Platforms & Ecosystem
3 articlesGet ready for improved automations on your Philips Hue lights, thanks to these new Bridge software updates3 min
Hue Bridge and Bridge Pro updates rolling out now set up a UI change that will surface automations directly inside the rooms/zones they control, instead of hiding them in a separate Automations tab. Philips Hue says the new layout should arrive āin the coming weeks,ā alongside behind-the-scenes reliability/performance tweaks. SpatialAware isnāt included yet.
Most anticipated Matter features and devices in 20268 min
Matterās 2026 push is about moving beyond basic on/off to āinfrastructure + advanced featuresā: routers/APs with builtāin Thread could auto-handle Thread/WiāFi creds and reduce hub/dongle sprawl; Matter 1.6 may standardize addressable (RGBIC) lighting for cross-brand effects; and Matter 1.5 energy clusters could make plugs/appliances react to grid pricing and storage.
Alexa+ and Google Home's AI didn't revolutionize anything in 2025, but Home Assistant did11 min
2025ās āAI smart homeā push mostly delivered paid, cloud-dependent flakinessāAlexa+ and Gemini for Home broke routine commands, added privacy concerns, and even worsened Nest camera accuracy. Home Assistant advanced by going local-first: $60 voice hardware with on-device processing, official Matter certification, and optional local AI (Ollama/MCP) without subscriptions.
Product (Launches)
3 articlesEcho Dot Max vs Echo Dot: I tested bothāshould you upgrade?14 min
Echo Dot Max ($99) adds Zigbee + Matter hub features, Thread border router, Sidewalk bridging, and temperature/light āOmnisenseā sensingāmaking it a strong Alexa-centric smart home base. Audio is better than Echo Dot but still mediocre, and thereās no Z-Wave. Alexa+ works, but remains inconsistent/unfinished and isnāt exclusive to this speaker.
Lutron CasƩta Smart Wood Blinds Auto-Adjust With the Sun4 min
Lutronās CasĆ©ta Smart Wood Blinds add automated daylight control to real basswood blinds, with Natural Light Optimization that tilts slats through the day for comfort, privacy, and heat management. DIY-focused install with app/voice control and tight CasĆ©ta ecosystem pairing. Sold direct in the U.S. from Jan 4, 2026, with simplified flat pricing.
SwitchBot Launches its AI-Centric Matter Home Hub3 min
SwitchBotās AI Hub adds local, on-device camera analysis (VLM) plus Matter bridgingāand can even run a Home Assistant Core container with no dongle. It manages 100+ SwitchBot devices and up to eight 2K RTSP feeds with local storage (32GB, expandable to 1TB). Cameras still wonāt appear in Apple Home until Matter 1.5 support lands. $259.99.
Reviews & Spotlight
4 articlesAqara G410 Review: A 2K Video Doorbell Thatās Also a Matter Hub7 min
Aqaraās G410 is a 2K video doorbell that also acts as a Matter controller/Thread border router (plus Zigbee hub), aiming to replace a separate smart home hub. It offers local-first perks like microSD storage in the indoor chime (up to 512GB), on-device face recognition triggers, and RTSP local streaming when hardwired. $129.99; powerful but setup is not beginner-friendly.
Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) review7 min
Echo Show 8 (4th Gen, 2025) gets a full redesign with much better sound (dedicated woofer + dual drivers) and a faster AZ3 Pro chip built for Alexa+, making responses snappier. It also acts as a Zigbee/Thread hub with Matter support and can show camera feeds/Ring alerts. Pricier than last gen and loses the physical camera shutter.
Tewke Tap smart light switch review: so much more than just a wall switch13 min
Tewke Tap replaces a standard wall switch with a fast 3.9" OLED touchscreen that controls up to 3 lighting circuits and adds motion/radar + airāquality sensors. It supports Matter/Thread and aims to become an energy/tariff-aware automation hub, but many headline features (tariff control, Gemini voice) are still pending, and itās ~Ā£300+ with some functions behind a subscription.
Finally, a self-cleaning robot vacuum that can handle my messy floors like a champ5 min
Roborockās Qrevo Curv 2 Flow targets homes with mostly hard floors, pairing 20,000Pa suction with a self-washing roller mop that continuously sprays clean water and scrapes dirty water into a tank. A carpet shield covers the mop (not just lifts it) to keep rugs dry. Intro price $849 ($999 MSRP) before Feb 1.
Projects & How-To
3 articles4 Home Assistant blueprints that saved me hours of effort5 min
Build useful Home Assistant automations in minutes with four community blueprints: auto low-battery alerts across all battery entities, motion notifications that include a camera snapshot, calendar events that trigger notifications/actions (with offsets), and āappliance finishedā alerts from energy-monitoring plugs that avoid false triggers by requiring low power for a set duration.
Hereās how cheap contact sensors gave my smart home superpowers6 min
Cheap contact sensors can replace motion sensors and add āstate-basedā automations: pause HVAC when a window opens, alert if doors are left open, and keep nagging you to empty the washer until the door is opened. In Home Assistant they can also act as a DIY alarm and provide access logs for doors/drawers.
How to make a Matter soil moisture sensor with XIAO MG246 min
Build a native Matter-over-Thread soil moisture sensor using a Seeed Studio XIAO MG24 and a Grove capacitive probeāno bridge required. Flash Arduino firmware, commission via a Thread border router (or Pixel/iPhone) into Apple Home/Google Home/Alexa, then calibrate dry/wet readings to map analog values to % moisture. Limitation: appears as a Matter Bridge with a humidity sensor.
Perspectives
3 articlesThe Security Gaps We Find Most Often in Consumer IoT Installations7 min
Most consumer smart-home hacks start with setup mistakes, not advanced attacks: unchanged default passwords, missed firmware updates, and flat home networks that let one compromised device reach everything. Fixes: use unique passwords + MFA, enable/keep updates, and segment IoT onto a guest/VLAN SSID; trim app permissions and cloud integrations.
3 Ways Police Can Legally Seize Your Home Security Videos8 min
Police can legally obtain your security camera footage in three main ways: emergency requests to cloud providers (you may not be notified), a warrant/court order to seize cameras and pull local storage, or āvoluntaryā camera-registration/sharing programs (Ring Neighbors/Flock) that can funnel clips to police. Publicly posted clips are fair game too.
IKEA is about to take over my smart home for these four reasons5 min
IKEAās new Matter lineup makes it cheap and privacy-friendly to blanket a home with sensors: many devices set up without an IKEA app or cloud account, run locally via your Matter controller, and use easy-to-replace AAA batteries. With ~$6ā$10 sensors, adding motion, contact, leak, and temp/humidity monitoring becomes practical room-by-room.