I put a “smart” sprinkler controller on my shopping list a long time ago, but it was not until last month when I woke up to the sound of rain and saw that my sprinklers were on! I decided it was time to take action. Part of the reason why I had not before, is that there are so many […]
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LifeDoor was one of my top picks from CES 2018, so it’s is fantastic to see that this innovative – potentially life saving device – has made it to Kickstarter. The concept is simple: if there’s a fire, it closes the door for you. Blocking smoke and heat from the room. Like many people, I hate sleeping with the door […]
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My husband has wanted a smart deadbolt since he saw one on This Old House a few years ago. I resisted that request till now. With other Nest devices in the house, I thought I try out the long-promised Nest x Yale Lock. Pricing for the smart deadbolt starts at $249, but it needs a Nest Connect or Nest Secure […]
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After installing the Middle Atlantic DWR-12-32 wall cabinet, it was time to spend some time thinking about temperature control. Most of the time, our utility room is cool enough that there is no need for active cooling in the rack. But, with the furnace and water heater also located in the room it does get warm enough to worry about […]
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It’s a great idea to add water/flood monitoring into your home automation system. It can make a huge difference between a bad thing, and a catastrophe. This $60 Z-Wave sensor from Aeotec looks pretty nice, and includes vibration and temperature sensors as well as watching for H20. Water Sensor 6. Flood sensor. Leak sensor. Safety sensor. Z-Wave sensor. Monitor a […]
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Nest is adding to its thermostat products with the introduction of the Nest Temperature Sensor. A significant limitation of a learning thermostat can be its limited sensor range – thermostat tucked away in a back hallway anyone? These should improve the learning curve. The Nest Temperature Sensor is only compatible with 3rd Gen and E thermostats. The press release […]
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The other day I received a email from Monoprice lauding the arrival of its new $19 “Smart LED bulb… Works with Amazon Alexa & Google Assistant…“. Which is cheap for a single Wi-Fi enabled “smart” bulb, but it reminded me how wrong these sorts of home automation devices are. OK, that may be a little hyperbolic, but just a touch… […]
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If you lusted after Yale’s key-free deadbolt after seeing our review, but were saddened by the lack of Nest compatibility. I have some good news for you – it’s not quite shipping, that will take around a month, but you can pre-order a Nest compatible YRD540 right now for $279. Oh, and if anyone knows how to say the name […]
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Adding keyless entry to your home is a great way to enable access without requiring anyone to carry around a physical key. Whether that is a dog walker, your kids, or when you step out for a run. Having the option to provide a PIN code also makes it much easier to manage distribution and removes the risk of a […]
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If you’re planning to put an Amazon Echo Dot and a home automation (HA) controllable light switch in every room, I guess I can see the value in the $99 Ecobee Switch+. But, I’m not convinced that I want to tie my home so tightly to the Amazon ecosystem, especially because in my experience the 3rd party Alexa experience kinda […]
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