New Wi-Fi standards are rolling out and this is shaking up smart devices across the board. One of the types of devices that are facing their biggest change is the humble smart light bulb. The increasing popularity of 5 GHz Wi-Fi networks is causing some trouble for 2.4 GHz-only smart bulbs. There are currently very … Read more
Smart lights are awesome, as many people can agree. The ability to control more than one light with just the mere touch of a button or voice command is extremely convenient in a variety of situations. They’re convenient, they can be festive, and can really help set the mood at home. Smart lighting can affect … Read more
Smart light switches are still something of a wild west frontier when it comes to smart home technology. They’re just starting to become as popular as the smart lights they control and this means there’s still a lot of conflict when it comes to how they connect to smart hubs. This leaves us with some … Read more
When people think of smart lighting, they usually think of the obvious: full color (RGB) bulbs. Setting rooms to bright green, or dancing to strobe lighting effects. But I actually prefer a less discussed smart lighting feature: motion sensitive lighting. This is simple to set up, and it feels like something out of sci-fi. I … Read more
Smart homes are great, but sometimes it’s not always clear how to use smart devices to make your home more Christmasy. This video covers five simply ways that you can use common smart devices to smarten up your Christmas. The individual sections of the video are at the timestamps below: 0:00 – Intro 0:19 – … Read more
So, you’ve got an Amazon Alexa device and you’re wondering if it can control the lights outside your home just as easily as it can control the inside lights. Alexa can be used in lots of surprising ways – and taking control of your outdoor lighting is just one of them. There’s plenty of ways … Read more
Smart light bulbs have changed how we approach indoor lighting, but can they work outdoors? There’s plenty of reason to want to use your smart light bulbs outdoors. This gives you all the same benefits of indoor smart lighting, but in a setting where smart lighting can be much more valuable. With outdoor smart lights, … Read more
Have you been having problems with the range performance of your ZigBee network? ZigBee repeaters can improve your experience with smart technology. Every smart device in your ecosystem is only as good as the connection that holds it together. The ZigBee mesh network is made stronger when more devices are added to it. ZigBee devices … Read more
If this question has never crossed your mind – congratulations, now here’s a new fear! On the other hand, if you have thought about it, well then, you’re probably having an ‘I knew it!’ moment and are going to find this particularly interesting. When we think of our smart devices spying on us, the most likely culprits … Read more
After working out that using Philips Hue’s Lightstrips for my kitchen would cost £170+, I set out to build my own smart light strips that cost me less than £40. Plus it’s still fully controllable in the Philips Hue app! This video covers all the steps required to do this yourself, including: 0:00 Intro 4:54 … Read more