Hanging an air conditioner half-way out the window is an effective, if noisy way to keep a room cool. But it’s also a technology that goes all the way back to 1902. This is the future after all, so now the air conditioner gets the smart home treatment.
Everyone owns valuables they want to keep safe, from jewelry to passports to medication. But keeping the stuff we need on a daily basis in a traditional metal safe just isn’t practical. Ever tried to enter a passcode on a safe’s clunky dial in a rush? It’s hard, by design.
Apple’s stealth play to hype HomeKit devices at CES gave the home-automation platform a major boost.
A slew of new HomeKit-compatible devices are headed our way. From locks and TVs to blinds and video doorbells, they promise to make smart homes more exciting in the very near future.
ConnectSense, a company known for its HomeKit-friendly smart plug, has launched its next-generation device, the Smart Outlet2.
The outlet packs two Wi-Fi connected sockets that can be controlled individually via Apple’s Home app or the ConnectSense app.
Entrepreneurs are tripping over themselves to make “smart” versions of every product we already own. As such, it was only going to be so long before someone made a smart scent dispenser. That product is called Moodo. It’s a smart home fragrance box that lets you control how your home smells from your iPhone. Or your smart speaker.
But does it smell like a winner, or is this one gadget we’re turning our nose up at?
Ikea, the Swedish-based “affordable” home furnishing company, is looking to expand its lineup of Trådfri smart home accessories to include an affordable smart switch. The report, which was first published on reddit and reported by Swedish tech site Teknikveckan, shows a pair of smart plug accessories that would allow your to control “dumb” devices with your smartphone or connected speaker.
Sometimes Siri isn’t around to help you manage your smart home. The new Elgato Eve Button puts your HomeKit-enabled devices and scenes at your fingertips when you don’t have your smartphone at the ready.
The new HomeKit controller also means guests or kids can easily turn on the lights, lock the doors or whatever else needs doing — all with a quick press on the Eve Button.
You can’t buy smarts, except when it comes to your smart house. Right now at the Cult of Mac Store, we’ve got a bunch of accessories that are sure to make your abode more like the smart home of your dreams.
From an HD home monitoring camera to a Bluetooth power outlet, smart LED lightbulbs and a dual-stream Bluetooth audio transmitter, you can teach any old house some new tricks with this gear. Everything’s available at a significant discount, too!
The jury’s still out on whether HomeKit will really take over our homes and all the smart devices in them, but new HomeKit-compatible devices continue to pop up all the time. At CES 2017 in Las Vegas this week, vendors showed off a bunch of them, from light switches to security cameras.
Here’s our roundup of the best.
Accessory maker Elgato unveiled its new Thunderbolt 3 Dock at CES, offering a way for users to connect a pair of 4K displays to their new MacBook Pro, in addition to plenty of other legacy connection options.
Costing $299, it promises to stand in for the plethora of dongles you’ll need as the tech world makes the jump to Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C.
