Danger, Will Robinson! Within the last week, the tech media has been obsessed with spreading fear about a new and potentially very dangerous attack against all Wi-Fi networks. The so-called “Krack attack” is certainly something you should be aware of, but it is not the doomsday end-of-the-world scenario bloggers and news reporters would have you believe. What is Krack? Security researchers (you know, those university guys with the pocket protectors) have found a theoretical flaw in how Wi-Fi routers handle encryption - the process of scrambling everything that is transmitted between each device on a Wi-Fi network and the Wi-Fi router/gateway that connects to the Internet. They have proven, in the lab, the flaw exists and can be used to break into a Wi-Fi network by forcing it to disable all the encryption. So far, no actual attacks of real networks have been detected, but this is considered likely at some point soon. Don’t Worry, Be Happy Here’s the most important thing - the attacker/vandal/criminal must be physically within range of your Wi-Fi radio signal. For a typical house, the Wi-Fi is mostly inside with only a weaker signal detectable outside for about 5 to 50 feet from your walls. This means an attacker has to be physically inside your house or very close - like sitting in a strange looking car or van parked right outside your door. Unlike most of the other security problems that have been reported in the past few years, they must be …
4K TV Upgrade – Is Now The Right Time?
Besides lights, HVAC controls, and security systems, smart homes almost always include automated entertainment systems. Whether it’s a modest “all-in-one” remote control for TV, Blu-ray player, and perhaps a game console or a fully-custom home theater that is the envy of everyone, the cornerstone of any AV system is the television. Over the years we’ve seen some fads (such as 3D TV) come and go. If you jumped in too early, you paid a lot of money for technology that was unproven, hard to use, and ultimately faded into oblivion before ever becoming mainstream. The latest buzz to catch everyone’s attention is 4K (or “Ultra HD”) television. This week I’m going to try and demystify the technical jargon and provide guidance on whether you should upgrade your current TV to 4K. What is 4K Television? 4K TV is the next step in the continuous evolution of television technology. After a long time with very little change, we have seen the explosion in low-cost consumer electronics design and manufacturing providing a steady stream of TV improvements. We’e gone from standard definition (SD), to high-definition (HD) to Ultra high-definition or as most people called it - 4K. Each of these technologies incorporates many changes that affect picture quality, sound quality, transmission standards, user interfaces and more but consumers have focused on picture quality because, simply, that’s what the industry marketing and advertising has …
Need a dog sitter? Try a voice assistant!
Do you use your TV as a dog sitter? Looking for a better solution using your Amazon Echo? We have a cute little cocker spaniel in our house who is really spoiled. When we leave the house my wife insists on leaving the TV on in the family room for him. I don’t know whether it is to keep him entertained, provide some comfort to avoid separation anxiety, or simply to drown him out if he should start barking at the gardener. It has become an automatic part of our “leaving the house” checklist. Is Dog TV real? It may not be as silly as it seems. Several years ago DirecTV, our satellite service, started offering the DOG TV channel as a dog sitter. They claim it is “friendly programing scientifically developed to provide the right company for dogs when left alone”. Yeah, right! After the free trial we didn’t buy it and never thought twice about it - until today. Flying by my screen I saw something that said “Audible for Dogs”. From the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse and knew I had to learn more. A quick trip to Google and I was on a new webpage from Audible that was promoting audio books for dogs [“Cesar Millan’s Guide to Audiobooks for Dogs”] The “Guide to Audiobooks for Dogs” is free It’s a free FREE audio book from Cesar Millan, the “dog whisperer”. In a nutshell, he has conducted research that shows that reading aloud to a dog, while you are away, can help with separation anxiety and keep your dog …
Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Hub?
Behold, the smart home hub: A small plastic box that fits in the palm of your hand. A power plug on the back, along with a jack to connect an Ethernet network cable and perhaps one or two other plugs of some kind. One or two small LED lights on the front and nothing more. Beige, white, or off-white are the most common colors but they are also come in a sleek black or other designer color. Some are unimaginative squares or rectangles, some have rounded corners, and a few have oddball shapes but they all are cuddly, cute little boxes. No big deal, just another piece of computer/electronic gear or gadget, right? But if I tell you it is a “home automation hub” then all hell breaks lose: “Oh no, not a hub!” “Product X would be my first choice, but it requires a hub” “A great lighting system, but you need a hub” “Great product, affordable price, but won’t work without a hub” I don’t know about you, but I’m sick and tired of reading product reviews where really good or great smart home products are knocked down by the reviewer because they need a hub. The worst offenders are the tech columnists that presume to tell us consumers what we want: “It’s a great product, but consumers won’t buy it because they don’t want to buy a hub”. These self-proclaimed “experts” are expressing their own snobbish opinion dressed up with anonymous “consumer” attribution to justify their position. I work with a lot of homeowners designing and installing smart home systems and not a single one …
Who is The ‘black sheep’ of the Smart Home?
In the home automation market, some vendors are loved and adored while others are outcasts. No, I’m not referring to the continual iOS versus Android battles with the constant mudslinging and blog fights between fanboys on both sides. There are some small vendors that have very interesting and useful products but for one reason or another, they are ignored by the general public, misaligned by their competitors, and only mentioned in the press or online articles when referred to as “has beens” or earlier tech. I’m going to wave the flag for one of the vendors I work with that deserves more attention - Insteon. I don’t expect you to become instant fans; I only ask to keep an open mind as I try to explain the interesting and unique appeal of the Insteon smart home product line. Most likely you’ve never heard of them, so hopefully this will be educational and informative. Even if you don’t choose to use any Insteon products, some of the capability I will describe is worth considering as you select companies and choose products in the future. What is Insteon? Insteon is a family of home automation products consisting of device hardware, control hubs, software, and services. A typical installation may use some or all of these capabilities. Insteon makes most of the common smart home devices such as dimmers, switches (both standalone modules and wired in-wall), thermostats, door/window sensors, motion sensors & security cameras. They have a lot of devices - some of …
DIY HomeKit Bluetooth Mesh (Make HomeKit ‘Go the Distance’)
Apple HomeKit Devices Use Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) Where's the HomeKit Bluetooth mesh?Manufacturers have started shipping a lot more smart home products that support Apple HomeKit.This is great news for early adopters and anyone contemplating using HomeKit. None of them (yet) have peer-to-peer Bluetooth mesh for longer range. HomeKit supports devices that connect using either Wi-Fi or Bluetooth wireless. If you buy other devices you will need to use a separate hub or bridge. Wi-Fi is the most versatile as it provides a much bigger range of operation and more capability. Your Bluetooth and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) devices use very little power and can be battery operated. Bluetooth Devices Are Popular Bluetooth is used for smart locks, door and windows sensors, temperature and humidity sensors. Use in other devices is possible but limited by its shorter operating range. Your devices must be within 30 to 100 feet of your iPhone or iPad. Therefore, this isn't a good solution for more than a single room. Bluetooth technology is evolving and a new capability called Bluetooth mesh will extend the range by allowing all Bluetooth devices to connect to each other and forward transmissions between them. HomeKit Bluetooth Repeater (Hub) Apple has quietly created a great solution to the Bluetooth range problem. Newer models of the Apple TV streaming media box and current iPads have the ability to act as Bluetooth signal repeaters to extend …
“Secrets” to Saving Money When Buying Home Security Cameras
Looking for a deal or to save money on adding a home security camera system? Home security is often the #1 goal for a smart home retro-fit or upgrade. There are a huge number of IP security cameras available for sale and the differences between the products can be confusing. With hundreds of brands and models, it can be hard to choose. My “secrets” to saving money when buying security cameras: There are only a few actual manufacturers of the image sensors and video chips and most of the cameras all use the same chip. So you won’t find a big difference in video quality between a lot of the products. If you aren’t stuck on brand names, you can save a lot of money. Brands spend money on advertising and promotion and pass along those costs to you as higher prices. “No name” products can be a lot cheaper because they don’t spend on advertising and PR. The biggest difference is usually in the software (the web interface, the smartphone app, & the cloud services). Since the software only works with a specific brand of camera, you can usually download the app for free before you buy the camera. (Some features won’t work, but you can get a good idea of the overall quality this way very quickly). The real cost isn’t the purchase price - it is the on-going monthly fees for “cloud storage” of the video footage. Shop around and pay close attention to the details. The smaller/unknown brands often have free or low-cost monthly charges. Costs also depend upon how many …
(Almost Free) Voice Remote
The Amazon Echo Dot is a general purpose “personal assistant” that listens to your voice and can provide information on the weather, news, sports, and many other kinds of information with add-on apps called “skills”. A huge feature of the Dot (and all the Amazon Echo devices) is that with the appropriate add-on hardware from other companies it can control lights, door locks, security cameras, thermostats, and many other smart home devices with just your voice. (It is really awesome and I encourage everyone to actually try it out in person.) The most popular products in the Amazon Echo family are the Echo (the tall cylinder) and the Dot (the small hockey puck). The Dot is very affordable (retail price is $49), but the bigger difference is that although the Dot only has a tiny internal speaker (not so great for playing music), it has an AUX output stereo cable and can be plugged into your media center or family room full-blown stereo receiver / surround-sound setup for high-quality music. The Dot is great for voice-controlled home automation because the internal speaker is just right for feedback to confirm your control commands. When you say, “Alexa, turn on the bedroom lights” the Dot can reply by saying “Ok” letting you know it heard the command was able to comply. This is so convenient that many of my clients have purchased multiple Dots and sprinkled them throughout their home in different rooms and locations. Anywhere they walk around they are within “voice …
Is It Worth It?
As a smart home system designer & installer, I enjoy helping my clients solve problems by automating their homes and implementing new and useful devices and systems. My clients rely on my knowledge and advice and their positive feedback encourages me to continue learning, researching, and problem solving. But sometimes I meet prospective new clients and they aren’t sure about upgrading to a smart home - they want to be “sold” on the concept and benefits. Is it worth it? Why should I spend the money? How much is this going to cost? Realtors opinions vary and depend upon the dynamics of the local housing market and geography where they work. In conservative parts of the country, they don’t understand smart homes and actually advise their clients selling their house to remove all the smart home gadgets if they want to keep them because it won’t result in a higher selling price. (So if you want to take that Nest thermostat with you when you sell, remove it before you start listing your house.) Fortunately, in many real estate markets (both here in the US and Internationally), having a smart home increases the resale value. The new buyer appreciates that everything is already installed and working. In addition to saving a lot of time and money, it is much easier to see the benefit when it is already in place. The biggest appeal right now is for millennials buying their first home or condominium. Some of the biggest national home builders are now including smart home …
Down to the Wire
Home Automation requires a solid home network foundation to work properly. There are a range of conflicting hardware technologies and software systems used by today’s smart home products. When reading product descriptions or specifications on retail boxes or websites, you’ll come across many different buzzwords and acronyms, some or all of which may be unknown. At the risk of boring or confusing you, some of the hardware terms you may see include Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, BLE (bluetooth low energy), Zigbee, Z-Wave, or RF (radio frequency). Software terms include TCP/IP, UDP, HomeKit, API (application program interface), Skills, & Thread. I won’t even try to explain all of these and you shouldn’t have to learn them either. The important thing is that sooner or later, all smart home devices must be interconnected to your home network. As the foundational backbone for your home automation system, it is very important to have a stable and reliable home network. If your network doesn’t work, then none of the devices connected to it have a chance of behaving properly. A network within a home or office operating over short distances is called a local area network, or LAN. Ethernet is the most common hardware used for LANs so you won’t find any competing technologies to worry about. Ethernet runs over telephone-style wiring commonly called twisted-pair cabling and the ends of the wires have modular telephone-like jacks called RJ-45 (they are just a little bigger/wider than …