I’ve said many times in the past that every home ought to have a Raspberry Pi computer. And that is even truer for every smart home. Aside from being relatively inexpensive, these sub-$50 computers can accept analog signals from sensors, are easy … [Read more...]
Where have all the smart home hubs gone?
This was going to be a post about the smart home options to buy after you ditch the Wink hub that has been down for the last few weeks, but it has since turned into a realization that there are no smart home hubs available on the market from … [Read more...]
Podcast: An update on Project CHIP and a secure 2021
This week’s podcast starts with an update on the Project Connected Home over IP standard promulgated by Apple, Amazon, Google, and Samsung. Then we talk about Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s letter to the Department of Health and Human Services asking what … [Read more...]
HOOBS promises a HomeKit home with non-HomeKit devices. Does it deliver?
Over the holidays, I've been testing and using HOOBS, a pre-built smart home server that runs the open-source Homebridge software. HOOBS, which stands for Homebridge out of the box, is $169 and is comprised of a RaspberryPi with an included SD card … [Read more...]
DIY smart home hubs are going retail: Here’s why that’s a good thing
For years, there have been two kinds of hubs that run smart homes. One is the kind you buy from a retailer, such as the Amazon Echo Plus, Hubitat, Samsung SmartThings, or Wink hubs. And one is the DIY kind where you download and install software to a … [Read more...]