Posts in General


17 Common Smart Home Mistakes You Should Avoid

Posted on 8th Nov 2020 18:13:17 in DIY, General, IoT, Smart

It's no secret: everyone makes mistakes. Smart homes are not the exception as many beginners find themselves making the same mistakes before eventually learning why they are mistakes. Even those who are experts in smart technology still make mistakes, and many of them are quite common. Here is my list of 17 mistakes commonly made by smart home owners of every skill level, from complete beginner to expert!

Smart mistakes

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How to Make IR Devices Smart Easily

Posted on 6th Nov 2020 16:32:28 in General, Smart

You've probably seen the LED at the end of a TV remote before, but have you ever stopped to think about what exactly it is? The LED is not your typical kind as it emits infrared instead of visible light. This is useful for transmitting signals wirelessly across a short distance, such as when you want to control your TV. How does infrared come into play in a smart home and are infrared devices stuck being manually operated? Luckily for us, there are quite a few ways to make these devices smarter, such as by using a proxy that will connect to the internet.

Infrared is used in remotes

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The 15 (Hidden) Hazards of Smart Home DIY You Need to Know

Posted on 3rd Nov 2020 18:12:37 in General, Smart

If you want to build a smart home chances are you have heard people talk about DIY. There's a good reason it will come up: it can save you serious money while getting it done your way. Those advantages are huge and almost always make it worth pursuing a DIY project, especially when it comes to smart homes. Despite the benefits, one question everyone should ask is when should you DIY and when should you buy an existing solution or pay a professional? The answer isn't always straightforward but generally, you will want to avoid projects that deal with safety and security directly.

DIY risks

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What Does No Smart Hub Required Really Mean?

Posted on 1st Nov 2020 18:06:14 in General, Smart

You may have seen it before on the packaging of an interesting, smart device you wanted to get: "No hub required". What does not hub required mean though? Quite simply, it means that the device does not require a smart hub to operate. There's a lot more to consider when deciding what kind of products you will be using in your smart home though, such as how they make it work without a hub or if hubless is even a good thing.

What does no hub mean?

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The 4 Best HomeKit Hubs You Need To Get

Posted on 30th Oct 2020 17:01:08 in General, Smart

HomeKit is a great ecosystem that values your privacy by limiting the number of external communications, opting to use your local network for all device commands. At first, there weren't too many options for those looking to implement a HomeKit smart home, making the choice fairly straight forwards. That isn't the case anymore and picking which hub you want to use isn't always an obvious task. Let's see what the best HomeKit hub is for a few different situations.

The Best HomeKit Hub

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