A Decade On Are We Any Closer to the Integrated Smart Home?
10 years ago this week I wrote this post on an imagined ‘X’ protocol that brought disparate systems together in a smart home utopia. However the…
2017
Recommended: My Top 15 YouTube Channels from the Past Year
This year felt like the one I joined my kids and watched more ‘TV’ on YouTube than any other platform. So here, in no particular…
Drayton Wiser Smart Heating Controls Review Part 3 – Expanding & Adding Alexa Voice Control
Drayton Wiser Install Expansion In Part 1 we set up the 3 channel controller and room thermostats to replace our conventional versions. That satisfied a number…
Offer: Tomons Wood Tripod Bedside Lamps Bring Scandi Style Home
We’re still enjoying our Tomons Swing Arm Desk Lamp so when a box turned up at the Automated Home with some new Tomons lights we got…
Zigbee Alliance Announces Availability of Dotdot Specification over Thread IP Network
Dotdot is the bridge that allows Zigbee devices to be able to communicate with IP devices on a Thread network. The Zigbee Alliance are hoping it…
Video: UK Loxone Powered Smart Home Case Study
Loxone’s latest video case study takes us on a tour of a cool contemporary smart home in Wendover which has been extensively automated by their…
[Sponsor] 1Home Expands from Voice Control to IoT Connectivity and OEM Partnerships
The Market When you see a true smart home for the first time, you often experience a powerful, lasting ‘wow’ moment. There’s this exciting technology…
UniPi Neuron is Raspberry Pi Based Multi I/O Controller for Smart Home Applications
UniPi technology is a small Czech-based company that produces the modular Neuron PLC. They describe their module as… …a product line of PLC (Programmable Logic Controller)…
Marmitek ‘TV Anywhere Wireless HD’ Transmits 1080p HDMI Output to Another Room
Wireless IR extenders were a thing back in the nineties and noughties (who remembers the X10 Pyramids?). Now Marmitek promises to send HD video as…
Pairot Bridge Brings Apple HomeKit & Amazon Alexa Support to KNX Smart Homes
The Pairot module from xxter bridges your KNX smart home to Apple HomeKit or Amazon Alexa. This adds quality voice control from these 2 popular platforms. With…
Our Top Choices for Black Friday Smart Home Tech Deals
We’ve sorted the Black Friday wheat from the chaff as well as adding some of our favourite items from this year, plus a few Amazon Choice…
Drayton Wiser Smart Heating Controls Review Part 2 – Installation Update
We received some great feedback from Part One of our review from the team at Drayton and thought it was worth sharing the updated information for that…
Loxone Reveal New NFC Code Touch & Touch Surface Smart Home Controls
Loxone have added 2 brand new smart home products to their range. The Touch Surface is five-point capacitive touch pad that can be mounted underneath…
Review: KitSound ‘Voice One’ Alexa Enabled Smart Speaker
Smart home voice assistants are being opened up to third party manufactures and KitSound have just released their new ‘Voice One’ smart speaker in collaboration…
The iPhone X Review – Face the Future
It’s been a decade since the original iPhone was released. My own 2007 vintage handset has seen better days, but it’s still going strong. So 10 years…
Going Solar Part 6 – Entire First Years ‘Fuel’ Costs for Nissan Leaf EV – £235
Following close on the heals of the first anniversary of our Solar PV system, our Nissan Leaf completed its first full year with us on…
Drayton Wiser Smart Heating Controls Review Part 1 – Step by Step Installation
The recent launch of the Drayton Wiser from Schneider Electric was the trigger for Automated Home reader Mark Boyle to bite the bullet and install…
Case Study: Going Off Grid for £2,000 with 2nd Hand Solar Panels
Fridge, lights, TV, computers? YES. Kettle, toaster, hairdryer, washing machine, dishwasher NO. These were the parameters for a minimalist off grid PV system for a…
Right to Reply: Z-Wave Responds to Controller Compatibility Controversy
It’s fair to say that our post earlier this month – Z-Wave Controller Compatibility Frustrations Grow as Dealer Vents – ruffled a few feathers. So here’s the…
[Sponsor] Will AI Control Your House This Year?
2015: Stephen Hawking and Elon Mask actively warn of the dangers of artificial intelligence. 2016: Amazon sells nearly 10 million Echo devices that give access…