Category Archives: Home

Kwikset’s Z-Wave Protocol Locks Provide Peace of Mind

February 10, 2016CES 2016, Homeces, CES 2016, KwiksetTodd Cochrane

Everyone wants to keep their homes safe and secure. Kwikset is the largest lock manufacturer in the world. They make a whole series of products that can replace the door locks in your home with an updated, IoT version.

Todd and Marlo spoke with Director of North American Sales and Business Development for Kwikset, Larry Goldman, at CES 2016. He discussed Kwikset’s new line of door locks that operate in the Z-Wave protocol. Z-Wave is a wireless technology that is similar to Bluetooth. The difference is that Z-Wave has been designed specifically for security and is part of the IoT platform.

Kwikset offers a series of products that replace the door locks in your home. It ranges from a simple keypad door lock to a touch screen door lock. These door locks operate wirelessly and run on 4 AA batteries (which can easily last for a year). You can connect these door locks to an app on your phone that will let you see which doors are locked or unlocked, to lock the door remotely, or to let someone in while you are not at home. This technology brings homeowners peace of mind.

Marlo Anderson is rounding up the latest technology news at The Tech Ranch.

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CentraLite Smart Switch Talks to Smart LED Bulbs

February 10, 2016CES 2016, HomeCentraLite, ces, CES 2016Todd Cochrane

The Internet of Things is made up of several smart devices and appliances. The trick is to figure out what to do with this technology to make it work best for you in your home. CentraLite is “the man behind the curtain” that makes the IoT devices for a lot of companies that you have heard of.

Daniel spoke with Director of Marketing for CentraLite, Jason Whatley at CES 2016. CentraLite is an IoT device manufacturer. They make things like smart sensors, thermostats, in-wall switches, and more for companies you’ve heard of like Samsung’s SmartThings and Lowe’s Iris system. CentraLite has been making IoT devices since before there was an “internet of things”.

One of the devices CentraLite makes is a Smart Switch. It solves two problems that home owners who use Smart LED bulbs have. One problem is that turning off the Smart LED bulbs kills the power to those bulbs. The other problem is that there isn’t a convenient way to turn a Smart LED bulb on or off without pulling out your smartphone. The Smart Switch is a device that goes over an existing light switch in your home. It locks out the switch and provides dimming buttons that talk to the LED Smart bulbs.

Daniel J. Lewis dares you to get started in podcasting with The Audacity to Podcast.

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Essence Behaviour Analysis for the Smart Home

February 2, 2016CES 2016, Health, Homeces, CES2016, Health, home automation, interview, security, videoTodd Cochrane

Coming from a background in home security, Essence have used their understanding of monitoring to develop a range of products for the smart home to enable independent living for those people who might otherwise have difficulty looking after themselves. Jamie and Daniel find out more from Rafi Zauer, Essence Head of Marketing.

The smart home market is exploding at the moment and there are hundreds of companies peddling hubs and sensors. What sets Essence’s SmartCare apart is a focus on unobtrusive monitoring and pattern analysis to detect when a dependent person’s daily routine changes, potentially by illness, in order to alert family members to a problem.

By using PIR motion detectors and door sensors, a pattern of behaviour is built up and deviations from the pattern can be escalated to relatives to follow-up. It’s all passive detection; there are no cameras and as such this provides an important level of privacy. Data is passed to a cloud service which in turn passes alerts to an app on a tablet or smartphone.

With an increasingly older population who want to remain in their own home, these kinds of systems will be increasingly relevant.

Jamie Davis is the host of Health Tech Weekly at HTWeekly.com. He is a nurse, paramedic and health journalist.
Daniel J Lewis dares you to get started in podcasting with The Audacity to Podcast.

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StoAmigo’s TackApp Gives You a Personal Cloud

January 31, 2016CES 2016, Computers, Gadgets, HomeTodd Cochrane

StoAmigo gives people a personal cloud with access to their files at home or back in the office from anywhere there’s an internet connection. Todd sits down on the sofa with Randy Creighton, VP Legal and Business Affairs at StoAmigo and talks through some of the background to the products and the key benefits of StoAmigo and the TackApp.

StoAmigo firmly believes in the benefits of the cloud but unlike many other cloud storage vendors, StoAmigo thinks that control and ownership of the data and files should remain with the individual, using storage that is already available. Wherever the information is held, it should still be possible to get to it from all over the world.

StoAmigo brings together storage from multiple sources into an “access anywhere” cloud and key to the ecosystem is StoAmigo’s TackApp which joins local device storage from PC, Mac or Android into the cloud. All the software is free to download so there’s no risk in trying it out.

As expected from a cloud service, files can be shared securely with other people too. StoAmigo takes this a little further than others, providing information on when files were accessed and whether they were viewed or downloaded. This gives even greater control and ownership over the data.

Todd Cochrane is the host of the twice-weekly Geek News Central Podcast at GeekNewsCentral.com, and special thanks to our CES partner, StoAmigo. Download and try out TackApp for free for Windows, Mac and Android from the links here.

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Iris by Lowe’s Has Unique Uses for Health and Safety

January 23, 2016CES 2016, Health, HomeJamie Davis

Iris by Lowe’s Companies Inc. is a do-it-yourself home automation and security system that ties hundreds of sensors and products together in one easy to control and monitor system. Health Tech Weekly host Jamie Davis, the Podmedic chats with Kris Bowring from Iris Home Systems at Lowe’s at CES 2016 about the unusual and inventive ways their customers are using the Iris system to monitor and manage the health and safety of the customer’s loved ones.

This is a trend we are seeing more and more often at CES. Consumers are not just using the electronic technology they see there but also adopting the technologies into new and inventive uses. For example, you are worried your elderly mother lives alone. She won’t get a monitoring service to notify responders and you if she falls or has a health emergency. That’s okay, you have access to the customizable Iris System.

You get a couple of motion sensors to place around the home in strategic locations. Then you add a few door/window sensors and place them on the medicine cabinet doors and kitchen cabinet doors to make sure that not only is Mom moving around her home but she’s taking her medicine and making food for herself.

All of this is monitored by a mobile app that unobtrusively lets you know when the system is activated at any time you want. Your mother gets her much-cherished independence and you get the peace of mind knowing that she is okay and doing well each day, throughout the day.

This is just one example of how the Lowe’s Iris Home System customers are using creative and unique solutions using common home monitoring and safety tools. Check out the whole video below for more about this amazing story and learn how others help their loved ones in interesting and unique ways.

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Jamie Davis is the host of Health Tech Weekly which can be found at HTWeekly.com. He is a nurse, paramedic, and health journalist.

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CES 2016 Wrap Up Show & TPN Picks

January 12, 2016Accessories, Auto, Cameras, CES 2016, Computers, Gadgets, Health, Home, Mobile, Photography, Toys & Gaming, TVs, Video, WirelessTodd Cochrane

The TPN Team present their 2016 TPN Picks to 10 companies that we felt had the best new products at CES 2016. Off the 1000’s of companies booths we walked by these 10 where tops by our team.

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CES 2016 Primer

December 28, 2015Accessories, Auto, Back Channel, Cameras, CES 2016, Computers, Entertainment, Gadgets, Health, Home, Images, Live Show, Mobile, Partner, Special Events, Toys & Gaming, TVs, Video, WirelessTodd Cochrane

Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central gets our CES channels fired up with a primer of what is to come in the coverage department from the 20 team members of the Tech Podcast Network who start preparing to head to Vegas in a couple of days.

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Can I WeMo That? Yes, I Can

February 26, 2015CES 2015, Gadgets, HomePLUGHITZ Live

Home automation is a growing and popular category of tech, but the problem still persists that most of the products out right now are fragmented, in that they don’t speak to each other or to one universal system. There are only a handful of solutions doing that, and we can now add WeMo to that list.

WeMo is a home automation system under the Belkin umbrella. With over 25 products under its belt already, ranging from switches to lighting to sensors and coffee makers, you can absolutely WeMo anything. The difference with WeMo is that you don’t need an overly-expensive kit to get started. You can simply begin with the devices that you want and grow from there.

Beyond the simple light switch turning on and off, WeMo is scalable so that if you want your electricity, temperature and even water being monitored and controlled by WeMo, it can all be achieved, giving you a fully smart home.

All of the products live in the same WeMo app. By partnering with top manufacturers in several categories, WeMo can make the smart features for the product, while companies like Osram Sylvania can continue to make the best lights, which is what they’re good at. It doesn’t stop there, as appliances like coffee makers, crock pots, heaters and air purifiers can now all be smart with the help of WeMo.

Unlike most systems, WeMo uses if this then that (IFTTT) technology, which it will be rolling out to almost all of its devices throughout the year. Using IFTTT, WeMo’s Insight Switch allows you to monitor energy usage, which can be activated based on different events, like it being too hot outside.

Lastly, WeMo Water is a device that installs easily under your kitchen sink without any professionals required. It monitors your water usage from one single point in your home, including all your sinks, toilets and even sprinklers. WeMo Water can also detect leaks, which is especially useful while a user might be away from their house and not have the ability to get home right away. Home automation is not only convenient, but it keeps you safe.

Interview by Nicholas DiMeo of F5 Live: Refreshing Technology for the Tech Podcast Network.

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Kiband Helps Keep Your Child Close to You

February 26, 2015CES 2015, Gadgets, HomePLUGHITZ Live

A trip through Eureka Park at any CES is always bound to lead to new and exciting products and individuals who are passionate about those products. That’s the exact case with Kiband, a company that formed around a direct necessity and problem that impacted its CEO.

Kiband started with its CEO that lost his child at a 4th of July event for about 15-20 minutes. After trying leash solutions and other methods that really didn’t work out for him, he created his own company to try a change up the market.

The key with Kiband is prevention and less of informing you of when your child actually gets lost. Using the parent’s phone, the Kiband sets up a local geofence around the smartphone, and as the child approaches the perimeter set by the parent, the Kiband will first vibrate. If they then venture outside of the proximity, the device will then use an audible tone to alert the parent.

The distance is totally customizable by the parent and allows them to give the child as much leeway as they deem safe. The Kiband is also easy to set up, as it instantly connects to the phone and the app is made for those who are less tech savvy.

Still in research and development, the kids who have tested the device have really taken a liking to it and didn’t want to remove it because it looked cool and was minimally invasive. Pricing will be around $100 to $120, with pre-orders available through an Indiegogo campaign, and delivery estimated to be in the summer.

Interview by Nicholas DiMeo of F5 Live: Refreshing Technology for the Tech Podcast Network.

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Crosley Mixes Old School and Today with New Line of Turntables

February 26, 2015CES 2015, Entertainment, HomePLUGHITZ Live

The retro-style record players are coming back with a bit of flare, all thanks to Crosley, a name that has been around since the 1920s. During the ’20s through ’40s, it was pretty much the household brand when it came to spinning some vinyl. The brand was then sold and brought back as a retro radio company, and now has started to join in on the resurgence of vinyl in the new millennium.

At CES 2015, Crosley launched a couple of new products aimed at getting people back into records again. First, the Cruiser turntable will make it easy for someone who wants a plug-and-play way to enjoy their favorite records. No longer do you have to buy components and piece them all together. The Cruiser comes in dozens of colors and styles, and some even feature your favorite cartoon characters or TV shows. The turntable will generally run you about $69 and is available at all major retailers, including specialty stores.

For those who want more added functionality or features, Crosley has launched a myriad of different turntables to fit different needs and styles. Things like Bluetooth, CD players, nicer speakers, wood housing and more can all be found in several different product lines from the company. Prices range depending on the flavor, but typically run between $150 and $400. All of the products can be found at Crosley’s website.

Interview by Nicholas DiMeo of F5 Live: Refreshing Technology for the Tech Podcast Network.

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