Google Assistant, along with other voice-control platforms like Amazon Alexa and Apple Siri, is gaining steam as a smart home control solution. According to a study by Parks Associates, consumer adoption of voice assistants more than doubled from 2015 and 2016. Based on this growing popularity, manufacturers have been developing and introducing voice-controllable smart home […]
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Voice control in the home has evolved from a novel concept to a legitimate method of operating various devices that can add real value to your lifestyle. Instead of tripping over the dog as you reach for a light switch in the hallway you can activate the fixtures by uttering a simple voice command. As […]
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Sick of having electronic window shades shielding you from the outside? Check out these 3 high-tech glass options.
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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, […]
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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 […]
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We’ve all been here at some point during our many home design projects (and if we haven’t, we will). You are preparing to remodel a room in your home and come across the perfect design. Maybe you saw it online, in a magazine, or experienced it in-person in someone’s home. Either way, it was perfect—from […]
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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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The Internet can be a great resource, but that doesn’t mean the information on the web is always accurate. There has been a lot written recently about the topic of smart homes, smart grids and other technologies that are designed to enhance the lives of homeowners. For example, it has been stated that smart solutions […]
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Here’s the good news: The biggest energy hog in your house is not your flat screen. And it’s probably not your home theater system—unless you’re pumping out watts by the thousands. There are ways to save energy on those suckers, but why not concentrate your high-tech energy-efficiency efforts on the appliances and devices that the […]
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Smart lighting, LED bulbs, wireless light switches… those are all great things for inside the home, but can you do smart lighting outside the home? The answer is, of course, yes. In fact, outdoor lighting control is not much more complicated than indoor lighting control, and often uses exactly the same devices, but if you […]
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