This is Issue #56 of the Smart Homes School weekly newsletter — free smart home news for professionals, consultants, installers and enthusiasts, every Wednesday. Subscribe here to get it in your inbox first.
The end of March delivered a busy week for the smart home channel. Google pushed a significant Gemini for Home update that genuinely changes how voice control feels in day-to-day use. Josh.ai held its annual keynote and unveiled AI X OS, a platform shift aimed squarely at professional integrators. Shelly’s long-awaited Presence Gen4 mmWave sensor went live in Europe. And CE Pro published its annual integrator survey, which has some useful numbers for anyone positioning themselves in the channel right now.
Gemini for Home Just Got a Lot Better. Ask for the Colour of the Ocean and Your Lights Will Know.
Google pushed a significant Gemini for Home update on March 31st, and for once the headline feature is something clients will actually notice. Expressive lighting means you can now ask for “the colour of the ocean” or “the glow of the moon” and your connected lights will match it — no exact colour name required. It removes one of the most consistent friction points in Google Home installs: clients who know what mood they want but not what it’s called in the app.
The update also brings precision appliance controls. You can now say “set humidity to 45%” or “preheat the oven to 180 degrees” and Gemini will act on it — genuinely useful in professional installs that include smart HVAC and kitchen kit. Kids with supervised Google accounts can now use Gemini for Home alongside the rest of the household, and the service has expanded to Mexico with Spanish support rolling out across all supported markets.
Why it matters for installers
- Expressive lighting removes the need for clients to memorise colour names or scene labels — they describe what they want and Gemini figures it out
- Precision appliance voice controls fill a real gap in professional installs. “Set humidity to 45%” and “preheat the oven to 180 degrees” are exactly the kinds of commands clients expect to work
- Family Gemini access makes Google Home a more credible whole-household platform for clients with children — previously a weak point compared to Alexa
Read the full changelog on 9to5Google
Josh.ai Launches AI X OS This Spring. Systems That Configure Themselves With Natural Language.
Josh.ai held its 2026 Keynote on March 19th, filmed in a 12,000 square foot coastal home in Newport Beach, and the central announcement was AI X OS — rolling out this spring. The core idea is that systems can now be adjusted on the fly using natural language, by both the integrator and the homeowner, without anyone returning to site. A dealer can say “add the kitchen lights to the dinner scene” and it’s done. A client can say “when I leave for work, turn everything off” and the automation is created.
The keynote also introduced a redesigned Josh App, native pool and spa control as a new device category, and new partnerships with JVC projectors and Shade Innovations alongside the Nimble DevSuite developer programme for accelerating third-party integrations.
Why it matters for installers
- Natural-language post-install configuration directly reduces truck rolls and service calls — if a client wants to change a scene or add a routine, they or the dealer can do it conversationally without a site visit
- AI Scenes proactively suggests automations based on how the household actually uses the system — a meaningful time-saver during commissioning
- Pool and spa control as a native category extends Josh.ai into outdoor living spaces, an increasingly common scope item in higher-end residential projects
Read the full Josh.ai Keynote summary
Shelly Presence Gen4 Is Here. mmWave, 10 Zones, Tracks 6 People. And It Is Matter-Ready.
Shelly has launched its Presence Gen4 mmWave sensor in Europe, with Amazon listings appearing in Spain, Germany and the Netherlands at around 83 to 85 euros. This is a meaningful step up from traditional PIR motion sensors, which only detect movement and regularly fail to register someone sitting still at a desk or resting on a sofa. The Gen4 uses millimetre-wave radar to detect real occupancy — including subtle movement like breathing — across a space of up to 42 square metres.
The sensor supports 10 configurable detection zones and can track up to 6 people simultaneously. Connectivity covers Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5 LE and Zigbee 3.0, with Matter-over-WiFi support meaning it works natively across Apple Home, Google Home, Alexa and Home Assistant. One important caveat: when operating over Matter, only one detection zone is exposed to the platform rather than all ten.
Why it matters for installers
- One of the most capable mmWave sensors at an accessible price. 10 zones and 6-person tracking in a single device is genuinely useful for open-plan living areas, offices and home cinemas
- Matter-over-WiFi means a single SKU works across all major platforms — useful for mixed-ecosystem homes
- The single-zone Matter limitation is worth flagging to clients upfront if they are expecting full multi-zone control through their main platform
Read the full Shelly Presence Gen4 breakdown on HomeKit News
What Integrators Actually Value From Manufacturers. Spoiler: It Is Not the Product.
CE Pro published its 16th annual Quest for Quality Awards results this week, determined entirely by working integrators through open survey responses. The clear theme across every winning manufacturer was the same: responsive technical support, reliable logistics, and account managers who actually know your business. Product innovation, which dominates manufacturer marketing, ranked below all three.
The most enthusiastic feedback consistently went to vendors where a knowledgeable human answers the phone quickly and can solve a problem without excessive escalation. For integrators working in clients’ homes and managing multiple active projects, that kind of support has a direct impact on profitability in a way that a new product feature simply doesn’t.
Why it matters for installers
- The survey confirms what most experienced installers already know: access to fast, knowledgeable support is worth more than product innovation when you’re mid-install and something isn’t working
- The Quest for Quality winners list is a practical shortcut when evaluating new brands — your peers across the industry have done the vetting already
- If you are building your own consultancy, this data is also useful when thinking about how you position your own after-sales support as a differentiator
Read the full Quest for Quality results
Worth Reading This Week
- Shelly: Presence Gen4 official documentation — The official spec sheet covers the Matter single-zone limitation in detail, along with placement guidance and zone configuration options. Read this before speccing it into a multi-zone automation for a client.
- Strata-gee: Josh.ai 2026 Keynote behind-the-scenes — Detailed write-up from inside the Newport Beach keynote home. The section on natural-language button mapping on the Josh Edge remote is worth reading for anyone doing luxury installs.
- Droid-Life: Gemini for Home March 31 update in plain English — A concise summary of the changes. Good to forward to clients who ask what changed without wanting to read full release notes.
- Home Assistant 2026.3 release notes — If you missed it last week, the March HA release added area-based robot vacuum commands and local Android wake words. Both have practical uses in client installs.
- Android Headlines: Gemini for Home 40% faster response times — A useful data point to share with clients who have complained about Gemini feeling sluggish.
- SmartHomeScene: Best mmWave presence sensors for Home Assistant in 2026 — A practical comparison across battery and wired options including Aqara, Tuya and Shelly. Useful when evaluating sensors for different room types.
- matter-smarthome.de: Matter platform implementation tracker 2026 — The most reliable scorecard of which platforms have implemented which Matter version. Essential when a client asks whether their hub supports a new device.
- MacRumors: Aqara G350 Matter camera — one month on — Real-world reports from installers are coming in. The HomeKit Secure Video single-stream limitation is worth flagging to clients upfront.
- How-To Geek: HA 2026.3 in plain English — If the official release notes are too technical to share with clients, this is the version to send.
- Smart Homes School: 2026 Smart Home Predictions Dashboard — End of Q1 is a good moment to check how the year is tracking. Several predictions are running ahead of schedule.
About Smart Homes School Weekly
Smart Homes School Weekly is published every Wednesday by Gerard O’Driscoll from Ireland. It covers smart home technology, AI and automation news for professionals, consultants, installers and serious enthusiasts. Browse the full archive here or subscribe to get it in your inbox every Wednesday.