By now, you’ve probably heard about China’s Social Credit scoring system. It combines facial recognition technology with all sorts of personal data to determine if you’re a good citizen. Jaywalk, for example, and you’ll be fined in under a minute, … [Read more...]
What’s the most underrated device or feature in your smart home?
This week Lynn called in to the IoT Podcast Hotline to ask us a very intriguing question: What's the most underrated feature in our smart homes? Stacey had me at an advantage on this one since she just moved and hasn't yet set up her … [Read more...]
Apple breathes new life into HomeKit with a focus on privacy and security
Given the past few years of history, I wasn’t expecting to hear much about HomeKit this week from Apple’s WorldWide Developer Conference. And yet Apple proved me wrong, announcing HomeKit in routers and more secure video from HomeKit-enabled webcams. … [Read more...]
Are there outdoor Z-Wave outlets to control webcams outside? Yes, but they’re mostly the same.
This week on the IoT Podcast Hotline we took a message from Kyle, who installed a Wyze camera outside on his patio. Kyle wants to control the WyzeCam's power - or reset it if the breaker trips - through a smart switch connected to his SmartThings … [Read more...]
Ooma Butterfleye Review: Smart but high latency and no vision in the dark
In December 2017, Ooma moved beyond its VoIP and communications expertise by purchasing Butterfleye, the maker of a connected security camera by the same name. Presumably, the idea of the acquisition was to add a camera option to Ooma's DIY home … [Read more...]