Alleged breaches affect Oracle Cloud and Oracle Health. Read...

You probably use text message, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, or even Instagram to chat with others. And while those messaging apps work fine, some still seek out alternatives that lean hard into a promise of security and privacy—like Signal. Signal is an end-to-end encrypted app (E2EE), which means it encrypts every message before it leaves your device, and that message can only be read after it arrives on a recipient’s device and gets decrypted. As it travels in between, even if it were to be intercepted, it couldn’t be read thanks to the encryption. The thing is, other apps like Messenger and WhatsApp also employ end-to-end encryption. So, what’s so special about Signal? And how did it become part of a small firestorm in US politics this week? Well, the app isn’t the problem. The issue is its use. As an E2EE app, Signal’s bona fides surpass Messenger and WhatsApp. For starters, Signal Messenger LLC—the company that develops Signal—created the encryption protocol used by all three messaging apps. (And to no one’s surprise, it’s called the Signal protocol.) Signal is also open source, which means the community can freely check its source code for any odd behavior or deceptive practices. No one but the sender and recipient(s) should be able to see messages in a secure messaging app. It’s scrambled all the way through, whether on your device (“at rest”) or while zipping through internet pipelines (“in transit”). Through use of both permanent and temporary encryption keys, your privacy should hold until decryption happens, even if those keys are compromised. In contrast, regular SMS (text) messages and email aren’t encrypted at all—those messages can easily be read during any point of their journey between you and other people. The problem is, even with E2EE in place, encryption alone can’t guarantee that information in messages won’t leak. Signal isn’t the only end-to-end encrypted messaging app available, but its protocol serves as the backbone of other popular EE2E messaging alternatives like WhatsApp.Leonidas Santana / Shutterstock.com Your device is only as secure as you are. If you use a weak PIN, or don’t lock your phone at all, then your messages can be read by others. Same if you download unvetted apps or sideload them—they could contain malware that’ll snoop on your decrypted messages. Yet another potential vulnerability are services and integrations, like third-party keyboards, that can be taken over or exploited by hackers. Even if you keep careful guard over your phone, any recipient of a message could take screenshots and later share them. The Atlantic article that kicked off the Signal news frenzy has just such an example of this. (“The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans.“) For these reasons, sensitive government conversations aren’t supposed to occur on third-party messaging apps. Top-secret communication is expected to be conducted under heavy restrictions—not just on secured devices, but often also at secured locations. People who have high security clearances might only be able to use approved devices while on site, and might even have to be within specific areas of a facility. Personal devices also may not be allowed to enter certain areas. In this way, risk is reduced that a phone (or a PC) could become compromised. So, that’s the main concern with Signal—it can’t be secured and controlled the same way as government systems. Another sticky spot is that government regulations require a record of communication. Signal—and other secure messaging apps—have the ability to automatically delete messages after a certain time has passed; if that setting is used, any lost conversations related to government proceedings would be in violation of the law. A screenshot from The Atlantic‘s article about being included in a Signal group discussing the US’s plans for action against Yemen. As you can see, it was possible to take screenshots of this encrypted chat.The Atlantic Overall, encrypted messaging apps are the ideal way to chat with others, even for us everyday folk. When you share personal information through text conversations—your bank, your destinations, your medical issues, and more—you want it all to be private… and protected from spying. News broke last December that Chinese hackers infiltrated US telecoms, meaning they could have seen many of the unencrypted text messages that users sent during that time. The gravity of the situation even prompted the FBI to advise a switch to encrypted messaging apps. Signal is just one option among several popular E2EE apps, and of the lot, it actually has the fewest privacy concerns. WhatsApp and Messenger are owned by Meta, while Telegram has been the target of multiple criticisms for weaker security. (Plus, Telegram is a known source for illicit activity, including the sale of stolen data by hackers.) If you’re curious about E2EE apps, you can read more about Signal and how its encryption works, which also touches on alternatives like WhatsApp. Ultimately, if you don’t switch to an encrypted messaging app, you should at least think carefully about what you’re sharing—and how that info could be shared against your will. Read...

Some online stores and services have what’s called “dynamic pricing” algorithms. That means they adjust their prices for each customer on an individual basis according to various factors. Instead of being shown the best price, you’re shown a price that the algorithm thinks you’ll pay. Notorious (and controversial) examples of dynamic pricing include airline tickets, ride-sharing services, hotels and Airbnbs, sports and concert tickets. The price you see could fluctuate for all kinds of reasons. You can defend yourself against dynamic pricing by deleting the cookies saved in your web browser. A cookie is a file stored on your device by a website that’s used to track your activity and remember things about you—and when dynamic pricing is in play, websites use cookies when determining what price to show you. If you delete your browser cookies before shopping online, you may see cheaper prices.Joel Lee / Foundry In Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and most other modern browsers, you can press the Ctrl + Shift + Delete keyboard shortcut to open the “Delete browsing data” window. Here you can change the time range to “All time” and make sure the “Cookies and other site data” checkbox is ticked. Then click the Delete data button. With your browser cookies deleted, you should now be shown the best prices when you visit the website again. If you have Chrome on Android, you can do the same thing by tapping More > History. Select the time period as “All time” and tick the relevant checkbox. Confirm with Delete data. On iOS, you can delete cookies via Settings > Safari > Delete history and website data. Read...

After a long run, Google is sunsetting two of its signature Nest products and consequently withdrawing as a manufacturer in two key smart home categories.  Google has just announced that it’s discontinuing the 10-year-old Nest Protect and the 7-year-old Nest x Yale lock. Both of those products will continue to work, and—for now—they remain on sale at the Google Store, complete with discounts until supplies run out.  But while Google itself is exiting the smoke alarm and smart lock business, it isn’t leaving Google Home users in the lurch. Instead, it’s teeing up third-party replacements for the Nest Protect and Nest X Yale lock, with both new products coming from familiar brands.  First up is the SC5 Smart Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarm from Residio-owned First Alert, which matches most of the same functions as the aging Nest Protect.   Like the Google smoke detector, the First Alert SC5 can send mobile alerts in case of a fire of CO event, along with voice alerts, “heads-up” early warnings in case the unit detects an “emerging” smoke situation, and the ability to trigger other nearby and compatible smoke alarms in case of an emergency.  The Wi-Fi-enabled First Alert SC5 is compatible with the Google Home app as well as existing Nest Protect alarms, meaning you can easily add the First Alert detectors to your home even if you already have Nest Protect units set up.  Available in both battery-powered and hardwired versions, the First Alert SC5 will hit retail in the “coming months” for $129.99, Resideo said.  Next comes the Yale Smart Lock with Matter, which is designed to blend in nicely with Google’s Nest Doorbell.  The Yale Smart Lock with Matter connects via Thread and offers up to 12 months of battery life. With its integrated Thread radio, the new Yale lock can seamlessly connect with other Matter devices and Thread border routers, and it can also integrate with Google Home, Alexa, and Apple Home thanks to the Matter protocol.  Capable of being unlocked via app, entry code, or a traditional key, the Yale Smart Lock with Matter is set to arrive this summer, according to Yale.  While both the existing Nest Protect and Nest x Yale lock will continue to operate and receive security patches, those who purchased the second-generation Nest Protect near its 2015 launch date should probably replace the product anyway. That’s because the CO sensors in carbon monoxide detectors like the Nest Protect have a roughly 10-year life expectancy.  Nest Protect and the Nest X Yale lock were two of the oldest products in Google’s smart home lineup, and both were showing their age.  The second-gen Nest Protect, for example, was only recently integrated into the Google Home app, marking one of the last Nest products to make the transition from the legacy Nest app.  Three years ago, owners of the Nest x Yale lock found themselves in a jam after the Nest Hub Max dropped its ability to connect the lock to Wi-Fi. Google ended up handing out free Nest Connect hubs to Nest x Yale users to bridge the gap. Read...

You’ll need to make a raft of decisions before you choose which smart switches to install in your home, and your choices will be influenced by everything from the type of wiring in your walls to what flavor of smart home system you have now or plan to install later. Here’s what you need to know in roughly the order you’ll need to decide. Is there a neutral wire in the box? Many smart switches and dimmers require the presence of a neutral wire in the electrical box inside the wall, in addition to the line (power from the circuit-breaker panel), load (power to the light to be controlled), and ground (a low-resistance path for electricity to flow to the ground in the event of a malfunction) wires. Smart switches have radios that must be constantly powered, and the neutral wire is usually what supplies that juice. While all homes have neutral wires, many older homes don’t have a neutral wire in every box. If you’re not sure if there’s a neutral wire at the location you want to install a smart switch, this how-to story will help you figure it out. If you don’t have a neutral wire, Lutron’s Caséta and Diva smart dimmers and the GE Cync Dimmer (3-wire version) are among the few smart switches that do not require one. Most smart switches depend on the presence of a neutral wire to supply energy to their radios, but many homes built prior to the 1980s don’t have a neutral wire in every box. GE Cync and Lutron Caséta are among the few smart switches that don’t depend a neutral wire. GE Lighting Can the light be controlled from more than one location? If the light you wish to control is connected to just one switch, then you’ll need to replace it with a single-pole smart switch. If more than one switch controls that load—switches on opposite sides of a room, for example—then you’ll need to replace it with a multi-pole (aka 3-way) smart switch. This typically means that you’ll also need to buy a companion switch or switches for the other end(s) of the circuit. There are a few exceptions to this rule, so check the documentation accompanying whichever smart switch you decide to buy before you install it. Which control system do you want to use? You’ll undoubtedly want to control your smart lighting with your smartphone or tablet, and most people will also want to turn lights on and off with voice commands spoken to a smart speaker, such as an Amazon Echo or a Nest Hub. But to do that, the smart switch you buy must have some way of connecting to your home network (which explains why Bluetooth smart switches can’t talk to smart speakers). Some smart switches connect directly to your Wi-Fi network, while others require a bridge to your router. If you’ve invested in a smart home system—Samsung SmartThings, Hubitat Elevation, Vivint Smart Home, or any other ecosystem—you’ll want to make sure that the smart switch you buy is compatible with it. These are the most common communication protocols you’ll encounter. Bluetooth smart switches are controlled directly by an app on your smartphone or tablet. Bluetooth smart lighting is simple, because you don’t need a hub or a connection to your home network. That isolation also makes it secure, because you must be within about 30 feet of the switch to pair with it. On the other hand, authorized users also must be within 30 feet of a Bluetooth switch to control it, and you can’t control the switch when you’re away from home (although most Bluetooth switches can be controlled according to a pre-programmed schedule). The other major limitation of Bluetooth switches is that they can’t be controlled by smart speakers or smart home hubs, which generally rely on one of the other wireless protocols described here. As a result, Bluetooth-only switches have become relatively rare. Lutron Clear Connect is a proprietary wireless protocol used by Lutron Caséta Wireless smart home devices, including switches, dimmers, ceiling fan controllers, occupancy sensors, motorized blinds and shades, and battery-powered remote controls. You can also control a limited number of third-party devices with Lutron’s app—ranging from thermostats to Wi-Fi speakers—and incorporate them into smart home “scenes.” Clear Connect operates independently of your Wi-Fi network, but you must hardwire a Lutron Smart Bridge to your router to use it. You can control Lutron Caséta devices via Lutron’s app, with voice commands spoken to smart speakers, and from mobile devices anywhere you have broadband access. Some smart home systems, including Samsung SmartThings, can also incorporate Lutron’s smart home products. Matter is the most recent smart home standard. It aims to be an overarching standard incorporating several other smart home standards, including Thread, Wi-Fi, and Zigbee. Matter’s promise is that it will one day unite all the various smart home ecosystems: Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings among them. Matter could become more important over time, but we don’t consider the absence of Matter support or compatibility to be a reason to avoid any smart home product today. Thread is a low-power networking technology that’s a core element of the Matter smart home standard. It’s similar to Z-Wave and Zigbee in that Thread devices can talk directly to each other; unlike those standards, Thread doesn’t depend on a central hub. Matter devices can use either Thread or Wi-Fi, but battery-powered devices are more likely to use Thread because of its low power requirements. To access Thread devices from the internet, you’ll need to have a Thread border router, such as the Aqara Hub M3, the Aeotec Smart Home Hub; several models of Amazon Echo smart speakers and Echo Show smart displays; an Apple TV 4K (2nd-gen and up), an Apple HomePod or HomePod mini; some later-model Eero routers; a Nest Wifi or Nest Wifi Pro; or a Samsung SmartThings Station. This is not a complete list. Wi-Fi has gained a foothold in smart lighting thanks to the rise of mesh routers that blanket your home with network coverage. The attraction of Wi-Fi smart switches is that they generally don’t require a hub or a bridge to connect to your router (although Leviton does have some Wi-Fi products that communicate over a proprietary network with a plug-in bridge that connects them to Wi-Fi. While Wi-Fi is incorporated into the Matter smart home standard, that doesn’t mean every Wi-Fi device is automatically Matter compatible. Z-Wave This is a wireless mesh network technology in which each node on the network is also a repeater that can forward commands to other Z-Wave devices nearby. It operates in the unlicensed 800- to 900MHz radio spectrum (specifically, 908.42MHz in North America). Its low power requirement means it can be incorporated into battery-operated devices that cannot be plugged directly into an electrical circuit, including door/window sensors, smart locks, water leak detectors, and motion sensors in addition to smart dimmers and switches. You’ll need a smart home hub, such as a Samsung SmartThings, to act as a bridge to your Wi-Fi network. There are fewer Z-Wave products available today, compared to the standard’s heyday, and some of the Z-Wave dimmers and switches we’ve reviewed from Jasco and Leviton are no longer in production, but some other brands are still available. Note that Z-Wave Long Range (LR) family of chips that was introduced in 2020 do not operate on a mesh network. They use a star network topology in which each Z-Wave LR node communicates directly with the Z-Wave hub that’s connected to your router for internet access. Zigbee This wireless mesh network technology is very similar to Z-Wave, but it operates in the unlicensed 2.4GHz radio spectrum (same as single-band Wi-Fi). Like Z-Wave, Zigbee has a lower power requirement and can be incorporated into both battery and line-powered devices, ranging from sensors to smart switches. And as with Z-Wave, you’ll need a smart home hub or some other kind of bridge to connect Zigbee devices to your home network. This could be something as simple as an Amazon Echo Plus, which has an integrated Zigbee radio, or it could be on the order of a Samsung SmartThings hub, which has both Zigbee and Z-Wave radios onboard. Like Wi-Fi, Zigbee is part of the Matter smart home standard; also like Wi-Fi, not every Zigbee device is automatically Matter compatible. Lutron’s Aurora Smart Dimmer prevents a conventional toggle switch from shutting off the power to any Philips Hue smart bulbs that are connected to the switch. It can also wirelessly control those bulbs, including dimming them by rotating the knob. Lutron Which design aesthetic do you prefer? Since most people control smart switches and dimmers with voice commands, they soon discover that they rarely physically interact with the devices in their walls. But you’ll want to consider the type of mechanism the smart switch uses if for no other reason than to ensure its aesthetic matches the rest of your home. These are the most common types you’ll encounter. Relatively few manufacturers make smart switches that look like this type of old-fashioned toggle switch. Michael Brown/Foundry Rocker (aka paddle) This type of switch has a wide plastic panel that rocks back and forth when pressed to turn the controlled load on and off (one side of the switch raises when the other is depressed). These modern-looking switches hug the wall and are very easy to operate. Since a command issued over the air will override whatever physical state the switch is otherwise in, smart rocker switches typically don’t physically flip, so there’s no confusion when you see a lit bulb when the switch is ostensibly in the “off” position. A smart dimmer switch might have a secondary control—a vertical slider or a horizontal rocker—for adjusting brightness Toggle A toggle switch operates by moving a lever up and down (flipping the lever up turns the controlled light on, and flipping it down turns it off). These types of switches tend to look more old-fashioned than rocker switches, but you can find smart versions of them if you want something that at least resembles the other switches you have in your walls. As with smart rocker switches, they generally don’t completely change physical appearance when switched on or off. Touch High-end smart switches and dimmers feature touch-sensitive surfaces. Typically made of glass, touch-sensitive smart switches and dimmers are usually backlit by one or more LEDs that can be multiple colors. The touch sensitivity can be as simple as touch to turn the switch on and touch again to turn it off, or it can be as complex as displaying a user interface that supports finger swipes for calling up different lighting scenes or control elements. Needless to say, these types of smart switches and dimmers cost considerably more than simple plastic devices. Brilliant’s touchscreen panel lets you see and talk with a person at your door when a visitor activates your Ring Video Doorbell. Christopher Null/Foundry Which wiring connection do you prefer? Smart switches and dimmers tend to be larger than their dumb counterparts, so you should consider how the new switch will fit in your existing electrical box. This is particularly important if you’re installing multiple smart switches next to each other in a single box. Remember that there will typically be at least four wires to deal with—line, load, neutral, and ground—and that there will also be a traveler wire if you’re dealing with a multi-pole circuit. It can be challenging to stuff all those wires and the new switch back into the box. These are the most common types of electrical connections you’ll encounter in smart switches. Backstabs These are holes in the back of the switch into which you’ll push (“stab”) the appropriate solid copper wires coming out of the wall. Pigtails Some switches have short electrical wires emerging from the back of the switch that you’ll attach to the wires coming out of the wall, using wire nuts to secure them. This is generally the easiest technique, but if the switch is deep, it can be a challenge to pack the extra wires and the wire nuts tightly enough into the box so that the switch mounts flush against the wall. It can be particularly difficult if the box has other devices in it. Terminals With this type of switch, you’ll wind the wires coming out of the wall around flat screws on the sides of the switch and then tighten the screws down. This technique presents less of a challenge when it comes to pushing the wires and the switch back into the box, but the wires can be stiff and you’ll need to be careful to ensure the stripped wire doesn’t come into contact with stripped wires connected to adjacent switches in the box or the box itself, if it’s metal. Pigtails and wire nuts are one common way to connect a smart switch to your existing in-wall wiring.Christopher Null/Foundry The final step Once you’ve answered these questions, the next step is to decide which smart dimmer or switch you want to install in your walls. To help answer that question, read our picks for the best smart dimmers and switches. Read...

Looking for the easiest path to smart lighting? Screw a smart bulb into a socket. Done! If you’re looking for something with more elegance and sophistication, however, you should replace the switches in your walls. Besides, the most common drawback of relying on smart bulbs with conventional switches is that someone inevitably turns the switch off. Boom! Your expensive smart bulb is now a dumb bulb that can’t be controlled with voice commands or be included in any lighting automations you’ve set up. If there’s a downside to converting to smart in-wall dimmers and switches, it’s installing them. Don’t worry, it’s an easy DIY project. Be aware, however, that most–but certainly not all–smart controls depend on the presence of a neutral wire in the box. The neutral wire will supply constant power to the device’s radio, even when the load it’s controlling is turned off. If you’re not comfortable dealing with high-voltage wiring, hire an electrician for the job. Now, don’t think we’re besmirching smart bulbs. They have their place, too; if for no other reason than being able to change the color of the lighting in a room. I’ve lived with smart lighting in my home for more than 15 years, and I can’t imagine turning my lights on and off without the options of using a voice command, in response to motion, on schedules, or with a smartphone app. You won’t be disappointed in the results. Need more information before you choose a specific product? We can answer all your questions about choosing the right type of smart dimmer or switch at the preceding link. Why you should trust us TechHive’s editors and contributors have been testing smart switches and dimmers for more than that 15 years, installing them in our own homes to gain truly real-world experience before we commit to our opinions. We continuously test the latest smart dimmers and switches, along with the apps that control them. We blend those experiences with our general knowledge of smart home devices, so we’re able to assess how well these products integrate with other smart devices you’ll want to use in your home. TechHive’s favorite smart dimmers and switches Best smart dimmer overall — Lutron Diva Smart Dimmer (and the Lutron Caséta ecosystem) Pros Part of the robust Lutron Caséta smart home ecosystem Broadly compatible with other smart products and systems Doesn’t depend on a neutral wire Cons You must have Lutron’s Caséta Smart Hub wired to your home network Lutron’s uncertain stance on Matter Best Prices Today: Retailer Price $69.95 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket $69.95 at Amazon Why we like the Lutron Diva Smart Dimmer (and its Caséta ecosystem) Lutron built its own smart home ecosystem based on its proprietary Clear Connect technology. By definition, proprietary standards far less open than standards like Matter, Wi-Fi, Zigbee, or Z-Wave; however, the Caséta Smart Hub you’ll need to connect Caseéta products to your home network supports Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, IFTTT, Samsung SmartThings, and Sonos speakers, and more. And all that is in addition to Lutron’s own lighting products, smart shades and smart blinds, ceiling-fan controllers, motion sensors, and other products. With that degree of compatibility, it’s difficult to imagine a complex smart home routine that couldn’t be accomplished. Who should buy the Lutron Diva Smart Dimmer (and its Caséta ecosystem) Anyone looking to incorporate lighting controls into a robust smart home network should consider the Lutron Diva Smart Dimmer and a Caséta Smart Hub. Lights can switch on when someone rings a doorbell or automatically turn off when you leave home. If you have a Sonos speaker, you can automatically play music when you return home. While Lutron’s technology is not Matter compatible today, Lutron is a member of the Connectivity Standards Alliance that is responsible for developing Matter, so it’s possible that Caséta could be Matter compatible one day. Given the broad compatibility the Caséta ecosystem already enjoys, that ultimately might not make a difference. Lutron’s original Caséta dimmer switch is an equally good product and costs slightly less, but it looks a bit busier. Read our full Lutron Diva Smart Dimmer review Best budget-priced smart dimmer — Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Dimmer Switch, Motion-Activated (model ES20M) Pros Endlessly tweakable motion-sensing options Wiring design makes for easy installation Attractive design aesthetic Cons Requires a neutral wire Kasa app needs to be modernized Motion sensing range is a bit weak Best Prices Today: Retailer Price $22.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket $22.99 at Amazon Why we like the Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Dimmer Switch (model ES20M) TP-Link’s Kasa Smart Wi-Fi dimmer switch is remarkably inexpensive, and its Wi-Fi support means that it doesn’t require a smart hub to work. Users have immense control over how its motion- and light-sensing features work, with full support for fade-in/out options, motion sensing, and ambient light detection. Who should buy the Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Dimmer Switch (model ES20M) The low price makes the Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Dimmer an attractive alternative, but buyers will need to have access to a neutral wire at the installation point. This dimmer will not work with Apple HomeKit or 3-way circuits, but if you don’t need either of those functions, the Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Dimmer is an absolute bargain. Don’t have a neutral wire in the box where you want to install a motion-activated dimmer? Consider the GE Cync Dimmer, below. Read our full Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Dimmer Switch, Motion-Activated (model ES20M) review Best Wi-Fi smart switch/dimmer — GE Cync Dimmer + Motion Smart Switch Pros Motion sensing works great Very easy to set up Can control Cync smart bulbs even if they aren’t wired to the switch Available in a version that doesn’t require a neutral wire Cons Ugly industrial design Motion sensing settings aren’t always intuitive Pricey for this category Best Prices Today: Retailer Price $52.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket $52.99 at Amazon Why we like the GE Cync Dimmer + Motion Smart Switch This isn’t the prettiest dimmer on the market, but GE Lighting’s Cync Dimmer + Motion Sensor Switch sure packs the features. An onboard motion sensor can turn the light switch on when the room is occupied, and an ambient light sensor will stop that from happening if there’s enough daylight that the extra light isn’t needed. The switch can also control GE Lighting’s Cync smart bulbs, even if they’re not physically wired to the dimmer. Who should buy the GE Cync Dimmer + Motion Smart Switch The GE Cync Dimmer + Motion Sensor Switch doesn’t require a smart home hub, and GE now offers users a choice of a cheaper version that does require a neutral wire at the installation location, and a 3-wire version that doesn’t depend on a neutral wire. The technology is still up-to-date, but the Cync Dimmer + Motion Sensor Switch has seen a substantial price drop since its introduction in 2020. Read our full GE Cync Dimmer + Motion Smart Switch review Best Zigbee smart switch/dimmer — Jasco Enbrighten Zigbee In-Wall Smart Dimmer Pros SimpleWire technology effectively eases installation hassles Slim profile might help some users with space management in the electrical box Smooth installation and no operational trouble Cons Requires a neutral wire Broadsheet user manual will cause your eyes to glaze over Dependent on a third-party smart home hub with a Zigbee radio Best Prices Today: Retailer Price $40.49 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket $40.49 at Amazon Why we like the Jasco Enbrighten Zigbee In-Wall Smart Dimmer The Jasco Enbrighten Zigbee In-Wall Smart Dimmer is perfect for less-experienced homeowners who want to DIY their smart lighting. The slimline design isn’t tough to shove back into the box when you install it, and Jasco has given the Enbrighten enough onboard intelligence to distinguish the line wire from the load wire, so you don’t need to worry about mixing them up. You will, however, need a neutral wire at the installation location. Who should buy the Jasco Enbrighten Zigbee In-Wall Smart Dimmer You’ll need a smart home hub that supports the Zigbee protocol. Several models of the Amazon Echo and Echo Show are well-known examples, but there are dozens of options, including the Samsung SmartThings Station, the Aeotec Smart Home Hub, or the Hubitat Elevation. You should be aware, however, that Zigbee support does not automatically mean Matter support. This device is not Matter compatible. Read our full Jasco Enbrighten Zigbee In-Wall Smart Dimmer review Most sophisticated smart switch/dimmer — Brilliant Smart Home Control Pros Touchscreen and built-in camera adds incredible flexibility Alexa onboard; plus great third-party integrations, including Ring and Apple HomeKit Impressive build quality Cons Devilishly complex to set up properly (at least in my house) Very expensive: $399 for single switch panel, $449 for a 2-switch panel, $499 for a 3-switch panel Why we like the Brilliant Smart Home Control The touchscreen and the touch-sensitive sliders on the Brilliant Smart Home Control smart switch/dimmer gives it some impressive capabilities, including the capacity to stream video from Ring and Google Nest video doorbells and control Sonos multi-room audio systems. Don’t want to mess with the wiring inside your home’s walls? The company offers a model that you can hang on the wall and plug into a nearby electrical outlet. Who should buy the Brilliant Smart Home Control As you’d expect, all those sexy Brilliant Control features come at a price—both in terms of cost and installation complexity—but if you want the most sophisticated smart home controls on the market, this is it. Read our full Brilliant Smart Home Control review Best multi-function smart switch/dimmer — Leviton Decora Smart Voice Dimmer with Amazon Alexa (model DWVAA) Pros Alexa with no footprint, exposed power cord, or wall wart No smart home hub required Lots of options for lighting control and integration with other smart home devices Cons Wi-Fi dependent, so range could be an issue Operates on 2.4GHz networks only Doesn’t support Alexa’s whisper mode Tinny speaker, and it can’t be paired with a Bluetooth speaker No HomeKit or Google Assistant support Best Prices Today: Retailer Price $49.07 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket $49.07 at Amazon Why we like the Leviton Decora Smart Voice Wi-Fi Dimmer with Alexa Just how many features can you cram in a single-gang light switch? Leviton squeezes a Wi-Fi radio, a dimmer switch, and an entire Amazon Alexa-compatible smart speaker into this device. Yes, Ecobee pulled off a similar trick much earlier, but with an on/off switch, not a dimmer. Leviton also has a deeper catalog of other Wi-Fi components—switches, dimmers, ceiling fan controllers, multi-button controllers, and more—to go with it. Who should buy the Leviton Decora Smart Voice Wi-Fi Dimmer with Alexa If your home revolves around Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant, installing this dimmer in your wall will eliminate the need to put an Echo smart speaker in the same room. Leviton has added Google Home support since we first reviewed this product; Apple Home users, however, should look elsewhere. Read our full Leviton Decora Smart Voice Dimmer with Amazon Alexa (model DWVAA) review How to choose the right smart dimmers and switches for your home You’ll need to make a raft of decisions before you choose which smart switches to install in your home, and your choices will be influenced by everything from the type of wiring in your walls to what flavor of smart home system you have now or plan to install later. Here’s what you need to know in roughly the order you’ll need to decide. Neutral wire requirement: Many smart switches and dimmers require the presence of a neutral wire in the electrical box inside the wall, in addition to the line (power from the circuit-breaker panel), load (power to the light to be controlled), and ground (a low-resistance path for electricity to flow to the ground in the event of a malfunction) wires. Smart switches have radios that must be constantly powered, and the neutral wire is usually what supplies that juice. While all homes have neutral wires, many older homes don’t have a neutral wire in every box. If you’re not sure if there’s a neutral wire at the location you want to install a smart switch, this how-to story will help you figure it out. If you don’t have a neutral wire, Lutron’s Caséta and Diva smart dimmers and the GE Cync Dimmer (3-wire version) are among the few smart switches that do not require one. Most smart switches depend on the presence of a neutral wire to supply energy to their radios, but many homes built prior to the 1980s don’t have a neutral wire in every box. GE Cync and Lutron Caséta are among the few smart switches that don’t depend a neutral wire. GE Lighting Single- or multi-pole: If the light you wish to control is connected to just one switch, then you’ll need to replace it with a single-pole smart switch. If more than one switch controls that load—switches on opposite sides of a room, for example—then you’ll need to replace it with a multi-pole (aka 3-way) smart switch. This typically means that you’ll also need to buy a companion switch or switches for the other end(s) of the circuit. There are a few exceptions to this rule, so check the documentation accompanying whichever smart switch you decide to buy before you install it. Control protocol: You’ll undoubtedly want to control your smart lighting with your smartphone or tablet, and most people will also want to turn lights on and off with voice commands spoken to a smart speaker, such as an Amazon Echo or a Nest Hub. But to do that, the smart switch you buy must have some way of connecting to your home network (which explains why Bluetooth smart switches can’t talk to smart speakers). Some smart switches connect directly to your Wi-Fi network, while others require a bridge to your router. If you’ve invested in a smart home system—Samsung SmartThings, Hubitat Elevation, Vivint Smart Home, or any other ecosystem—you’ll want to make sure that the smart switch you buy is compatible with it. These are the most common communication protocols you’ll encounter. Bluetooth smart switches are controlled directly by an app on your smartphone or tablet. Bluetooth smart lighting is simple, because you don’t need a hub or a connection to your home network. That isolation also makes it secure, because you must be within about 30 feet of the switch to pair with it. On the other hand, authorized users also must be within 30 feet of a Bluetooth switch to control it, and you can’t control the switch when you’re away from home (although most Bluetooth switches can be controlled according to a pre-programmed schedule). The other major limitation of Bluetooth switches is that they can’t be controlled by smart speakers or smart home hubs, which generally rely on one of the other wireless protocols described here. As a result, Bluetooth-only switches have become relatively rare. Lutron Clear Connect is a proprietary wireless protocol used by Lutron Caséta Wireless smart home devices, including switches, dimmers, ceiling fan controllers, occupancy sensors, motorized blinds and shades, and battery-powered remote controls. You can also control a limited number of third-party devices with Lutron’s app—ranging from thermostats to Wi-Fi speakers—and incorporate them into smart home “scenes.” Clear Connect operates independently of your Wi-Fi network, but you must hardwire a Lutron Smart Bridge to your router to use it. You can control Lutron Caséta devices via Lutron’s app, with voice commands spoken to smart speakers, and from mobile devices anywhere you have broadband access. Some smart home systems, including Samsung SmartThings, can also incorporate Lutron’s smart home products. Matter is the most recent smart home standard. It aims to be an overarching standard incorporating several other smart home standards, including Thread, Wi-Fi, and Zigbee. Matter’s promise is that it will one day unite all the various smart home ecosystems: Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings among them. Matter could become more important over time, but we don’t consider the absence of Matter support or compatibility to be a reason to avoid any smart home product today. Thread is a low-power networking technology that’s a core element of the Matter smart home standard. It’s similar to Z-Wave and Zigbee in that Thread devices can talk directly to each other; unlike those standards, Thread doesn’t depend on a central hub. Matter devices can use either Thread or Wi-Fi, but battery-powered devices are more likely to use Thread because of its low power requirements. To access Thread devices from the internet, you’ll need to have a Thread border router, such as the Aqara Hub M3, the Aeotec Smart Home Hub; several models of Amazon Echo smart speakers and Echo Show smart displays; an Apple TV 4K (2nd-gen and up), an Apple HomePod or HomePod mini; some later-model Eero routers; a Nest Wifi or Nest Wifi Pro; or a Samsung SmartThings Station. This is not a complete list. Wi-Fi has gained a foothold in smart lighting thanks to the rise of mesh routers that blanket your home with network coverage. The attraction of Wi-Fi smart switches is that they generally don’t require a hub or a bridge to connect to your router (although Leviton does have some Wi-Fi products that communicate over a proprietary network with a plug-in bridge that connects them to Wi-Fi. While Wi-Fi is incorporated into the Matter smart home standard, that doesn’t mean every Wi-Fi device is automatically Matter compatible. Z-Wave This is a wireless mesh network technology in which each node on the network is also a repeater that can forward commands to other Z-Wave devices nearby. It operates in the unlicensed 800- to 900MHz radio spectrum (specifically, 908.42MHz in North America). Its low power requirement means it can be incorporated into battery-operated devices that cannot be plugged directly into an electrical circuit, including door/window sensors, smart locks, water leak detectors, and motion sensors in addition to smart dimmers and switches. You’ll need a smart home hub, such as a Samsung SmartThings, to act as a bridge to your Wi-Fi network. There are fewer Z-Wave products available today, compared to the standard’s heyday, and some of the Z-Wave dimmers and switches we’ve reviewed from Jasco and Leviton are no longer in production, but some other brands are still available. Note that Z-Wave Long Range (LR) family of chips that was introduced in 2020 do not operate on a mesh network. They use a star network topology in which each Z-Wave LR node communicates directly with the Z-Wave hub that’s connected to your router for internet access. Zigbee This wireless mesh network technology is very similar to Z-Wave, but it operates in the unlicensed 2.4GHz radio spectrum (same as single-band Wi-Fi). Like Z-Wave, Zigbee has a lower power requirement and can be incorporated into both battery and line-powered devices, ranging from sensors to smart switches. And as with Z-Wave, you’ll need a smart home hub or some other kind of bridge to connect Zigbee devices to your home network. This could be something as simple as an Amazon Echo Plus, which has an integrated Zigbee radio, or it could be on the order of a Samsung SmartThings hub, which has both Zigbee and Z-Wave radios onboard. Like Wi-Fi, Zigbee is part of the Matter smart home standard; also like Wi-Fi, not every Zigbee device is automatically Matter compatible. Lutron’s Aurora Smart Dimmer prevents a conventional toggle switch from shutting off the power to any Philips Hue smart bulbs that are connected to the switch. It can also wirelessly control those bulbs, including dimming them by rotating the knob. Lutron Switch mechanism: Since most people control smart switches and dimmers with voice commands, they soon discover that they rarely physically interact with the devices in their walls. But you’ll want to consider the type of mechanism the smart switch uses if for no other reason than to ensure its aesthetic matches the rest of your home. These are the most common types you’ll encounter. Relatively few manufacturers make smart switches that look like this type of old-fashioned toggle switch. Michael Brown/Foundry Rocker (aka paddle) This type of switch has a wide plastic panel that rocks back and forth when pressed to turn the controlled load on and off (one side of the switch raises when the other is depressed). These modern-looking switches hug the wall and are very easy to operate. Since a command issued over the air will override whatever physical state the switch is otherwise in, smart rocker switches typically don’t physically flip, so there’s no confusion when you see a lit bulb when the switch is ostensibly in the “off” position. A smart dimmer switch might have a secondary control—a vertical slider or a horizontal rocker—for adjusting brightness Toggle A toggle switch operates by moving a lever up and down (flipping the lever up turns the controlled light on, and flipping it down turns it off). These types of switches tend to look more old-fashioned than rocker switches, but you can find smart versions of them if you want something that at least resembles the other switches you have in your walls. As with smart rocker switches, they generally don’t completely change physical appearance when switched on or off. Touch High-end smart switches and dimmers feature touch-sensitive surfaces. Typically made of glass, touch-sensitive smart switches and dimmers are usually backlit by one or more LEDs that can be multiple colors. The touch sensitivity can be as simple as touch to turn the switch on and touch again to turn it off, or it can be as complex as displaying a user interface that supports finger swipes for calling up different lighting scenes or control elements. Needless to say, these types of smart switches and dimmers cost considerably more than simple plastic devices. Brilliant’s touchscreen panel lets you see and talk with a person at your door when a visitor activates your Ring Video Doorbell. Christopher Null/Foundry Wiring connections: Smart switches and dimmers tend to be larger than their dumb counterparts, so you should consider how the new switch will fit in your existing electrical box. This is particularly important if you’re installing multiple smart switches next to each other in a single box. Remember that there will typically be at least four wires to deal with—line, load, neutral, and ground—and that there will also be a traveler wire if you’re dealing with a multi-pole circuit. It can be challenging to stuff all those wires and the new switch back into the box. These are the most common types of electrical connections you’ll encounter in smart switches. Backstabs These are holes in the back of the switch into which you’ll push (“stab”) the appropriate solid copper wires coming out of the wall. Pigtails Some switches have short electrical wires emerging from the back of the switch that you’ll attach to the wires coming out of the wall, using wire nuts to secure them. This is generally the easiest technique, but if the switch is deep, it can be a challenge to pack the extra wires and the wire nuts tightly enough into the box so that the switch mounts flush against the wall. It can be particularly difficult if the box has other devices in it. Terminals With this type of switch, you’ll wind the wires coming out of the wall around flat screws on the sides of the switch and then tighten the screws down. This technique presents less of a challenge when it comes to pushing the wires and the switch back into the box, but the wires can be stiff and you’ll need to be careful to ensure the stripped wire doesn’t come into contact with stripped wires connected to adjacent switches in the box or the box itself, if it’s metal. Pigtails and wire nuts are one common way to connect a smart switch to your existing in-wall wiring.Christopher Null/Foundry How we evaluate smart dimmers and switches How easy are the dimmers and switches to install? Can a relatively inexperienced homeowner handle the wiring, or will they need to hire a professional electrician? What smart home platforms does the device support? The more protocols an individual switch or dimmer can work with, the more flexible it will be as smart home technology evolves in the future. Is there an app? If so, how polished is the interface and how easy is it to use the app to control the dimmers and switches. If they’re motion-activated, how reliably do they respond to movement in a room. If the dimmer and switch have added features like cameras or speakers, we look at how those features perform when compared to standalone devices that perform those functions. Other smart dimmers and switches we’ve reviewed Eaton Wi-Fi smart universal dimmer: Eaton is a very big name in the electric market, but this device failed to impress. GE Cync Smart Dimmer Light Switch: This is a decidedly odd-looking smart dimmer, but it’s a great choice if you don’t have a neutral wire in the box where you want to install it. It connects directly to your Wi-Fi network, so there’s no smart home hub requirement. Leviton Decora Smart Zigbee dimmer (model DG6HD): This is a Zigbee dimmer, but not a Matter-compatible one (to be fair, it predates Matter by several years). It’s a solid product, but its size gave us installation trouble. It’s worth noting, however, that it appears to be out of production at Leviton. Leviton Decora Smart Wi-Fi (model DW6HD-1BZ): This was the first generation of Leviton’s Decorea Smart Wi-Fi products; as such, it has been discontinued. We have not yet reviewed the second-generation product that replaced it. Treatlife Smart Dimmer: This incredibly inexpensive connects to your 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network, but its performance is commensurate with its price. Treatlife 3-way Smart Dimmer (model DS02): This Treatlife product is much better than the one reviewed above. Its primary claim to fame is that it can be installed on a 3-way circuit without needing matching (aka companion) switches on the other ends of the circuit. Sinopé Smart Adaptive Phase Dimmer (model DM2550ZB): This Zigbee dimmer is very expensive, but the company’s smart adaptive phase dimming all but eliminates the risk that a connected load–LED lighting in particular–will flicker or turn off prematurely as it’s dimmed. Wemo Smart Dimmer with Thread (model WDS070): Wemo’s dimmer supports Thread, so it must support Matter, right? Well, no it doesn’t; and while you’ll still find this product available at Amazon and a few other places, it seems Belkin has discontinued it. Read...

Questions over an email from the Chinese consulate as Minister tells police to “review” and “strengthen” protocols after two controversial trips by dozens of staff to China. Read...

Microsoft is constantly tweaking and updating Windows 11, with a big new update at least once a year, plus incremental updates for functionality and security. But when you’ll see any particular feature can be a crapshoot. Microsoft is trying to clear that up with a new roadmap site. The dedicated page shows a long list of features in development, indicating which ones are currently in the Windows Insider Program (that’s what Microsoft calls a beta, they’re not great at names), which ones are gradually rolling out via active updates, and which are now widely available. Microsoft You can also apply a few filters, including filters for features that are only coming to Copilot+ PCs, which seems pretty useful if you don’t have one. For an even more granular look, you can filter by release version (23H2 and 24H2 at the moment), and the Insider Canary, Dev, and Beta channels in addition to the full retail. It’s a neat tool, if a bit dry at the moment. You’ll probably still want to use the search bar (or just Ctrl-F in your browser) if you’re looking for news on a specific feature. But it should be much easier to determine which version of Windows you want to be on if you’re looking for something in particular, without needing to dive into the deep preview update text. Read...

Based on a number of new features being rolled up within new “Release Preview” updates for Windows 11, Microsoft appears to be readying a push for AI-powered enhancements in the coming weeks. Although Microsoft typically reserves major feature releases for the fall, April 2025 is a key month for the software giant because it marks the 50th anniversary of the company’s founding. With two preview releases of Windows 11, Microsoft has tipped off what features your PC will be receiving soon—most likely in April. Both Windows 11 Build 26100.3613 and Windows 11 Build 26100.3624 are part of the Release Preview Channel for Windows 11 Insiders, meaning you can try them out early yourself by joining the Windows Insider program. If you do, note that Microsoft isn’t releasing all of these features in one fell swoop. Some of them will be released “normally” while others are rolled out in a “gradual” cadence. Optional non-security feature releases typically launch on the fourth week of every month, usually on a Tuesday. (In this case, that’d be April 22, 2025.) Those features then typically roll out to everyone else about two weeks later. Nothing guarantees this timeline, of course. It’s our best guess based on past releases and when they’ve occurred. Remember, though, Microsoft’s emphasis is on the “new”—and the sexiest new Windows features use AI. That means you’ll need a Copilot+ PC, and Copilot+ PCs mean NPUs. (But NPUs are only available on a subset of PCs, and even then certain features are only available for certain NPUs.) Basically, if you want everything that Microsoft has to offer, you should buy a laptop with a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chip in it, like the Microsoft Surface Pro 11th Edition. New AI features coming to Windows 11 Right now, it appears that semantic search will be Windows’ flagship AI feature for the near future. Semantic search, which was first shown off back in January, allows you to forego the exact word or title you’re searching for and describe it instead. For example, you could search for “photo of children at school” without knowing the exact file name. For years, you’ve searched for “keywords” to find what you’re looking for. Microsoft wants you to break that habit.Microsoft Semantic search may also help offset Copilot’s inability to monitor and control your PC, something that was originally planned but fell by the wayside. In its place, you’ll be able to describe what you want Windows to do inside the Settings menu. Put another way, semantic search will be a part of Windows Search as well as Settings. Unfortunately, semantic search will only be available for Windows on Snapdragon PCs; users with AMD- or Intel-powered Copilot+ PCs will have to wait. But since it will run locally on your PC, you won’t have to be connected to the internet for it to work. Microsoft is also kinda-sorta bringing semantic search to photos—but only in File Explorer, not the Photos app. The Photos app already allows you to search via words like “snow” to identify photos of snowy mountains. Going forward, File Explorer will now allow you to search using words like “summer picnic,” Microsoft says. Semantic search will apply to the Windows 11 Settings app, too.Microsoft File Explorer, like Photos, will now show photos stored on OneDrive in the cloud alongside photos stored locally on your PC. It’s not quite clear whether Microsoft is using the PC’s NPU to perform these searches… but it must be since this feature is reserved for Snapdragon PCs, too. It’s “coming soon” to Copilot+ PCs with AMD and Intel inside. That said, if you do own a Copilot+ PC powered by either AMD or Intel processors, here’s some good news: live captions and real-time translation are going to be available. Live Captions first debuted in the Windows 11 2022 Update, though it used the power of the CPU back then, not the NPU. Now, up to 44 different languages can be captured and translated into English on AMD and Intel Copilot+ PCs via video calls, recordings, and streamed content. If you own a Snapdragon PC, the opposite is true: you can now translate English (or 25 other languages) into Chinese using real-time translation. Chris Hoffman / IDG Your voice can also be used to better effect in Voice Access, too. One of the issues I’ve had with Voice Access is that it’s unbearably rigid—you either know the commands or you don’t. Now, Microsoft is using AI to “loosen up” Voice Access by allowing you to describe what you want to do instead of using the exact syntax. Chinese support for Voice Access is being added, too. If you use an app with support for Windows Studio Effects, you should see an icon on the system tray that shows when Windows Studio Effects is in use. It’s a bit redundant since Microsoft already indicated that the icon would appear in a February Windows update. Other changes coming to Windows Microsoft is also changing how it monitors your system. You may start seeing “cards” that show off your PC’s key specifications, such as the CPU, memory, and storage. This is a reorganization of sorts since the Windows Settings app already consolidates these features, but these “top cards” will simply pull this information out and put them at the top of the Settings > System > About portion of Windows Settings. Microsoft also says that it will track CPU utilization a bit differently in Task Manager, though it’s not clear how this will play out. A separate, hidden tab will show off the old way of measuring it. Microsoft You’ll see new ways of interacting with Windows, too. Laptops place a keyboard right under your fingers, but desktop PCs don’t. You might end up in a situation where your desktop’s keyboard is off to the side (perhaps if you’ve turned your PC into an arcade or virtual pinball cabinet). In that case, you can use a new Xbox gamepad keyboard interface, where you can use an Xbox gamepad to type just like on the console. A new emoji interface is being added, too. You might know that you can access the Windows emoji menu via the Windows key + Semicolon shortcut, but apparently no one else does given that Microsoft is adding a new system tray icon to the taskbar to highlight the emoji panel. Chris Hoffman / IDG Microsoft is also working with developers to add improved widgets, something that’s been promised for a while now. But one change you should see in this release, given what Microsoft has announced, is greater control over which widgets you see on your lock screen. How will that work? We’ll know soon enough. We’d like to think that features such as Windows’ new battery icons will be released soon—but those are still stuck in the Dev Channel, so they probably still have a ways to go. We also haven’t heard much about Windows Recall lately either, which has already been released for testing. Remember, there’s always more to come. Read...

A few people who managed the minor miracle of tracking down a new Nvidia RTX 50-series graphics card were shocked and appalled to find that these GPUs were underperforming thanks to missing Render Output Units (ROPs). But as it turns out, buyers are so desperate for these new cards that at least one European vendor is trying to sell said underperforming defects as “B-stock.” German online store Alternate.de has a listing up for the Zotac RTX 5090 Solid OC, with its “missing” ROPs spelled out right on the page. (The defective card only has 168 ROPs when it should have 176.) Those missing ROPs can result in up to 10 percent less performance. The price for this rough diamond? €2,899, or about $3,140 USD. For a card that Nvidia claims has a $2,000 MSRP without defective hardware. Alternate.de It’s hard to tell what the current street price is for any of the recently launched Nvidia and AMD cards, but one Newegg listing shows the same Zotac card as $2,370. Out of stock, of course. And VideoCardz.com notes that no, you can’t just use the warranty on the card and get Zotac to replace it with a 5090 that does have all its ROPs intact. The best you can hope for would be a return and refund from the retailer. It’s pretty depressing that someone is selling a known defective card at well above the price of an unsullied GPU. It’s even more depressing that, in the current marketplace, someone’s probably going to buy it—if not an actual PC gamer willing to pay more for less, then a reseller hoping to make a quick buck, with or without disclosing that this particular 5090 isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Read...