Smart Home

Home Assistant 2026.8 brings native support for Matter doorbell events, a Matter Server update and simpler access without the port 8123.

Home Assistant 2026.8 focuses on newcomers – with an update-all button, an overhauled ZHA Zigbee manager and a new activity timeline.

Signify’s Philips Skylight is a large LED ceiling panel that simulates natural daylight for windowless rooms – but it’s missing one key smart home feature.

Matter 1.6 brings NFC setup, Joint Fabric for cross-ecosystem devices and smarter thermostats. The CSA unveiled the specification in June 2026.

Ubiquiti’s UniFi Enterprise Audio/Video Bridge turns 4K AV distribution into a pure network application, challenging established AV-over-IP vendors.

Shelly is entering the security market with its own camera range at Light + Building 2026 – focused on local control and open standards like RTSP and ONVIF.

Sonoff launches its new “Orb” series with Matter support: smart sockets, dimmers and shutter controls for Apple Home, Alexa, Google and SmartThings.

Home Assistant 2024.10 arrives with dashboard improvements, headings, better Matter and Z-Wave support, home network diagnostics and smarter automations.

UniFi Protect 5.0.20 (EA) adds ONVIF third-party camera support, Dropbox archiving, camera grouping, a storage manager and more. Full changelog inside.

Amazon’s Echo and device business has lost billions of dollars. Now Alexa is set to get paid AI features. Can a subscription turn the loss-maker around?