Smart Home
The latest Smart Home coverage — news, analysis, and updates from the WindowsNews.AI desk.
AI Laptops and Retro Hi-Fi Steal the Show in Mid-2026 Tech Roundup
Gear Patrol’s mid-June 2026 gadget roundup, curated by consumer-tech editor Tucker Bowe, reads like a time capsule unearthed from two different eras. The running list, tracked since January, now...
Smart Assistants 2024: Privacy vs. Convenience in the Age of AI
Smart assistants have evolved from simple voice-activated novelties into sophisticated AI-powered systems that manage our calendars, control our homes, summarize work documents, and even anticipate...
Amazon Alexa+ Expands to Windows PCs: Free for Prime Members, Raises Privacy Questions
Amazon has quietly rewritten the rules for its voice assistant ecosystem with the expansion of Alexa+ (branded as Alexa Plus), transforming it from a smart speaker feature into a cross-surface,...
Transform Old Windows 10 PC into Home Assistant Hub with Proxmox: Complete Guide
The steady march of Windows 11's hardware requirements has left countless functional Windows 10 PCs in technological limbo—machines that can't meet the TPM 2.0, Secure Boot, or modern CPU mandates...
Amazon Alexa Plus: Agentic AI Assistant Redefines Smart Homes & Challenges Windows Copilot
Amazon's ambitious transformation of Alexa from a simple voice assistant to a subscription-based, agentic AI service represents one of the most significant shifts in the smart home landscape since...
YoLink Hub Update Fixes Flaws That Could Let Attackers Remote-Control Your Smart Lock
Federal cybersecurity officials warned on Tuesday that multiple flaws in the YoLink smart home hub and its supporting infrastructure could let attackers remotely unlock connected deadbolts, silently...
Alexa on Windows 10: How Amazon's 2018 CES Push Foreshadowed Today's AI PC Battles
At CES 2018, Amazon made a bold declaration that would reshape the landscape of personal computing: Alexa was coming to Windows 10 PCs. This wasn't just another app announcement—it was a strategic...
AI Energy Saving Modes: How CES 2026 TVs Will Transform Smart Home Efficiency
CES 2026 is poised to mark a significant turning point for the television industry, not through the usual promises of brighter panels or higher refresh rates, but through a quiet revolution in energy...
Kasa Smart Home on Windows: No Native App, Emulation Workarounds & Tapo Integration
TP-Link's Kasa Smart ecosystem has established itself as a popular and affordable entry point into home automation, offering users a range of smart plugs, bulbs, switches, and cameras. However, for...
Geeni Smart Home on Windows PC: Complete Guide to Emulation & Control
The Geeni smart home ecosystem offers affordable lighting, plugs, and security cameras that have gained popularity for their budget-friendly approach to home automation. While Geeni provides mobile...
Alexa on Windows: What Changed and Best Voice Assistant Alternatives
The landscape of voice assistants on Windows has undergone significant transformation in recent years, leaving many users wondering what happened to Amazon's Alexa integration and what alternatives...
Samsung Vision AI Companion: How 2025 TVs Become Conversational AI Hubs
Samsung has officially begun rolling out its Vision AI Companion, a revolutionary generative AI upgrade to Bixby that transforms 2025 smart TVs and monitors into sophisticated conversational AI hubs....