Downstairs, where my router is located, I have excellent 2.4GHz and 5GHz WiFi coverage. Everything works great; the smart TV, my SmartThings hub, and a decent quantity of smart home devices. Upstairs, however, and particularly in my master bedroom, which is directly opposite from the router’s location on the first floor, not so much. I […]
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Automate Two Light Switches (Home) w/ One Device
Want to integrate 2 light switches with your home automation setup? One way to do this is to replace both light switches with smart switches. Smart switches can be pricey, however, and so there’s another means of converting two light switches in an electrical box into smart switches. Just as a smart relay can help […]
Upgrade Your Shelves With Built-In LED Lighting
I recently remodeled my master bedroom’s walk-in closet with a wrap-around closet organization system. In the midst of planning the job, I decided that I wanted more than just the overhead lighting – I wanted LED lighting on each of the shelves in the new organizer. In the guide below, I’ll take you through the […]
16 Well-Rated Battery Powered LED Strip Lights
There’s some ultra-cool tech out there these days, and LED strip lights definitely fall into that bin. Kits the likes of which used to be hundreds of dollars are now easily affordable, allowing you to transform your living space no matter the budget. Whether you’re looking to enhance your home or your car, the battery-powered […]
Best Smart Bias Lighting For Home Automation Enthusiasts
It seems that bias lighting is all the rage these days for providing awesome ambiance and enhancing color and contrast for your television. For smart home enthusiasts and others who are working on upgrading their home with the latest and greatest, not just any old bias light will do. If you’re like me, you’ll want […]
Gosund Smart Plug Review 2019 – Great Plug, Great Price
I recently had the opportunity to try out a 4-pack of the Gosund Smart Plugs available on Amazon – and I was not disappointed. In my Gosund Smart Plug Review below, I’ll go over setup and performance of the Gosund Smart Plugs. I’m using Samsung SmartThings and Amazon Echo products for control of my smart […]
Raising A Smart Home
Erm, that’s not what I meant. Having a smart home is a venture most people get into, thinking it will make their lives easier. I know for myself, that is exactly why I started down this path and why I continue down this path today. A smart home is a journey or an evolution over […]
How To Extend LED Strip Lights By Cutting And Soldering
I recently purchased an inexpensive LED light strip off Amazon. I picked up a battery-powered kit with an integrated motion sensor (click here for my review of the product itself). My plan was to line the inside of the door frame on my new linen closet with the light strip. This way, I could have […]
Aimengte Wireless LED Strip Light Review
Shopping for LED strip lights? There’s an affordable option available on Amazon from Aimengte for a 1M, 2M, or 3M strip light with a wireless controller. The controller is battery-powered (4x AAA’s) and has both light and motion sensors. I purchased an Aimengte wireless LED light strip to automatically illuminate the shelves in my new […]
Smart Home Roundup – 11 Opportunities To Learn More About Home Automation
The world of home automation is ever-changing. With a constantly evolving ecosystem of devices, hubs, sensors, and interfaces, changes are taking place daily. Whether you’re just starting out in smart home automation, or whether you’re doing custom device mods and setting up state machines in Node Red, there’s something on this smart home roundup for […]
Can’t Get Your CT101 Iris Smart Thermostat To Pair With SmartThings?
If you’ve been reading this blog, you know by now that I’m an Iris survivor. After making my choice for home automation systems that I would use to replace Iris, I’m working on getting everything set up. (I chose the Samsung SmartThings Home Monitoring Kit, btw). While most of my Iris devices were not compatible […]
Could Not Send The Command To The Device – Shelly Cloud Edge Switch For Button Type
Having trouble setting your Shelly 1 to a Button Type of Edge Switch? If you’re receiving either of these errors in the Shelly Cloud app: Could Not Send The Command To The DeviceFailed To Change Button State … then hopefully I have some good news for you. There’s a simple setting for you to check […]
How To Inexpensively Convert Any Light Switch Into A Smart Switch
As I expand my home automation system, I find myself wanting to be able to turn my lights on and off remotely or via voice control. There are a million great products out there that would allow me to integrate my light switches, but I wanted to select something that will be scalable (read: affordable) […]
The Smart Hub That Can Control Your 1st Generation Iris Devices
If Iris has been serving as your smart home security system, the Iris shutdown has probably put you in the market for a new smart home automation hub. For second- and third- generation Iris users, there are some good options out there to take over for Iris so that you can continue to use your […]
Iris Replacement – Home Automation Hubs I Would Choose
If you’re a once-proud owner of Lowe’s Iris home security and automation system, I’m sure you’re aware that Iris shut down for good on March 31st, 2019. Well, it is what it is. If we hope to continue to use the Iris components that we’ve acquired along the way, it looks like we’ll be forced […]
Pairing a 1st-Gen Iris Security Keypad With a Next-Generation Iris Hub
Update, 29 Mar 2019: If you’re an Iris owner, you’ve probably heard by now that Iris is shutting down on March 31st, 2019. With the shutdown impending, I spent some time evaluating different options for home automation hubs and home security kits to replace Iris. I put all of that information together in this post, […]
Can First-Generation Iris Components be Used with Amazon Echo?
Update, 29 Mar 2019: If you’re an Iris owner, you’ve probably heard by now that Iris is shutting down on March 31st, 2019. With the shutdown impending, I spent some time evaluating different options for home automation hubs and home security kits to replace Iris. I put all of that information together in this post, […]
1st Gen Echo Show Review – Two Years Of Use
We were packing for our family vacation a couple years ago when my wife, Sarah, surprised me with news of her new purchase. I asked her if she’d grabbed “the JBL”, our well-worn Bluetooth speaker, and she said, “I have something better!” My father-in-law, Andy, is a bit of an early adopter, and so he […]