Near the end of the last day of CES, we stumbled into the Guardian kiosk in the Z-Wave pavilion. Having seen quite a few leak detection/water control devices over the previous week I wasn’t holding out much hope. As it turns out, what they have to offer is a really neat approach to solving this problem. Unlike the other […]
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In every conversation I’ve had since returning from CES ’18, LifeDoor has come up near the top of my list of interesting products that we saw at the show. And, the response has been universally positive as well. After all, what’s not to like about a simple, easy to install, device that listens for a smoke alarm, illuminates the room, […]
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The first time I went crazy with Z-Wave at my house, I had to build my own garage door controller. It was not hard, involving a Z-Wave switch, some components from Radio Shack and a door sensor – all tied together with a couple scenes. As I am sure you all know, time has been very kind to the home […]
Read moreWhen Amazon announced their new Echo Plus, I was immediately intrigued, and then a bit put off by the decision to use Zigbee instead of Z-Wave (although both radios would have been better). Afterall, Z-Wave has the biggest pool of devices and [near] guarenteed compatiblity. Aparently I’m not the only one who doesn’t get the choice – CEPro just does […]
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You should be able to use Alexa to mess with any Z-Wave device via a scene (worst case) on most HAC, but it’s great that SmartThings and Wink! users now have native support. Let us know in the comments if you’ve had a chance to play with this.
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I like Z-Wave. Compared to “smart” IOT IP devices, it usually just works – as long as you have a good home automation controller (HAC). In the past, when you did have a little trouble it was very difficult to figure out what was going on (usually range problem IME). Fortunately, there’s now a tool for installers or curious DIYers […]
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Just finished reading the PR for DUNE HD’s upcoming Solo 4K player. WOW, there is a lot of information to be had. First off, the player itself looks fantastic. Small, lots of power, all the great stuff we’ve come to expect from DUNE HD’s “just plays” experience, and with DVB-T/T2 tuners and 2.5″ HDD for DVR support we have a […]
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I’m sure I missed a lot of news by not being able to make it to CES this year. One of these things, and I know I would have seen it close up because I always stop by the Kwikset booth, is their new Z-Wave deadbolt. Frankly, I think it looks great and I was really happy with my Kwikset […]
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I don’t remember seeing Zipato at CES last year, so when I noticed their unique Z-Wave ZIPABOX home automation controller (HAC) while roaming the show floor I made a point to stop in and have a look. With all the change in the smart home space it can be tough to select the right hardware; with the HAC the most […]
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Z-Wave sensor/switch maker AEOTEC teased a new switch before CES, so I made a point to stop by and have a look. It was worth it. Losing ½ the size from the previous generation external module the Smart Switch 6 gains USB support and doesn’t give up any of the energy monitoring features present on the previous generation. We will […]
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