Smart Home Archive - Make Tech Easier

7 Smart Tools That Can Save You Time Gardening

Charlie Fripp — Tue, 09 May 2023 05:25:00 +0000

There are plenty of studies that show gardening to be therapeutic – but it’s not always sunshine and roses, as you still need to work hard for your garden to succeed. Fortunately, you can get help from smart gardening gadgets. When you leverage technology to your advantage while gardening, you can save time and money, increase your crop yield, and make gardening more enjoyable. In fact, these seven smart gardening tools can help you with everything from irrigation to knowing the right time to plant your crops.

Also helpful: if you’re working on home improvement projects, check out these impressive DIY apps for Android.

1. Best for Smart Irrigation: Rachio 3

Price: $196

The Rachio 3 smart gadget controls water flow to your plants in eight customizable zones. The internal sensors detect when it’s raining or windy and will skip the scheduled watering slot. You can easily control the sprinklers through the mobile app and get a detailed view of the estimated outdoor water usage and upcoming schedules.

5 of the Best Smart Doorbells for 2023

Megan Glosson — Fri, 28 Apr 2023 00:25:00 +0000

Smart homes have become more commonplace than craze over the past few years. While some devices help homeowners better control their energy use, other items, like smart doorbells, enhance security and safety.

There are dozens of options for smart doorbells, which makes it hard to decide which device is the best for you. We’ve rounded up the top five options based on pricing, features, compatibility, and functionality.

Good to know: if you’re converting your house into a smart home, our beginner’s guide to smart home setup can help.

1. Best Overall: Google Nest

If you want a high-quality smart doorbell for an affordable price, look no further than Google Nest. For just over $100, you get a fully-functional doorbell that integrates into the Google Home app, making it a no-brainer for anyone whose smart home operates with Google. The wireless option can be installed in mere minutes and is easy to remove when you need to recharge.

How to Choose the Best Robot Vacuum for Your Home

Crystal Crowder — Thu, 08 Dec 2022 01:25:47 +0000

While you might have been limited to just a few brands years ago, choosing the best robot vacuum for your home means comparing dozens of brands and types. Today, robot vacuums handle vacuuming, mopping, and even empty themselves. You can also pick a vacuum based on your needs, such as just hardwood floors or pets. Whatever your needs, this guide will help you narrow your search.

Types of Robot Vacuums

Despite the name, these cleaning assistants often do more than just vacuum. Before you start your search, think about the type of robot vacuum you need.

Image source: Unsplash

Vacuum only – if you’re looking for just a basic machine to get up dirt and debris, this is perfect. These are the cheapest options available to only vacuum. Some models may only work on hardwood floors, but most vacuum-only robots handle both carpets and hardwood floors.
Mop only – if vacuuming isn’t really a big deal... Read more

How to Choose the Best Outdoor Security Cameras for Your Smart Home

Terenz Jomar Dela Cruz — Thu, 01 Dec 2022 16:25:00 +0000

Smart security cameras are not made equal: some are best used inside the house, while others are rugged and can work regardless of rain, sun, or snow. If you already have a smart indoor camera, why not take things to the next level and add some outdoor surveillance with a good outdoor security camera?

Here we show you how to pick the best outdoor security camera that suits your needs.

What Makes a Good Outdoor Security Camera

A reliable outdoor security camera will need to be able to withstand the weather and record things clearly.

At the basic level, your outdoor security camera should have these four things:

Weatherproofing – should be rat ed IP65 and above.
Cloud or local storage – or both if the security camera allows it.
Night recording – usually involves IR and low-light modes.
Compatibility – with whatever system that runs your smart home.

Quick Guide to DIY Smart Homes With Arduino

Terenz Jomar Dela Cruz — Fri, 18 Nov 2022 16:25:00 +0000

Some of us have this innate desire to make things on our own and relish the challenge of learning something new. If that sounds like you, then you’ll probably enjoy leveling up your smart home DIY-style with an Arduino.

Need to get up to speed on what an Arduino is? Check out our beginner’s guide to Arduino and everything you need to get started with Arduino projects.

Why Use Arduino for Smart Home Projects

Doing smart homes the Arduino way is fun. There’s nothing like seeing the fruits of your labor move around and do something as you intend it to.

Image source: Wikipedia

But there’s more to it than just fun. There’s a lot to be said for making things on your own with an Arduino, especially something that looks as complex as a smart home system. Here are four reasons to support the argument:

1. Save a Bit More Money

While... Read more

How to Choose the Best Indoor Security Cameras for Your Smart Home

Terenz Jomar Dela Cruz — Mon, 14 Nov 2022 16:25:00 +0000

If you have kids, pets, or even something valuable that could be stolen from your home, you are probably going to need an indoor security cam. Here’s how to pick the best indoor security camera for your home!

Find out more about smart home security problems and how to fix them.

Indoor vs. Outdoor Security Cameras

There are two key differences when it comes to indoor and outdoor security cameras: frame and functionality.

Basically, outdoor security cameras are purpose-built to withstand the outside world. You’ll find them sometimes buried in snow or splashed with rain, while you need to look around at night. The infrared detectors in these cameras aren’t free, either. Nor are the cameras’ durable casings.

The metal casing on outdoor security cameras protect them from any weather.

On the other hand, indoor security cameras can have plastic casings. Some don’t have night vision capabilities, but they do have other features that are not available in outdoor... Read more

How to Turn Your Google or Amazon Display Into a Digital Photo Frame

Crystal Crowder — Fri, 28 Oct 2022 00:25:00 +0000

Standalone digital photo frames made a major splash years ago as a great way to showcase your memories from days gone by. But did you know you could turn your smart display into a digital photo frame?

These devices let you decide which images to show versus just the random slideshow categories you usually see. The only difficult part is choosing which photos you want to use.

Which Devices Can I Turn Into Digital Photo Frames?

Let’s start with Google: both the Google Nest Hub and Google Nest Hub Max let you create photo slideshows. Originally, only the Amazon Echo Show 15 had this functionality built in. But, as of August 2022, all Echo Show displays have this feature. If your Echo display doesn’t, you may want to check for a software update, which should have happened automatically back in August or early September.

Image source: Amazon

Essentially, if you have a... Read more

Everything You Need to Know About the Thread Protocol for Smart Home Devices

Crystal Crowder — Sat, 22 Oct 2022 05:25:49 +0000

Ever wondered about the magic that allows your smart bulbs, thermostat, and other connected devices to communicate with each other? It’s smart home wireless protocols that tie everything together. Until now, these have included options with some limitations, like Wi-Fi networks, Zigbee, and Z-Wave. Thread could change all that.

What Is Thread Protocol?

Thread is a wireless protocol that makes a mesh network out of your smart home devices. Yes, Z-Wave and Zigbee already do that, but it’s actually more advanced than both of them.

Image source: Unsplash

Those two protocols work with a central hub or access point. Each smart home device communicates with the hub, and those communications are then relayed from the hub to other devices as needed. Not all devices on the network can act as repeaters.

On the other hand, Thread turns every connected device into an access point. Instead of needing a central device to connect everything, Thread lets every device communicate... Read more

What Is Zigbee and How Can It Make Your Home Smarter?

Sayak Boral — Thu, 20 Oct 2022 05:25:00 +0000

Zigbee is an open-communication standard that provides a low-cost, low-power alternative to smart-home devices rather than Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and other wireless protocols. If you thought a true smart home hasn’t arrived yet, Zigbee will immediately correct your perception. On account of its simplicity, standardization, and onboarding support for hundreds of devices/sensors, it will make your home feel smarter in more ways than one.

To explain this, we will not only give a high level overview of this technology but also its look and feel from a user perspective.

What Is Zigbee?

Zigbee can be defined as a communication protocol developed on IEEE standard 802.15.4, which is characterized by extremely low bit rates (20~250 kbps), a large physical range (10 to 100 meters), support for hundreds of end nodes (around 240), and low-latency data transmission (less than 200 milliseconds). Developed and sustained by the Zigbee Alliance, it is currently the most popular standard for IoT device manufacturers, with widespread currency in home automation, healthcare, and industrial IoT.

Formed in 2002, the Zigbee Alliance currently has over 500 leading members. There... Read more

How to Choose the Best Smart Thermostat for Your Home

Crystal Crowder — Fri, 30 Sep 2022 05:25:52 +0000

Smart thermostats make managing the temperature in your home as simple as setting up a schedule on an app. From quickly adjusting the temperature while you’re away to using your voice to make a change, you no longer have to wake up and deal with a manual thermostat if you’re cold. But with so many options, it’s worth figuring out which smart thermostat is perfect for your home and your needs.

Compatibility

Before you even look at features or pricing, check out your HVAC (Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) system to find out which thermostats will actually be compatible with it. While most modern systems are compatible with virtually all smart thermostats, certain systems may require an adapter. More complex systems may also require a professional to install it to ensure everything works correctly.

Image source: Amazon

Typically, HVAC systems made after 1975 are generally compatible with smart thermostats. You may still be able to use a... Read more

The Ultimate Guide to Choosing Your Next Smart Display

Crystal Crowder — Fri, 16 Sep 2022 05:25:00 +0000

While smart speakers are still incredibly popular, a newer trend is taking over – smart displays. They’re basically speakers too, but with an interactive screen for increased functionality and easier access to content. There’s currently a modest selection to choose from, supporting different platforms and with various screen sizes. The biggest question, though, is what kind of smart display is right for you?

How do smart displays differ?

On the surface, all smart displays might look the same: it’s a screen with a speaker. But that’s where the similarities end. Some of the most common differences to look for include:

Screen size: You can find displays measuring from 4 inches, like the Lenovo Smart Clock 2, to 15 inches, such as the Amazon Echo Show 15. The most popular models are in between, like the 7-inch Google Nest Hub and the 8-inch Amazon Echo Show.
Platform: This is a major deciding factor for many buyers. Usually, you’ll choose between Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Apple’s reportedly working on a smart display too,... Read more

7 Easy Fixes for Common Amazon Echo Dot Problems

Ian Derrick — Fri, 28 Jan 2022 22:25:00 +0000

Amazon Echo Dot can be pretty handy in your home, especially if you want entertainment, news, weather updates, and to manage other smart devices. However, once in a while, you’ll experience some problems with your Echo Dot. In this article, we look at seven common Echo Dot and Alexa issues and how to fix them.

1. Your Echo Dot Won’t Connect to Wi-Fi

This problem is quite common, and you’ve probably encountered it a couple of times before.

Whenever your Echo Dot loses internet connectivity, you’ll see a spinning blue light on it, often called “The Blue Ring of Death.” Other times the ring may show a pulsing violet light to indicate your device experienced a problem while connecting to your Wi-Fi network during setup.

Sometimes when your Wi-Fi connection becomes spotty, your Echo Dot device drops its connection. Since your Dot depends on Amazon servers to interpret voice commands, it will let you know immediately if... Read more

The Beginner’s Guide to Setting Up A Smart Home (For Under $1,000)

Tom Rankin — Wed, 07 Jul 2021 00:25:18 +0000

Everyone’s gets busy, and some of us look for the most efficient ways to get from A to Z. One of the best ways to cut out vital minutes throughout your day is by setting up a smart home.

With a suitable smart assistant and connected devices, you can operate lots of aspects of your home through voice commands, your smart phone, and even your smart watch. For this post, we’re going to show you how to set up a smart home, without spending a lot of money to do it.

Why Setting Up a Smart Home Isn’t a Stupid Idea

Futuristic movies often show people speaking to omnipresent and omnipotent computers, each with a soothing and polite voice, to operate almost every aspect of their surroundings.

While this may seem far-fetched and unrealistic, the present is closer than you think. Most of the big tech companies have a smart assistant, and you get a choice of soothing voice telling you they “Can’t do that, Dave”.

The core concept is that you can control aspects such as lighting, heat, Read more

How to Create an Alexa Skill without Coding Experience

Tom Rankin — Thu, 07 Jan 2021 22:25:17 +0000

Voice assistants are usually found in sci-fi and are often complicated pieces of tech. In the real world, they can provide automation and entertainment. For Amazon’s own line of voice assistants, you’re able to create an “Alexa Skill” – a fundamental building block of how the device interacts with users.

In this post we discuss what an Alexa Skill is, then run through how to create one without coding knowledge!

An Introduction to Alexa Skills

For the uninitiated, an Alexa Skill is how a user interacts with Amazon’s Echo line of voice assistants. It’s a cloud-based service that takes input from the user – in this case their speech – runs it through code, and returns a result.

To offer a real-world example, take the NASA Mars Alexa Skill.

You start the Skill by using a unique “invocation name” – there are usually a few ways to do it. In this example, you could simply state, “Alexa, open NASA Mars.” Alternatively,... Read more

How to Restart and Reset Your HomePod & HomePod Mini

Isaac Norman — Fri, 01 Jan 2021 18:25:17 +0000

As with any other piece of technology, Apple’s smart speakers may encounter glitches from time to time. Your HomePod or HomePod Mini can stop working all of a sudden, refuse to play/stream music, or Siri may lose its Web connectivity. No matter the reason, knowing how to restart and reset your HomePod and HomePod Mini will surely come in handy.

As a general rule, we recommend restarting your HomePod first. This will force your smart speaker to reboot without losing any of its settings. If that doesn’t work, you should proceed to reset your smart speaker. This action will force your HomePod or HomePod Mini to return to its factory settings, so you’ll have to set it up from scratch.

How to Restart Your HomePod

Since Apple’s HomePod doesn’t have a physical ON/OFF button, you need to use your iPhone or iPad to interact with your smart speaker. With that said, here’s how to restart your HomePod by using the Home app.

1. Launch the Home app on your device. Tap on “Rooms” using the menu bar found at the bottom of your device’s... Read more

A Beginners’ Guide to Smart Living

Tom Rankin — Wed, 30 Dec 2020 18:25:06 +0000

An automated home was a futuristic pipe dream not too long ago. However, as the second decade of the 2000s comes to an end, “smart living” is a burgeoning tech market.

In this piece, we look at how to start creating a smart home. Before that, let’s outline why you’d want a smart home in the first place.

What Smart Living Means (And Why You’d Want to Do It)

For the uninitiated, smart living refers simply to automating aspects of your home – usually mundane tasks. For example, it could be that you set your lighting on a regular timer or ask a voice assistant to turn on hard-to-reach plug sockets. Often, this automation is carried out over your home’s Wi-Fi.

There are a number of benefits to smart living. For example:

You can save time turning on essential appliances, such as the heating before you arrive home from work.
Your energy bills may see a positive impact.
Sockets throughout your home will see less wear and tear.

In a nutshell, smart living is the future of maintaining your home.... Read more

How to Install Software Updates on Your HomePod and HomePod Mini

Isaac Norman — Fri, 25 Dec 2020 22:30:22 +0000

Updating your smart speaker may not sound like an overly exciting thing to do. However, when it comes to Apple’s HomePod and HomePod Mini, keeping those devices up to date is more important than you think. Aside from getting new features (many of which can be significant leaps forward), this is how you can resolve technical problems as well. With that said, it’s time to talk about how to install software updates on your HomePod and HomePod Mini.

Before we jump in, we have a useful tip for you. By default, your HomePod and HomePod Mini will try to install updates automatically. However, if certain features found in a new update require a new version of iOS (which powers your iPhone), your smart speaker will be the last to update (as you have to update your iPhone first in some cases).

Therefore, you can see how handy it can be to know how to update Apple’s HomePod lineup manually, especially if you’re experiencing issues.

Manually Check for HomePod & HomePod Mini Updates

We need to use the Home app for this purpose – like... Read more

How to Set Up Home Theater Audio Using HomePod and Apple TV

Isaac Norman — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 18:25:11 +0000

If you own an Apple TV as well as a HomePod, you can integrate these two devices and reach a whole new level of audio experience. More precisely, you can now turn your HomePod into a soundbar, creating an immersive audio experience that supports Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital 7.1, and Dolby Digital 5.1. Let’s see how you can connect your HomePod to Apple TV and set up home theater audio.

Here’s What You Need for Apple’s “Home Theater Audio”

This feature (introduced in tvOS 14.2) requires you to have a group of compatible devices. Therefore, before we jump into our step-by-step guide, here’s what you need for Apple’s home theater audio experience.

Apple TV 4K, running the latest version of tvOS.
Single HomePod or a pair of HomePod speakers. Your smart speaker(s) must be running the latest software available as well.
iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch updated to the latest version of iOS.

Note that HomePod Mini speakers don’t support this feature. The same applies to any other speaker that supports AirPlay 2. In other words, you can only use Apple’s (standard) HomePod to set... Read more

Best Sites to Play Cards Against Humanity Online

Crystal Crowder — Thu, 05 Nov 2020 06:30:16 +0000

Are you a horrible person who desperately needs to play the perfect game for you and other horrible people? Then, gather all your terrible friends to play Cards Against Humanity online. Since you can’t always be in the same room, online options make it easier to make hilariously awkward card combinations that still have everyone laughing until they cry.

1. All Bad Cards

While it’d be great to play Cards Against Humanity online from the official website, sometimes a clone is just as fun. All Bad Cards works just like Cards Against Humanity with some equally disturbing cards. This site is a mix of free and premium options. You can easily jump into an available game, create your own, and even play with AI competitors if you’re all by yourself but still need a good laugh.

This is my personal favorite for a variety of reasons. First, it’s so easy for everyone to play and... Read more

6 Things to Get Alexa to Do This Halloween

Jessica Thornsby — Fri, 30 Oct 2020 21:30:10 +0000

Whether you’re looking for ways to keep the kids entertained or are after some silly Alexa tricks to amuse your friends, Amazon’s Alexa has plenty of tricks (and treats) ready for Halloween. This tutorial shows you how to add a splash of tech to your Halloween, with six creepy things to ask Alexa.

1. Spooky sounds: set the mood or play a prank

If you’re holding any kind of Halloween get-together, then you need the right ambience! The Spooky Halloween Sounds skill has a range of eerie soundtracks that would make the perfect backdrop to any Halloween party.

If you’re after something altogether more terrifying, then Spooky Scream will play a piercing scream after a set period of time has elapsed. This is the perfect skill if you want to unnerve your guests or even play a Halloween prank on your friends and family!

If you’re using a smaller Alexa-enabled speaker such as an Echo Dot, then why not hide this speaker among some Halloween decorations and then set the timer? It’s guaranteed to catch your friends and... Read more