Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

While the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) has repeatedly said robot vacuums will be part of the smart home standard, based on the slow progress of Matter, I’d say we’re still a ways out.

Garage door controller manufacturer Remsol (iSmartGate), coffee machine maker Keurig, and Loxone (an intriguing Austrian home automation company) also joined, according to the CSA, which now has 620 member companies.

The $8,000 Samsung Neo QLED 8K TV is a Matter Controller, Samsung SmartThings hub, and Thread Border Router, thanks to a new Thread/Zigbee module on board. And it’s also a sweet TV.

It does make some of the $500 Matter/Thread hubs popping up look like quite the bargain, but I bet they can’t stream Netflix in the same cinematic glory.

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Announced at CES 2023, the colorful LED panels work over Wi-Fi, feature addressable segments, multiple color displays, tunable white light, and on-device music syncing.

They’re part of Cync’s new Dynamic Effects lighting range, which includes A19 and BR30 bulbs, indoor and outdoor light strips, and neon-shape lights.

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Details are thin, but apparently Hue will use cameras in the home to detect movement and automatically activate security lighting. Rondolat also said Hue cameras will be end-to-end-encrypted — a feature that’s part of Wiz’s new smart home security camera; Signify also owns Wiz.

Philips Hue often launches new products at IFA, so we may learn more when that kicks off on September 1st.

The Pro works with all the things... thanks to Matter support and a plethora of smart home radios (Wi-Fi, BLE 5.0, Zigbee 3.0 and Z-Wave, 433MHz RF, and IR). No Thread yet — that’s slated for later this year.

The Pro also connects to bridges such as Hue, and Lutron, to get all your gadgets on one platform. For a premium price.

While I love some color in the smart home (most tech is black or white, and most homes are not), a pink smart lock does feel more “Barbie Dreamhouse accessory” than “stylish smart home upgrade.”

Still, the limited edition Yale x Pantone Assure Lock 2 is a bold move in a typically dull space.