Control your home with an iPhone
Apple's iOS 10 came along with the 'Home' application, which allowed us to remotely control from the thermostat in our home to the perfect point of the meat.
It's been years now since Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, presented HomeKit, the Californian company's solution for home automation, to the world. Its goal was to bring together in a single application and protocols that served the intelligent products of the home, accelerating the processes of link and configuration. However, leaving aside the very knowledgeable in technology and removing some product easy to install and some product easy to install, Apple's desire has not met expectations. That is why they have decided to redouble their efforts to make actions worthy of any science fiction film a reality in any home around the world. Home, as the new app is called, has become the most remarkable novelty of its released iOS 10 operating system. From now on, all iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch users who update their device will find it both on their home screen and in the Control Center - that tab that unfolds when we slide our finger from bottom to top on the home screen - which will make its handling more effective. The new application also has the 'Automation' feature, which allows you to configure the devices to act depending on time and place. For example: on a summer day the air conditioning will turn on automatically when you are approaching home or, if you are an early riser, the blinds will go up when the sun rises.
Apple is thus fully engaged in the hard battle to gain the dominance of a bizarre industry in terms of global marketing. Google (Nest) and Amazon (Echo) are already immersed in a battle that will presumably end with the consumer surrendered (by conviction or by boredom) to the democratization of intelligence in the home. But, the magical appearance of a new icon in our mobile does not automate our home, it needs a computer to control. And the doubts arise: what budget do I need? where can I get with the devices? and most importantly, what actions can I do now to turn my home into intelligent? Well, now let's try to answer these questions. An advance: opening the door of your home from work to that family member who has left the keys is possible. This is all your iPhone (and your pocket) will allow you to do with the flick of a finger.
Turning the lights on and off
It is perhaps the most widespread domotics due to its simplicity of use and installation. It is as easy as connecting the control bridge to the electrical network and the internet, putting the bulbs in a socket and downloading an application. Manipulating the dimming and color of the lights from your mobile is practical and fun, but the new developments want to do without even the phone itself. The latter are motion sensors that recognize intuitively (through the movement of hands and feet) when we enter a room to illuminate it without switches or facilities. Philips Hue will market these sensors at the end of next month for around €40. Searching the walls in search of the light key in the middle of the night is about to happen to a better life.
Cooking the steak to perfection
Kitchen sluggards, no more excuses. With the new advances in domotics you will no longer be able to blame your evil eye if the food is overcooked. iGrill is a device that, connected through a probe with the food we are preparing, communicates its temperature to the telephone. That is, you can leave a roast in the oven without monitoring because when it has reached the optimal point of cooking your iPhone will warn you. It also has exclusive recipes and pre-selected alarms to make the kitchen an exact science and that culinary nightmares disappear once and for all. Even Mark Zuckerberg has confessed to being a fan of this technology.
Controlling temperature, humidity levels
Another profession in danger of extinction, that of meteorologist. Siri will now be your most reliable source as it is connected to sensors such as xiaomi aqara temperature humidity sensor, which for 20 dollars accurately measures temperature, humidity and atmospheric pressure wherever you prefer. We can also be alert to possible accidents in the kitchen, the environmental monitor OneLink warns us about any increase in levels of smoke and carbon monoxide at home.
Another fundamental acquisition for the domotics strategy of Cupertino's company is the Apple TV, a device with which to watch movies and enjoy the content of our computer on television. What does this have to do with the operation of, for example, a thermostat? The media player also works a link between our mobile and home when we are away. Being connected to the same Internet network as other smart devices allows our orders to be made remotely, as a perfect remote control. For example, we could ask Siri to turn on the heating of the house the day we return from vacation to find it at the perfect temperature.
Guess who's coming to dinner tonight
We already sell cameras that are installed next to our door bell to be able to watch from our mobile who has just called. And not only does it have a loudspeaker to communicate with the intruder, but it also records the images to be able to see them later. If we also have some of the smart locks for sale, we will be able to open our door remotely to that family member who has forgotten the keys or to that deliveryman who brings us that urgent package. A useful but expensive technology. August's combo lock and camera would cost approximately 400 dollars without installation.
Turn off and turn on any electrical appliance remotely
Humidifiers, air conditioners, blinds, bells... Up to ceiling fans and even plugs, with which we can control any electrical appliance, from television to our washing machine. The possibilities will be endless because, although facing the general public is an industry still in diapers, the pace of new devices has grown in recent months. Now, with the privileged place Apple has reserved for home automation on iPhone 11, it seems logical to think that its integration will multiply. Tim Cook has confirmed that there are about a hundred companies working on new devices to control from the new app House.
And the most important thing: that someone listens to you when you speak
That's not so common, wow. If your roommates ignore you when you ask them to turn on the air conditioning or lock the front door, Siri does not. Apple Artificial Intelligence monitors all the intelligent devices in the house and your wishes about their use are orders for it. You can also set up key expressions that compile several actions into one. For example, checking the "I'm at home" option will open the entrance door, turn on the lights, and adjust the thermostat to the selected temperature. Artificial intelligence is a reality, now we just hope it behaves better than Hal.
YOYO, the first loudspeaker with Honor's virtual assistant
Smart speakers with integrated virtual assistant are at their peak. Although they are still somewhat green, as far as integration with the rest of our home devices is concerned, many manufacturers are betting on launching their own model to get their piece of the cake. From Google Home to Amazon Echo, the Apple HomePod or even the Huawei AI Cube, it is now Honor who surprises us by showing us what will be their first loudspeaker with integrated virutal assistant and that receives the name of YOYO.
Characteristics of YOYO of Honor
Although not much information about this first Honor virtual assistant loudspeaker has been released so far, we do know that it will have a 3W omnidirectional loudspeaker and several microphones to clearly capture all our conversations with the loudspeaker. The measures will be 10 cm in diameter and 4.5 cm high and weight 165 grams. Small, but expected to be of sufficient quality to meet our requests. It will also feature an LED indicator so that we know when it is in operation. It will be available in two colors, white or gray.
As for the virtual assistant it will use, it will be Huawei's own, called with the same name, in an attempt to strengthen its position in the market. As you know, Huawei is a leader in Artificial Intelligence, so we expect a good performance of his virtual assistant.
Availability and price of YOYO of Honor
For now, YOYO of Honor is available in China for a price at the exchange rate of 29 dollars. We have no news about his arrival in the European market, but considering that he works with Huawei's own virtual assistant, we probably still have a few months left to enjoy YOYO in the first person.
Ring launches the Door View Cam
Ring, the technology company that wants to reduce crime in neighborhoods around the world, today launched its fifth video timbre within the framework of CES 2019: the Ring Door View Cam. It is a cordless and easy to install contraption that allows the viewer or peephole of any door to be transformed into an intelligent security device, without the need for holes or other permanent interventions in the door or home.
Simply remove the existing viewfinder, replace it with the Ring Door View Cam and insert the battery and removable front plate into the relevant sides of the door, and the traditional peephole becomes an intelligent security camera. A perfect camera for any home that has a peephole in the main door - especially apartments, flats and rental dwellings - equipped with motion detection and door activity, two-way conversation, 1080p HD video, removable and rechargeable battery, night vision and privacy zone definition.
As we move forward in our mission to reduce crime and criminality in neighborhoods, we want everyone who has a home to have the ability to protect it and avoid becoming a victim of crime," said Jamie Siminoff, Ring's founder, CEO and chief inventor. In this sense, he adds that "over the years, many neighbors have let us know that they wanted to better protect their front door with a Ring Video Doorbell, but for various reasons could not install one of our bells. With the launch of the Ring Door View Cam we offer peace of mind to all the neighbours.
With the Ring Door View Cam, which allows you to control, protect and respond to the door from anywhere, the user will never miss a visitor.
Easy installation - Ring Door View Cam is easily installed on the viewing window site without the need for drilling or permanent alterations, so it does not leave marks or damage the paint.
HD Video - Users can see everything that happens in front of the door of their home both live and through recordings, with the same video quality as the other Ring devices.
Impact Sensor - If visitors do not ring the doorbell, the Ring Door View Cam features a sensor that lets the user know when someone is interacting with their door, for example, knocking.
Battery operation - The device is powered by a removable, rechargeable battery located inside the door, so there's no need to install any wiring for an intelligent peephole.
Traditional viewfinder functionality - The Ring Door View Cam includes a glass viewfinder so as not to lose its main functionality.
Privacy Zones - Allows users to digitally block certain areas in front of the device, as well as disable audio recording.
Smart Alerts (with every Ring bell and camera from this 2019. May require a Ring Protection Plan) - Adjustable Motion Detection - Motion sensitivity can be adjusted to fine tune alerts, customize zones and conserve battery life. o Motion Verification - The Ring Door View Cam discards false alerts so users receive more accurate and relevant activity. Motion Stop - If the device considers motion to be unimportant, it stops recording, prolonging battery life. People Detection - The Ring Door View Cam identifies and tags the type of movement detected, giving users the option to ignore what they don't want to see.
Alexa Compatibility - In certain countries, users will be able to ask Ring compatible Alexa devices to "show the front door" and receive real-time alerts when the Ring Door View Cam detects movement. It will also allow chatting with visitors through Echo Show, Echo Sport or Alexa compatible tablets.
Price and availability
The Ring Door View Cam will be launched this 2019 in the United States for $199. The company also intends to bring it to European markets this year in Spain, the UK, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland for a suggested price of €199.
Aqara has a new smart hub which is not compatible with Mi Home
This new smart hub presented under its own brand is only compatible with its app, Aqara Home, available for Android and IOS.
Aqara is a brand owned by the company Lumi United Technology Co. which operates since 2015 in the development of home automation products mainly focused on the Chinese market.
There, Xiaomi has undoubtedly been its biggest trading partner.
Aqara has developed all Mi Home compatible gateways, e.g. the sensors of the Mi/Mijia line as well as its own.
Aqara has decided to move in the face of Xiaomi's passivity with its new HomeKit-compatible hub
This does not mean that Aqara is only focused on creating products for Mi Home, it has had its own app and several products in the development stage for some time now.
But it has not been until now that Aqara has taken the step to enter the North American market and does so with a strong claim, compatibility with the Apple HomeKit or what is the same: "Siri, turn off the lights".
We understand that all the Aqara products we have at Mi Home are not compatible with the new hub, because although they have been manufactured by Aqara they have not been purchased through an official sales channel.
This is something that has to be picked up with tweezers; we will have to wait for it to go on sale and for users to be able to verify if we will be able to use the Aqara devices we have in Mi Home and thus enjoy the advantages of the Apple HomeKit or if, on the contrary, the bad omens are fulfilled.
Another important aspect is the security offered by HomeKit when encrypting communications, something nothing new because Xiaomi already does since the inception of My Home.
It seems that Aqara has become fond of Apple, hopefully not too much and thus be able to see in the near future compatibility with Google Home.
Regarding the gateway is very similar aesthetically to the more known Xiaomi Gateway V2, has loudspeaker, 18 LEDs forming a ring, brightness sensor, communication modules WiFi and ZigBee and a CPU that will manage everything.
It can handle up to 32 sub-devices and has the functions of home alarm, buzzer and courtesy light, unless we know for now.
Aqara Hub will soon land in the Chinese and North American markets, and then make the leap to Europe.
It will also be accompanied by an intelligent plug with consumption control, protection against electrical overload and overheating.
he fragmentation that we are seeing added to the confusion created by various websites and stores using the name of Xiaomi without coming soon may end up passing bill to the user.
So much so that from here we encourage you to stay tuned to the next developments in this regard and we encourage you to communicate your doubts about it through any of our networks or commenting on this entry.
Where to buy the new Aqara Gateway?
Today we can already find it listed in Aliexpress,Gestbest, Bestbuy, Lightinthebox for the Chinese version (US,EU version is coming in October 2018). Those users who want to try the above compatibility with Apple Homekit can start making their purchase at a price of around 43 €.
Home automation: the guide to a house for a successful installation
The home automation market is booming. Many installations are appearing to better equip your home on a daily basis. Do you have any idea of the cost and service. I'm going to offer you a guide and a comparison of these different products.
New technology has shaken up your habits with the appearance of smartphones, objects and applications for your leisure, sports or office activities. For the end of the year holidays, Objetconnecte.net offers you a guide and a comparison of the installations to better equip your home. From security to monitoring and energy consumption, you can turn off lights, lock locks, monitor your garden or house, turn up the lights, control the temperature and open the garage door, directly via an application or speaker such as Alexa from Amazon or Google Home, a good idea on the surface. Today, how much is the smart house estimated to cost? Following the proposal of the guide and comparisons, you will have all the possibilities to better succeed in equipping your home.
Smart lock: open your door without a key pair
The locks offer you the possibility to open your doors without using a key pair. Only by Bluetooth or WiFi, they can be unlocked using a simple smartphone. Smart locks can be remotely controlled and enhance security by providing notifications on every entry and exit into the house. Many models are available for sale and some are less reliable than others. To help you choose, discover the large comparison of locks. Many models are referenced and sorted according to their brand, connection method, color, price, availability.
Smart camera: monitor your home with a home automation alarm
Thanks to the cameras, you can monitor your interior and exterior anywhere from your smartphone. No more burglaries or intrusions of any kind, with cameras, your family and home are safe. It is important to choose your equipment according to your use and the necessary needs. There are different types of intelligent cameras, both indoor and outdoor. To help you choose, Objetconnecte.net offers you a comparison of the cameras. Many models are referenced and sorted according to their design, daily use, night vision, recording quality as well as their sound and dedicated applications, their color, their price, their availability.
Smoke detector: protect yourself from fires
You are never safe from a fire that can put you and your family at risk. Beyond the alarming numbers, the smoke detectors are important. Discover the guide and the complete comparison of the smoke detectors in order to make the right choice when it comes to keeping your loved ones safe. Many models are referenced and sorted according to their design, daily use, night vision, detection system, protection alert as well as their dedicated applications, color, price, availability.
Smart thermostat: control the indoor temperature
Feeling good at home is about controlling the indoor temperature. No matter where you live, ecological and sustainable solutions exist to help control your energy consumption. Discover the guide and the complete comparison of the thermostats in order to make the right choice. A wide choice of models is referenced and sorted according to their design, daily use, connection and programming as well as their dedicated applications, color, price, availability.
Smart bulb: control your lighting environment
Having the power to control your lighting throughout your home from your smartphone is possible. With the rise of home automation and smart home, Smart light bulbs have made their appearances for sale. In addition, this product is one of the cheapest and most popular products in the Smart home sector. Since then, more and more private labels have offered their own version. Among all these offers, it is becoming difficult to identify which ones are the most interesting.
After buying all these smart items to make a successful home automation system, you can add many things like the smart vacuum cleaner, an indoor perfume diffuser or outdoor lighting. All these devices can be installed alone or recommended by a professional. However, some retail outlets and online shops offer installation offers depending on the product requested.
