Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

Senior Reviewer, Smart Home

Jennifer Pattison TuohySep 24, 2024

Home Assistant reminds everyone that Z-Wave is still relevant.

The open-source smart home platform has joined the Z-Wave Alliance board to help shape the direction of the protocol alongside companies like Ring, ADT, and Assa Abloy.

Founder Paulus Schoutsen said that around one-tenth of Home Assistant households use Z-Wave, “accounting for an estimated 1.7 million Z-Wave devices.” They’re also seeing increased interest in the protocol, which has faced questions about its future since the arrival of Matter.

Home Assistant Founder Joins Z-Wave Alliance Board of Directors - Z-Wave Alliance

[Z-Wave Alliance]

Jennifer Pattison TuohySep 23, 2024

Apparently, “Remarkable Alexa” can’t reliably turn on the lights.

In another WSJ report about Amazon’s struggles to reinvent Alexa with AI, the newspaper says it’s now going backward:

In some tests, for example, it lost the ability to turn on the lights with 90%-plus reliability.

Merging the new with the old was always going to be a challenge. Amazon has now charged one of Alexa’s creators, Rohit Prasad, with solving this mess.

The Man Tasked With Rebooting Amazon AI

[WSJ]

Google is bringing its smart home panel to all Google TV devices

Jennifer Pattison TuohySep 23, 2024

Verge Score

Google TV Streamer review: smarter than your average set-top box

With more storage, a (slightly) faster processor, and some proper smart home chops, Google’s new take on the Chromecast is its best attempt at a streaming device yet.

David Pierce and Jennifer Pattison TuohySep 23, 2024

Apple now lets you add Matter devices to Apple Home without a hub

Jennifer Pattison TuohySep 18, 2024

Jennifer Pattison TuohySep 17, 2024

Toyota is putting millimeter-wave in its minivans to help make sure you don’t leave your kid behind.

New Siennas are being equipped with the radar sensor to scan for movement after you’ve left the car. If it detects motion, it will flash the hazards and sound the horn to get your attention.

As mmWave can detect motion as small as chest rise from breathing, this should work even if the child is asleep.

2025 Toyota Sienna Introduces Advanced Rear Seat Reminder System to Help Identify Rear Seat Occupants via In-Cabin Millimeter-Wave Radar

[Toyota USA Newsroom]

Eufy’s new smart lock may Matter to Apple Home users

Jennifer Pattison TuohySep 17, 2024

KitchenAid’s new walnut stand mixer is indeed as impractical as it is beautiful.

The $700 Evergreen edition of the iconic kitchen appliance is apparently not recommended for whipping eggs, as Ellen Cushing discovered in this delightful takedown of the gadget where she compares it to an engagement ring:

“Both are expensive status symbols generally acquired in the spring of one’s life; both are of limited use and enduring popularity; both are signifiers of domestic attainment; both are things people excitedly post to Instagram.”