Smart Homes

7 places to buy affordable art and frames

Nothing makes a home feel sterile and drab like stark white walls devoid of art or photos.<p>That said, you don't need an entire gallery wall or to spend a fortune to make your home feel cozy and warm. You just need a few pieces of personalized art here and there. And you don't have to break the bank …

5 ways to makeover your home without spending a ton of money

In the CNET Smart Home, we're constantly thinking about decor. With all of the tech we bring in, we want it to still look like a stylish and relaxing space -- not one overrun by machines.<p>We've learned a lot along the way about how technology can make tricky decorating tasks -- like picking a paint …

Smart hubs, IFTTT & Raspberry Pi: How to get started with home automation

So you want a smart home. Great! But where do you start? With so many platforms, assistants, hubs and protocols out there, it can get really confusing really fast. Here's what you need to know if you're ready to dip your toe into smart home automation.<p>Zigbee and Z-Wave<p>Zigbee and Z-Wave are low …

Amazon Echo's 'Away Mode' Alexa skill tricks burglars into thinking you're home

Kevin McCallister from <i>Home Alone</i> had some ingenious methods of keeping burglars at bay. A new Alexa skill called Away Mode lets you easily employ one of his tactics.<p>Created by smart home insurance company Hippo, the new Alexa skill aims to "harnesses the power of human awkwardness to ward off …

This Amazon sale might be the last time you ever have to buy light bulbs

Are you tired of the frustration you feel when you realize you’re out of light bulbs? Are you annoyed that it seems to happen every single time one …

Almost no Alexa owners have bought anything with their voice

Alexa might not be the sales robot that Amazon believed it could be.<p>A report today (Aug. 6) from The Information <b></b>claims the company has sold about 50 million Alexa smart speakers, which first went on sale in 2014. However, only 2% of Alexa speakers have been used to make a purchase from Amazon in …

Amazon Alexa users can grab a TP-Link Smart Plug or LIFX LED Bulb for just $10

Amazon is offering a sweet deal for its Alexa users this morning. Using code <b>SMART10</b> <b></b>gets you either the TP-Link HS105 Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug or the Lifx Mini A19 Smart LED Light Bulb for <b>$10 Prime shipped</b>. Be sure to apply the promo code at checkout to lock in your savings. <i>Note:</i> <i>you must have an</i> …

Apple joins ‘The Thread Group,’ opening up the possibility of more advanced HomeKit tech

Apple today has joined the smart home-dedicated group The Thread Group. While Apple’s extent of involvement in the group is unclear at this point, the company is now listed as a “member” on The Thread Group website…<p>Thread is described as a new mesh network standard that aims to make it easier for …

TP-Link Deco M9 Plus Mesh Wi-Fi System

<b>Pros</b><p>Easy to install. Solid throughput in testing. Dedicated backhaul band. Built-in malware and virus protection. Robust parental controls. Controls …

Logitech’s HomeKit-enabled Starter Kit falls to new low at $58 (Reg. $80)

Amazon is currently offering the HomeKit-enabled Logitech Pop Starter Kit for <b>$58.08 shipped</b>. Normally selling for $80 or so, it has been slipping in price over the past week. Today’s offer is now $2 less than our previous mention and good for an over 25% discount. It is also a new all-time low at …

Report: Almost Nobody Is Using Amazon's Alexa to Actually Buy Stuff

Amazon may have sold millions of Echoes and other devices equipped with its voice-controlled Alexa smart assistant partially in the hopes that it …

7 Really Unusual But Useful Add-ons for Amazon Alexa | Inc.com

The voice-enabled bot Amazon Alexa has been around for a while now, but it's possible you haven't quite explored all of the add-ons available (in tech parlance, they are known as Skills). That's understandable, since the voicebot lets you order products out of the box and ask about the weather. If …

How to control your TV with Alexa

When it works, controlling your TV with Amazon’s Alexa digital assistant can feel like magic. Using voice commands avoids thumbing through menus and …

Amazon struggles to tempt Alexa users to shop

Amazon is leaning into Alexa and betting that voice ordering is the next big retail trend — but declining market share against Google Home and …

Answer Update lets Alexa get back to you when she's stumped

We've all been there: Your boss asks you a question and you don't have the answer. The common response: "I'll have to get back to you on that."<p>Now, Alexa's learned the same trick.<p>First noticed by Voicebot, Amazon calls the feature Answer Update, and tells us that it's rolling out to Alexa users …

Amazon takes 20% off popular smart home accessories for Alexa owners

Amazon is currently offering an <b>extra 20% off</b> a wide selection of smart home accessories when promo code <b>SMARTHOME20</b> <b></b>is applied during checkout. This offer is available to owners of Alexa-enabled devices only. Full terms and conditions can be found below. This includes the rarely-discounted NETGEAR …

Does Amazon have new Alexa hardware on the way?

Last September, Amazon unveiled its second-gen Echo smart speaker along with a gaggle of other new Alexa gadgets, including the Echo Spot touchscreen alarm clock and Echo Plus smart home hub. The September before that saw the arrival of the second-gen Echo Dot. With another September nearly upon …

Alexa’s newest feature lets the A.I. get back to you with an answer

In yet another evolutionary step in the artificial intelligence contest between Amazon and Google, Amazon confirmed this week that a new feature …

China now has an Amazon Echo-like device called the 'LingLong DingDong'

Some analysts expect the Chinese smart home market to be a $22 billion a year business by as soon as 2018. With growth like that, it’d be a clear win for companies like Google and Amazon, who’d love to get their digital assistant-equipped smart speakers into the hands of (potentially) over a …

[Deal Alert] Arlo Pro 2 kits with three, four, or five cameras on sale for up to $230 off

Arlo Pro 2 cameras are still your best bet if you want a wireless security camera, but they don't come cheap. They're on sale today, and while that …

This is What the Future of Home Automation in India Looks Like

The home automation segment in India is witnessing a larger acceptance due to availability of affordable and durable products and hence explore the subject a little<p>Opinions expressed by <i>Entrepreneur</i> contributors are their own.<p>You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of …

This Netgear Arlo Pro 2 deal includes a free third camera

Wireless home security is a bit cheaper today<p>Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. For more information, see our ethics policy.<p>Home security cameras aren’t always an …

9 smart doorbells to watch over your front stoop

Smart home security company Arlo is adding a smart doorbell and a separate chime accessory to its product lineup -- the Arlo Audio Doorbell and Chime. The Arlo Audio Doorbell is battery-powered and doesn't include a built-in camera. Arlo instead expects customers to enlist one of its separate …

Ring’s Battery-powered Spotlight Cam falls to $136, wired version at $160 (20% off)

Electronic Express via Rakuten offers the Ring Spotlight Cam Battery for <b>$135.99 shipped</b> when applying code <b>SAVE15</b> at checkout. Normally selling for closer to $200, it is currently discounted to $160 at retailers like Amazon and Best Buy. Today’s price drop takes an extra 15% off that and beats our …

Eufy Genie catches up to Amazon Echos with new calling and messaging abilities

The Eufy Genie is a popular third-party Alexa-enabled smart speaker from Anker that can usually be picked up for as little as $30, making it a good …

Snag Arlo home security gear at deep discounts in Amazon's big one-day sale

Perhaps it's been on the books for months, perhaps Netgear wanted to apologize for its outage this weekend. Whatever the reason, Amazon’s deal of the …

Amazon’s Alexa debuts Answer Updates to respond later to questions it can’t answer immediately

Amazon is introducing a feature today designed to get the right answer to you sometime later, should Alexa initially fail to answer your question. Answer Updates will be rolled out to Alexa-enabled devices over the course of the coming week, a company spokesperson told VentureBeat in an email.<p>Say …

Review: Affordable Security Cameras for Inside Your Smart Home

There is now officially no excuse for not having an indoor security camera (or two) because Momentum offers the <b>Cori HD Smart Home Security Camera 2-pack ($59.99)</b>. At $30 per camera, you could have two or even four around your house, or share one with a friend if you have a small apartment. There …

Sources: Amazon's sold ~50M Alexa devices, and only 2% of those owners have used Alexa to make a purchase in 2018; source: 90% of those haven't tried again

Need help with your TV and smart-home setup? At-home tech support may be the answer.

The great thing about shopping online is you don't have to worry about a pushy salesperson trying to upsell you on something.<p>The downside of shopping …