Abode’s new sensors

Abode recently launched two new sensors. The outdoor contact sensor is one more solution to a request I hear often. Most contact sensors are meant to work indoors, but if you use Abode’s security system, this will help you monitor gates and other entrances outdoors. They also released a garage tilt sensor, which works on garage doors, but also other tilting entrances like pull-down stairs to an attic. I haven't tried these sensors myself, but I continue to use Abode and the new prodctus look very promising.

Lutron over Sonos Voice Control

I’m not a big user of Sonos Voice Control, but if you are, you can now use it to control your Lutron Caséta, HomeWorks, and RA3 lights. Sonos and Lutron started the new partnership back in July, but the update this week adds support for Caséta Wireless, which is the Lutron system you’re most likely using. Support for Lutron’s RA2 system is still coming soon.

I have nothing against Sonos Voice Control, but it frequently registers me shouting “hey” and then my son’s name as a request to Sonos, so I turn it off. If you don't have a name in your household close to "Hey Sonos", it's a local voice assistant that is fast but limited to music, timers, and now lighting.

Is Alexa+ Actually Good?

Former New York Times tech columnist and best-selling author, David Pogue, wrote a review of his experience with Alexa+ last week on his Substack. Despite the overall negative sentiment, I think Pogue did a good job describing questions Alexa+ excels at, like a train time to get to New York City. I find Alexa+ to be exceptional at answering the many questions my young children have about the world, which I would love to answer if it weren’t so early in the morning and I had more coffee in me. Plus, I don’t know things like the temperature ranges of blue fire or lava. But Alexa+ does have hard edges and things it’s not great at as Pogue covers in his review. The worst part is that they are sometimes Alexa+ topics Amazon recommends!

The real concern this raises for me is what will the public opinion be around the new Siri AI this fall? Using the betas this summer, I’m very impressed, but it’s never intended to compete with leading, frontier models. Given Siri’s rough past, will people look on the improvements favorably, or just throw out an otherwise very helpful assistant, simply deeming it as not as good as their previous favorite?

The Schedule

Last week, I published a video I’ve been noodling on for a long time about the phases of your smart home. If I ever wrote a book on smart homes, this topic would be chapter number 1. It’s not an introductory tutorial, but it’s the path we are all on with smart home tech, and worth considering, regardless of how advanced you are.

We also had a livestream on Friday with a wide-ranging discussion, including the news, my newly laid Ethernet cable, and my new Ubiquiti picks page.

I hope you have a great rest of your Sunday,

Eric