More from All the smart home news, reviews, and gadgets you need to know about
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Verge Score
The Google Home Speaker nails the hardware, but Gemini for Home isn’t the assistant we’ve been waiting for.
At the CSA’s inaugural Unify conference, the mood was optimistic but realistic. Matter hasn’t delivered on its promise — but I left convinced that it still can.
Thread Group and the Broadband Forum are teaming up to help IoT devices and home internet work better together. The Broadband Forum — the organization that develops the standards ISPs use to manage gateways and routers — is adding support for connecting to Thread networks, giving ISPs visibility into both networks.
The group behind Matter has released the next version of its Product Security Certification Program, a cybersecurity standard designed to provide a single security label for consumer IoT devices.
The update extends certification beyond devices to include apps, gateways, and remote processes, allowing companies to certify entire ecosystems. It also adds independent validation through physical test labs and is now integrated into the Matter spec, with companies seeking Matter certification encouraged to complete the security certification as well.
A Thursday email to Google Home users says there are over 3.5 million Gemini for Home early access testers, and that people should “keep a very close eye on your inbox next week” for news about “a certain speaker.” That sounds like the Google Home speaker we previewed in October, which was projected to launch in spring 2026.
The headline feature is the camera upgrades, but the smart home app is getting more new features, including energy monitoring.
As spotted by Matter Alpha, the first iOS 27 dev beta introduces a dedicated Power tab that displays the total energy consumption of compatible devices. There’s also an improved onboarding flow for new devices and support for Thread 1.4.
The robot vacuum company just launched its first robot lawnmower designed for US yards. The RockNeo Q110H combines RTK and VSLAM navigation and costs $1,299. It’s designed for small- to medium-sized yards and handles 45% slopes.
I’m currently testing models from Mammotion and Dreame for a robot lawnmower battle royale take-two, and I’ve been impressed by the improved mobility and navigation of these new bots.
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Verge Score
The Bridge Pro is Hue’s most compelling update in years, as long as you’re deeply invested in the smart lighting ecosystem
Its PowerDetect UV Reveal now comes in four colors — brown, green, blue, and ivory. The earthy neutral palettes feature metallic accents and look surprisingly good — for a robot. I’ve been testing the blue one, and I like how it blends in with my kitchen cabinets.
As robot vacuums become more capable, they are also getting bigger, so it’s encouraging to see manufacturers putting more thought into how they fit in with your decor.
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The new feature in Google Home lets you add your pets’ faces to your indoor cameras, so you get alerts that tell you which cat is walking on the counter rather than just that a cat is traversing the kitchen. To enable it, type your pet’s name and species into the Ask Home search box in the Home app; you need Google Home Premium Advanced ($20/month).
The smart lighting company best known for its modular RGB lighting panels has been acquired by OneRobotics, the parent company of Switchbot. According to a filing on the Hong Kong stock exchange, the purchase will take two years to complete.
Nanoleaf just announced a pivot to robotics and AI, an area in which the smart home company Switchbot is heavily involved, launching its first humanoid household robot at CES this year.
It’s combining Google Home APIs with Gemini smart home features, so ISPs, security companies, and carriers can “build monetizable, proactive services” for your homes. In other words, Google wants other companies to put Google Home’s AI in their products — and charge you a Google Home Premium subscription. With manufacturers now able to build Gemini-powered speakers and cameras, it seems entirely possible that Google may never make another Nest device again.
Come join me for a robot vacuum-themed subscriber AMA. Drop your questions in the post linked below, and I’ll be answering them starting at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET.
I review robot vacuums for a living, ask me anything!
