Blink and you may have missed it, but Google gave us a peek at what sure looks like a new smart speaker during its Made by Google event on Wednesday. A "leaked" product is one that's been mistakenly revealed, whereas the speaker we saw during Google's Pixel event got a clear supporting role, with F1 driver Lando Norris cheerfully chatting with the device. Google meant for us to notice the new and unannounced smart speaker. So, what do we know about this little gray (or porcelain?) That may sound obvious, but so often with rumored or "leaked" new products, we're in the land of pure conjecture.

If you don't already have a strong smart home hub, the Aqara Doorbell Camera Hub G410 can kill two birds with one stone. Describing the Aqara Doorbell Camera Hub G410 as just another video doorbell is like dismissing the quirky VW ID. Sure, it will keep an eye on your front porch, but it can also control all the other smart devices in your home, thanks to the presence of Bluetooth, Thread, dual-band Wi-Fi, and Zigbee radios; Matter support; compatibility with Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings, IFTTT, and Apple's HomeKit Secure Video; and a 24/7 recording option with RTSP support for hardcore users. One caveat: Its Zigbee support is limited to Aqara's own Zigbee devices. It's still a massive step up from the Aqara Smart Video Doorbell G4 that TechHive reviewed in the spring of 2024, addressing nearly every criticism leveled at that earlier product.

It's been more than a year since Ikea's smart hub got a Matter update, but up until now, the Dirigea hub could only act as a bridge between Ikea devices and existing Matter networks. That's about to change thanks to a just-released firmware update. Dirigea firmware update 2.805.6 gives the Dirigea hub Matter controller capabilities, meaning it can now discover and take charge of Matter devices, including those from third-party manufacturers. The firmware update was confirmed by an Ikea rep on Reddit. Previously, the Dirigera hub could only expose Ikea devices to other Matter controllers, such as the Apple HomePod mini, the Amazon Echo, and the Google Nest Hub.

The Aqara G5 Pro Wi-Fi delivers impressive security and connectivity features, making it ideal for tech-savvy users looking to seamlessly extend their smart-home ecosystem outdoors. The G5 Pro is Aqara's newest outdoor security camera, designed to protect your home while extending your smart-home network outdoors. It pulls double duty, providing real-time monitoring and connecting your Aqara and many third-party smart devices in one integrated hub. Sitting at the higher end of Aqara's camera lineup, the G5 Pro emphasizes ease of use, solid image quality, and smooth integration with popular smart-home ecosystems. We review the Aqara G5 Pro Wi-Fi here; a power-over-ethernet (PoE) version is also available for about 20 more.

There are a lot of fantastic smart home devices on the market now, but it's not always easy getting them to talk to one another and work in unison. That's where Matter comes in: It's a standardized set of rules for getting smart home kit gadgets to speak the same language. Every smart home device comes with its own apps--but what happens when you want to turn off your lights and heating with one voice command? Or want to use smart plugs from two different manufacturers? Matter aims to standardize all that.

CES isn't as consumer-focused as it once was, despite the overt branding. But there's still consumer tech news to be had, fortunately. Case in point: Nanoleaf, the brand behind the iconic wall-mounted, geometric LED lighting, is introducing an array of products this week to showcase its latest technical innovations. First up is the Sense Controls, which Nanoleaf is calling its first "learning smart light switches." The lineup of devices -- which comprises the hardwired Smart Light Switch, Wireless Smart Light Switch and Nala Learning Bridge -- work with Matter, the smart home interoperability protocol, and run on the low-power mesh networking standard Thread.

A compact, HomeKit-compatible smart plug with plenty of automation options along with robust energy-monitoring features, Eve Energy might be pricier than its competitors, but it comes with an ace up its sleeve: support for Thread, an exciting wireless protocol that will--eventually--work hand-in-hand with Matter, the new smart home platform that promises to finally teach Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple HomeKit to play nice with each other. Eve Energy checks most of the most important boxes when it comes with energy-monitoring smart plugs, but because it only works with HomeKit (for now, anyway), Android users will need to look elsewhere. The same is true for anyone who depends on Alexa or Google Assistant for smart home control. This review is part of TechHive's coverage of the best smart plugs, where you'll find reviews of the competition's offerings, plus a buyer's guide to the features you should consider when shopping for this type of product. Measuring roughly 2.5 x 1.5 x 1.3 inches (WxDxH, not including the prongs), the grounded Eve Energy plug is relatively compact compared to its competitors; while it is a tad wide, the plug is short enough to leave the second socket of a two-outlet plate free.

After wowing smart home users (including us) with its eye-popping, touch-sensitive smart light panels, Nanoleaf has launched an "Essentials" line of more traditional smart lighting products, including a color A19 bulb. Like most things Nanoleaf, the Essentials A19 comes with a few twists, including its trippy, 120-sided design and its support for Thread, an IP-based Internet of Things (IoT) protocol backed by the likes of Apple, Google, and Samsung SmartThings. Thread is a low-power, high-reliability, and security-focused protocol that's been percolating for more than six years, but it's only supported by a handful of products, which means its potential has yet to be fully realized. The same could be said for Nanoleaf's Essentials A19 bulb, which boasts some interesting features--including the ability to sync with music, Mac and PC monitors, and Nanoleaf's own Shapes light panels--that aren't yet ready for prime time yet. Another wrinkle is the fact that the bulb's most advanced features rely on a Thread border router--a device that acts as a bridge between a Thread network and another networks, such as Wi-Fi--and for now, there's only one consumer model: the $99 Apple HomePod Mini.