Often, when new technology is released, you don't realize what a change the tech can make in your life until you try it. For many people who have adopted modern deadbolts and doorknobs that operate using passcodes instead of keys, locks of the type certainly fall into that category. Many manufacturers offer keypad deadbolts and doorknobs, allowing you to type in a custom code to lock and unlock the door.
It's probably fair to say that, when Kohler first appeared at CES, some questioned a brand best associated with faucets and tubs being at the huge international tech show. Now, in its fifth year at the Las Vegas event, it's also fair to say that the smart home world is one of the most important at CES. With the pandemic bringing both home luxuries and hygiene into the spotlight, turns out there's plenty to get excited about when it comes to geeky kitchens and bathrooms.
Power outages, freak weather events, and a crumbling grid have led many in the US to question just how reliable their electricity supply is, and Kohler may have just the home storage battery system to settle some of those fears. While the brand may be most commonly associated with faucets and the like, the Power Reserve Energy Storage System being shown off at CES 2022 sees it branch out into Tesla Powerwall territory.
The smart home is, despite the name, usually pretty stupid. For all the talk of ecosystems and cross-platform standards, all too often home automation simply turns our phones into fancy remotes, sending us flipping through apps to adjust lights, music, and security. Crestron Home, a relatively new smart home option from a long-standing name in the industry, has an app too, but arguably what's most impressive is how rarely you actually need it.
Even before smart homes became a thing, one piece of seemingly futuristic technology was already trying to make its way into our homes. Vacuum cleaners like the Roomba challenge our concepts of what a robot looks like while also doing wonders for the living room floor or carpet. Since then, a lot of robotic cleaners have populated stores, virtual or physical, trying to compete with each other with some gimmick or another. The Proscenic M8 is one of the latest to arrive from a brand best known for its smart home cleaning appliances, and we take it for a good spin (no pun intended) to check if it's all that the company has hyped it up to be.
Joining its newly unveiled Solar Panel and Lamp Socket, Wyze has also taken the wraps off two new products: the Wyze Switch and Wyze Bulb White. The two new products expand the company's growing home automation product line, offering consumers inexpensive options for transforming their home's existing lighting system into a smart home feature.
Google just announced the availability of new smart cameras under its Nest smart home brand, but those are hardly the only options available in a rather congested market. When it comes to security cameras and video doorbells, Arlo's name is right up there, especially when it comes to integrating with Google's own smart home platform. Once again demonstrating its close ties with Google, Arlo just updated its Motion Detection system to allow Nest Hub and other Google Assistant speakers or devices to audibly notify homeowners when people or a package have been detected.
Nest's newest connected security cameras - including its first with a built-in floodlight system - are now up for order, offering new options inside and out. The Nest Cam (wired) and Nest Cam with Floodlight were announced back in August, alongside the second-generation Nest Doorbell and the new Nest Cam (wireless).
Dyson has a robot vacuum they'll likely release this year to roll up on Roomba. Appearing in an FCC filing this week, the Roomba robot vacuum shows a collection of features that make this device seem at least as powerful as the previously-released (internationally, anyway), Dyson 360 Heurist. This new device sports a shocking blue (as all good Dyson vacuums should) and assurance that it works with a brand new Dyson Hyperdymium motor.
It may have been Apple's day yesterday, but Xiaomi is daring to claim today for its own. Not content with just announcing the Xiaomi 11T series and the affordable Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE, the company is showing its hand and announcing new products across the board. Taking advantage of the recent surge in tablet sales, Xiaomi is unveiling the Xiaomi Pad 5 as its racehorse in the new world order in work and personal life. It also has some new devices designed to upgrade your home life and keep you safe even when you have to buy things outside.
iRobot is launching a new Roomba, and a new brain for its domestic robots, aiming to make domestic help in the modern smart home both smarter and more reliable. The Roomba j7+ will be the first robotic vacuum to launch with iRobot Genius 3.0, and the company promises that it'll be capable of avoiding those nightmare moments where animal mess gets dragged around the home.
Wyze, the company you probably best know for its cheap smart bulbs and home security cameras, recently introduced a new product called Wyze Night Light. The name refers to the product -- it's literally a night light. Unlike the cheap night lights you can find at the hardware store, however, this one packs a surprising number of features, as well as a design so classy someone could mistake the light as a permanently installed fixture.