You can also control your TV using Siri voice commands and by using the Home app on Apple devices.
San Mateo, California-based smart home equipment maker Brilliant completed its HomeKit rollout with updates adding Apple’s smart home platform to a smart plug and a wall switch.
Brilliant sells a variety of smart products, including wall panels, dimmer switches, smart plugs and related parts.
iCloud+ is a new service that promises to make your online activities more private and more secure. It’s included at no extra cost with a premium iCloud subscription, and it works across all your Apple devices.
Here’s what Private Relay, Hide My Email, and HomeKit Secure Video in iCloud+ can do for you.
If you’re going away this summer and leaving your home in the hands of someone else, you might want to give them control of your HomeKit devices. And it’s really easy to do that inside the Home app.
Here’s how to invite anyone with an iPhone, iPad or Mac to control your smart home gadgets as a guest.
You can activate up to six preprogrammed HomeKit scenes or accessories with the push of a button on Belkin’s Wemo Stage Scene Controller. The palm-size remote sits on a table or hangs on a wall, and lets you easily control HomeKit accessories all over your home. No wiring involved.
I’m fully committed to Apple’s home-automation system, and Belkin’s latest HomeKit gadget fit neatly into my setup. Here’s why.
Apple is a leading member of a new organization creating a standard for home automation devices. A primary goal is interoperability, allowing accessories to connect to HomeKit, Alexa, Google Home, etc.
Previously, it was up to the makers of smart home products to make devices that worked with more than one voice control system. Many chose to support just one.
A wall switch can turn on a light or two, but the Wemo Stage Scene Controller from Belkin can activate an entire scene, controlling lights, thermostats, music and other devices all around the house.
It ties into Apple’s HomeKit home automation system allowing someone to press a single button to launch their movie night scene, or wake their house up in the morning, for example.
The release of Roku OS 10 brings support for Apple’s AirPlay 2 and HomeKit to several more Roku streaming devices and smart TVs. These streaming options were once reserved for pricey settop boxes but are now available on very affordable devices.
Apple is working on a new smart home product that would combine Apple TV, a HomePod speaker and a camera for FaceTime or Zoom-style video conferencing, Bloomberg reported Monday.
The company “has been a laggard in the smart-home space, but [this] versatile new device in early development could change that,” according to the story, which describes the in-development product as “Apple’s most ambitious smart-home hardware offering to date.”
