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Samsung's SmartThings might be one of the smarthome market leaders but its branded sensors aren't the cheapest by a long way. Savvy SmartThings specialists are constantly on the hunt for cheaper devices from other vendors but these often require custom code (device handlers) or strange steps to get them linked up. Coming from the other direction, Swedish homemakers Ikea have
The Internet of Things and by extension, the connected home, is here. But is the world really ready for every facet of our daily lives to be connected to the internet? That smart toaster that notifies you via smartphone when your breakfast is ready might be a cool, convenient addition to your kitchen. But it's a potential attack vector for
I've been enjoying Samsung SmartThings for a couple of weeks and it's been an interesting time. The technology is a key factor in a smart home but let's not forget that a home is often inhabited by a family and a smart home has to be used by a family. It can't just be one geeky member (Dad!) who knows
Nearly all smart home systems have a controlling hub which typically requires a cabled network connection as the hub itself has a number of wireless transmitters such as ZigBee, Z-wave or Bluetooth to control the smart devices round the home. Given that the best location for the smart hub is in the centre of a house for maximum coverage, this
The full promise of the Internet of Things and a "smart" world is still a long way off, though I'm always surprised at how good Google Now is at telling me when to leave for a half-forgotten appointment. Here at GNC, we've seen a number of products that fall into the smart home category including the brilliant Philips Hue and