Dorchester — Nov 14th 2023

David M showed us his use of the Apple Home App which “that lets users configure, communicate with and control smart-home appliances using Apple devices”. Under Climate he showed how a HomePod Mini measure temperature and humidity and how he was able to replace his basic wired room thermostat with a Netatmo Smart Therostat controllable through the Home App on any Apple device from anywhere. Under the heading Security David has a Netatmo smart door bell and a Netatmo indoor security camera both accessible immediately from the Home App. David has a number of Belkin Wemo smart plug which he uses to control table lights etc. The Home App also allows control of Home Pods etc. There are any number of possibilities for automation and using Siri to instruct e.g. Lights up to turn on a number of Wemo plugs. You can also control HomePods etc via the Home App. Netatmo products are aimed at Apple and tend to be priced accordingly. David’s first device was the doorbell sold in the Apple Store and has stayed with Netatmo.

David P showed us his alternative to David M’s internal security Camera the very impressive and reasonably priced Eufy C120 Indoor Cam 2k plug-in 2k plug-in he bought from Amazon (See caveat in comments). David showed how the field of view, set to avoid pets triggering etc. He found that whilst he could include in Apple Home the picture resolution was much reduced. David suggests may be more modern version now.

Trevor C the introduced us to "Matter" an open source connectivity standard for smart home and Internet of Things. Trevor C then showed us details of a smart bulb, reviewed a relatively cheap and simple method of incorporating room lights (lamp bulbs) into Apple Home using Wiz LED lights which are now readily available from B&Q, Amazon, etc. These are produced in various shapes and sizes, for either bayonet or screw fittings, and can be purchased with the capability of producing either 16 million colours or, at slightly cheaper price, warm to cool white light. The key to being able to connect with Home is the fact that appropriate lights are now ‘Matter’ enabled, which is a new interoperability standard agreed between Apple, Amazon, Google and other major players. Also needed is ‘Threads’, a relatively new communication protocol which enables connection between devices, and control possible from afar. The second generation Apple HomePods, the HomePod minis and some Apple TVs now incorporate Thread Networking Technology, making them suitable for use as Home hubs working with a multitude of Matter items. Trevor highlighted the availability of data on the Wiz website regarding which of its products are Matter enabled, or in the appropriate technical specifications in the Apple Store in the case of Threads. The website is awash with technical information, so if you’re inclined, you might like to start with https://www.theverge.com/22832127/matter-smart-home-products-thread-wifi-explainer

We ended the evening with Euan showing part of a video showing x-ray type scans of sophisticated Thunderbolt cables with amazingly complex circuitry actual built into the connector and complex cabling. This was very persuasive in justifying a price of circa £60 for a top end Thunderbolt 4 cable, not that any of us would be needing to buy one. But, Euan wanted to emphasise that USBC cables are not all the same, the most basic for simply recharging devices. So take care to get the right spec when buying a cable.

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