Sky Q Review: An Installation Story & Real World Impressions
Right from its launch we reckoned the new Sky Q system sounded like just what we needed at the Automated Home so we placed our order the first…
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Smart Shades Solar Powered Bluetooth Blind Motor Controlled from your Phone
Originally crowd funded (and raising 874% of its goal), Smart Shades is a clever little Bluetooth blind controller. The motor unit attaches to the cord of…
Video: First Tesla Powerwall System Installation on TV
This Ozzy TV Show claims to have the first televised Tesla Powerwall installation. Walt & Dani from Channel 10’s Healthy Homes recently paid a visit…
Useful Gadget of the Week: 19-Inch Rack Vertical Wall Mount Bracket
I needed a 24 port switch mounted in a tight space against a wall recently and got this useful bracket to do the job. The StarTech…
Video: UK Smart Home Doorbell from Ding Labs
We talked to Ding Labs co-founder, Avril O’Neil at this years Gadget Show Live. Ding is a doorbell system that links to your smartphone so…
Opinion: Is the Tesla Model 3 the Tipping Point for the EV
Last year Tesla announced the Powerwall, a smart home battery mainly aimed at storing the energy from your renewables to use when the sun isn’t…
Fibaro Swipe Brings Z-Wave Gesture Control to your Smart Home
We got our hands on the new Fibaro Swipe for the first time at the Gadget Show Live last weekend. The device looks like a…
Video: Smart Home Tech to Live Smarter, Cooler, Better
Here’s a couple of quick videos from last weekends Gadget Show Live in the NEC, Birmingham David McClelland and John Mason present “Live Smarter, Cooler, Better”…
Aeotec Door Window Sensor 6 is Minimal Z-Wave Plus Device from Aeon Labs
The new Aeotec Door / Window Sensor 6 is a Z-Wave Plus sensor from Aeon Labs that’s designed with a minimal look to fade into the background,…
Remotec ZRC-90 is Removable Wall Mount Z-Wave Scene Controller
The ZRC-90 from Remotec is a new Z-Wave Scene Controller. Its 8 buttons can be used to trigger actions and scenes in your central Z-Wave controller….
BMW i & Loxone Team Up for Solar Powered Smart Home Charging
I went on a day trip to the Geneva Motor Show last weekend. There was some fab metal on display (here are some photos of my favs). Unsurprisingly…
Exclusive Interview: The ZigBee Alliance on v3.0, The IoT & Affordable Sensors
ZigBee is the technology behind the SmartThings Hub, Philips Hue Lighting and many other home automation modules and sensors. We asked Mark Walters, VP of Strategic…
SmartThings UK – Supported Hardware Plus the Hacks to Add More
“Log door openings to a spreadsheet”. And you thought you were a geek. Samsungs SmartThings system has been available in the UK for several months now…
Video: Still Don’t Believe Skynet Will Be a Thing?
Many of us dream of a friendly domestic robot helping with the housework around the smarthome. Here’s a video of one of the latest (and…
Loxone Motion Sensor Air is Wireless PIR for Your Smart Home
Austrian smart home specialists Loxone continue to expand their wireless range of modules with this new Motion Sensor Air The 360° device can wirelessly sense presence in…
Video: Ordering an Uber with the Amazon Echo
Another tease, this time the increasingly capable Echo from Amazon, another smart home product not yet available in the UK. The guys at the Verge…
Useful Gadget of the Week: Belkin Mains Multi Surge + USB Charging Ports
A.B.C. Always Be Charging. We’re always on the lookout for good charging tech. Here’s a range of Belkin surge protectors that are available with either 1, 2…
My Automated Home: Domoticz Powered Open Source Smart Home
Our latest “My Automated Home” story comes from Ian Gardner and his Domoticz powered smart home. My home automation journey started around 12 years ago with a…
Weekend: Top 45 Movies from Automated Home Forum Members
Last month we ran a competition on the Automated Home Forums asking members to vote for their all-time favourite movies. So if you’re looking for some inspiration…
20th Anniversary Celebrations: Win a Yale Z-Wave Smart Lock Worth £190
To help celebrate our 20th Anniversary we have a mountain of great prizes to give away thanks to some very generous support from our favourite smart home companies….