The smart home was once a far-flung pipe dream, but it is now a reality. Wherever you live, your home is ground zero for some of the most interesting tech available right now, and tech that’s yet to come. Best of all, it doesn’t have to cost a fortune to get your home up and running with smart hardware and services.
Home security and monitoring solutions can alert you to a burglary, smoke, fire, or just simple motion activity. There are plenty of options with a range of capabilities, from smart doorbells and smart locks to indoor and outdoor cameras that can see in the dark.
Smart speakers, like the Google Home, Amazon Echo, and Apple HomePod each play a big role in helping you out, too. In the kitchen, they can read out recipes, or if you’re cleaning, you can call out to them to change the song on the fly. If you buy smart light bulbs, for instance, you can turn them on and off by using your voice.
Four new Farsight face options have landed for the latest Nest Learning Thermostat, the best of which might be a recreation of the original, colorful Nest face from way back when. There’s also a minimalist face, a temperature controller, and a seasonal number with 12 monthly floral designs by artist Mathilde Loubes.
CNBC reports Seemour maker Prompt AI is in late-stage talks over an acquihire by Apple, “likely” joining the Apple Home division.
Seemour’s ambient intelligence (more on that topic here) promised alerts and summaries of action caught on camera feeds, which could be useful for Apple’s rumored security camera and HomeScreenPod.
Amazon now sells its new $200 4K Outdoor Cam Pro with your choice of one of five free Halloween camera costumes, or you can 3D print your own. Sticking a camouflaged camera behind your bowl could be a deterrent to candy thieves, but it’s also a creepy way to avoid trick-or-treaters.
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After years of false starts, the promise of ambient intelligence has arrived, but will it be worth the price?
About a week ago Ecobee users started noticing their security systems disappearing from the Apple Home app. Now the company shared that the integration was rolled back due to “unexpected challenges” only a month after it launched. We reached out to ask what those challenges are and if the change is temporary, but haven’t heard back yet.
Amazon and Google just launched a bunch of new smart home hardware and software features this week, and I know you have questions. I haven’t tested any of them yet, but I got some hands-on time with the new gadgets and spoke with folks at both companies about the new features, so come ask me anything! I’ll go live at 1 PM ET.
First look at Google’s new $99 Home Speaker, launching in 2026 with a vastly improved Gemini assistant
These new Echo devices may have just won Alexa Plus a permanent place in my smart home.
Amazon is bringing facial recognition to its latest Ring 2K and 4K cameras and doorbell. Familiar Faces lets you enroll friends and family, so you’ll get a notification saying “Emma is at the front door” if it’s someone you know. Google has had a similar feature on Nest cameras for years, but this is the first Ring hardware with facial recognition.
The feature will be available first for dogs in November, and will work for cats and other pets in the future.
This summer, The Verge’s video team braved 90-degree temps to capture the smart home tech I test and use in my backyard.
From smart chicken coops to robot lawnmowers, smart sprinklers, AI-powered grills, and smart lighting, this tour shows how tech can help you manage, maintain, and get more out of your backyard.
