Smart light switches seem a bit of a contradiction when you first think about them, because an electrical switch has two states: on or off. But yet, any smart device must always be ‘on’ in order for it to be smartly controlled. So how does a smart light switch stay ‘aware’ (and ultimately powered on) … Read more
Professional grade security systems will allow you to watch all real-time (live) views of the camera feeds on a single PC/TV monitor. This got me wondering whether it’s possible to do this with Ring’s cameras (and doorbells) too? This video explains if it’s possible, and how to do it if so: Video Transcript Hey YouTube, … Read more
Smart switches can sometimes be better to purchase than smart bulbs, but when Lutron Caseta switches sell for up to $60 each, it makes some people ask why smart switches are “so expensive“? And if you can get two smart RGB bulbs for $60, why pay $60 for just a smart switch? Whilst there are … Read more
I was recently filming for another YouTube video, and I realized that I kept saying “Google Home” but I hadn’t discussed how “Google Home” can actually mean four different things. Hence I wanted to shoot this video and discuss the four things it means, why Google have made this so confusing, and why the situation … Read more
Whenever I see newcomers to smart homes ask what the best smart bulb to buy is, I often see one or two replies saying “Noooo, smart bulbs are POINTLESS!! Just get smart switches instead!!“. And then they say nothing else to back up this view point. Mkay… that’s helpful! In reality, there can be some … Read more
Ring produce a wide range of cameras and doorbells which can protect all parts of your property – inside and out. This is great, other than the fact that your house’s WiFi network may not reach far enough for all your Ring devices (especially outdoors ones) to reliably connect to it. In this case, are … Read more
Philips Hue’s range of smart bulbs is set apart from many other smart bulbs because Hue requires a separate Hub (also called a Bridge), and the bulbs communicate over something called ‘ZigBee’ to the Hue Hub. Equally some newer Hue bulbs can work over Bluetooth, linking with the Hue Bluetooth app on your smartphone. But … Read more
LIFX bulbs are at the more premium end of the market (just like Philips Hue), both in terms of build quality and also their price. However whilst Philips Hue bulbs usually require a separate Hue Bridge, LIFX bulbs don’t require any extra devices: they work out the box, via WiFi. This is great because you … Read more
I recently bought a Ring Indoor Cam for £15 as part of an Amazon bundle deal, and I wanted to wall mount this in my garage to detect would-be burglars. However there’s one big flaw in my plan: I don’t have any internet in my garage. As a result, I wanted to shoot this full, … Read more
The Google Home range – which includes various Nest smart speakers and hubs including the ‘Mini’ devices – is a line of products known as ‘smart voice assistants’, and they rival Amazon’s Echo line-up. One of the features from Amazon Echo is the ability to ‘drop in’ on an Echo from anywhere in the world … Read more