Ikea’s popular Varmblixt lamp just got a smart home glow-up. The delightfully bulbous light now features color-changing, dimming, and smart home control. I tested the new smart lamp in my daughter’s room and found it made a great bedside lamp and added a fun touch of ambiance to her space. While she’s rarely a fan […]
It hasn’t been officially announced, but Walmart’s website now has a listing (you may need to set your location to Ventura, California) for an updated version of its budget-friendly Onn 4K Pro streaming box that originally debuted in May 2024. Following technical illustrations that leaked less than a month ago, the listing was discovered after […]
The Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) released Matter 1.5.1 today, building upon the camera and video doorbell support added as part of the Matter 1.5 update last November. Although 1.5.1 is a minor update, it brings several improvements that will benefit both end users and companies making these types of devices. The most notable update is […]
This week, my top pick for a retrofit smart lock launched the first Aliro-compatible keypad. The Nuki Keypad 2 NFC ($179) brings tap-to-unlock via Apple’s Home Key and Samsung’s Digital Home Key to the Nuki smart lock, allowing you to tap your phone or smartwatch to unlock your door, just like you tap to pay. […]
Matic, my current top pick for the best robot vacuum, just got a big update. The unique-looking floor bot now works with Google Home and Apple Home, with support coming through the smart home standard Matter. This enables voice control and smart home integrations, features that have been missing from the robot since launch. Now […]
Ikea’s new Matter-over-Thread products were supposed to prove that the smart home could be cheap, accessible, and reliable. The highly anticipated line – which includes sensors, remotes, smart plugs, air-quality monitors, and smart bulbs – has most everything you need to build a smart home, with prices starting at $6. It’s an exciting idea, but […]
The first Matter camera is here – sort of. Camera support came to the smart home standard last year, and Aqara’s Camera Hub G350 is the first to support it. The G350, which was announced at CES, launched this week and is a pan-and-tilt indoor security camera with up to 4K video resolution. Today, the […]
After being announced last November, Ikea’s Matter-compatible smart home collection has been slowly trickling into its stores around the world over the past few months. Despite some early connectivity issues, one of the most anticipated items in that collection is Ikea’s new Matter-over-Thread smart bulbs. The company originally said they’d hit the US sometime in […]
Samsung launched Digital Home Key for Wallet, letting Galaxy owners unlock compatible deadbolts with their phones. Lose the device? Kill the key remotely via Samsung Find.
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I’ve spent the last couple of weeks trying – and mostly failing – to test Ikea’s new Matter-over-Thread gear. These highly anticipated smart home devices include programmable buttons, smart bulbs, plugs, and temperature and motion sensors – all of which should work with any smart home platform and start at just $6. But I’ve hit […]