I recently came across the ‘Introducing Amazon Echo’ meme on YouTube, and I noticed that none had been created for Firefly – my favourite TV show which was cancelled (too soon…) by Fox. Hence I created I light-hearted Firefly edition for this Amazon Echo meme, using voiceovers mainly from the Firefly TV show, but also … Read more
A single-zone smart thermostat can either put the whole house’s heating on, or off. It can’t control individual rooms (well, not without automatic dampers – which are rarely fitted in residential homes). In my opinion, this is one of the many flaws of smart thermostats. But what about smart radiator valves? Can these swoop in … Read more
Ring Protect is a paid-for plan that stores footage from Ring cameras and doorbells in the Ring cloud, ready to access 24/7 (along with extra features for the Ring Alarm system). Amazon Prime is a paid-for plan that gives access to a range of Amazon products and services. Amazon own Ring. Therefore Ring Protect should … Read more
Some smart locks are keyless, not requiring (or allowing) any sort of key at all. However other smart locks come with a physical key, usually as a backup option incase the smart functionality fails. But what happens if you lose your key – can you rekey this backup smart lock? This would be a nice … Read more
I sometimes wish that I lived in a posh mansion with a dedicated doorman, but failing that a standard doorman would work just fine: (via GIPHY) Of course, not all of us have that luxury either! The next best thing is a front door that automatically unlocks itself as you approach it, so that you … Read more
Whilst I like controlling my Hue smart lights through Alexa, there are some annoying integration issues between the two, which I explore in more detail in my new YouTube video: The timestamps of each issue in the video is: 0:36 – issue 1 – bulb/room naming confusion 3:56 – issue 2 – Alexa think there’s … Read more
Philips Hue bulbs work really well in general, and are quiet to the point that you can only heard a noise if you put your ear right up next to the bulb. However sometimes they can make an annoying buzzing sound, so I wanted to cover why this (sometimes) can happen, and how to solve … Read more
I recently started to switch over to smart lighting in my house, and overall I really like the integration with Alexa. After all, being able to control your lights using voice commands to your Echo is much more convenient than pulling out your phone and launching the Hue app. However I have had some integration … Read more
ecobee produce a range of smart home devices, although they’re best known for their smart thermostat which rivals the Nest Learning Thermostat. ecobee also produce two smart sensors: a SmartSensor for their thermostat, and a SmartSensor for windows and doors (compatible with their ecobee Haven system. There’s also some support for 3rd party sensors. ecobee … Read more
I was recently taking my 11 month old 10 kg (22 lb) baby son downstairs and doing a few things with him in my arms, when I realized that I’d issued a few voice commands almost subconsciously: what’s the weather like tomorrow, turn on my lights, and playing Baby Shark. This subtle shift away from … Read more