IoT news of the week for August 11, 2023

Here’s a bit more on Philips Hue’s potential as a home security play: On an earnings call the president of Signify, which owns the Philips Hue brand, said the company was working on a security camera for it. Now reports are saying that there are four cameras planned and some contact sensors. I’ve had Hue lights in my home since 2013, and after 10 years of watching others commoditize the lighting sector I think it could make sense for Hue to get into security. It has brand recognition, for one. Plus, there are only so many people who want to pay a premium for light bulbs (and if their bulbs are still good a decade later, the growth is probably not huge). Security is a logical next step, if only because everyone sees the potential for subscription revenue for video storage and monitoring as the primary way of making a buck on the smart home. (TechHive)

More Matter gear from TP-Link: For the past few months, TP-Link has been pushing out Matter smart plugs and switches under its cheaper Tapo brand, and now it has two new Matter switches under its Kasa brand. The Kasa KS205 Smart Wi-Fi Light Switch and Kasa KS225 Smart Wi-Fi Light Dimmer Switch will sell for $27.99 and $29.99, respectively. They will require a neutral wire and provide scheduling and support for an away mode. (Apple Insider)

Microsoft shuts down Cortana everywhere: Back in 2014, Microsoft launched Cortana as a rival to Apple’s Siri. As voice assistants go, it was not bad, but never had the platform on which to gain a lot of ground. Microsoft subsequently pulled Cortana from consumer products but left it enabled on Windows. But now, with an update to Windows 11, Cortana is officially dead on that platform and will stop functioning on Windows 10 in the near future. (WindowsLatest)

Tractian gets $45M in funding for industrial monitoring: Predictive maintenance is always going to attract buyers and investors, especially if you stop calling it anomaly detection and call it AI. Atlanta-based Tractian has raised more than $60 million since its founding in 2019 and makes its own software and sensors to track machine health in industrial environments. The new funding will help expand sales and fund more research. With more than 500 customers already, this feels like a good bet. (VentureBeat)

As insure-tech gets used against consumers, things will get scary: Insurance companies are feeling pressure to get out of states with high replacement costs for housing and high disaster rates. Since housing prices and inflation aren’t heading down anytime soon, and the climate will continue to change, it’s likely that insurance companies will try to stop underwriting in even more areas. Which means  pushing existing policyholders off their rolls as well. Indeed, in California they are turning to drones to do just that. Insurance companies are using drones to scan policyholders’ yards and roofs, and dumping those where drone footage shows riskier behavior. One person saw their insurance firm cancel their policy over a roof that looked like it needed maintenance (the owner protested, showed receipts, and was able to get their policy reinstated), while another was dumped because they had drained their pool. Insurance firms can legally use drones to evaluate policyholders’ claims, but the danger is that drones and other connected tech getting installed in people’s homes will become a convenient lever insurance firms will use to kick consumers off their rolls as risks rise. (ABC7)

Step into energy harvesting with new foam: Researchers in Scotland are showing off a form of graphene foam that can be used to create an energy harvesting floor sensor. When someone steps on the mess, it generates roughly 10 watts of electricity, powering the sensor. The sensor can run software to determine who is in the room and whether they are coming or going based on an analysis of their steps. We’ve seen efforts to harness people’s kinetic energy to power sensors, but I’m always happy to see more. (The Register)

SaaviHome is ready to franchise its smart home integration model: Ahead of the CEDIA professional installers’ trade show next month, SaaviHome is launching its call for franchise owners to join the company in helping set up people’s smart homes. SaaviHome was formed in 2004 and in 2020 created the software and services it plans to franchise. It looks like Control4 is the chosen software. SaaviHome is looking for franchisees in the Mountain West region, specifically in Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and Arizona. (SaaviHome)