homekit

How To: Lutron Caséta Lighting Control System Review

Mike ConnellyConnected Home

Lutron’s Caséta sits at the entry point of a residential lighting control lineup that segments by device count, coverage area, and whether installation is DIY or professional. Based on our home deployment, we explain switch selection, installation, and integration with Apple HomeKit and Google Assistant. We also present an honest look at where the system’s device and range limits matter in practice. Continue reading How To: Lutron Caséta Lighting Control System Review

Sonos One & Sonos Beam (Part 2): Review of Voice Services Including Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant & Apple Airplay 2

Mike ConnellyConnected Home, Music

Sonos speakers support Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple Siri simultaneously, letting users mix and match voice assistants independent of their music source or smart home platform. Here, we explain how that flexibility works in practice and what it means for households split across competing ecosystems. A Sonos owner can run an iTunes library, a YouTube Music subscription, and Apple HomeKit controls from a single speaker while still asking Google a question. Continue reading Sonos One & Sonos Beam (Part 2): Review of Voice Services Including Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant & Apple Airplay 2

Sonos One & Sonos Beam (Part 1): The State of Smart Speakers

Mike ConnellyConnected Home, Music

Amazon Echo and Google Home are designed primarily to deepen their makers’ advertising and data businesses, while Apple’s HomePod functions as a local iPhone extension. This article examines what each major smart speaker is actually optimized for, and why that distinction matters when choosing one. The Sonos One costs nearly twice as much as an Echo but delivers meaningfully better sound for listeners who prioritize audio quality. Continue reading Sonos One & Sonos Beam (Part 1): The State of Smart Speakers