Smart Houses & Appliances
WIRED's Smart Home Ecosystem Guide (2026)
The answer may already be in your home. To achieve a smart home, you need a voice assistant to run it. A smart home assistant, usually folded into a smart speaker, will let you command your smart home with your voice and run your various routines. It also acts as a center for every gadget you want to add to your home. And you can add almost anything these days, from smart garage control to even voice-commanding your blinds .
- North America > United States (0.14)
- Europe (0.14)
Google now lets you have full conversations with Gemini for Home
The feature is rolling out for all the smart home program's supported languages and regions. Google announced today that it is upgrading the Gemini for Home service with a continued conversations feature. Continued conversation allows a user to have a natural discussion with the Gemini platform without prefacing every follow-up request with the Hey Google prompt. The microphone will remain active on a smart device for a few seconds after the Gemini AI assistant provides its reply. During that window, the lights on the hardware will pulse or glow, indicating that you can keep chatting normally with the chatbot without needing a wake word.
- Information Technology > Communications > Mobile (1.00)
- Information Technology > Artificial Intelligence > Speech > Speech Recognition (0.52)
- Information Technology > Artificial Intelligence > Natural Language > Chatbot (0.51)
- Information Technology > Artificial Intelligence > Representation & Reasoning > Personal Assistant Systems (0.50)
This Matter-compatible smart light switch is 2 for 20 now
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. The TP-Link Tapo S505 smart light switch is on sale at Amazon. Grab this 2-pack for just $20 while the deal lasts. My smart home life became so much better once I swapped out my old light switches for Tapo ones. The benefits were many, including that I no longer had to get off the couch to turn off the lights--great in the winter when I was already cozy under the blankets!
- Information Technology > Smart Houses & Appliances (1.00)
- Information Technology > Security & Privacy (0.80)
- Leisure & Entertainment > Games > Computer Games (0.61)
Amazon's Echo Spot speaker gets its first discount this year: 38% off
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Amazon's Echo Spot speaker gets its first discount this year: 38% off You can get the Echo Spot for just $50 (was $80) right now, close to the best price it's ever been. We're days away from Amazon's Big Spring Sale event and we're already seeing some impressive discounts, especially for the company's own Echo line. For instance, the Echo Spot is down to $50 (was $80). That's the first time it's gone on sale this year and just a few bucks away from its best-ever price.
- Information Technology > Security & Privacy (0.81)
- Leisure & Entertainment > Games > Computer Games (0.62)
- Information Technology > Smart Houses & Appliances (0.50)
Amazon's Echo Dot Max just got its best discount yet (25% off)
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Amazon's Echo Dot Max just got its best discount yet (25% off) It's the newest model of the Echo Dot and it can be yours for just $75 (was $100) right now with this limited-time Amazon deal. Amazon's newest smart speaker, the Echo Dot Max, has just gone on sale for the best price it's had so far. The latest model of the Echo Dot, this one's a bit larger and a lot louder than previous iterations, plus it now features a new chip that's perfectly optimized for the Alexa Plus AI assistant. In this way, the speaker ensures an effortless experience across all major streaming platforms.
- Information Technology > Smart Houses & Appliances (1.00)
- Information Technology > Security & Privacy (0.81)
- Leisure & Entertainment > Games > Computer Games (0.61)
Aqara's Matter-compatible camera promises easier smart home integration
Aqara's Matter-compatible camera promises easier smart home integration The company says it's the first Matter-certified camera. Smart home company Aqara has launched what it says is the first camera certified for Matter, the open source standard that enables interoperability across brands, like Google and Amazon. The Aqara G350 is an indoor security cam that also functions as a Zigbee and Matter hub in the Aqara Home app, which means the camera will enable you to control various devices across smart home protocols from different brands within one location. The camera itself comes with a 4K wide-angle and a 2.5K telephoto lens, providing both panoramic and closeup views. It also has 9x hybrid zoom and a pan-tilt mechanism that can give you 360-degree coverage of the room it's in.
- Information Technology > Internet of Things (1.00)
- Information Technology > Communications > Mobile (1.00)
- Information Technology > Artificial Intelligence (1.00)
- Information Technology > Artificial Intelligence > Vision (1.00)
- Information Technology > Artificial Intelligence > Representation & Reasoning (1.00)
- Information Technology > Artificial Intelligence > Natural Language (0.93)
- Information Technology > Artificial Intelligence > Machine Learning > Neural Networks > Deep Learning (0.47)
- North America > United States > Texas (0.04)
- North America > United States > California > Santa Clara County > Palo Alto (0.04)
- Europe > Netherlands > North Holland > Amsterdam (0.04)
- Asia > Middle East > Republic of Türkiye > Karaman Province > Karaman (0.04)
- Education > Educational Setting (0.46)
- Information Technology > Smart Houses & Appliances (0.34)
DIY smart home platform Home Assistant gets a pretty makeover
PCWorld reports that Home Assistant has launched a major update to its default overview dashboard, replacing the old cluttered interface with a clean, organized design featuring three main sections. The redesigned dashboard includes Favorites for quick device access, Areas for room-specific control, and Summaries that aggregate devices by type with easy setup options.
- Information Technology > Security & Privacy (0.77)
- Leisure & Entertainment > Games > Computer Games (0.58)
- Information Technology > Smart Houses & Appliances (0.51)
Amazon's gorgeous Echo Show 11 just dropped to a new low price
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Amazon's gorgeous Echo Show 11 just dropped to a new low price Amazon's eye-catching Echo Show 11 is on sale for 18% off right now, bringing its price down to $179.99 (was $219.99). While this thing's been on sale before, this is by far the best price I've seen for it--and if you want a dazzling smart display for your home, it'll be hard to find a better option at this price.. The newest Amazon Echo Show 11 delivers a beautiful 11-inch 1080p touchscreen that makes it possible to easily check out recipes, view your security camera feed, talk to whoever's ringing your video doorbell, or even stream content from Netflix and Prime Video. The smart display also serves as a central hub for managing all your smart devices, automated routines, and interfacing with Alexa.
- Information Technology > Security & Privacy (0.82)
- Information Technology > Smart Houses & Appliances (0.52)
- Information Technology > Hardware (1.00)
- Information Technology > Artificial Intelligence (0.92)