Today’s average home has a plethora of connected devices. And all smart home products, such as laptops, smartphones, TVs, electronic door locks, and thermostats, require a solid, reliable networking infrastructure to function at their full potential. Most home networks today are usually comprised of an Internet connection to the house, which links to a wireless […]
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Home Energy Management Takes More than a Smart Thermostat
So you went out a bought a Nest smart thermostat. You open the app a couple of times each day to turn the temperature up or down, and feel good about the money and energy you think you’re saving (this article states that for most users, a Nest will pay for itself in two years, […]
Get the Guide9 Top Questions When Starting Your DIY Smart Home
Today’s DIY smart home systems, from companies like SmartThings, Wink, Lowe’s Iris, iRule, Universal Devices, Vera, Insteon and others are fairly easy to install, setup and use. They’re also getting more affordable, so no longer are home automation systems only for the wealthy. Of course, there’s a difference between what a DIY smart home system […]
Get the Guide3 Home Security Cameras to Secure Your Entryway
Home security is a huge part of the Electronic House. It doesn’t have the same flash of a home theater, but it can certainly save some of that AV equipment from being stolen. And installing a few home security cameras around the house is a lot cheaper than replacing a big-screen TV. It’s also easier. […]
Get the GuideLogitech Adds ZigBee and Z-Wave Control to the Harmony Hub
Recently, we were praising the Logitech Harmony Elite as a controller that’s pretty perfect for the Electronic House. That said, it is sort of limited in the number of smart home systems it can control. Of course, the Harmony Elite can control an unlimited number of smart home systems and devices, but the list of […]
Get the GuideApple Homekit vs Google Brillo and Weave, More Alike Than Not?
In 2014 Apple announced that Homekit was coming to iOS, and predicted that it would enable broader adoption and easier implementation of the Internet of Things in the home—the smart home. Now Google, which already had its hands in the home automation cookie jar (Google owns Nest Labs and Dropcam, and Nest is one of […]
Get the GuideGreat DIY Home Automation Ideas for Beginners
Smart home systems, or home automation systems, once were expensive luxuries (and professionally installed and custom programed systems still can be), but today many DIY home automation products are actually very practical and reasonably affordable. If you hadn’t thought much about adding smart home devices to your home, here are seven home automation ideas for […]
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Your smart home starts with a good list of home automation options
One of the biggest challenges of adding technology to a home is finding and comparing the many options available. You can scour the Internet for hours and still leave scratching your head. While the selection of home automation systems may not be as immense as stereo speakers or smart TVs, it’s still impressive … and […]
Get the GuideTime to Give Your House a DIY Job?
It’s one thing to hear about a home automation system from the company that manufactured it; it’s another to listen to the thoughts about the system from the people who actually use it. Manufacturers are quick to claim that their automation systems are easy to install and even easier to use, but are they really? […]
Get the GuideSurge Suppressors Help Curb Energy Waste
As smart home devices continue their march toward mainstream adoption, people are finding that electronic products are playing an increasingly prominent role in their day to day lives. At a core level, these connected devices are miniature computers, built with sophisticated components, including network interfaces, on-board memory, and processors. Moreover, these miniature computers are susceptible […]
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