Platforms & Ecosystem
4 articlesHue to Simultaneously Support Zigbee and Thread on the Same Bulb2 min
Hue is trying to end the “pick Zigbee or Matter” dilemma. A later‑this‑year update will let some Hue bulbs talk Matter over Thread and Zigbee at the same time, so you can control lights from Apple/Google/Alexa/SmartThings while keeping Hue-only extras like scenes and entertainment sync. This could smooth upgrades without ripping out existing Zigbee setups.
The Matter upgrade you’ve been waiting for7 min
Home Assistant’s Matter stack just got a real “grown-up” upgrade: the Matter Server is now rebuilt on matter.js, aiming for faster reconnects, fewer weird bugs, and more reliable OTA updates. The killer addition is a Thread/Wi‑Fi network map that shows hop paths and signal quality, making it much easier to diagnose flaky devices. Security is tighter too: uncertified test-certificate devices are blocked by default during commissioning.
A New Enhanced SmartThings API Experience - SmartThings Blog4 min
SmartThings is putting its developer API behind paid tiers, including a $4.99/month plan for individual developers, with free access ending after Q3 and limits/pricing kicking in around Oct 2026. If you rely on SmartThings for dashboards, rentals, energy, or care apps, plan for new costs and usage tracking via a new Developer Center + API usage dashboard.
Israeli Public Company Faces Sharp Questions Over Android TV Boxes Feeding Massive Proxy Network7 min
Cheap Android TV boxes promising “free” streaming may be selling your home internet instead: researchers say pirated streaming apps quietly embed a proxy SDK that turns devices into residential relays used for scraping, fraud, and account takeovers. The new twist is corporate blowback—evidence links traffic to NetNut (owned by NASDAQ-listed Alarum), which denies running a botnet and claims consent/KYC controls.
Product Launches
3 articlesMeta’s New AI Smart Glasses Drop Ray-Ban Branding and Add Kylie Jenner5 min
Meta just launched a new AI smart-glasses lineup that ditches the Ray-Ban name—likely to hit more styles and lower price points—but it also removes some brand “shielding” from Meta’s privacy baggage. Hardware is mostly Gen-2-like; the real change is a new, snappier Muse Spark AI (still imperfect at vision). Starts at $299.
Neon goes smart: IKEA prepares to launch Matter-enabled KLOLANKE and STYRSTRECK3 min
IKEA looks set to bring its first flexible “neon” accent light strips into the smart-home mainstream, and the big deal is likely native Matter over Thread for easy cross-platform control. FCC test docs show Apple Home control already working, hinting these could drop into existing Thread homes without new proprietary bridges. Expect a late-2026 to early-2027 rollout.
Wyze Scale BodyScan tracks more than just your weight, has Google Health support, $79.982 min
If you want health tracking that actually plugs into your digital ecosystem, Wyze’s new $79.98 BodyScan scale is a budget way to get weight plus body-composition trends without being locked to the Wyze app. The big practical win is syncing via Health Connect to Google Health (and Apple Health) so your measurements show up where you already track wellness.
Reviews & Spotlight
3 articlesA whole-house UPS beats buying UPS for every device, and the math is obvious10 min
Whole-home battery backup can be a smarter “keep the house running” move than stacking UPSes—especially if you care about always-on Wi‑Fi, servers, and security. XDA’s take on Anker’s Solix E10 praises the near-instant switchover and circuit prioritization (plus storm-triggered auto top-ups), but flags the shorter warranty and app-first control as real trade-offs.
Qingping Air Monitor Lite review4 min
If you want room-by-room air data inside Apple Home, Qingping’s Air Monitor Lite is a clean way to get it without living in yet another app. It pairs via HomeKit, then mostly stays in the Home app for daily use, where you can trigger fans/purifiers from CO2 or particulate readings. Setup is easy, but firmware/settings still require Qingping’s app.
Narwal Flow 2 is one of the best robot vacuum + mop systems, and with a touch of class too5 min
If you want a flagship robot vacuum+mop that won’t look like a gadget eyesore, Narwal’s Flow 2 is a rare combo of “living-room friendly” design and genuinely top-tier cleaning. The reviewer’s big takeaways: it’s unusually quiet (robot and auto-empty dock) and the app is up there with Roborock. It’s $1,499, but discounted to $1,049 right now.
Projects & How-To
4 articlesColour ePaper Dashboard - Dan's Garden8 min
If you want a wall dashboard that doesn’t scream “tablet,” this colour ePaper build nails it: Home Assistant renders a dashboard image via the Puppet add-on, and ESPHome pulls it onto Seeed’s ReTerminal E1002 with deep sleep for ~25–30 days of battery. The catch is ~15s refresh with flashing, so it’s best for hourly, context-driven “glance” pages.
GitHub - tylerrosnett/smart-vornado-660: ESP32 + ESPHome smart-fan conversion for the Vornado 660, using reversible transistor button injection. Works with Home Assistant and HomeKit.6 min
Keep your “dumb” Vornado 660 and still get smart control: this ESP32 + ESPHome mod injects transistor “button presses,” so the fan becomes a real fan entity in Home Assistant and HomeKit without touching mains wiring. The trade-off is no true state feedback—HA tracks on/off in software, with boot/outage logic and manual resync controls to recover if you use the physical buttons.
The home that opens the door for Peter – Homey Stories | Homey4 min
Smart homes aren’t just convenience—this Homey story shows how automations can extend independent living after injury. Peter uses simple “Flows” (one bedside button, curtains timed to daylight, lights from his phone) to save physical effort, and a smart lock plus doorbell cam to screen visitors and let helpers—or a neighbor during an emergency—get in fast.
7 smart home automations that work better with NFC tags than motion sensors or schedules6 min
NFC tags can make automations feel “intentional” when motion sensors and schedules guess wrong. Use a quick tap to log irregular tasks (watering plants, taking meds), confirm chores are done (trash bins), or kick off routines when you’re still (bedtime). Bonus: tag scans can identify who tapped, enabling personalized alerts and safer triggers like opening a garage only for approved phones.
Perspectives
3 articlesBreaking free from the disposable smart home11 min
Open Home Foundation’s pitch: a “sustainable” smart home isn’t buying new gadgets—it’s measuring energy/water use and keeping old gear useful. Home Assistant is leaning into that with generic “proxy” bridges to pull legacy IR/RF/Bluetooth/Z-Wave devices under local control. Also: SmartThings plans paid API tiers in Oct 2026, likely impacting the Home Assistant integration.
Five Eyes Sounds Alarm: AI Cyber Threats Loom in Months, Not Years5 min
This is a wake-up call for anyone running a connected home or smart-building stack: Five Eyes says frontier AI will compress exploit timelines to “months,” meaning unpatched hubs, cameras, and legacy controllers become easier targets faster. The practical takeaway is boring but urgent—shrink your attack surface, patch aggressively, lock down identities, and rehearse incident response assuming breach.
How Smarter Grids Could Save Americans $100 Billion On Power4 min
Your smart home may matter to the grid more than you think: the U.S. built for peak demand, so average grid use sits around 40–55%, driving expensive overbuilding. The pitch here is “use what we already have” with demand flexibility—managed EV charging, smart thermostats, and batteries—claiming a 10% utilization bump could save $100B over a decade.