The New York Times – Here are some tips if you’re new to smart home devices, but want to give something a try. “…If you’re new to smart home devices, but curious enough to give something a try, the landscape may seem a little intimidating. But it doesn’t have to be. The term just refers to the category of devices that can be controlled remotely, via your smartphone or a voice control assistant (think Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri or Google Assistant), or that can be programmed to operate automatically. Most smart home devices are wireless, and while many communicate over Wi-Fi, some use other types of wireless signal like Zigbee, Z-Wave or Bluetooth (the same Bluetooth used by your wireless headphones). No matter how they communicate, their set up and use is mostly plug-and-play. If you know your home’s Wi-Fi password and know how to download an app, you can figure out a new smart home device…” [h/t Pete Weiss]