#wifi

Wireless cameras and bandwidth — when WiFi cams work

“PoE is structurally better for cameras. WiFi cameras are a pragmatic 'good enough' when running Cat6 isn't an option. The bandwidth math is the constraint that decides.”

Litter-Robot III Connect — the first pet IoT device with real medical telemetry

“This is the rare connected pet device where the data layer adds something the dumb device can't: visit frequency, duration, and weight are the exact signals a vet reads for UTIs, diabetes, and silent weight loss. The litter box sees them every single day. The yearly checkup sees them once.”

SureFlap Hub — finally, a connected cat door for Joule

“The real win isn't knowing Joule went outside — I knew that. It's that three-to-four trips a day is now a baseline, and the day it drops to one is a health flag I'd never have caught by eye. That's what telemetry does that direct observation can't.”

Furbo Dog Camera — first impressions, and the treat-toss is the real engineering

“The treat-toss is the engineering achievement, and it's mechanical, not software. A spring paddle, a calibrated launch arc, a click the dog learns in an hour. Atom now stares at the thing like it's a slot machine that pays out in biscuits.”

Petnet SmartFeeder — a long-term review, and why a cloud-dependent feeder scares me

“A feeder that needs a cloud to dispense food is a bet on the vendor's solvency. When the server is down at midnight, the cat goes hungry — and the device is only as reliable as a company you've never met keeping its servers up.”

Z-Wave vs Zigbee vs WiFi — a year on SmartThings

“Z-Wave for sensors, Zigbee for lights, WiFi for cameras. If you can't remember anything else from this post, remember that.”

Wemo plugs and the multi-vendor app problem

“Three apps open just to turn off the kitchen lights and the coffee maker. There's a startup waiting for the unification problem.”

WiFi as smart-home transport — the always-on tax

“A 15-device WiFi smart home draws 22 watts before you turn anything on. That's $30/year in electricity to power the radios that command the radios.”