Miscellaneous articles, news, tips and tricks relating to smart home tech and home automation devices.
I remember when I first started getting into smart homes. I was happily running a few (WiFi based) Echo speakers, but I started to hear terms like ‘Zigbee’ and ‘Z-Wave’ thrown around too. I was also (obviously) aware of Bluetooth, but I’d mainly seen it used in headphones and mobile phones: so it seemed odd … Read more
Smart technology is supposed to make everything easier, but sometimes it can feel like a hassle if you constantly have to figure out how to get different users to control your Kasa smart tech. How can you get multiple users to control the devices in your home? Well the short answer is (unfortunately): Kasa devices … Read more
When thinking about the disadvantages of smart homes, I remembered a time when my internet router broke. I changed this, and so I had to manually re-configure 5 smart home devices… along with a couple of TVs, my printer, two tablets, two Kindles, three mobile phones and two laptops. Ugh – changing 17 devices manually … Read more
One of the biggest challenges you face when you’re updating your home to smart devices is figuring out what to do with all of your old technology. You don’t have to update every piece of technology when you can simply update how they connect, but sometimes that connection can be a source of trouble. Kasa … Read more
Smart home technology has been out for a while now and this means that we’re starting to experience compatibility issues between older devices and newer standards. Mesh networks are the latest in Wi-Fi connectivity, but that means they sometimes have problems connecting to some older devices like Ring cameras. The first thing you should do … Read more
Ring devices are some of the most common smart technologies out there today. This company makes everything from smart security systems to home lighting. It would be great to have a full home of Ring technology, but how much internet data would that take? Ring systems are dominantly WiFi based. This means that they are … Read more
The Ring Alarm Pro’s key feature is the Eero 6 routers built right into the Alarm’s Base Station. They’re marketed as being able to work with Z-Wave and to a certain extent, Zigbee. Being as the Ring Base Station works with Z-Wave, might the Ring Alarm Pro also be used as a smart hub for … Read more
A lot of smart locks happily advertise that they can be easily installed as they are fully compatible with cylinder-type deadbolts. Whilst a lot of Americans doors use these type of door lock, its increasingly common to see multipoint locks used instead. Can these be used with smart locks, then, or are multipoint locks incompatible? … Read more
Since its introduction, many have upgraded their Ring Alarm system for the new Alarm Pro. After all, you get enhanced home security plus an eero 6 router that also offers extra internet security. A win-win right? In theory, absolutely! But what about in real, everyday use? Some Ring Alarm Pro users who previously had NO … Read more
The Ring Alarm system is great, offering homeowners a simple way to install and manage their home’s security system. But sometimes you want to turn off the alarm system completely, which is difficult considering that the Base Station has a internal battery backup. This article discusses how to turn off the Ring Alarm system (by … Read more