Operation Gadget: Home Automation in the Apple Ecosystem

  • Eufy Security Cameras: Video Was Not Encrypted as Promised

    Eufy Security Cameras: Video Was Not Encrypted as Promised

    Reading Time: 2 minutes AppleInsider 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…

    Read more >

  • Sockitbox Makes Indoor Smart Devices Work Outside

    Sockitbox Makes Indoor Smart Devices Work Outside

    Reading Time: 4 minutes As you add more Home Automation to your home, you inevitably run into a few situations like these. All of which may be remedied with a Sockitbox Weatherproof Connection Box: I was stymied by these problems on a few occasions, but then I discovered what has turned out to be a…

    Read more >

  • Operation Gadget is an Amazon Associate

    Operation Gadget is an Amazon Associate

    Reading Time: < 1 minutes Operation Gadget is part of the Amazon Associates Program. Purchases you make from Amazon.com or a related website after following a link from this website to one of those websites may result in a small commission being paid by Amazon.com Services LLC to the publisher of this site, After6 Services…

    Read more >

  • Allicaver Outlet Shelf Frees Counter Space

    Allicaver Outlet Shelf Frees Counter Space

    Reading Time: 5 minutes In 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…

    Read more >

  • Why Home Automation in the Apple Ecosystem?

    Why Home Automation in the Apple Ecosystem?

    Reading Time: 7 minutes A couple of friends have asked, “Why is Operation Gadget’s subtitle ‘Home Automation in the Apple Ecosystem’?” I guess they’re asking, why not cover all aspects of home automation? Or perhaps they mean, why not pick Amazon.com’s ecosystem, based on the Alexa voice assistant and Ring security products? Or even Google’s…

    Read more >

  • Welcome Back to Operation Gadget

    Welcome Back to Operation Gadget

    Reading Time: 2 minutes Today I’m relaunching Operation Gadget, a website that will focus on Apple home automation. I originally launched Operation Gadget on November 17, 2003. At that time, it was a weblog devoted to electronic gadgets, software, and related products. Believe it or not, hardly anyone had a weblog about gadgets at the…

    Read more >

  • Zip-It is a Better Solution for Slow Shower and Tub Drains Than Drain Opener

    Reading Time: 2 minutes I want to share one of the ways I quickly resolve slow shower and tub drains at my house. For the last few years, I’ve been doing a lot of the household maintenance for my family. One of the pain points we run into when my wife lets her hair grow…

    Read more >

  • 4 ways iOS 11 will improve how you listen to podcasts

    Reading Time: < 1 minutes Recognition of serialized podcasts Support for podcast seasons Support for extras, such as teasers, trailers, and bonus episodes Introduction of in-app podcast analytics Jason Snell does an impressive job documenting the changes to podcast feed formatting that Apple is rolling out in iOS 11. He’s one of the people who…

    Read more >

  • Why calculating home run distances is like measuring sea level

    Reading Time: < 1 minutes When a home run lands in the outfield stands– or perhaps hits a pole or façade– the ball stops moving at a point elevated from the field level, sometime by as much as 200 feet. To figure out how far a ball would have traveled if unimpeded— and therefore get…

    Read more >