Home Automation Articles on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

Engadget takes Unikey's iPhone assisted keyless entry for a spin

by John-Michael Bond (May 22nd, 2013)

We're still a few years away from the self-opening home front door of the Jetsons. But that's okay -- we're making progress. A few weeks ago we told you about Unikey and Kwikset's Kevo, a keyless entry system for your own front door. Now the fine folks at Engadget have had a chance to work with ...

CES 2013: Cobra adds to iRadar lineup and more

by Mike Schramm (Jan 8th, 2013)

Radar detector manufacturer Cobra is back at CES again this year, and the company is showing off two new additions to its smartphone-powered lineup. The iRadar S-Series is the new high-end model -- it's available right now in Europe, but won't be here in the States until around August. Unlike ...

Belkin WeMo home automation to gain an iOS-controlled light switch

by Steven Sande (Jan 7th, 2013)

Belkin's iOS-compatible WeMo home automation system has been the subject of several posts here on TUAW including a full review. I've used the system with the IFTTT scripting service to do everything from cooling off myself and Ruby the Internet-famous cat to turning on the Christmas lights with ...

Microsoft acquires home automation startup eyed by Apple

by Randy Nelson (Jan 3rd, 2013)

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Microsoft has beaten Apple to the punch in acquiring id8 Group R2 Studios, a startup specializing in home automation technology. Started by Sling Media founder Blake Krikorian in 2011, the company was being eyed for acquisition by Apple, Microsoft and ...

Belkin's WeMo: iPhone-based home automation with a taste of IFTTT

by Steven Sande (Aug 10th, 2012)

In my futuristic dreams, I'm able to control everything in my house from my iPhone. That dream might not be too far off, thanks to the Belkin WeMo system. The WeMo currently consists of two hardware devices -- a Wi-Fi equipped power switch/outlet and a Wi-Fi equipped motion sensor -- plus a ...

Control your AC plugs with Elphi

by Victor Agreda, Jr. (Jun 15th, 2012)

I met the creators of Elphi at IndieDevLab and was shocked to discover their awesome product was woefully underfunded on Kickstarter. Sure, a remote control power plug sounds a little boring, but if you've ever driven off on vacation and thought you left the hairdryer plugged in you know what ...

iPort: Wall-mounted home automation for iPad

by Mike Schramm (Aug 20th, 2010)

I have already seen the iPad used in home automation -- Savant is using an iPad app to hook up to some of their home automation systems, using Apple's tablet to control the TV, a whole entertainment system, or even do some remote control of house lights or HVAC, or even monitor cameras remotely ...

TUAW TV: The Savant experience in NYC

by Michael Rose (Apr 12th, 2010)

As we mentioned last week, Savant is currently running a road tour to show off its iPad interface for home automation; Mike Schramm was able to catch up with the festivities in California and got a good taste of the possibilities for replacing 'expensive glass' in proprietary controllers with the ...

Savant: iPad to "Redefine home automation"

by Dave Caolo (Feb 16th, 2010)

Automating one's home with a Mac isn't new. Indigo has been around for a while, as has XTension. Heck, you can even feed your dog remotely. The folks at Savant offer a way to control your home or office's entertainment system, climate, security cameras, lighting and more with an iPhone or iPod ...

Indigo 3.0, increased geekiness for your home

by Brett Terpstra (May 7th, 2008)

Once upon a time, my house was alive. It would wake me up with an hour-long procedure of ramping up the lights and using a zen chime at increasing intervals. Once the hour was up, it would check to see if I had opened the bathroom door yet and, if not, scold me with increasing levels of profanity ...

Have your house text message you via Twitter

by Scott McNulty (Mar 16th, 2007)

We here at TUAW are big fans of Twitter, the simple web service that asks, 'What are you doing?' It is pointless, it is a time waster, but above all it is lots of fun. Gordon Meyer over at the Mac DevCenter seems to like Twitter as well, but he seems to be on a quest to make it useful. This article ...

Indigo Home Automation

by Mat Lu (Jan 18th, 2007)

We just told you about the Lithium server monitoring app but what if, like most Mac users, you're more likely to monitor and control your house (or at least your lamps) than your servers? Adam Goldstein has a nice introduction to the Indigo Home Automation and Control Server over at MacDevCenter. ...