Category

Home Automation

Devolo Home Control Hardware Review

Powerline specialists Devolo have moved into the smart home business with Home Control, a Z-Wave based system that incorporates powerline networking. Regular readers will have seen two unboxing videos previously. This post has more photos and details of the various components, sensors and accessories available. Central Unit The central unit is at the heart of the Home Control system and

Nexia at 2016 CES

Todd Cochrane talks with J. George Land, Executive Director of Nexia Connected Home Solutions. Nexia Connected Home Solutions is a software provider that works with selected products from a select number of different home automation manufacturers integrating everything into one voice-controlled software application. Nexia offers Z-Wave gateways. The Nexia Z-Wave bridge sells for $67.00 on Amazon and can handle up to

BeON Home Protection at CES

Improved home security is one of the benefits often cited by proponents of the smart home, but setting up everything can be technically daunting and require a little DIY. The team at BeON have taken a different approach, developing home protection that can easily be installed without any geek or DIY credentials. Jamie and Nick learn more about this original

Devolo Home Control Unboxing

Devolo is well known for its range of dLan powerline networking products which I rate highly, so I was very interested to see that Devolo was creating a new product range for the smart home. Called Home Control, this is a Z-Wave based system with a comprehensive set of accessories, from the usual motion sensor all the way through to

The Smart Home Talks Z-Wave at CES

If there's any kind of smart home device in your house, there's a very good chance that it communicates using Z-Wave. The protocol is oriented to the residential control and automation market and designed specifically for low power and low data rate communication, making it ideal for battery powered devices. Todd and Jamie find out more on this largely unknown

Somabar Robotic Bartender mixes it up at CES

The Somabar is robotic personal bartender that makes over 300 different drinks and listens to your drunken maudlin without complaining. Originally a Kickstarter project, the Somabar mixes spirits and infuse bitters to make the perfect cocktail in seconds. Scott drinks it all in with Dylan Purcell-Lowe, CEO of Somabar. Neatly designed for the stylish home, the Somabar has six owner-refillable Soma Pods which

TikTeck Sells Direct to Consumer

TikTeck are coming to market with the sole purpose of bringing affordable products direct to the consumer and cutting out the middleman. With only a few gadgets available, Daniel chats with Rex Chen, VP Product Development of TikTeck to find out what's in store. In the first wave of products, there's a Bluetooth-controlled smart LED bulb displaying 16 million colours for only US$9.99. You