Date: 25 May 2021

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Top Smart Home News Stories For The Week Of May 24, 2021

Families, influencers, and early adopters to shape the ever-growing smart home tech space. Smart beds pave the way to a deeper and better sleep. And… Did you know Alexa can now be used as a security camera? Check out these stories and more in this week’s top smart home news for May 24, 2021.

Amazon’s Sidewalk Network To Be Switched On By Default. It Is Easy To Turn Off.

Amazon doesn’t make it easy, but if you have the Alexa app, you can tap on the More tab at the bottom, then select Settings > Account Settings > Amazon Sidewalk. You’ll see that it’s set to “Enabled.” Just tap the toggle and you can disable Sidewalk for all of the devices on your account.

Families, Influencers, And Early Adopters To Shape The Ever-Growing Smart Home Tech Space

Households with children are technology thought leaders and market influencers as they provide the viewing and recommending experiences for new products to the more average buyers. Parks Associates’ research shows that about 30% of broadband households or about 32 million households have children at home.

Enjoy Your Apple HomePod Mini With All Its Features

The Apple HomePod Mini is the company’s second attempt at breaking into the smart assistant market after the less-than-stellar success of the original HomePod. The Mini boasts excellent audio quality and an aesthetic design that draws in much of the Apple fan base, but it’s more than just a smart speaker.

Smart Beds Pave The Way To A Deeper And Better Sleep

Sound sleep is vital to well-being, and it’s especially relevant given the anxiety induced by the pandemic. Numerous apps and a wide range of tech gear, from pricey “smart beds” to sleep headphones that play soothing sounds, are designed to track your sleep or help you catch more z’s — sometimes both.

Ford Works With Amazon To Bring Wireless Software Updates To Its Cars

The Internet of Things just got bigger. Four years after Ford Motor Company introduced an integration with Amazon’s suite of smart home devices, the automaker is beefing up its in-vehicle software offerings with built-in Alexa voice assistant and a wireless software update ecosystem.

Connectivity Standards Alliance: The Next Step To Zigbee Alliance For A Smarter Future

Earlier this week, Amazon, Google, Apple and many other tech companies announced their participation in the Connectivity Standards Alliance, or CSA (a rebrand of the decades-old Zigbee Alliance). The coalition’s mission is to deliver open standards for the smart home and Internet of Things (IoT) categories.

Did You Know Alexa Can Now Be Used As A Security Camera?

Mild-mannered Alexa has an alter-ego — a crime-fighter of sorts — that lives deep within your Amazon Echo Show’s device settings, just waiting for the call. The setting is called Home Monitoring and it transforms your smart display into a — you guessed it — security camera.

What’s Stopping Users From Enjoying The Smart Home Experience On Google Home App?

Some of the best smart speakers on the market are integrated into the Google Home app, and in Google’s quest to control all of your smart home gear — the Home app is key. While Google has made some very beneficial changes to the app since it first launched, it still has a ways to go to be the one app to rule them all.

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