Category: Home Automation
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RoboRock Q5 DuoRoller+ Does a Great Job for a Cat Family
Reading Time: 5 minutesA few weeks ago I bought a RoboRock Q5 DuoRoller+ robotic vacuum cleaner for my wife Kathleen’s birthday. This was not a surprise gift. We decided we needed to try using a robotic vacuum cleaner because we have five cats, including two that could easily be considered long-haired. For a number of…
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Amazon-Branded Device Business Losses Estimated in the Billions of Dollars
Reading Time: 4 minutesA detailed report in The Wall Street Journal last week says that Amazon.com lost a massive amount of money in the Amazon-branded device business it developed over the years since it launched the first Amazon Echo in 2014. [ Subscription required to read The Wall Street Journal article on their website. If…
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Logitech Circle View Video Doorbell Tech Support is Outstanding
Reading Time: 5 minutesWe’ve had a Logitech Circle View Video Doorbell installed at my house since January 2021, which is a long time for a doorbell compatible with Apple Home. Like many other HomeKit users, I’ve run into a few technical issues with the Logitech Circle View Doorbell, mostly early in 2021. But this Fall,…
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Useful HomeKit Online Communities
Reading Time: 2 minutesIn November 2020, we began automating our new home. I searched for online communities where discussions occurred about successes and failures regular folks had implementing HomeKit devices in their own homes. Reddit Reddit was a pretty hot place to look for user-generated content. So, I started looking for informative content there. Reddit…
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Avoiding Smart Home Control Controversies
Reading Time: 4 minutesAnna Kodé of The New York Times wrote a provocative article called Unwanted Connection: Who Has Control of Your Smart Home? that was published on Friday. I started out reading this article with alarm. I had never considered what would happen if I bought a house that had some Smart Home features…
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The Circle View Doorbell’s Stunning Improvement
Reading Time: 5 minutesI bought my wife a Logitech Circle View Doorbell for Christmas in 2020, when it was newly on the market. It has turned out to be a great product; Arguably the best HomeKit Secure Video doorbell available in North America. The funny thing about the Circle View Doorbell is that it wasn’t…
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When Did Operation Gadget’s Focus on Home Automation Begin?
Reading Time: 2 minutesIn November 2020, a number of things changed in the lives of my family. We bought a house in Bucks County, Pennsylvania that had living spaces on three different levels. Also, the HomePod mini became available from Apple. After watching the HomePod mini announcement, which was part of Apple’s “Hi, Speed” event…
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Eufy Security Cameras: Video Was Not Encrypted as Promised
Reading Time: 2 minutesAppleInsider reported that video from Eufy Security Cameras have not been properly encrypted as promised, when that video is sent to the cloud. Eufy is a brand of Fantasia Trading LLC, better known in the United States by its largest brand name, Anker Innovations. According to the article: Anker has admitted that…
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Allicaver Outlet Shelf Frees Counter Space
Reading Time: 5 minutesIn a previous article I mentioned that we currently have six HomePod minis installed in the house. One thing that you will realize if you install multiple smart speakers is that a well-designed outlet shelf frees a surprising amount of counter space that would otherwise be taken by the speaker. Lots of…