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....
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...
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...
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....
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,...
Why smart thermostats became a huge hit Smart thermostats were the first big success of consumer home automation. The Nest smart thermostat burst onto the scene and quickly racked up huge sales. Many of us bought them, loved them, and continue to use them. Naturally,...