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...]
IoT news of the week for March 1, 2019
And the Oscar for best home hub goes to... Samsung's SmartThings. That's according to The Wirecutter, which I used to write for, and which has done a deep dive on smart home hubs. However, it also offers the caveat that most people probably don't … [Read more...]
Which Z-Wave smart home hub is right for you?
On this week's episode of the IoT Podcast, we received a voicemail from Monty, who is just getting started with his smart home and is looking for a hub that supports Z-Wave devices. There are several options available, ranging from simple … [Read more...]
Smart home homesick at college? Make a smart dorm room.
Earlier this week, I read about St. Louis University equipping every dorm room on campus with an Amazon Echo Dot. It’s a great idea and not just a simple device deployment: SLU has a custom Alexa Skill that provides answers to more than 100 questions … [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...]