ZigBee

Although not exactly present in all corners of the globe, the name Ikea is well-known for ready-to-assemble furniture, and sometimes overpriced products. It isn't, however, known for being on the cutting edge of technology. Although it has dabbled a bit in augmented reality and wireless charging, it has yet to jump on the home automation market. It isn't jumping yet, but it is now at least dipping its toes in that still young segment. And like any budding smart home product, it's Trådfri line is starting with the simplest one of all: connected lights.

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Philips looks set to add hands-free smarts to its Hue lighting system, with word of a new Hue Motion Sensor sneaking out ahead of the gadget's launch. A mainstay of many smart home installations, Hue's wirelessly-enabled bulbs can be controlled by various means, including the company's iOS and Android apps, from a smartwatch, the Hue Tap switch, and basic scheduling, but if you wanted motion-triggers you had to look to third-party platforms.

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Philips has reversed course on its controversial decision to block third-party connected bulbs from its Hue system. The company had found itself facing the ire of smart home enthusiasts earlier this week, when a firmware update for the Hue bridge prevented bulbs from other manufacturers from connecting, even though they use the same ZigBee wireless standard.

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This week at MWC Shanhai 2015, ZTE revealed the ZTE SmartHome, a device they call their "first ever smart home gateway." This device works with wireless protocol, ZigBee, and 4G LTE connectivity for always-connected functionality. This device is set to be the center of your smart home, with an application for smartphones and tablets to control smart home devices of all sorts. In addition to a ZTE-made app for mobile devices, this device can also be controlled via web browser from Microsoft's Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Opera, and Google Chrome.

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In the very near future, LG will release a number of smart lights and a hub which will be compatible with Apple HomeKit. This LG Smart Lighting solution is not LG's first - they also released a Bluetooth-friendly bulb called LG SmartLamp, allowing you to connect - one at a time - to each bulb within range. This new line of bulbs will all connect to a single device called a Scene Gateway, a hub that requires only power and a connection to your internet router.

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Philips has a new remote control for its hue wireless lights in the pipeline, along with a brighter version of its color-changing bulb. The new products, revealed during regulatory testing at the FCC, include an update on the original hue bulb with an 800 lumen version. However, it's the new Hue Dimmer Switch which is arguably more interesting, given how it potentially addresses a common complaint among those with the remote-controlled bulbs installed in their homes.

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While the Almond 2015 and Almond+ have been bringing some smart functionality to the router game for some time now, today they get a big bump with home automation. The Almond 2015 has been out on the market for a couple of weeks and the Almond+ has been out for months now, but both will be getting this update from their makers at Securifi, giving them connectivity to both ZigBee and Z-Wave devices. This device doesn't work with IFTTT (at the moment), but it doesn't need to - all automation here is local.

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Streaming security cameras are great, until your WiFi connection dies and your virtual peephole gets cut off. Enter the Panasonic Nubo, throwing 4G LTE into the mixture along with some smart home ambitions. Panasonic isn’t aiming low, either, claiming the Nubo is a “Dropcam killer” from the outset, and aiming to out-perform everything on the Nest-owned streaming camera’s spec sheet. I caught up with the Panasonic Cameramanager team to find out why Nubo shouldn’t just be on your home office wall, but hitching a ride in your suitcase.

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If the smart home is to catch on, then its constituent pieces have to start playing together nicely. Cree has been pushing the LED bulb envelope - particularly on price - for some time, and now it's the turn of the Connected LED Bulb. Not long ago, fifteen dollars for a wireless light bulb was unthinkable; Cree promises not only that, but cross-platform support for home automation hubs compatible with ZigBee. While it's Home Depot favorite Wink that gets the mention on the Cree box, I was also keen to see how friendly the bulbs would be with smart lighting stalwart Philips hue, not to mention the increasingly popular SmartThings.

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Connected lighting was a big theme at CES 2015, but remotely-controlled bulbs are seldom cheap. That's something Cree is aiming to change with its new Connected Cree LED Bulb, a 60W equivalent priced under $15 apiece and offering wireless compatibility not only with Home Depot's Wink hub, but in fact any hub that's ZigBee certified. From there, control over on/off status and bulb brightness can be made.

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With the Ninja Sphere and a wireless internet connection in your home, you’ll be well on your way to connecting every electronic device you own to a smart interface. Ninja Sphere comes from the same folks that’ve created the Ninja Block, a very similar piece of hardware that runs the same code but does not work with a display, gestures, or radio connectivity. The Ninja Sphere upgrades the whole works.

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Philips' hue tap wireless, battery-free light switch for the company's color-changing bulbs has finally arrived in the US, allowing the smartphone-phobic still still get in on the home automation action. The ZigBee switch uses kinetic power to switch between up to four preset hue scenes, meaning it can be stuck to a wall without cabling being required, or moved around from coffee table to nightstand.

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