Smart Home

After months of questionable leaks that haven’t revealed many details, DJI has shared a teaser video and image of its first robot vacuum being announced next week. The DJI Romo features a traditional circular robovac design with a pair of extended brushes and what appears to be a sensor array on the front.

The company says its Outdoor UpDown Wall Light is the “industry’s first” with “independently adjustable colors on all four sides.” Through the Govee app users can choose from over 16 million shades and while the up and down beams cast a brighter glow than the sides, overall the light can illuminate over 120 square feet of wall space.

Increasingly frustrated users of Google’s smart home platform just got tossed a lifeline. After apologizing for Google Assistant’s reliability, the platform’s chief product officer offered this promise:

A firmware upgrade for its PowerView Gen 3 platform is now available, allowing users to control their shades locally via Matter platforms, including Apple Home, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and others.

The Always Home Cam could be (re)launching soon in “limited quantities,” according to Business Insider. The publication cites sources who say that recently returned CEO Jamie Siminoff has been testing the indoor flying camera in his office and plans to make it available soon.

Several of the European smart home company’s new Z-Wave Long Range products are now available in the US. Announced at CES 2025, the Shelly Wave line leverages the increased range offered by the Z-Wave LR protocol, allowing it to extend over a mile from your house.

The new Echo Dot Rome Limited Edition will respond to the command “Alexa, speak Roman,” with some colorful expressions in the city’s local dialect.

The Swedish retail giant’s latest update for its Dirigeria hub adds the feature in beta. Matter controller functionally means you can add Matter devices from other brands to the hub and control them with Ikea’s Home Smart app. Ikea’s David Granath told The Verge it hopes to send the update to all users by “the beginning of next week.”

Shelly’s Gen4 relays start at $18 and can automate anything that’s wired, from light switches and garage door openers to sprinkler systems and appliances. Designed to fit inside electrical boxes, relays are a super versatile solution for the smart home.