But it’s possible for you to also choose colors from Google Home Hubs touchscreen. We think the Google Home Hubis a great equipment. In a pinch, it makes a great cookbook and YouTube display too. Most of those capabilities revolve around voice commands, but you shouldn’t count out the display. In the Google App tap on Add, then Set up equipment. Next, choose “Have something already set up?” and search for the service you want to connect (Philips Hue,SmartThings, etc....

It’s incredibly powerful, capable, and complicated. But should you use Hubitat in your smarthome? Hubitat is a true smarthome hub designed to be the center of your automation. It connects to Z-wave and Zigbee, Alexa and Google Home, Lutron and LAN devices. What makes it different from most smarthome hubs is its emphasis on local control and incredibly advanced automations. This will even work if your internet goes down. SmartThings and Wink can’t reach that level of complexity, especially while relying only on local control....

Now it’s back and more dangerous than ever. Some of the changes target business hardware, including LG Supersign TVs and WePresent WiPG-1000 wireless presentation systems. Mirai can be even more potent if it can take over business hardware and commandeer business networks. This variant of Miria continues to attack consumer routers, cameras, and other internet-connected devices. For destructive purposes, the more devices infected, the better. It targeted routers, DVR systems, IP Cameras and more....

Before you take the products out of your house, you should wipe the data off them. No matter the reason, occasionally it’s time to retire older smarthome hardware. Otherwise, you fire off the risk of someone else gaining access to your saved credentials. That could be your location, your web link, or even passwords. Unfortunately, the process for factory resetting your smart devices is as wide and varied as smart devices themselves....

Related Quick Links Wi-Fi cameras rely on infrared (IR) for night vision. Here’s how to get a clear image. One or more IR LEDs blast out as much light as possible, acting as a floodlight. This completely defeats the point of even having a security camera. you’re free to use either traditional outdoor lighting or IR lighting. You must also either turn off or cover the camera’s built-in IR lighting....

But Microsoft doesn’t intend for you to share your game library when you’re not there. Doing so puts you at risk. Unfortunately, Microsoft bungled the marketing and failed mightily at damage control. Sony, on the other hand, put on a masterclass in capitalizing on another company’s missteps. In the end, Microsoft capitulated and revoked the internet phone home requirement entirely. But, with that concession, it also removed the other great promises....

But with children, extended family, and guests, things quickly get complicated. Here are a few ways to make your smarthome easier for other people to use. They may feel unsure of how to turn on and off devices and awkward trying to use voice commands. However, that’s only true when it works on the first try. If you have trouble successfully using voice commands, then everyone else will have a worse go of it....

Your little one may ask for an Echo in their room, but that present issues. Clear and present limits and moderation are cornerstones of parenting, and technology is no exception. This Echo has parental controls that enable time and content limits. you’re able to provide age limits for content and revoke smarthome access. If you have a tablet, you’ll also get access to kid-friendly movies and TV shows. After that free year, FreeTime Unlimited is $2....

Quick Links Controller support is limited on Windows PCs. Unfortunately, MotioninJoy was a proprietary piece of software that turned into malware over the years. Luckily, you don’t have to infect your setup, as there is an open-source alternative inScpToolkit. Don’t use MotioninJoy. Proceed with caution, follow our instructions, and don’t click anything you don’t understand. The installation process will take a few minutes. You should take this time to find your PS3 controller and plug it in with a USB cable....

With portable Windows, you have less to carry, and all your preferences come with you. Why You Might Want Portable Windows Traveling is a pain, especially when flying. You have limited carry-ons, and your suitcases can add to the cost of flying. it’s possible for you to solve all of this by putting Windows on a USB flash drive. We’vedetailed a method around this, but it’s complicated and involves command line work....

But if you have an Echo, you were out of luck. A new skill from Roku changes that by bringing Alexa voice control to your devices. Roku is the best streaming devicefor the person who wants to watch everything. It has an easy to use interface and even offers4K support at pretty low prices. Anyone in the Alexa camp was left out. Now Roku is addressing that with a new Alexa skill....

USB 4 will change that by offering the same speeds. That’s why you’ll find Thunderbolt in your premium MacBook but not in a $300 laptop. The cost is prohibitive, and that’s just one reason whynot all USB-C is the same. USB 4 came out of that drive. And as usual, USB 4 will be backward compatibility with USB 3.2, USB 2.0. Another benefit should be the cost of USB 4 devices....

It’s the powerful connections that make it smart. Smart Homes Are All Different An official definition of “smart home” doesn’t exist. Smart home technology is still in its infancy. Even among those who have adopted it, one smart home can look very different from another. Differences include which smart devices are in the home and even how many of these devices are present. What a smart home is for you depends on what you want to get out of it....