A few weeks back, I wrote about the decision to retire my Wink Hub. At the time I figured I'd just plug the Samsung SmartThings Link USB stick I previously bought into my Nvidia Shield TV, which turns that set-top box into a SmartThings Hub. But word … [Read more...]
How to move from one smart home hub platform to another
On our most recent IoT Podcast, Brian called into the podcast hotline with a rather timely question. Like me, Brian is switching from a Wink hub to the Samsung SmartThings hub. I'm doing the same thing and I've previously outlined steps you should … [Read more...]
Podcast: SmartThings’ new gear and a Wink sighting
This week on the IoT Podcast, Kevin and I spend time discussing Amazon’s new smaller Echo Show and SmartThings’ new trifecta of products. From there we talk about a frightening new malware that’s bricking IoT devices and its unlikely origin. We … [Read more...]
Switching hubs? Here’s why you should always remove smart devices from the old one
I was doing some research on how to back up smart home hub configurations (spoiler alert: you generally can't) when I had a startling revelation. Several of the devices in my home were actively sending data to Samsung's SmartThings servers. Why was … [Read more...]
We need more routers that function as smart home hubs
If I had a dollar for every time my wife asked me “what is that new….. tech box for?” I’d be a very rich man. “Tech box” is her generic for all of the hubs, gateways, bridges, access points, and -- more recently -- smart speakers I’ve installed at … [Read more...]