Evening everybody, slightly later this fine Sunday evening; did a short run earlier and lots of kids activities for the rest of the day, here are a few smart home stories I caught sight of this past week!
Smart Wellness 👩⚕️
There are a plethora of smart home air quality monitors available to consumers. And according to this article, Amazon has joined the party with the release of its own air quality device. Here are some headline features:
- No in-built microphone and connects to an Alexa-enabled device or the Alexa app to provide alerts if air quality is poor.
- The device can measure various bad air elements such as carbon monoxide, dust and volatile organic compounds.
- The monitor is available for preorder now and costs $70.
- Temperature and humidity detection is also supported.
The release of this smart home device seems to be part of a larger push by Amazon into the healthcare industry.
No More Yelling 🗣️
Although the new HomePod intercom feature reduces shouting around your typical home, the signals for the HomeKit app go one step further. With the intercom feature, you send a voice message from one HomeKit device to other devices located in different rooms. However, the Signals for HomeKit lets you send out notifications using Siri shortcuts or within their app. Smart lights are used to relay the notifications. Here are some practical examples, use this new app to:
- Let your kids know it’s dinner time by using the Signals app to trigger a color change in their rooms.
- Inform everybody in the house that it’s time to leave, by initiating pulsing the smart lights around the house.
Overall, I like the functionality provided by this app and if you want to learn some more, click here.
This Weeks Blog Post ✍️
The smart home industry is growing rapidly, and new companies are joining every day. All these companies are trying to get a piece of this ever-growing market while also working to provide more automation solutions to their customers. As a homeowner, it has become a bit confusing to know which brand is suitable for your home automation needs and which one isn’t. Everyone wants smart products that are affordable and which are bound to increase their comfort at home. Honeywell Home is one of the biggest players in the smart home industry, whose main goal is to provide safety, comfort, and energy-efficient solutions to your smart home. The company has been able to live up to this word for years now by providing some of the most reliable and energy-efficient products in the smart home market. Honeywell Home manufactures basic smart products that are essential for any smart home. The best thing about Honeywell Home smart products is that they come in both DIY and Pro installation methods. This means that you’re free to install the smart products yourself, or you can also hire a professional to do it for you. Honeywell Home smart devices are capable of adapting to your lifestyle while also giving you, the homeowner, and all the power to control them whichever way you please from your Smartphone. With Honeywell Home products, you’re guaranteed that you’ll not only get the comfort and convenience you deserve, but you’ll also end up making some significant energy savings in your home. Here is a breakdown of everything you might need to know about building the ideal Honeywell Home-Powered smart home;>> Read the complete article on the blog
That’s Gas! ⛽
Yep, that’s gas is an Irish phrase! In this story, we are talking about something more serious, and that’s people’s safety. Early detection of gases and smoke is a key function of a smart home and there are various solutions out there that support the same. The list of smart gas detectors has grown slightly this week, with the announcement that Aqara is developing a smart sensor to detect dangerous gases in people’s homes. Availability is limited to the Chinese market for the moment, but expect to see this smart safety device coming to your country over the next six to 12 months. I should also mention that this device includes support for Zigbee 3.0, HomeKit and is expected to cost around $50. If you are interested in Aqara, then check out their site.
Smart Buttons 🔘
So I am a fan of smart buttons, and I do need to start installing more of them around the O’Driscoll household. Furthermore, Whenever I see innovation in the smart button space, I take notice. Well, this week, Flic the Swedish company that invented the smart button has released a new product called Flic Twist. Here are some relevant highlights:
- Support for Matter – Very important from a strategic perspective.
- Includes a dial – makes it easy to control every aspect of a smart home, even for tech-averse family members, children, and guests.
- Users can interact with Flic Twist in two basic ways – either by pushing the button in the middle or by rotating the dial.
- Trigger automation – Similar to the original smart button, Flic twist can be used to activate various smart home scenes.
- Wireless – This enables owners of the Flic twist to locate anywhere.
Flic argues that voice commands and app controls can be problematic on occasion, smart buttons like the Flic Twist could very well become yet another mechanism for people to interact with their smart homes. If interested in grabbing one of these devices, check it out here on Kickstarter.
Weekly Smart Home Voice Command! 🎤
Hey, Google, turn on the porchlight for 10 minutes
This is it for today, See you next Sunday 😉. If you have colleagues, friends, or neighbors that would benefit from knowing about smart home devices, please consider sharing them.
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– Gerard