More from All the smart home news, reviews, and gadgets you need to know about
7
Verge Score
The Eufy FamiLock has a digital peephole and can unlock with a wave, but it costs $400.
A firmware upgrade for its PowerView Gen 3 platform is now available, allowing users to control their shades locally via Matter platforms, including Apple Home, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and others.
Hunter Douglas first said it would bring Matter to its smart shades back in 2022, and is finally following through. However, the upgrade is only coming to the gen 3 shades connected to a PowerView Gateway or Gateway Pro.
Alexa Plus’ new agentic AI capabilities are ambitious and show promise, but too often, I had to finish the job myself.
The Always Home Cam could be (re)launching soon in “limited quantities,” according to Business Insider. The publication cites sources who say that recently returned CEO Jamie Siminoff has been testing the indoor flying camera in his office and plans to make it available soon.
Announced in 2020 under Siminoff’s first tenure, the camera never shipped despite a brief invitation program. I saw it fly at CES in 2023; maybe 2025 will finally be its year.
Several of the European smart home company’s new Z-Wave Long Range products are now available in the US. Announced at CES 2025, the Shelly Wave line leverages the increased range offered by the Z-Wave LR protocol, allowing it to extend over a mile from your house.
Available now are a $38 energy monitoring plug, a $37 motion sensor, a $35 humidity and temperature sensor, and a line of electrical relays starting at $28.99, with the rest arriving later this year.
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My first impressions after one day with Amazon’s smarter, more conversational, generative AI-powered assistant.
The new Echo Dot Rome Limited Edition will respond to the command “Alexa, speak Roman,” with some colorful expressions in the city’s local dialect.
The €89.99 smart speaker is designed to celebrate the city of Rome, and features eye-catching artwork by Italian artist Ale Giorgini highlighting St. Peter’s, the Colosseum, and the Trevi Fountain.
The smart speaker with Italian flair is only available in Italy and has been released in honor of Rome’s Jubilee.
With plans to launch more than 20 Matter-over-Thread devices, Ikea is embracing Matter in a move to make its smart home simpler and more affordable.
The Swedish retail giant’s latest update for its Dirigeria hub adds the feature in beta. Matter controller functionally means you can add Matter devices from other brands to the hub and control them with Ikea’s Home Smart app. Ikea’s David Granath told The Verge it hopes to send the update to all users by “the beginning of next week.”
The hub is already a Matter bridge, allowing its lights, blinds, and sensors to be used on other Matter platforms (Apple Home, Alexa, etc.). With a Matter controller, Ikea can become a Matter platform in its own right.
Updated July 3, added comment from Ikea.
[homekitnews.com]
9
Verge Score
Smaller, faster, and Matter-compatible, this sleek new lock is a worthy August replacement — with a few quirks.
Shelly’s Gen4 relays start at $18 and can automate anything that’s wired, from light switches and garage door openers to sprinkler systems and appliances. Designed to fit inside electrical boxes, relays are a super versatile solution for the smart home.
Shelly’s new line is now available in the U.S., and all the models offer Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, and Matter (over Wi-Fi), so they’ll work with Apple Home, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and more.
8
Verge Score
It automatically unlocks as I approach, looks great on my front door, and works locally with every smart home platform. But thanks to Matter, I have to pick between its two best features.
7
Verge Score
But not quite enough for me to consider ditching my local pizzeria.
