Ikea’s smart home hub Dirigera is reportedly getting support for the Matter smart home standard in beta. Matter is an open-sourced IP-based connectivity software layer for smart home devices that enables connected devices to communicate locally in a home without a cloud connection.
Although the news of Matter’s integration was announced at
the time of Dirigera’s launch, its rollout got delayed. Matter is now available
for the Dirigera hub via the Ikea Home Smart app, which also already supports
Apple HomeKit, Amazon Alexa, and Google Home.
During Matter’s beta testing for Dirigera, Ikea plans to collect feedback from the beta users so it can further improve the overall experience before launching Matter to all customers on Dirigera.
WiZ, the smart lighting company, is launching a new feature
for its motion-sensing Wi-Fi smart bulbs. The feature is a Home Monitoring functionality,
paired with an indoor security camera, and is designed to alert owners of intrusion
attempts.
The new Home Monitoring feature will detect motion using WiZ’s
SpaceSensing / Wi-Fi sensing technology that can identify changes in Wi-Fi
signal strength caused by movement, and will turn lights on or off. Upon detecting
any motion, it will send an alert to the WiZ app where you will be able to view
the camera recording that it captures.
The WiZ Home Monitoring Starter kit will be available for sale June 15 onwards. It costs 159.99 Euro and comes with three WiZ A19 full-color smart bulbs and one camera. In case you already own at least two WiZ bulbs or lights, you can purchase the camera separately for 89.99 Euro. You will be able to find the Home Monitoring feature for free in the WiZ V2 app.
Apple has
announced the launch of its second generation HomePod smart speaker
priced at $299. The speaker features support for the wireless protocol Thread
and the smart home standard Matter, support for spatial audio with Dolby Atmos,
and support for handing off music. It is designed using an upgraded S7 chip, a single
four-inch woofer paired with five tweeters, and five microphones.
In addition to these impressive features, the HomePod also
has the capability to detect its positioning in a room and adjust its sound
depending on that. The design of the speaker also incorporates built-in
temperature and humidity sensors. Moreover, the voice assistant Siri within the
speaker is capable of recognizing up to six different voices and providing
personalized responses.
The HomePod’s potential doesn’t end here. Apple has also announced that the speaker will be updated with a software that allows it to listen for smoke or carbon monoxide alarms through its built-in microphones and notify the user about it via an iPhone.
Despite the ongoing intense war in Ukraine, more than 6
million people have returned back to their home, according to the latest
figures by the International Organization for Migration (IMO). Since IMO
records began on April 17, there has been a sound increase of people making the
journey, whether from abroad or from other parts of the country. According to
the figures provided by latest surveys, around 16 percent of returnees were
people aged 60 and older, 57 percent of them were females and 25 percent were
infants or children under 17 years.
Wardrobes are the most searched for type of furniture, with 301,000 searches per month.
This made us wonder, in what ways to our home designs support and impact and physical and mental health and what can be done to improve both?
ImproveNet surveyed nearly 3,000 Americans in 24 major cities across the country to find out. The impetus of the survey was to try and learn more about American’s connections to their homes and overall levels of wellness and happiness. They asked about home design and home characteristics that fit into 5 different categories that can impact or physical and mental health.
New data from Lombardo Homes found that over 42% of listings for homes across the country have gone off the market in under two weeks. To learn more about where homes are selling the quickest in America during the COVID-19 pandemic, Lombardo Homes recently analyzed housing market data to try and determine which cities and real estate markets have been the most competitive over the past nine months.
1. Seattle, Washington with 71% of homes off-market in under two weeks with an average of 10 days on the market.
2. Omaha, Washington with 67% of homes off-market in under two weeks with an average of 13 days on the market.
3. Lexington, Kentucky with 67% of homes off-market in under two weeks with an average of 15 days on the market.
4. Denver, Colorado with 65% of homes off-market in under two weeks with an average of 12 days on the market.
5. Indianapolis, Indiana with 65% of homes off-market in under two weeks with an average of 16 days on the market.
6. Portland, Oregon with 62% of homes off-market in under two weeks with an average of 19 days on the market.
7. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma with 60% of homes off-market in under two weeks with an average of 19 days on the market.
8. Sacramento, California with 59% of homes off-market in under two weeks with an average of 16 days on the market.
9. Oakland, California with 59% of homes off-market in under two weeks with an average of 16 days on the market.
10. Tulsa, Oklahoma with 59% of homes off-market in under two weeks with an average of 22 days on the market.
11. Fresno, California with 57% of homes off-market in under two weeks with an average of 20 days on the market.
12. San Diego, California with 55% of homes off-market in under two weeks with an average of 20 days on the market.
13. Tampa, Florida with 54% of homes off-market in under two weeks with an average of 25 days on the market.
14. Austin, Texas with 53% of homes off-market in under two weeks with an average of 25 days on the market.
15. Detroit, Michigan with 52% of homes off-market in under two weeks with an average of 26 days on the market.
16. Chicago, Illinois with 52% of homes off-market in under two weeks with an average of 34 days on the market.
17. New Orleans, Louisiana with 51% of homes off-market in under two weeks with an average of 39 days on the market.
18. Bakersfield, California with 51% of homes off-market in under two weeks with an average of 26 days on the market.
19. San Jose, California with 50% of homes off-market in under two weeks with an average of 22 days on the market.
20. Baltimore, Maryland with 49% of homes off-market in under two weeks with an average of 31 days on the market.
21. El Paso, Texas with 48% of homes off-market in under two weeks with an average of 43 days on the market.
22. San Francisco, California with 48% of homes off-market in under two weeks with an average of 23 days on the market.
23. Louisville, Kentucky with 48% of homes off-market in under two weeks with an average of 31 days on the market.
24. Minneapolis, Minnesota with 47% of homes off-market in under two weeks with an average of 24 days on the market.
25. Houston, Texas with 47% of homes off-market in under two weeks with an average of 40 days on the market.
Lombardo homes also found that on average it takes 3.5 months for a home buyer to spend searching for a new home. The average home buyer looks at 7 houses on average before deciding to purchase a home. Respondents were split on whether or not the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the home buying process. 53% said that they COVID-19 pandemic did in fact accelerate the home buying process for them. 47% send that the pandemic did not accelerate the home buying process. Home buyers did say they had to compete against more offers during the pandemic with an overwhelming majority (73%) saying they had to compete against multiple offers. Only 27% of home buyers said they did not see more competition during the pandemic.
On top of more competition, home buyers reported issues with a house they had interest in being sold before they could formally make an offer for the home. 73% of home buyers reported the house they wanted selling before they could make an offer for the home. The way that home buyers searched for homes also saw some trends shifting the pandemic as well. In May of 2020, 51% of home buyers said they found homes through an agent or realtor, 38% found homes by searching online and only 11% said they passed the home in their current neighborhood. Compare that to October of 2020 just 5 months later and 65% of home buyers said they were currently searching for homes online. 32% said they were using an agent or realtor and only 3% said they passed by. As you can see home buyers are shifting towards online shopping for homes during the pandemic.
Certain features in the home itself became more important for home buyers during the pandemic as well. One in three surveyed respondents said a dedicated home office space is the most important home feature in 2020. This is largely because of all the people working from home as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Kitchen sizes and room sizes also became more appealing to home buyers during the pandemic.
Infographic by: lombardohomes
In order to learn more about the growing trend of tiny homes and tiny offices, IPX 1031 recently surveyed over 2,000 Americans to learn about their interest in living or using a tiny home or tiny office. They also asked about what type of features they would like in a tiny home or office and how much they would pay to build one. Let’s take a look at what they found.
The idea of living in a tiny home might seem crazy for some people, however more and more Americans are embracing the idea of living or renting out a tiny home. IPX 1031 found that 56% of the people they surveyed said they would be open to living in a tiny home. 24% rejected the idea of living in a tiny home and 20% said they were not sure, but they would at least consider the idea. First time home buyers were even more interested in tiny homes. Over 86% of first time home buyers said they would consider living in tiny home for their first home. One of the main reasons for this is because of the price.
Summer time is a great time to go skinny dipping or go to
the beach but it is also a time of the scorching heat of the sun blazing its
way on your skin. Even if you are in your home, people face the same heat that
they feel outside because the overall temperature of the house has gone up. This
rise in the home temperature is mostly caused by the roofing material of your
house.
A home with empty walls seems just like that— incomplete. It doesn't matter if you have recently shifted to a new place, or you've been considering giving your entire home a makeover. Art, be it in whatever form, adds a personal touch to your home and also allows you to instantly express your personality to your visitors.
Planning what to buy to go on your walls can be tricky. And once you've had what you want, it can be even trickier to work out how to arrange all the frames. First of all, you need to be clear about the kind of look you want. There are endless themes to choose from. For instance, you can go for vintage, floral, victorian, folk, and so many more. You can even create your own theme if you wish.
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