For years, the Echo Dot was the impulse buy of the smart home: a cheap Alexa puck you scattered around the house, often for well under $50 on Black Friday. On October 28, 2026, Amazon changed the j
For two years, the iPad mini was the most affordable way into Apple's tablet lineup with a modern chip. The 2024 model, powered by the A17 Pro, started at $499. On October 26, 2026, Apple replaced
Can a houseplant finally tell your smart home it is thirsty, without a vendor app, a cloud account or a proprietary bridge? On paper, yes. Matter, the cross-brand smart home standard, has had an of
Every autumn the same question lands in our inbox: which smart plug can safely run the garden lights, the pond pump or the patio heater, and still show up properly in Home Assistant? Aqara's new
Every Home Assistant owner faces the same choice sooner or later: when you buy the next sensor, bulb or plug, should it be Zigbee or Matter over Thread? Forum threads are full of strong opinions an
After years of rumours and two missed internal targets, Apple finally made its smart-home move on October 13, 2026. In one day it announced HomeView, its first home display, a second-generation Hom
Every smart home owner knows the scene: you sit still on the sofa, the motion sensor decides the room is empty and the lights go out. In 2026 that problem has a mainstream answer. mmWave radar pres
Apple announced Apple Home Collection on October 13, a lineup built with LG Electronics and Schneider Electric. Availability starts in December, with select access
If you bought a recent Matter-over-Thread Hue bulb and hated choosing one radio forever, the update is finally on the release notes. On October 5, 2026,
Shelly goes all-in on ThreadBulgarian maker Shelly (Allterco Robotics) is developing ThreadLink, a solution in which not only Matter but all TCP/IP traffic
Smart bulbs are easy. Full lighting systems that behave across Apple Home, Alexa, and Home Assistant without a second app gymnastic routine are harder. At IFA 2026 in Berlin,
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