Happy Sunday everybody, hope all is well wherever you are in the world this nice morning. All quiet here at the O’Driscoll smart home. As always I’ve gathered some snippets of what’s going on in the smart home space this past week, so enjoy!
New Google Nest Hub on the Way
According to Internet sources, Google is busy in the background preparing the release of a new smart display later this year. What makes this upcoming smart device special is planned support for a radar wave technology called Soli. Unveiled back in 2015, Soli relies on a sensor that lets people use air gestures to control a device. According to 9to5 Google, the new gadget will utilize Soli to track people’s sleep, which could be really interesting.
Smart Snail Mail! 🐌
My ears always perk up when I hear of a new Ring smart device. And, the Verge caught my interest in recent times with an article about a sensor that gets attached to people’s mailboxes and sends out notifications when physical letters and packages arrive. Amazon Ring provides the device and consists of two distinct following pieces:
- The motion sensor itself, which activates when a letter or package is added to the mailbox. It’s battery-powered.
- An external antenna, which is used to extend the range and enables communication over a long distance. Many mailboxes can be fifty-plus feet from a front door.
- A bridge didn’t see much info on this, but the word on the street is that it uses Sidewalk (Amazon’s low-bandwidth IoT network)
And of course, the new smart device gets configured inside the Ring app..
General Electric Smart Home Plans 🔌
GE is simplifying and unifying its smart home efforts under a new umbrella brand called CYNC. Not exactly, a household name within the world of smart home nerds like myself, but great to see such a large company selling a plethora of devices that make people’s homes smarter and safer. According to the website the existing range of devices includes smart switches, bulbs, and plugs with plans to release an outdoor smart plug, an indoor camera, and a fan smart switch later in 2021. What I found really interesting is that the new app is ‘powered by’ Savant (provider of custom smart home solutions).
More HomeKit Stuff
Arlo is making further moves into the world of HomeKit by quietly adding HomeKit support to its wired doorbell. Arlo is no stranger to HomeKit as it includes support for the protocol across its range of smart cameras. Here are some new features that you can enjoy if decide on purchasing this smart device:
- The ability to view the video within the home app.
- The ability to view the video on an Apple TV.
- A chime will sound on your HomePod once the doorbell is pressed.
If you want to read some more about this subject, head over to Apple Insider’s full post.
Weekly Smart Home Voice Command! 🎤
Hey Google, run my sprinkler in a week at 5 PM.