Newsletter: Ring ‘Upgrades’ The Indoor Cam, HomeAssistant Competes With Alexa & More

The Ring Indoor Cam 2nd Gen

(This newsletter was originally sent to subscribers on 2nd May 2023) Hi I’m Tristan! Welcome to today’s Smart Home Point newsletter. There’s a few smart home updates to discuss today, including HomeAssistant’s recent voice upgrades – and the fact that Ring subtly upgraded their Indoor Cam. News: Announcing The Ring Indoor Cam 2 (Sort Of) Ring … Read more

Here’s Why Amazon Echo & Alexa May Soon Be Subscription Only

A fake advert for Alexa Pro which covers up to 100 devices and 50 routines

You’ll own nothing, and be happy. World Economic Forum essay, 2016 Ah, subscription services. We all love them (…right?). We can now access thousands of TV shows from Netflix, Prime, Disney+, Hulu and more. We can also subscribe to receive skincare products, printer ink, regular meals, and even clean underwear! Okay, so subscriptions have gone … Read more

Can You Queue Music Up On Amazon Alexa/Echo? If Not, Are There Workarounds?

Add to Queue selection in Amazon Music App

One of the great things about having an Amazon Echo is being able to stream your favorite music while you’re…well, doing anything! From cooking to relaxing, to partying with your friends – music is always a great addition. So it stands to reason that you want your music to play continuously, without interruption. It would be … Read more

Newsletter (6th Jan 23): Ring (Finally) Release The Car Cam In CES 2023, & More

The Ring Car Cam for 199 dollars

(This newsletter was originally sent to subscribers on 6th January 2023) Hi I’m Tristan! I hope you all had a great New Year, and welcome to today’s Smart Home Point newsletter, covering the latest smart home news and updates over the past few weeks. It is CES 2023 week, which is where we usually see a bunch … Read more

Newsletter (14th Dec 22): Eufy Caught “Lying” (Apparently?), & Other Smart Home Updates

A Tweet from Paul accusing Eufy of transmitting local data to their cloud servers

(This newsletter was originally sent to subscribers on 14th December 2022) Hi I’m Tristan, and welcome to today’s Smart Home Point newsletter, covering the latest smart home news and updates over the past few weeks. Security researcher Paul Moore caused a splash in smart home circles, by revealing that Eufy’s cameras and doorbells transmit data … Read more

Amazon Echo Keeps Connecting To The Wrong Wi-Fi Network (How To Delete The Old One)

Device Options on Echo Show10

Sometimes people have a hard time letting go of the past. Apparently, so do some Amazon Echos! Over the years, for one reason or another, we may have to change the Wi-Fi network or internet service provider (ISP) we use. In turn, of course, the Wi-Fi used with our Echos has to change as well. … Read more

Newsletter (21st Nov 22): Amazon Broke Music… But At Least Smart Home Deals Have Landed!

Video thumbnail showing me doing air quotes with the text Amazon Upgraded Prime Music

(This newsletter was originally sent to subscribers on 21st November 2022) Amazon just destroyed music… but at least Black Friday is almost here! Today’s newsletter looks at the latest smart home news, our recent videos & blog posts, and more. At the start of the month, Amazon announced that they had “upgraded” Prime Music – … Read more

How To Only Run Alexa Routines At Night (Or After Sunset)

Sample Smart Camera Alexa Routine Trigger

Routines with Alexa play such an important role in many of our lives. They help us in day-to-day life, making everyday tasks that much easier. From helping us to relax, to keeping our homes and loved ones safe – routines are no doubt useful. But some routines are best carried out at certain times of … Read more

How To Fix Hue and Alexa “Please Try Again Later” Errors

Alexa and Hue error saying they can't be linked at this time

Philips Hue is one of the most popular smart lighting systems in homes worldwide. People who use Hue lights often use them with Amazon’s AI assistant, Alexa, one of the most popular smart home hubs. Normally, these two work together seamlessly. However, there are times when this isn’t the case. Either during setup or at … Read more

Why Your Amazon Echo Has SSL Certificate Errors (& How To Fix)

An Echo Show showing the Wi Fi signal strength and other details

SSL certificates are one of the most important safety advances of the modern internet, but they also cause a lot of connection problems for smart technology. If your Amazon Echo show SSL certificate error, what should you do? The first thing you should do is update your Amazon Echo Show as well as your Wi-Fi … Read more