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Burningbird Smart stuff

Hack your home

I am very interested in Internet of Things, DIY, and smart home gadgets. I recently created a new web site, Hack Your Home, both because I wanted to grab a .space domain, and because I wanted to record my new home ownership experiences in one place. My most recent writing, SmartThings Hub and Samsung SmartCam for Security […]

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Smart stuff

SmartThings Hub and Samsung SmartCam for Security (with a little Google OnHub action thrown in)

I have a Samsung SmartCam that’s monitoring our basement entryway. Though the camera has a motion sensor, my smart home hub, SmartThings, doesn’t yet use it. We’ve been assured that a future upgrade will incorporate support for the camera’s motion sensor. Right now, I’m using a SmartThings motion sensor. The motion sensor monitors all basement […]

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Smart stuff

What is your smart home is smarter than you?

I recently received the SmartThings Hub v2, as well as several sensors and light bulbs. It’s been a gas putting all the things together, trying them out with my Amazon Alexa, as well as trying out the different SmartThings smart apps. I connected IFTTT to my ST hub, and it turns on my bedroom and […]

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Smart stuff

C/Net buys itself a smart home

I admire C/Net for taking the next long step in Internet of Things coverage. The company actually bought an entire house to use as a test case for all things smart.  Not just any home, either, but a large behemoth, which should end up being an effective test for signal range and device conflict. I’m also in […]

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Smart stuff

OnHub: Google’s newest Miss/Hit?

Google is known for many things, including being wildly successful and a major cultural impact. But its path is also littered by the skeletal remains of failed projects. Search, Maps, GMail, Chrome, Android, and some of the Nexus devices—not to mention its acquisition of the ubiquitous YouTube, as well as a successful set of hardware […]