Owners of Amazon’s Echo smart speakers in the UK are set to receive an AI-powered upgrade that could reshape interactions across the smart home. Branded Alexa+, the update equips the assistant to manage connected devices more intelligently, follow multi-turn interactions,…
Silicon Labs’ SoC accelerates access for smart locks and readers
Silicon Labs announced that Durin, Inc. has selected the Silicon Labs MG24 wireless SoC as the secure, multiprotocol foundation for the Durin Door Manager, a next-generation access device that supports the newly available Aliro application layer from the Connectivity Standards…
Nordic Semiconductor releases reference design for Aliro and Matter-based access control systems
Nordic Semiconductor announces a new reference design enabling secure, interoperable access control solutions for commercial and residential applications using Aliro and Matter. The release coincides with the Aliro 1.0 specification. Developed by the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA), Aliro replaces physical…
Why the smart home of the future will include robots doing the housework
Whether it’s Rosie the Robot from The Jetsons or Herbie in The Fantastic Four, popular culture has long imagined a future where household chores are handled by tireless mechanical helpers. For decades, those visions felt firmly rooted in fiction. At…
5 common IoT devices that pose an easy target for hackers
Eleanor Hecks, Managing Editor of Designerly Magazine, looks at five common devices that attract attackers, asks why they are easy to exploit and what to do about them. From smart kettles to office security systems, Internet of Things (IoT) devices…
China-based Milesight bets on people-sensing data to drive energy efficiency and retrofit demand
Milesight, a China-based sensing technology provider, is ramping up its people sensing technologies in an attempt to capitalise on the expansion of the global smart building market, as owners and operators seek to cut energy use, improve safety, and extract…
Copilot.cx launches Copilot STAR to unify smart-home apps across multiple IoT platforms
Software-as-a-service platform Copilot.cx has launched Copilot STAR, a new solution designed to simplify smart-home development by allowing manufacturers to deploy products across multiple IoT platforms through a single app framework. The innovation addresses one of the sector’s enduring challenges: device…
IoT data gaps leave smart buildings underperforming, RICS report finds
Demand for smart, sustainable buildings is slowing as the property sector struggles to turn connected technologies and sustainability pledges into measurable operational gains, according to new research from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. RICS’s 2025 Sustainability Report shows that…
Tewke enhances Tap smart switch with AI assistant, energy insights, and motion-driven automation
Tewke, the London-based climate-technology startup, is rolling out a series of upgrades to Tap, its smart light switch and home-automation platform, as it seeks to position the device at the centre of connected domestic energy management. Tap, which combines lighting…
LG-owned Homey targets mass market with lower-cost Pro mini smart home hub
Homey, the Dutch smart home platform owned by LG Electronics, has released a lower-cost version of its flagship hub as it seeks to broaden its appeal in an increasingly competitive connected-home market. The Homey Pro mini, unveiled today in Enschede,…
