Smart home

“That doesn’t look like any router I’ve ever seen.”   That’s the general consensus I heard about the Almond+ when I showed it around. It’s a device that stands in for three types of things in your smart home: a powerful dual-band router, a long range wifi extender, and a smart home hub.   It arrived from Best Buy wrapped in brown packing paper and accompanied by a Securifi Door/Window Sensor, and a Peanut Smart plug. Also in the box were precisely two packing peanuts; I’m guessing the shipping budget was a bit tight, or those were rogue peanuts on the lam from a future Pixar film. Either way I got to researching the Almond+ and getting it setup. Here’s how it went.

Technology is a wonderful thing. By stumbling upon anything I’ve written, you know it’s what I like to write about the most. This year has brought us some of the best personal electronics I’ve seen in years, whether it’s in fitness tracking, streaming or home security. Let’s take a look at one item from each of those categories making the rounds this quarter courtesy of Microsoft, Myfox and Google.

As the undisputed multiple time defending winner of the “hardest person to buy gifts for” award, I know the difficulty I put my family through every year around the holidays. I guess it runs in the family. My dad has always been the hardest person for me to buy for. I can never read what he’s interested in and when I do, he’s already gone out and bought it for himself. I can usually rely on cool gadgets to do the trick though. This year, he’s right at the doorstep of retirement and has taken a shining to many of the smarthome things I have around the house. I’m going to start the gift search with stocking-sized gifts. From a possible smartwatch to a light bulb, here are a few ideas to mull around for that difficult-to-buy-for man in your life.  

Vacuuming has turned an evolutionary corner. Not the act of vacuuming; you can still use an old vacuum if you want to. But if you’d rather not “do” vacuuming you don’t have to. Vacuuming once required standing, pushing, pulling … and time! Not anymore. Vacuuming has reached the “set it and forget it” stage with the Roomba 980. Read on to learn about the latest from iRobot and how to win one for your home.

A power outage doesn’t have to mean an end to all of the high-tech fun. Check out some cool gadget ideas for keeping entertained, and connected, during an unfortunate blackout.  

Home security systems have long been complex, complicated wired systems that required an engineering degree and an electrician to install. Fortunately, technology has improved to the point where they’re now inexpensive and very easy to use, and we may have found one of the easiest and most versatile cameras available with a super clear HD video picture.

In the last few months, we’ve seen Nest and Canadian companies ecobee and Sinope release their latest takes on the smart thermostats. Now, more than ever, you have options. What do you want your thermostat to do for you? Warm your house automatically when you’re home from work? Interact with other smart devices? Save you money? Perhaps this is the year you prepare for the Great Canadian Winter with a new Smart Thermostat.

If you have as many smart home devices as I do, you’re probably popping in and out of all apps all day long. Until I heard about Muzzley, I didn’t realize there was a better way to navigate and use all of my favourite gadgets all within one app.

I know what you’re thinking. It’s now just fall and you’re telling us to prepare for Winter? Well, you and I know that winter is one of those things you definitely want to prepare in advance for. For example, you’ll have a hard time finding snow shovels while it’s snowing, so why it all out? In this installment of the preparing for the Great Canadian Winter, we look at winterproofing your home with the help of some handy smarthome products.

Meet 4 homegrown tech firms bringing innovative new wearable tech and smart home products to the world stage.