No Preaching It’s one of those things many of use know about but fail to actually do - paying attention to how we create and use passwords. As many more of us are now working from home, either permanently or temporarily because of the current health crisis, I think it is worthwhile to revisit this issue. Let me get one thing out of the way - I don’t care what you do about your passwords. No preaching here - no judgement. If you don’t reset default passwords, or use the same password everywhere, create simple to guess passwords, or write them on yellow sticky notes that you leave on top of each piece of equipment or computer, that’s on you. Having to deal with almost 1000 passwords (including my own and my clients) I am well aware of the frustration in dealing with a large number of them. If you’re happy with your current method or solutions, no problem. If you find yourself tired of watching YouTube, chatting in Slack or Facebook, and want to do something productive with extra “down time”, now might be a good time to invest a few hours in trying out some password management solutions and upping your security game. Quick Review - The Problem With Passwords Computer power has grown immensely. It is now takes very little time to guess passwords using straightforward methods. Computer software can quickly run through a dictionary of common passwords like “password”, “letmein”, all the curse words, etc. Algorithms can brute force run through …
SmartPlug Innovation?
Everything that can be Invented has been Invented Attributed to Charles H. Duell, the Commissioner of US patent office in 1899, this apocryphal quote seems apropos to the ubiquitous smart plug. Every introductory blog, video, or online article about starting a smart home seems to start with smart plugs. Is there really anyone left in the modern world that /doesn’t/ have their coffee maker automatically turning on with a swipe on their mobile phone or a command to their voice tube in the kitchen? Smartplugs are available from just about every major home automation device company and tons of smaller ones you may never had heard of. Online shopping or offline browsing the brick and mortar aisles of Best Buy, Target, Walmart, and even Ikea will turn up a selection of these “must have” gadgets. (My apologies to my European and Asian friends for name-dropping only US big box retail store names). Perhaps not surprising, but innovation in smart plugs seemed to grind to a halt. I’ve used a variety of different products and they all are pretty similar. Compared to security systems, video cameras, and even multi-room audio systems, smartplugs are downright pedestrian. And Now For Something Different I just completed testing a new smart plug and I’m very impressed. This product is not just a me-to device vying for my attention with a low price, well-known brand name, or just gimmicky useless bell and whistles. Instead of competing head-on with all the …
Best DIY Security Systems for 2020?
DIY Burglar Alarms Have Arrived During the past year, do-it-yourself burglar alarms finally matured to become a cost effective and reliable alternative to traditional security systems. First pioneered by smaller brands such as SimpliSafe, many other companies have jumped into the fray to grab our disposable income. Security is one of the few smart home product categories where consumers want the products and don’t need to be convinced. Keeping our loved ones and personal property safe is a basic human need. We don’t need to be sold on the benefits. Most of the new capability in smart home automation for lighting, shades, music, and entertainment falls squarely into the “nice to have” rather than the “must have” category - even today. That’s probably why there are more security and alarm products from companies you have never heard of vying for attention. Even the traditional (or untraditional) telephone, cable, and satellite companies are trying to get into the game. It’s not a mature market so product choices, technology, and capabilities are rapidly changing. There’s a lot of newfangled junk out there, so I want to give you my thoughts and narrow the field. What’s An Alarm System? This is not so straightforward a question. You can buy all kinds of standalone little gadgets that do one or two things and call themselves an alarm system, personal protection product, or surveillance gear. Here’s my take on what it takes to be considered a …
Do You Need Super-Mega-Faster Wi-Fi 6?
The Latest New Shiny Objects The 2020 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) held annually in Las Vegas, or just CES as they now like to be called, is over. What is it about all these acronyms where we aren’t supposed to use the actual words? I guess KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) started it all when rumor has it someone complained their cooking process was pressured steam and not actual frying, but I digress… CES prides itself on showing devices that don’t really exist and you cannot buy. It’s a test market for both large established brands and newly minted startups to preview products that are merely a concept which has been hastily made into a mock-up or one-off piece of demonstration equipment. But CES is also a huge showplace to see the latest trends and real products that will be hitting your local store or website over the coming months culminating in those Black Friday and Cyber Monday unbelievable deals. 8K television, micro-LED displays, 5G cellular, and other hot stuff has been well covered elsewhere. I want to highlight one actual product evolution that was in full force, received some hype, but is not well understood and that is… Wi-Fi Technology Overview The newest upgrade to wireless networking is Wi-Fi 6. Fortunately for both us consumers and technology integrators, Wi-Fi is one of the few mainstream technologies we use that is fully standardized. A recognized standards association, a series of standards over the years that insures …
Cord Cutter: Navigating TV Choices in 2020
What’s On TV If you haven’t noticed, while you are becoming a cord cutter for viewing mainstream TV, technology moving from high definition to ultra high definition and even creeping towards 8K. A quick history of TV formats in the United States The easiest way to categorize the different models available is by the image resolution displayed on the screen. Traditional analog broadcast TV had 525 lines of resolution and is the baseline everything else is compared with. High Definition Digital TV has 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution. This is typically called HD or 1K television. The new Ultra HD (or 4K) TV’s feature 3840 x 2160 resolution which is four times the pixel resolution - that’s 400% more! New TV’s bring even more confusing image choices for cord cutter With technology it is too easy for manufacturers to avoid making hard decisions. Engineers and designers love to put multiple features and capabilities into a product and leave it up to the consumer to sort it all out. So HD and 4K televisions have many confusing options - multiple resolutions, different refresh rates, contrast ratio, color rendering, color range, and that’s just the beginning. HD televisions are available in both 720 and 1080 resolution, both interlaced (“i”) and non-interlaced (“p”) versions, and 4K provides even more choices for refresh rates. As if that wasn’t enough, the new crop of 4K televisions brings new whiz-bang features including wider color gamut, …
Can You Solve SmartHome Automation Challenges With A Proxy?
Proxy-Powered Home Automation The dictionary defines the word proxy as “the authority to represent someone else” which is close to what it means in software programming too. In a nutshell, a proxy is when one thing stands in for another. You manipulate one thing, and the results are applied to the second. You might think of it as a mirror image or a clone; that’s another way to describe the important concept of two things that are kept in lock-step synchronization with each other. One of the most powerful techniques to solving home automation problems is the use of a proxy device. This is both a basic and an advanced technique and there are many different ways it can be used. I realize this may not be applicable to everyone, and you may never want to implement an advanced proxy solution yourself, but it worthwhile to understand the basic concepts and why it can be useful. The Basics: At Some Level, Everything Is A Proxy I don’t want to play semantic games, but many aspects of a smart home system use proxies without us even thinking about it. A great example is the common motion detector. You might have a few of these that are part of a self-contained simple device like an outdoor floodlight or part of a large smart home system. A dumb or regular floodlight works with a manual switch. Switch it on - the lights turns on, switch it off, the light turns off. With a motion detector, the floodlight turns on or off automatically as the sensor …
Gift Idea: DIY Smart Picture Frame For Grandparents
Gifting Your SmartHome SkillsHopefully if you’ve been reading this Home Automation Secrets Newsletter, you’ve developed some Ninja Powers implementing or upgrading your smart home. But have no fear, even home automation newbies might appreciate the quick tip I have for you this week. Combining my interest with smarthome gadgets and the holiday season, I’ve come with a novel twist on the all but forgotten smart picture frames. The ClassicsThe smart picture frame has actually been around for over 10 years or more. It’s a small flat panel computer screen with a processor and memory inside. Some of them can take removable memory cards and some also have Wi-Fi or cellar Internet connections. They are designed to do one thing - display a set of digital photographs constantly rotating between them. Unlike a regular picture frame, the images displayed in a smart frame can either be manually updated by changing the memory card, or automatically through the Internet. ”Set It And Forget It”With all due respect to Ron Popeil, the prolific gadget inventor and original informercial star, the genius marketing phrase he coined fits the smart picture frame perfectly. Just configure it, load it with photos, and then send it your loved one. They simply plug it in and voilà - a never ending photo slide show. It’s the perfect gift for Grandparents and other non-tech savvy people. Easy to share photos of your little ones without them having the hassle of …
Did You Hear The One About Goldilocks and The Three Remotes?
With No Apologies To The Three BearsIn the famous children’s fairy tale, Goldilocks proclaims “This chair is too small” and “This chair is too big” before declaring “This chair is just right”. As I looked over the latest crop of new remote controls at the CEDIA Expo conference in Denver, I couldn’t help thinking the same thing. “This remote control is too limited”, “This remote control is too advanced”, or “This remote control is just right”! Which one is right for me and my clients? But then it hit me - I work with a wide range of clients, and none of them would agree which one was which. There really isn’t a single right solution; every person, every home, and every need is different. The right solution for one person is completely the wrong solution for another. Even the right solution might be too expensive, so choosing an alternate becomes the pragmatic, if not optimal choice. Beauty, Or The Right Choice, Is In The Eye Of The BeholderThree systems caught my attention and are worthy of consideration by anyone looking for a better remote control. It is totally up to you to decide which one, if any, is right for you. Full disclosure - I have already narrowed my choice down to these three systems and have been working with them. I have tested all of them extensively to understand their capabilities and have installed all of them (or earlier versions) for some of my clients. Each of the three companies were happy to show their “new and …
Can You Avoid Buying a new $1,500 Stereo Receiver?
When my clients decide to buy a new TV, they are often surprised when I tell them they will also need to upgrade their stereo receiver. If you have anything more than a standalone TV, you probably have a modern audio-video receiver (AVR) connected. Popular brands includes Sony, Denon, Yamaha, Anthem, and others you may never have heard of. The AVR becomes the heart of your entertainment system. It provides the audio processing for stereo or surround sound output which is much better than the TV’s own tiny built-in speakers. Everything, and I *mean* everything, plugs into the AVR first. Video and audio sources for what you want to watch or hear: Cable and Satellite service boxes (we all love to hate ‘em) CD & DVD players (does anyone still use CD’s?) Streaming boxes (Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast) AM/FM Radio turners Generic digital audio inputs Generic analog audio inputs Turntables (classic vinyl collection anyone?) Digital music players (iPods, MP3 players) Game consoles (Microsoft XBox, Sony Play Station, or Nintendo Switch) The AVR routes the signals to one or more connected outputs: Television screen Analog audio outputs (speakers) Digital audio outputs External amplifiers (pre-amp outputs) The main output from the AVR is sound sent to speakers - lots of speakers. For a minimum stereo sound, you’ll have two - a left channel and a right channel speaker. (That’s to mimic the two ears that every human has, in case you were wondering.) Typical media rooms and …
The Hub Is Dead! Long Live The Hub?
“The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated” Mark Twain It’s a bad time to be a smart home hub, because if you believe the trade press and media, you’re dead! I wrote about this over a year ago ( Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Hub? ) but I guess the editors didn’t get the memo! This year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2019 edition just wrapped up a few weeks ago in Las Vegas. Almost two hundred thousand people came to town to try and cover almost 3 million square feet of exhibit space and visit over 4500 exhibitors. (I stayed home.) As some of you know from reading here, I try to avoid covering current events or news stories because they are well documented elsewhere. I won’t hype the latest vaporware or fad (and there are always tons of them at CES), but I am upset that the totally false narrative about the “death of the hub” seems to be one of the big takeaways by the idiots that claim to be home automation professional journalists. Why The Negative Hype About Smart Home Hubs? In a word - boredom. This year’s CES did not have any revolutionary new smart home products. No big breakthroughs to “write home about”. Bloggers and media people don’t care about what you and I want - real improvements, even if incremental, that move the home automation industry forward by solving the humdrum, boring, but serious problems or impediments to using technology to make our lives better in our homes. Bloggers are always looking for “click bait” - that sensational sound bite (real or …