Blog

Sonos Voice Control – the exclusive missing manual

Quick overview of Sonos Voice Control Sonos Voice Control is a 100% local, privacy-focused smart assistant from Sonos. The Sonos Voice Assistant controls all Sonos wireless smart speakers with a built-in microphone. Make music requests, adjust volume, skip songs,...

The death of Insteon hub

Another one bites the dust.. Insteon, an early pioneer of smart home lighting controls, has gone out of business. Not exactly earth-shattering news, companies fail all the time. But this happened with no advance notice at all. Not even a few days, let alone a week....

Smart sprinkler controller – why buy?

Are you suffering from the irrigation shuffle? I don't have a smart sprinkler controller so this weekend I went through a well rehearsed routine for sprinkler maintenance: Walk to the garageOpen the dumb not smart sprinkler controller boxMove the mechanical dial to...

HomeKit backup app Apple should have made

Controller for HomeKit backup configuration I can’t get no satisfaction Sometimes I think the Rolling Stones knew about the missing Apple HomeKit backup app back in 1965 when they released this song. Apple smart home fans struggle with HomeKit. It’s got a lot of...

Smart Home perfection – the four c’s

Stick with the four c’s When I design a smart home automation system, I follow a holistic approach by addressing the four C’s: Interactive ControlLocal ControlRemote ControlAutomatic Control Interactive control The obvious and minimum capability for a smart home....

Smart home cleanup organizing secrets

Don't wait for Spring or Fall! Here are my favorite tips for smart home cleanup at any time of year.  Check And update firmware Everything seems to need firmware updates these days - even the darn toaster oven! Check all your devices - computers, smartphones,...