6 Reasons Apple Shouldn’t Run Your Smart Home (Yet)
Not quite magical. I’m an Apple guy. I was raised on a Power Mac in the 90s and our home currently houses 2 MacBook Pros, 3 iPads, 2 iPhones, 2 Apple Watches, and 2 Apple TVs. It’s safe to say…
Automation
FIRST LOOK: Flic Wireless Smart Button
A shortcut for your smart life. Smart devices are cool, but sometimes controlling them can be an absolute pain. Although it sounds convenient to control your home with a bunch of apps, it can be kind of maddening in practice.…
FIRST LOOK: Amazon’s Echo Dot
Upgrade your nightstand It’s no secret that we love the Amazon Echo; what I initially wrote off as a bizarre little gadget quickly became our current favorite smart home gadget. There’s something about that readily-available combination of knowledge and speed…
Is it Dumb to Build a Smart Home?
If you enjoy reading tech journalism or watching HGTV, you probably know there’s a bit of a renaissance and a backlash occurring at the same time in the smart home/IoT (internet of things) world right now. The renaissance is coming…
REVIEW: Amazon Echo
The closest we’ve come to a robot butler. Remember the first time you saw Siri in Apple’s iPhone 4S? It was one of those transformative pieces of tech that you never knew you needed, but instantly knew you wanted. Siri,…
First Look: Rheem Hybrid Heat Pump Water Heater with EcoNet
A long, hot shower without the guilt. As much as I never thought I’d write a post about a water heater, I bet you never expected to read a blog post about one… but, here we both are! As it…
REVIEW: XY Find It Beacon
Disclaimer: The folks at XY Find It very kindly provided several bluetooth tags for this review. As always, the opinions are my own. It’s human nature to be forgetful. Although Evernote, Google Calendar, and 1Password have whipped my digital life…
How I Made My Internet Connection 10x Faster
Get what you’re paying for. Netflix was dropping out constantly, and that was the final straw. Like many of you, Netflix has become the focal point of entertainment in our house. It’s what the kids watch when they need a…
First Look: Chamberlain MyQ Garage
For the forgetful. Generally speaking, I’m a creature of habit. I try to keep the same morning routine. I like to leave work at the same time every day. I leave my keys on the same plate every time I…
REVIEW: Quirky+GE Tripper Door/Window Sensor
Always in the know. Sensors are a key component of the smart home. Almost every smart home gadget you buy these days includes at least a few sensors; thermostats can detect motion, locks detect tampering, and wall switches can detect…
