Smart home

I remember sitting in a meeting at work one day and my phone started buzzing. As I pulled my phone out of my pocket, I noticed an alert from Chamberlain MyQ. It was telling me that my garage door had just opened and closed in the middle of the day. Thinking it odd, I called home and my wife answered. As it turned out, she was not feeling well and left work early to get some rest before my...

Knock, Knock. Who’s there? Actually, home security is no joke. But thanks to Smart Home technology, you can have ultimate control over who comes in or out of your house. Want to know how to lock and unlock your door (and more!) just using your smartphone? In this last installment of my Smart Home System Series, I’ll give you a look at Home Entry Automation tech.

The TP Link Smart Plug does a little bit more than just let you flicker lamps off and on. With this, you can set lights, small appliances and more on timers, create vacation and away settings and even scenes for common themes in your home. The options aren't limited as long as you're willing to be creative.

The Smart Home concept makes our living spaces infinitely more convenient and comfortable, by allowing us to monitor and manipulate various aspects of our homes, such as lights, temperature and air quality, through our smartphones. But, one of the more important aspects of a Smart Home is the enhanced security it can offer. In this instalment of my ongoing Smart Home System Series, I fill you in on the benefits of a Smart Home Security System/IP Cameras.

2016 has been a great year of progress for Home Automation and an unfortunate year for our hydro and gas prices. With the rising costs of both, this edition of the Smart Home Series takes a look at how you can take some of those systems Steven Hill has been blogging about to apply them to conserving energy and shaving dollars and cents off those bills.

In previous instalments of my ongoing Smart Home System Series, I took a look at different frameworks and protocols that enable all your various Smart Home devices to talk, connect and work together. One such device that is really useful for understanding and controlling your whole living environment is a Smart Air Quality Monitor. Read on for a peek at some Smart Home Air Quality Monitors you can add to your own set up today.

Make this the year your home gets smarter! For several years now people have been talking about “smart home” technology. Do you know how smart your home could be? Rate your own home on our “Domestic IQ” scale for a chance to win great smart home prizes.

Building your Smart Home doesn't have to be a costly up-front task. Yes, it's true that most gadgets will set you back over $100 at a time, but Rome wasn't built in a day and neither does your home. Without going in dollars and cents, I want to show you how to build a functioning smart home over time and how to determine what works best for your home.

Come along as I consider a fun selection of smart home product ideas that will help you to make the most the various upcoming holidays. In today's blog I cover some excellent smart lighting options & explore a few fun ways that you can use them to decorate both for the current Halloween festivities & the upcoming Christmas season. If you enjoy decorating for the holidays, click on through & let the celebrations begin!

Smart Homes are becoming easier than ever to set up, thanks to the different platforms available that allow all your connected devices to work and communicate together. In previous blogs of this Smart Home System Series, I looked at other home automation frameworks, such as Apple HomeKit and Z-Wave. In this edition, I’ll tell you all about Google’s smart home tech, and what Works with Nest.