On a recent IoT Podcast, Frank called in asking about Amazon Echo devices he has at work and at home. He'd like to remotely control smart devices at either location from either location. And he's not the only one. I've seen comments and requests on a … [Read more...]
Who really controls your smart home? It might not be you.
If I were to ask if you were in total control of your smarthome, you’d probably say yes. It doesn’t matter if you use Apple HomeKit, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant or a smart home hub; your answer wouldn’t change. “Yes, I am the master of my smart … [Read more...]
Without a phone of its own, Amazon’s Alexa on the go isn’t going anywhere
We often talk about the three main voice assistant platforms, Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri and the Google Assistant. They’re generally all the same to most people, right? I’d counter that there’s a massive difference between Alexa and its digital … [Read more...]
What’s the best way to manage multiple assistant accounts in your smart home?
On our most recent IoT Podcast, Larry called into the voicemail hotline with an interesting question. He and his girlfriend just moved in together and is wondering if he should set up the digital assistants on his smart speakers with both of their … [Read more...]
Is Mistral a next-gen mesh network Google Home Hub with ZigBee, or maybe even Thread?
Google appears to be developing a next-generation Home hub that will include mesh Wi-Fi, a ZigBee or thread-based radio and better audio quality according to the evidence I've found in Google's code base. The code I've unearthed refers to "Mistral", … [Read more...]