Smart Home IO

The 2nd generation Eero WiFi system is now available for purchase from Amazon.com . The new Eero comes paired in a package with the new Eero Beacon companion WiFi device which allows you to extend your WiFi network without the use of wires and connecting the two devices with cat 5/6 cabeling. The new Eero gen 2 system features the following improvements: Eero Beacon 2X more powerful than the original Eero Tri-Band Wifi coverage Thread Connectivity Eero Beacon Eero Beacon is half the size of the Eero Same power and coverage as the 1st Eero version  Thread Connectivity Plugs directly into a wall power outlet without the use of power cables Ambient dimmable nightlight perfect for hallway placement

The new Amazon Echo Show is Amazon's latest incarnation of their Echo lineup now featuring a 7" touchscreen giving Alexa the power to "show you" rather than only able to verbally "tell you" and communicate with. The main Echo Show features are as follows: 7" Touchscreen 5MP front camera Intel Atom x5-Z8350 processor Alexa app compatibility Stereo 2" speakers Dual Band Wi-Fi Bluetooth compatibility Amazon Video Streaming Picture Frame Mode 8 Array Microphone with noise canceling Free video and voice calls to any Echo device

The Nest Pro program currently has a new deal available to all Nest Pro installers providing a Free Google Home Hub when 4 Nest thermostats are purchased through the Pro store or qualifying distributors. Now through April 21st "Earth Day" you can purchase the 4 Nest Thermostats and receive a free Google Home Hub.  Pro Nest Online

The Nest Cam now integrates with the Lutron Caseta Lighting control system. Once the system devices have been setup and integrated via their respective apps, the Nest Cam can trigger Caseta lighting system commands when it detects a person while you are Home or Away. The lights automatically turn on for 15 minutes to help make it appear you or someone is home.

Lutron Caseta lighting control system now works with Samsung SmartThings system. With the SmartThings lineup of products you can control your Lutron products in new ways including by motion sensing. The Caseta products can be added to your SmartThings routines to adjust lights, thermostats and other devices at a scheduled time or with the touch of a button.

Eero Smart Home Wireless Wifi System The Eero Wireless system is a great new product to fit the needs for the growing demand for an expanded wireless system at home. The Eero system as show above allows a WiFi system to be expanded wirelessly without the need for wiring infrastructure and network cabling all over your house. The Eero system is a perfect retrofit application for a small, medium or larger home that one wireless access point is too small to cover all the needed areas of the home and the existing older equipment is not easily configured via a phone or tablet like the Eero system is. The Eero system can be used with only one Eero device all the way to as many Eero's necessary to bridge the wireless gap you may have. The system works by installing and hard wiring one of the Eero units to your internet service providers modem and setting up via the smart phone or tablet application as your main controller and router within the system. The setup of the firs

Control 4 and Google Home can now integrate with the help of the HouseLogix Chowmain IFTTT control driver. The new driver can now enable a homeowner to control their house with Google's Smart Home Hub or with Google's Pixel phone. The Control 4 driver that can enable Google's voice commands to come alive at your house is available at HouseLogix's website for $90 USD. Once the driver has been downloaded a configuration and install process is needed to activate the various voice control features. See the attached link below to view the configuration PDF with instructions to walk through the process. Control 4 Google Home IFTTT Control Driver Instructions PDF

1.  Download the Alexa App. You can also go to  www.amazon.com/echodotsetup   which can help in getting the best app experience to enrich your Echo Dot.   2. Open the Alexa app and once open you will be guided through the setup and Wi-Fi connection process.   3. Setup your others connected devices within the settings of the Alexa app such as Lutron Caseta or Google Nest. A list of connected devices or "skills" as Amazon terms can be seen here Smart Home Skills 4. Talk to Echo Dot by using the word "Alexa" as your voice trigger command. When the trigger voice command is activated you can visually see the Echo light up blue around the top ring and the device is ready for a voice command. After a recognizable voice command is issued to the Echo Dot the unit will give you an audible "OK" acknowledgement. The voice trigger word can also be changed in the app settings menu to "Amazon" or "Echo" depending

Below is the current list of Amazon Alexa Smart Home Skills integratable with your Amazon Echo as of June 16th, 2020 in order by current release date. TP-Link Router by TP-Link Sleepace Nox by SLEEPACE LLC Blackstone by eWeLink support Mighty Mule by GTO Access Systems LITEdge - from Torchstar by Torchstar Corp 1B Vent Hood by First Build Chuango by Chuango Security Technology Corporation tiktecklab wifi socket by rex Stellar Wi-Fi by Sansitech CasaTunes by CasaTunes Smanos by smanos inc. Smart Oil Gauge by Connected Consumer Fuel B One VoiceAct by Blaze Automation Inc Viotek SmartHome by eWeLink support AeraForHome by Prolitec Arrayent by Arrayent Sparkplug By CreateAbility Adobe Smart Home by adobe systems, inc. Rainrobot by Unknown Eneco Chatbot by Qdraw TXU iThermostat Skill for Amazon Alexa by TXU Energy Logic Machine by Embedded Systems SIA Aquarium Light by EvilHogg Jenn-Air Connected Ovens by Whirlpool Corporation spott by GTO Access System

The Ring Video Doorbell is advancing forward with the new software updates and features now available that help make it more reliable and less of an annoyance with false motion alerts. See below to help in setting up your Ring device. 1.  Open the Ring app and press the gear icon settings button located in the top right hand corner of the application. 2.  Press the Motion settings button as seen above to access the Ring's motion settings. 3.  You can now adjust how sensitive your motion sensor is when you have the motion alerts enabled on your Ring device. The middle default option may be just right for you but you may want to dial the sensitivity up to catch all activity or down for sensing people only. Important note that you can also adjust the area which the motion sensor tracks within the Motion Zones option. A larger zone or coverage will also make the sensitivity go up so a balance of the two settings is suggested to dial in your

The Amazon Echo Dot is now available on Amazon.com . The new device from Amazon is a great inexpensive way to add voice control Alexa to many of your smart home devices you have with the list steadily growing. The Echo Dot gives you all the features of the original Amazon echo but has a smaller speaker that is not as suitable to play music through. This is a great option if you already have a music system and would just like to add the growing and improving voice control Amazon has created. The price point is $49.99 and orders are currently back ordered until mid October. Get in line today to add voice control to your smart home and click here  to see a list of all the available smart home devices the Echo Dot and Amazon Alexa work with.

Nest has announced new color options available for their flagship thermostat. The new colors options include White, Copper, Black and the traditional Stainless Steel. The new thermostat can be ordered directly from Nest  or most Nest retail stores locally. If you want to take advantage of the extended 5 year warranty on your thermostat you will need to find a Nest Pro in your area and have the thermostat installed for you which you can locate a dealer here .

When looking to purchase and install a new Nest product it is best done through the Pro Installation service network to tap into the extended warranty offered. When your Nest products are installed by a Nest Professional you are able to get the 5-year extended warranty which is 3 more years of warranty coverage compared to the standard 2 year warranty offered if purchased off the shelf or online. The extended warranty is offered on the Nest Cam, Nest Learning Thermostat and now the Nest Protect. To find a Nest Pro Installer near you follow the link to unlock your Nest product extended warranty options. Nest Pro Installer Locator

The new outdoor Nest Smart Cam is now available for pre-order on Nest or Amazon which brings us the newest addition to the Nest product family. Now with the Nest Cam you can view your outdoor areas with the new camera being weatherproofed so you won't have to worry about the elements affecting the performance and life span of the camera. The new outdoor cam has all the features of the indoor cam and it even lets you listen and talk back via the camera itself through the smart phone or tablet application. The largest down fall of this camera is the actual wiring to the camera itself. As shown in the nest demos for this new camera the installation has the wire going straight down the siding of your house. This ascetically is not appealing and beyond the looks the wiring could be cut very easily by someone wanting to do harm. The 25 ft extension cable which comes included with the Nest cam offers some flexibility for placement and installation but if you are weary of inst

The Nest iPhone app now integrates with the iWatch allowing you to control your thermostat and temperature from your wrist without having to use the Nest iPhone application. You are also able to switch between home and away modes  with ease from a touch of your wrist. Make sure you have the latest nest app updated on your phone and configure the Nest app to be shown on your watch which is done within the iWatch phone application. As long as your iWatch is connected to your phone that has Wi-Fi and cell service the Nest application will work seamlessly on your smartwatch.

RTI has announced they have a new driver for integrating the DoorBird intercom station. The version 1.0 driver can be downloaded below. (you will need an RTI login to access) http://www.rticorp.com/driver-store/doorbird.html The integration and driver features are as follows: Up to 12 stations can be used with the RTI driver. Events for connected, disconnected, doorbell, door open, and motion are enabled using this driver.  The RTI driver for the DoorBird  is not for use in viewing video or communicating to the DoorBird through SIP.  The video capabilities can be seen using the Generic MJPEG Video object built into integration designer programming software.

The Savant 8.0 app is a great new edition to Savant's home control lineup. With the addition of full Sonos control, Savant has made leaps and bounds from the days of old (which is probably just last year knowing how fast technology goes). A great feature on the Savant 8.0 app is that it is compatible with the Apple iWatch. Assuming you have a functioning Savant system 7.0 version or higher you are able to utilize the Savant iWatch app functionality. There are two ways to access the Savant iWatch app on your smart watch with the first being from within your iWatch apps home screen and the second being from the glances watch menu.    1.  The way to access the iWatch apps home screen is to press the digital watch crown in towards the watch which takes you in and out of the apps page. (A press and hold of the digital crown accesses Siri voice control which is not yet available to the Savant system) Once you locate the Savant app press the logo using the watch touch