Platforms & Ecosystem
4 articlesLG to Ban Residential Proxies from Smart TV Apps4 min
Why this matters: your smart TV may have been quietly rented out as someone else’s “home IP.” LG says it will suspend webOS apps that embed residential proxy SDKs after research found them in 42% of store apps, letting third parties route traffic through your TV. It’s a meaningful crackdown, but also a reminder that “harmless” TV apps can carry serious privacy risk.
Alexa is now in your browser2 min
Alexa+ coming to the browser via Alexa.com is a big shift: you can run routines and control smart home devices from any computer, not just an Echo or the mobile app. The real win is continuity—conversations and tasks can move between browser, phone, and Echo without restarting. It’s UK-only Early Access for now; wider rollout is TBD.
Shelly Evaluates Matter Over Thread for Gen4 Devices5 min
Shelly is seriously reconsidering Matter over Thread for Gen4 — but flash limits mean a trade-off: ship Thread-ready firmware by default and drop on-device JavaScript scripting, or keep today’s feature-rich firmware and make Thread a post-setup firmware switch. An open-source build proves the hardware can do it, but not with Shelly’s full UX intact.
T-Mobile Pulls Plug on Last 2G Signals as Legacy Devices Face Final Countdown5 min
If you still have any smart-home or M2M gear riding on T-Mobile’s 2G, the clock is real: GSM shuts off Aug 3, 2026. That can strand old alarms, trackers, medical pendants, and utility sensors overnight—especially unmanaged fleets. The upside is cleaner spectrum for LTE/5G, but you need a migration plan now, not “later.”
Product Launches
3 articlesRaspberry Pi Releases New 10-inch Raspberry Pi Touch Display 2 at $805 min
If you build wall dashboards for Home Assistant or other smart home UIs, Raspberry Pi just made a cleaner “official” option: a new 10-inch Touch Display 2 for $80 with plug-and-play drivers and power from the Pi. The catch is compatibility—it only works with Raspberry Pi 5 or Compute Module IO setups, not Pi 4 or Zeros.
roborock launches premium AI-supported RockMow X120H LiDAR AWD robot mower with $699 savings to $2,5005 min
Roborock is jumping into robot mowers with a premium, wire-free model that relies on LiDAR plus dual cameras instead of perimeter wires or an RTK base station—meaning easier setup and better obstacle avoidance in messy, real yards. It also bundles 3 years of 4G remote tracking, but it’s priced like a flagship even with today’s $2,500 launch deal.
Aqara launches the Power Plug H22 min
Aqara’s new Power Plug H2 matters because it lets you choose between Matter over Thread for broad, direct platform support, or Zigbee for extra Aqara-only tricks. The catch: the most interesting features (like energy-use lighting and deeper automations) require Zigbee plus an Aqara hub, so it’s hardest to justify if you just want a basic, cheaper Matter plug.
Reviews & Spotlight
4 articlesSurprise! Facial recognition smart locks are actually good9 min
Facial recognition on smart locks has crossed from gimmick to genuinely usable: the best models unlock fast and (claim to) process faces locally, making hands-free entry possible even when you leave your phone inside. Still, UWB “unlock in stride” feels better when it’s available, and face locks bring tradeoffs like bulk, battery drain, and biometric comfort.
IKEA ALPSTUGA: Best Value Air Quality Sensor Reviewed6 min
IKEA’s £25 Matter air-quality sensor is compelling because it’s cheap enough to put in every room—so you spot patterns like CO₂ buildup overnight and cooking spikes, then automate fixes. Apple Home works for basics, but Home Assistant unlocks the good stuff (screen control, richer data). One annoyance: the on-device clock drifts after power loss, so you’ll likely want a HA time-sync add-on.
This TP-Link solar camera is so easy to install - and beats my Ring in image quality4 min
If you want an outdoor camera without wiring or a monthly fee, TP-Link’s solar Tapo C465 is positioned as a sweet spot: quick magnetic install, microSD local recording, and AI detection without paywalls. The reviewer says its 4K video looks better than any Ring they’ve tested, but you’ll need thoughtful placement since the view is narrower and “24/7” is mostly time-lapse until motion triggers video.
Kincmo No-Drill Smart Blinds w/ Matter over Thread (review)14 min
No-drill, custom smart blinds that actually feel renter-friendly: Kincmo’s pressure-mount option installs fast and can even layer in front of existing blinds for a “double blind” setup without permanent changes. Pairing via Matter over Thread was painless in Apple Home, and battery/charging status updated correctly—an area where other brands have been flaky. Overall verdict: an easy recommend if you want reliable automations without DIY hassle.
Projects & How-To
3 articlesYour smart home breaks every time someone flips a wall switch5 min
If your smart bulbs “go unavailable,” the culprit is often a wall switch cutting power—not your hub or internet. Beyond breaking voice control, killing power can destabilize Zigbee/Z-Wave/Thread meshes because bulbs stop routing and the network has to rebuild. The fix: use smart switches, decoupled relays, or (for renters) switch covers so bulbs stay powered.
GitHub - fellowgeek/in-meeting4 min
If you want your smart home to reliably know when you’re “in a meeting,” this macOS menu-bar app watches real camera/mic usage (instantly, without polling) and fires Home Assistant webhooks to flip a physical busy light outside your office. Bonus: you also get immediate alerts when any app touches your camera or mic, with no telemetry and minimal battery hit.
Every modern Mac hides a free local AI, and I got mine answering questions in Home Assistant7 min
If you’ve got an Apple Silicon Mac, you may already have a “free” local LLM you can plug into Home Assistant. This guide uses Apfel to expose Apple’s hidden Foundation Model as an OpenAI-style endpoint, then points HA’s conversation integration at it for private Q&A. The catch: the tiny context window forces you to disable tools, so it answers but can’t really control your home.
Perspectives
3 articlesThe Secret Origins of Amazon’s Alexa17 min
Alexa’s “overnight” smart-home takeover was mostly a data and execution story: Amazon bet early on a cloud brain and far‑field voice, then quietly bought key speech tech and brute-forced the training-data gap by staging fake homes full of hidden Echos to record thousands of voices. The lesson: assistants win on data pipelines and iteration, not just clever AI.
Infrared tech is decades old – why does almost every TV remote use it? - Engadget3 min
IR is still in most TV remotes because it’s the cheap, universal “always works” fallback that Bluetooth can’t replace. TVs often need IR to power on from standby and to let you control the set before pairing. Once paired, Bluetooth handles most day-to-day commands, but IR remains the safety net when pairing breaks or batteries run low.
This smart knitted fabric can flip switches, count your steps, and even change shape3 min
Why this matters: this research points to “smart” interfaces that don’t need bulky buttons, motors, or rigid sensors. Harvard’s knitted textile snaps between stable shapes like a light switch, and adding conductive yarn lets it act as a soft switch or motion sensor. If it scales, you could see responsive clothing and subtle, fabric-based controls in furniture and interiors.