Platforms & Ecosystem
5 articlesSamsung's disastrous firmware update bricks refrigerators ahead of South Korean holiday ā repair visits slip into October, customers complain of food spoilage ahead of three-day celebration3 min
Samsungās failed firmware update turned thousands of South Korean smart refrigerators into expensive offline boxes just before Chuseok: lights, auto-open doors and cooling stopped, and some families reportedly threw away large amounts of food while repair appointments slipped into October. Samsung promised emergency restoration and is considering compensation. The incident is a sharp reminder that connected appliances need safe rollback and offline fail-safesānot just smarter features.
Matter 1.6.1 finalizes Groupcast and adds chime sound controls5 min
Matter 1.6.1 makes Groupcast the recommended way to control device groups, which should eliminate the visible āpopcornā delay when multiple Matter lights respond. It also separates doorbell chime audio from visual alerts, allowing compatible devices to be muted without disabling flashing indicators. Home Assistant is working on native group support, but platform and manufacturer updates will be required.
These popular TP-Link home security cameras could be hacked to spy on you while you sleep, experts warn4 min
Owners of TP-Linkās Tapo C200 and C120 indoor cameras should update their firmware now: researchers found a same-network login bypass that can expose live video, recordings, audio and settings without the ownerās password. The C200 also has a crash flaw that can disrupt monitoring. Both models have fixes, but OPSWAT is withholding details of another potentially full camera compromise until TP-Link patches it.
HomeKit Weekly: Homey's new Device Updates feature shows what Matter was supposed to be all along - 9to5Mac4 min
Homeyās Device Updates tackles one of the smart homeās most neglected chores: firmware maintenance. It can deliver Matter updates using the Connectivity Standards Allianceās registry and standardized OTA process, without manufacturer apps; Zigbee and Z-Wave support depends on vendor integrations. That makes Matterās interoperability promise tangible, while new Eve support lets Apple Homeās privacy-focused devices move to Homey without changing how they work.
Thread Group officially moves toward Sub-G for long-range networking5 min
Thread Group has approved development of a Sub-GHz version of Thread, a meaningful step toward long-range Matter devices for gardens, detached buildings, large homes, and commercial sites. Lower frequencies could reduce the need for mesh routers and replace proprietary links, but this is only a roadmap: the spec, regional bands, timeline, and hardware are still undecided. Existing Thread devices wonāt upgrade via firmware.
Product Launches
4 articlesEight Sleep announces the Pod 6, its newest smart mattress cover - Engadget2 min
Eight Sleepās Pod 6 makes its temperature-controlled mattress cover more responsive and far more aware of whatās happening in bed. Eighteen sensors track sleep and vital signs without a wearable, letting Autopilot adjust temperature for each sleeperāand even separate a petās signal. A smaller solo version lowers the entry point, but it still starts at $2,000 and requires a recurring subscription, making this a luxury upgrade rather than a practical sleep accessory.
Meross Announce New Matter Smart Hub, Four New Sensor Kits3 min
Meross is bringing a $26.99 Matter hub that connects four new BLE sensor and control devices to Apple Home, Google Home, Alexa, and Home Assistant. Local alarms keep working during network outages, making the setup useful for leaks and security alerts. The catch is that the sensors are not direct Matter devices, and Meross has not confirmed which advanced features will appear in Apple Home.
SwitchBot K11+ Pro doubles suction to 12,000Pa ā with Matter and Apple Home4 min
SwitchBotās K11+ Pro makes a compact robot vacuum more compelling for small, furniture-dense homes: it doubles peak suction while adding an anti-tangle brush system and keeping the small footprint and auto-empty dock. The bigger smart-home upgrade is Matter 1.4 support, including room and cleaning-area control in Apple Home and Home Assistant, though detailed schedules and no-go zones still require SwitchBotās app. Itās $399.99, with a launch discount.
Xiaomiās cheap smart sensor can now track CO2 ā but thereās one big drawback2 min
Xiaomiās Mijia Smart Temperature and Humidity Meter 3 Pro makes affordable indoor air-quality monitoring more useful: it adds CO2 readings, a larger at-a-glance display and Mi Home automations via Bluetooth Mesh. The catch is meaningful for anyone placing it around the house: its CR2450 battery is rated for about a year, versus up to three years for the cheaper 3 Mini. Itās currently China-only at roughly $17, with global availability unconfirmed.
Reviews & Spotlight
3 articlesMatter Smoke Detector in Home Assistant | raspberry.tips26 min
Matter over Thread gives Sensereoās MSC-1 and MS-1 smoke alarms a rare combination: battery operation, no vendor cloud, and native Home Assistant support. The review found alarms report instantly and HA commands arrive in seconds, but the detectors do not relay Thread traffic, so range depends on mains-powered routersāand HA still misses the MSC-1ās CO ppm reading. The MSC-1 is compelling where CO matters; cheaper Matter or Zigbee options make more sense for smoke-only rooms.
I Tried Two Extraordinary Security Gadgets Made for Spots Other Tech Can't Reach - CNET8 min
Abodeās new garage and outdoor contact sensors extend its security system to commonly ignored entry points, accurately flagging open doors, gates and sheds while enabling useful CUE automations. The garage model is remarkably easy to install; the outdoor unit works well in bad weather, but its bulky, frustrating hardware feels unfinished. The bigger catch is Abodeās standard hub, which needs a permanent Ethernet connection.
The rise of Big Toothbrush: how did our mouths become such a lucrative market?11 min
Smart toothbrushes are turning oral care into a premium wellness market, but this Guardian investigation finds little evidence that the fanciest features deliver better cleaning. Dysonās camera-and-water-jet CameraJet was messy, sometimes unavailable, and risks rinsing away fluoride or replacing floss in usersā minds. A rechargeable brush can help, especially with pressure sensing, but technique and consistency matter moreāand Ā£400 gadgets do little for the wider access crisis.
Projects & How-To
4 articlesPut any percentage in your house on your iPhone lock screen ā¢ The Smart Home Maker5 min
Home Assistant can turn any percentage sensorāprinter progress, appliance cycles, battery level, or downloadsāinto a live progress bar on an iPhone Lock Screen, Apple Watch, and CarPlay. The trick is a tagged push notification that updates the same Live Activity, then clears it when the job ends. The guideās key gotchas are queued automation runs, matching tags, and the roughly eight-hour iOS limit; Android support needs a title.
Don't throw out these 7 old smart home devices, the open-source community found a way to rescue them5 min
Cloud shutdowns donāt have to turn smart-home hardware into e-waste: open-source projects are giving abandoned devices local control again. Home Assistant can revive old Nest thermostats, Wemo plugs, SmartDry sensors, and Iris gear, while projects such as OpenNeato and ratgdo rescue Neato vacuums and MyQ garage doors. Even discontinued Meta Portals can become dashboards. The catch: some rescues require firmware work or extra hardware, so they suit tinkerers.
Dumpster-dived Window A/C Becomes Ground-Source Heat Pump2 min
An abandoned window A/C becomes a working ground-source heat pump, showing how far a salvaged appliance can go with some serious DIY effort. The builder buried PEX tubing, enclosed the unitās heat exchanger in a water tank, and used a PLC-driven actuator to press its power button from a thermostat. Itās a clever, mostly sealed retrofit that avoids opening the refrigerant circuitābut hardly a plug-and-play heating solution.
I installed a UPS for my smart home and Home Assistant still couldn't save my automations6 min
A UPS can keep Home Assistant and your network alive while the smart plugs and hubs it controls are still dead, so it won't replay missed schedules or failed commands. XDA's test shows the fix is resilient, state-aware automations: trigger on the schedule, Home Assistant startup, and a device returning from unavailable, then check whether the action still applies. Add persistent timers, deliberate power-on states, and local devices; uptime alone isn't recovery.
Perspectives
2 articlesIKEAās Matter rollout is becoming a test of scale, price and simplicity7 min
IKEAās Matter strategy is less about chasing every device than making connected home tech cheap, approachable and scalable. A new Wi-Fi, Thread and Zigbee hub and surfaced air purifiers show the range expanding, but the bigger story is the trade-off: IKEA wants Matter to open doors to Home Assistant while keeping its own app simple. Its scale may lower prices, yet shared standards make reliability and support harder to control.
Josh.ai Publishes Code of Conduct for AI in the Home - Residential Systems4 min
Josh.ai is proposing a voluntary standard for keeping increasingly autonomous AI accountable inside the home. Its key idea is to separate intelligence from authority: AI can reason and suggest, but a permission-based control layer must approve every device action, with homeowners able to explain, undo, interrupt, or shut it off. It is a useful safety framework, though adoption beyond Josh.ai remains unproven.