Tristan Perry

Tristan Perry is a software developer who is passionate about tech gadgets, DIY and housing. He has therefore loved seeing smart homes hit the mainstream. Tristan also has an academic background (in Math & Computer Science), and so he enjoys digging into the technical ways that smart home devices work. Tristan owns close to a dozen Amazon Echo devices, way too many Philips Hue bulbs and lightstrips, a boat-load of Ring Cameras and Doorbells... and a bunch of other smart home devices too (from Reolink, Google Nest, GLEDOPTO and others).

Which Ring and Nest Devices Support 5 GHz WiFi?

January 26, 2023January 1, 2023 by Tristan Perry

Phone screenshot showing the WiFi selection of my Ring Indoor Cam, with the prompt asking me if I want to connect to a pre-existing WiFi network.

When it was first released, 5 GHz WiFi was advertised as being faster and sometimes ‘more reliable’ than 2.4 GHz WiFi. Whilst this is broadly true, many Ring and Nest devices still seem to only support 2.4 GHz WiFi. This got me wondering whether this can lead to worse connections for your smart devices, and … Read more

Ring Device Health Says That Voltage Is Too High (“Danger!”)

December 28, 2022December 28, 2022 by Tristan Perry

Wired Ring devices have the convenience of not needing frequent battery changes, but they are at the mercy of the safety and reliability of your home’s wiring. What should you do if you keep seeing the danger alert in your Ring doorbell Device Health? The first thing you want to do is use a voltmeter … Read more

A Quick Look At The Hue PC Gradient Strips – New Video

December 12, 2022 by Tristan Perry

A clip showing the Philips Hue PC Gradient Strips with the text A brief demo of Philips Hues PC Gradient Strips

As I mentioned in my last newsletter, I purchased the Philips Hue PC Gradient Lightstrips in the end. I love how easy they were to setup, and how they make gaming – and music listening – much more immersive. This is a quick 1 minute video looking at this awesome new product from Philips Hue: … Read more

Kasa Devices Keeps Randomly Turning Off And On

December 12, 2022 by Tristan Perry

The single biggest setback to smart device automation can be a simple bug that turns your devices on and off. What should you do if your Kasa devices keep randomly turning on and off? To fix a Kasa device that keeps turning on and off, the first thing you should do is to update your … Read more

7 Ways To Update The Device Health In The Ring App

December 5, 2022 by Tristan Perry

Highlighting the current signal strength for one of my devices

One of the most important features in the Ring app is also one of the most buggy and inconsistent. How are you supposed to make the most of your smart devices when you can’t get them connected to the internet in the first place? The easiest way to force an update to the Device Health … Read more

Ring’s Night Time Image Is Way Too Dark (Faulty Night Vision Fixes)

November 28, 2022 by Tristan Perry

An example of the overly dark night vision performance from the Ring Doorbell Pro 2

Night vision is one of the best selling points of Ring’s doorbells and cameras, but what happens when it just doesn’t work? Ring cameras can struggle in low-light environments. You can take advantage of settings like Color Night Vision or the new night vision options in newer Ring cameras and doorbells. You can also make … Read more

Kasa Issues After A Power Outage: What You Need To Know

January 23, 2023November 23, 2022 by Tristan Perry

Someone lighting a match due to a power outage

Power outages and rolling blackouts are the smart home tech fans’ worst nightmare. Every smart device brand has trouble when the power is flickering, but there are some specific Kasa problems that we need to look at. Kasa smart devices can experience connection problems during a power outage. These devices will automatically reconnect to the … Read more

Philips Hue App Can’t Find The Light Or Lightstrip (7 Fixes)

November 18, 2022 by Tristan Perry

Where the serial number is shown on the Hue Lightstrip controller

I have dozens of Philips Hue bulbs and lights around my home. In-fact, I have maxed out my Hue Bridge a few times due to all the bulbs and automations I have configured. That’s not meant to be some weird flex, by the way, but it hopefully tells you that I clearly know how to … Read more