Device chip maker Qualcomm has released a teaser video showcasing their IoE (Internet of Everything) vision.

By: Doug B. | 6:00 PM 03-Jan-2015 | 0 Comments

The big guys continue to establish their foothold in the smart home market. This time it's Samsung's turn to announce their first serious acquisition in the Smart Home market with the purchase SmartThings.

By: Doug B. | 11:00 PM 14-Aug-2014 | 0 Comments

INSTEON home automation users will be happy to hear Insteon has announced support for the Nest® Learning Thermostat on the Insteon hub.

By: Doug B. | 10:45 PM 18-Mar-2014 | 0 Comments

This week Google announced it intends to acquire Nest, maker of the smart thermostat and smart smoke/carbon dioxide detector for $3.2 billion.

By: Doug B. | 10:30 AM 13-Jan-2014 | 0 Comments

Ok we admit this might not be best use of home automation and probably doesn't add much intelligence to your smarthome. But seeing as it's the Christmas season we decided to do a little Christmas automation with our tree.

By: Doug B. | 12:15 AM 15-Dec-2013 | 0 Comments

In Canada most homes rely upon furnace/air conditioning thermostat to maintain a comfortable home. The Nest thermostat is one of a few new modern wi-fi enabled wall thermostats recently released. The first version of the Nest thermostat was released on october 2011 while the current version (Ver. 2.6) was released in Q3 2012.

By: Doug B. | 10:30 AM 10-Jun-2013 | 0 Comments

You never know what sort of odd occurrence you might capture in an automated home that has a few wireless cameras mounted around.
I woke up this morning to an email notifying me that one of wireless cameras had detected motion during the night.

By: Doug B. | 9:30 PM 15-Feb-2013 | 0 Comments

Home automation is simply about making life easier. One of the most recent additions to my automated home was to upgrade the blinds in my master bedroom to a vertical, motorized lift blind. I searched online and found a online retailer that sells both standard and motorized blinds for a decent price. After ordering and waiting about a week I received my blinds and proceeded to install them.

By: Doug B. | 10:00 PM 13-Oct-2012 | 1 Comment

One of the things that has bugged me for years is that we still use keys to secure our lives. Locks and keys have been around for thousands of years and not much has really changed since. Sure at work we now use RFID passes and maybe even biometric interfaces but not too many people have these for their cars and homes.

By: Doug B. | 9:00 PM 26-July-2012 | 0 Comments

About a year ago Rogers rolled their Home Security, Monitoring and Automation (SMA) service. This new service provides the customer with standard home security (two-way voice) as well as customizable remote home monitoring and automation.

By: Doug B. | 11:05 AM 12-June-2012 | 0 Comments

Microsoft has revealed a new App that they say will help you Automate your life. on{X} (pronounced "on-ex" uses rules and triggers along with capabilities built into your Android device to automate things that you would normally have to do yourself.

By: Doug B. | 10:50 PM 05-June-2012 | 0 Comments

Nest is showing some love to us Canadians, their Learning Thermostat is now available for shipping to Canada. The ultra modern looking Nest Learning Thermostat comes from a company with Tony Fadell (original designer/team lead on Apple iPod) as it's CEO.

By: Doug B. | 10:45 PM 29-May-2012 | 0 Comments

Today Insteon announced the creation and availability of a Mayhem plug-in. What is Mayhem you ask? Mayhem is a free, open source system that allows you to quickly and easily connect your devices. Mayhem is currently in developer preview.

By: Doug B. | 11:30 AM 30-April-2012 | 0 Comments