http://bigbruin.comLatest Reviews and Articles from Bigbruin.com 2021-12-22 http://bigbruin.com/content/novostella-blink_1 Novostella recently asked me to check out their BLink series, and yes, the B and the L are both capitalized on purpose. These lights are connected via Bluetooth, and while you could connect direct to your phone or other Bluetooth enabled device, the 4-pack of bulbs included a Bluetooth hub which puts them all on your network via WiFi, and then makes the bulbs all available to your Smart Life app, Google Home, or Amazon Alexa. 2021-10-28 http://bigbruin.com/content/ewinracingrgbdesk_1 The EwinRacing E-WIN 2.0 Edition RGB Gaming Desk looks awesome with the LEDs in full effect, and would make for a great gaming desk. My teenage son loves it, and it does look great with his gaming rig installed on it. It can still function as a more than adequate work space for homework, and with a 24" monitor in place for his gaming rig, there is still space for his Chromebook, with room to spare for other work. 2021-02-25 http://bigbruin.com/content/novostella-rgb-flood_1 The Novostella 20W RGBCW smart LED flood lights are a big hit at my house, as I like being able to program (white) lights to come on at night, and the kids like turning it into a rainbow swirled party simply by speaking to Google. The lights are vibrant and very bright and having the Smart Life app sync their controls is working very well. It has been a very cold and snowy winter so far, and these lights add for an extra touch of fun in the snow as we snow tube into the night. 2021-02-24 http://bigbruin.com/content/zooz-zse29_1 The ZOOZ ZSE29 is an interesting product. As a motion sensor and a SmartThings device it definitely works very well, but determining how appropriate it is to use this outdoors will have to be seen after some time installed exposed to the elements. My gut tells me that the physical design and the stipulations that this outdoor rated device has to avoid heat, sunlight, humidity, and wetness may lead to a fairly short usable life. 2021-02-01 http://bigbruin.com/content/novostella-a19_1 We are going to look at a pair of Novostella A19 13W RGBCW smart light bulbs, that currently sell at Amazon.com for $25.99 (US) each. Those that have shopped around for smart bulbs before may be thinking that is pricey for a smart bulb, but one thing that immediately distinguishes these from other smart bulbs is that these are not your typical 60W equivalent bulbs, but 120W equivalents, that are rated to put out an impressive 1300 Lumens. 2020-02-10 http://bigbruin.com/content/DLink-EXO-AC2600-Mesh_1 D-Link's DIR-2660 and DAP-1820 offer a great way to start your mesh network. As with many mesh networks, this setup can be configured with a wired backhaul which would help some of the bottle neck issues I mentioned, but most people are resistant to running wires. So where this unit shines is in its scalability. You can start with just one extender or add several to cover even more area. Also a big benefit of this mesh system is having a few Ethernet ports on the router. 2020-01-10 http://bigbruin.com/content/DLink-DCH-S161_1 The D-Link DCH-S161 is roughly a 2.7" square white box that is about 1.2" thick. It uses (2) readily available AA batteries which are included to get you started, and houses a built in 90dB alarm siren. The unit comes with a sensor probe with integral cable that is about 6 feet long. It is wall mountable and is operable through the mydlink app, Google Assistant and IFTTT. Surprisingly Alexa is not included on this device. 2020-01-10 http://bigbruin.com/content/DLink-DSP-W118_1 The D-Link DSP-W118 Wi-Fi Smart Outlet is significantly smaller than their older model, coming in at about 2.5" x 1.5" x 1 3/8", and is more or less the same size and format as other smart outlets on the market whether they are Wi-Fi, Zigbee, or Z-Wave. This outlet is designed to be controlled primarily by the D-Link mydlink app. It is also compatible with Google Assistant, Alexa, and IFTTT. 2019-11-27 http://bigbruin.com/content/keysmartpro_1 While most of the KeySmart key organizer simply organize your keys like a Swiss Army knife, the Pro model adds a few additional features that turn it into a smart device. In addition to an LED flashlight to help you light up any key hole, the KeySmart Pro also has a USB rechargeable implementation of Tile's location tracking technology built in. You will not only be able to keep your keys organized, you can find them using the Tile app on your phone 2019-11-26 http://bigbruin.com/content/piper_1 Following the Piper created blueprint, kids can physically build their own computer, and then learn the basics of electronics and programming as they work through a series of interactive video game like tutorials and adventures. Piper was in attendance at a recent media showcase event, and after getting an entertaining hands on with their system there, I was very excited to bring one home and see if my nine year old son was as excited as I was to check this out.