Automated Home 2.0 – #44 Loxone Touch Surface
One of the cool controls we loved using during our weekend staying in the Loxone Show Home in Austria was the ‘Touch Surface’. What Is…
2021
Converting to a DIY Shelly Smart Home – Part 3 – Digital Hot Water
In Part 1, friend of Automated Home, MarkB, started to convert his smart home over to using Shelly modules and in Part 2 he created a…
Our “Unleashed” Apple Event Cheat Sheet
Here’s the numbers on the new MacBook Pros just announced… MacBook Pro New M1 Pro SoC5nm 10 CPU Cores16 GPU Cores New M1 Max SoC400GB/s…
Converting to a DIY Shelly Smart Home – Part 2 – A Smarter EV Charger
In Part 1, friend of Automated Home, MarkB, started to convert his smart home over to using Shelly modules. Now in Part 2 he uses…
Our iPhone 13, iPad and Apple Watch Series 7 Cheat Sheet
Tim has gone for a lie down after todays iPhone 13 presentation. So here’s our usual cheat sheet, with most of the details and none…
Video: Homey Launch Freemium Smart Home Cloud Controller & Homey Bridge
Athom, Dutch creators of the Homey smart home system have reinvented the controller as an app and Cloud service. The makers say that Homey works…
Converting to a DIY Shelly Smart Home – Part 1
Friend of Automated Home, MarkB, covers his latest DIY smart home project as he converts his house to use Shelly modules… There is no shortage…
Automated Home 2.0 – #43 Low Energy, Airtightness, Budgets, & Compromise
From the outset we knew we wanted our new home to have lower running costs than the old one. As well as the obvious financial…
Automated Home 2.0 – #42 Our Kitchen with Parkes Interiors
Of all the different types of companies we visited during the planning stages for the new house we were in more kitchen showrooms than anything…
Tesla Model 3 – 24 Month Update
I wrote my Model 3 Mega Review back in 2019, a few months into ownership, and then followed up on its one year anniversary. Today…
Our WWDC 2021 Keynote Cheat Sheet – The Snoozefest
This years virtual keynote was a polished but long winded 105 minute affair that lacked any wow moment. Here’s some of what Apple announced… HomeKit…
Video: Faradite Launch New TAP Volt Free Smart Home Switch
Faradite have announced a new, improved version of their smart home switch in both 5 gang and 1 gang varieties. To ensure maximum compatibility with…
Will It Matter?
Back in late 2019 a group including Amazon, Apple, Google and Zigbee announced they were developing the new open source Connected Home Over IP standard….
Automated Home 2.0 – #41 Featured in Selfbuild Magazine
Just a quick update this time to mention that Selfbuild Magazine has included the Automated Home in their latest edition. It’s just one of many…
Video: Loxone Reveal New Intercom Doorbell
Earlier today Loxone revealed their new doorbell with integrated video intercom. The real glass-fronted device includes a backlit bell button with proximity sensor, microphone, hidden…
Automated Home 2.0 – #40 The VSSL A.1 Music Streaming Amplifier Part 1
We were looking around for a sound system for the upstairs bedrooms in the Automated Home when, by a happy coincidence, Soundvision Technologies got in…
Automated Home 2.0 – #39 The Pain of Fibre to the Premises (FTTP)
After sharing next door’s internet for a few months we now have our own fibre connection. Unfortunately getting here has been a painful experience. The…
Yale Linus Smart Lock Partners with Philips Hue
The integration of the Philips Hue smart lighting system and the Yale Linus motorised Smart Lock has just been announced. Check out the links and…
Automated Home 2.0 – #38 Where Did It All Go Wrong With Our Loxone Install?
So, our Loxone smart home installation, where did it all go so wrong? I’m teasing of course, we’re delighted with our system and even though…
Crestron Announces DM NAX Matrix Amp & Streaming Music Player
Crestron Electronics have announced their new DM NAX matrix/amplifier and streaming music player for high-performance audio-over-IP and native integration with Crestron Home as well as…