Platforms & Ecosystem
5 articlesSamsung will soon let you control smart home devices from your carâs dashboard2 min
SmartThings is pushing beyond phones and speakers: Samsungâs new CarâtoâHome feature lets you control (and automate) your smart home from a Hyundai/Kia dashboard, including location-based routines like pre-cooling or shutting things down as you leave. Catch: itâs limited to select ccNC-equipped models in Korea for now, with global expansion âlater.â
The FCC's router crackdown clouds the future of home Wi-Fi6 min
Your next router upgrade may get weird: the FCC is effectively blocking new consumer routers âproduced in any foreign country,â which could freeze most major brandsâ new models in the U.S. You can keep using existing gear and still buy already-authorized routers, and thereâs a waiver to keep security updates flowing until March 2027âbut long term, expect fewer choices and messy exceptions.
iOS 27 Siri Overhaul: Standalone App, New Design, Dynamic Island Integration and Ask Siri Button3 min
Apple may be turning Siri into a ChatGPT-style assistant in iOS 27, with a dedicated app and deeper OS hooksâmeaning voice control could feel more consistent (and more conversational) across your Apple smart home. The bigger shift is Siri replacing parts of Spotlight and getting more personal context, which could make routines smarterâbut also raises the privacy-stakes bar.
The Feds Just Dismantled a Global Botnet Empire â and the Trail Leads to a Single Anonymous Hacker8 min
This botnet takedown is a reminder that old routers and IP cameras can become someone elseâs proxy network or DDoS cannon without you noticing. Feds disrupted Anyproxy/5socks and traced a separate âEmonetâ operation tied to record-scale attacks, but the articleâs point is blunt: sinkholing helps temporarilyâunpatched, abandoned IoT devices keep the botnet economy alive.
Modernizing encryption of Home Assistant backups6 min
Home Assistant is upgrading encrypted backups to a new âSecureTar v3â format in 2026.4, aiming to make stolen/remote backups harder to crack and tamper withâeven if someone chose a weak passphrase. Itâs been independently audited by Trail of Bits (all findings fixed). After you update, new backups use the stronger scheme automatically; consider rotating your backup key if you set your own password.
Product Launches
4 articlesNuki's Brilliant Keypad 2 NFC: The Next Smart Upgrade4 min
Tap-to-unlock is finally coming to the front door in a familiar way: Nukiâs new Keypad 2 NFC lets you get in with a phone or watch tap (Apple/Samsung keys or Nukiâs own mode), so youâre not forced into one ecosystem. The bigger signal is Aliro: this is an early âMatter-eraâ access standard that could make smart entry more interoperable.
Roborock Saros 20 Now Available: Features, Specs, and What to Know8 min
Roborockâs Saros 20 is now on sale in the U.S., and the big story is âhands-offâ floor care: a fully automated dock handles emptying, mop washing/drying, and water management so you can run frequent schedules without babysitting. The other standout is better real-world mobility and avoidance, aimed at homes with thresholds, rugs, cords, and pet clutterâtesting will decide if itâs worth flagship money.
New Switch Series from Hager Featuring Matter4 min
Matter finally comes to ârealâ European wall switches: Hager is launching a modular wired switch range that speaks Matter over Thread, aiming to eliminate the usual add-on modules electricians need. The clever bit is it can also be wired to keep smart bulbs permanently powered while the rocker becomes a wireless controller. Shipping starts May 2026.
AI Cooking Robots Have Flopped. Will the Nosh One Be Any Different? Here's My Take3 min
Cooking ârobotsâ keep failing because theyâre expensive, bulky, and still need too much prep â and CNET argues Nosh One risks the same trap. At $1,499 on Kickstarter, it may shine for set-it-and-forget-it stews and curries, but limited cooking methods and constant cartridge loading make it a hard sell for most kitchens.
Reviews & Spotlight
5 articlesA $500 Smart Tea Maker or $9 Tea Infuser? Based on Testing, I Have an Answer13 min
A $500 âsmartâ tea maker only makes sense if its connectivity and automation actually save you effort â and CNETâs testing suggests Teforia doesnât. Tea quality was smooth and sometimes better, but WiâFi pairing (2.4GHz-only) and NFC scanning were flaky, and key features like scheduling depended on a connection the reviewer couldnât keep stable. Net: pricey convenience, too many kinks.
SwitchBot AI Hub Review21 min
SwitchBotâs AI Hub is a rare âone boxâ bridge between mainstream smart-home gear and self-hosted setups: it bundles Home Assistant and Frigate so you can get local-ish camera AI and automations without building a server. The catch is real: advanced scene descriptions require a subscription/cloud, Home Assistant is a limited container, and RTSP camera support is hit-or-miss.
Meross MS605 Review: Multi-zone presence detection via Matter7 min
If you want âlights/fan that never time outâ automation, Merossâ MS605 is a strong Matter-over-Thread presence sensor because it exposes three distance-based zones to platforms like Apple Home and Home Assistant (not just a single occupancy flag). The big cautions: a potentially severe battery-drain issue and higher failure rates when pairing to many Matter admins.
I bought a KVM-over-IP for my home lab, and I can't believe I waited this long5 min
If your smart home depends on Home Assistant, a single bad reboot can turn âremote adminâ into a house call. This piece argues KVM-over-IP is the missing safety net: you get console/BIOS access even when the OS or LAN is broken, and with cellular backhaul you can recover during self-inflicted network outagesâso automations keep running without you being home.
Husqvarna Automower 312V review: quality cutting from a trusted brand10 min
If you want a wire-free robot mower, the 312V sounds like premium hardware held back by software friction. The reviewer loved the cut quality and customization once it finally worked, but setup was finicky and depends on strong WiâFi plus clear sky for satellite lock. Itâs great for tinkerers; non-techy buyers may prefer simpler Husqvarna models.
Projects & How-To
3 articlesMatterbridge - enable Matter for all your smart home devices - Neil Turner's Blog6 min
Matterbridge is a compelling way to make nonâMatter gear look like Matter, so your older WiâFi, Zigbee, and Home Assistant devices can show up in Google Home and Apple Home without separate integrations. The author found it simpler than manual Assistant setup and more reliable than Homeway, with the main caveat being uneven device-type support (and Alexa needs an Echo for Matter).
Stop buying smart home buttonsâthese NFC tags do the same thing for less than $16 min
NFC tags are a cheap way to add âmanual triggersâ without buying piles of battery-powered smart buttons: a pack costs about what one button does, theyâre easy to hide, and in platforms like Home Assistant they can identify who scanned them for personalized alerts. The catch: you need a phone or wearable handy, so theyâre bad for kidsâ rooms or panic-button use.
Box of Secrets9 min
If your buildingâs intercom is flaky, this shows a (slightly spicy) workaround: bypass the phone system and drive the gate solenoid directly with an ESP32 relay, exposed to Apple Home via Matter. The real takeaway is how often âsecurityâ collapses at the wiring and default-config layerâplus a practical fix for ESP32 Matter RAM limits.
Perspectives
2 articlesSilver-Haired Coders: How Retirees Are Building Apps With AI â and Why Silicon Valley Should Pay Attention8 min
AI âvibe codingâ is letting non-technical retirees build real home techâlike DIY security camera systemsâby describing what they want in plain English. The upside is highly practical tools shaped by decades of domain expertise; the downside is security risk, since AI-generated code can be overconfident and vulnerable. The bigger point: AI dev platforms are ignoring a huge, sticky market.
This is why I keep buying ESP32 boards instead of more smart home gadgets6 min
If youâre tired of cloud logins, limited automations, and devices that die when servers or updates stop, this piece argues ESP32 + ESPHome + Home Assistant is the escape hatch. You get local-only control, reusable multi-sensor nodes you can repurpose, and fixes are cheap instead of replacing a bricked gadget. The trade-off is time, tinkering, and learning.