I’ll say it. My porch is a bit lifeless. It’s lovely to sit out there in the day but on dark cloudy nights, it’s simply too dark to enjoy.

As a result, string lighting has been on my “to buy” list for a while. That’s when Wiz’s Smart Outdoor String Lights arrived.

Waterproof, weather proof, app controlled with colours, light levels and smart home functionality! It was everything I needed… Everything I wanted… and more.

Initially, I was rather intimidated by the 14.8m length. After measuring my porch I thought I had far too much, with no option to shorten it. It wasn’t until I started hanging the lights that I realised it was perfect. The lights look much better when they are draping down, which means 14.8m is really just the maximum distance. You can make anything less work.

As I was weaving them through my porch supports, I just added an extra loop here and there to space them out nicely. It did end up being a 2 person job, but that was just to save time.

The lights have been up for a few weeks now, and that weatherproof and waterproof label has been put to the test. There have been some windy nights, howling with rain, and sunny days blaring down heat, but the Wiz Smart Outdoor String Lights have held strong. In the past, I had fairy lights hanging on the porch. They didn’t last a month. I am confident Wiz have made their products to last.

You may notice in the photos that I was unable to utilise the smart lighting functionality on my porch. It’s important to note, for any smart lighting from any company, you’ll need 2.4 gHz WIFI to use the smart functions. However, you can always buy a 2.4 gHz extender, but that’s an expense you should be aware of up front. You can find the details for your WIFI on the bottom of your router.

Before hanging up the lights at mine, I took them to a friend’s house (with 2.4 gHz WIFI), and the setup was a dream. The Wiz lighting app “Wiz Connect” is exactly what you want from a smart device app. It runs you through exactly what to do, step by step, and it covers troubleshooting too. I can tell the app was made for first time users, and because of that… We had the colours going in no time!

Without the app, you can still turn the Wiz Smart Outdoor String Lights on, off and dim them using a button on the cable, but the standout feature is the quick release section just before the lights. It’s hard to explain in words, but let’s say your property is like mine and the easiest way to power these lights is by plugging them in through a window. You don’t want your window to be permanently wedged open, so the cable has a section before the lights that disconnects and connects with ease. I didn’t realise it until I saw it, but it really is a must have feature for a lot of homes.

Overall, the lights are fantastic. It’s a shame I can’t use them to their full capacity unless I buy the extender, but I do have a new slot available on my “to buy” list…

As for my rating, if you have 2.4ghz WIFI, this product is a solid 4.4. It’s exactly what you want from smart lighting, and more.

Even without the 2.4ghz WIFI, these lights get a 3.8 from me! As they really have brought life to my time out on the porch.

The post Wiz – Smart Outdoor String Light Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Imagine your screen coming to life with perfectly synced lighting that reacts to your favorite movies, games, and music. 

The new Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box 8K transforms your home entertainment into a fully immersive experience with ultra-fast refresh rates (8K 60Hz & 4K 120Hz), HDMI 2.1 certification, and seamless integration with up to 10 Philips Hue lights – without the clutter of external cameras or wire.

To take your smart home lighting even further there’s the Neon Flex, Fairy & String Lights.

The Neon Flex Strip (5m) allows you to shape light in bold, artistic designs with flexible, bendable LED strips that create immersive colour gradients, the new Fairy Lights are a dazzling way to bring warmth and magic to any room, garden, or gaming setup. With over 16 million colours, dynamic effects, and music-sync features, they transform every occasion into a mood-lit experience.

Or add String Lights for the perfect for indoor and outdoor use, these versatile lights allow you to customise the ambiance with a spectrum of colours and smart control via the WiZ app or voice commands.

Philips Hue wellness lighting helps support better sleep, productivity, and relaxation through circadian-friendly lighting. The natural light scene mimics natural sunlight, transitioning between warm and cool tones throughout the day – boosting wakefulness in the morning and promoting melatonin production at night.

If the neon LED atmosphere isn’t for you, Philips has Gradient Signe Floor & Table Lamps, which are a stylish and mood-enhancing, these lamps blend multiple colours to create a gradient lighting effect that complements your home. The Hue Iris Copper Special Edition is a  statement piece that provides a warm glow and soft backlight to enhance relaxation, and for on-the-go get yourself the Go Portable Accent Light, a versatile light that you can take anywhere, whether for a cozy ambiance or energising workspace lighting.

All Philips Hue smart lighting products are available now.

The post Light Up Your Home Entertainment appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

I have been using Ring cameras and doorbells around my house for a couple of years.

Then Amazon went and bought a little company called Blink who sells more affordable cameras and I got curious. Could they stand up or beat their Ring counterparts?

The Blink Outdoor 4

The Blink Outdoor 4 is a simple camera to install and use. To get up and running, you will pull out of the box the camera and the sync module. The camera gets installed outside somewhere using screws. There is heaps of movement with the camera on the base, so you can easily position it to the angle you need. The sync module you have inside somewhere which is needed to connect the camera to the internet, but also stores recording locally.

Then with the app, setting it up is easy as,  It walks you through the steps super easily, so there is no need for me to go through this. The main thing when it comes to installation is making sure you have your distances thought through.  The Blink Outdoor 4 camera has to be within 30m of the sync module. This is pretty far, but this is in ideal conditions. Anything from metal walls, to your microwave can reduce this. When I was testing around my house, it was pretty seamless, but there were a couple of spots where there wasn’t a large distance but was obstructed and it caused some issues with video quality.

One of the biggest things the Blink Outdoor 4 Camera offers is the insane battery life.

It runs from two AA batteries and promises to run for up to two years. Unfortunately, I haven’t been using the camera for two years so can’t say for sure how long it will last, but it’s still very full after a couple of months use.

The camera gives you 1080p quality video, and captures 143 degrees which is pretty damn solid. While the hub stores an offline copy of the videos, to get online storage, but to get features like people detection, you need to get the subscription.

That comes in at $5 (NZD) (NZD) a month for a camera, or $15 for as many as you have. I kinda wish this sub covered all Amazon cameras so you could mix and match, but it is what it is.

Blink Mini 2

Unlike the Blink Outdoor 4, the Blink Mini 2 is a cable only camera.

This one is pretty damn incredible for the price. It is an easy to install camera that can also be mounted to the wall, so long as you can run the cable to it.

Just like the Blink Outdoor 4 it offers 1080p video quality and 143 degrees which is really amazing given the size and price of the camera. Installing it is just as easy as the Blink Outdoor 4 as well, and adding it to the Blink app is a piece of cake. You will be up and streaming the content within minutes.The Blink Mini 2 also doesn’t require using the sync module, so it doesn;t come with one in the box. But if you want to store video recording locally you will need one.

The Blink Mini 2 itself is waterproof, but the cable it comes with in the box isn’t. This means that you can use it outside if you buy a Weather Resistant power adapter (more on that soon) but otherwise it’s an inside camera. This is kinda cool because if you plan to use it inside you can, and if you use it outside you can spend the extra moneys.

The Blink Mini 2 does offer something that the Blink Outdoor 4 doesn’t and that’s a little spotlight.

This LED spotlight is enough to light up a decent area giving you colour imagery at night. It’s really bloody cool.  The biggest weakness is the motion capture. The Blink Outdoor 4 has way better motion detection, having said that, the motion detection on the Blink Mini 2 was fine and still grabbed the majority of movement.

Blink Weather Resistant 4m Power Adaptor

The Blink Weather Resistant Adapter is great. 4m is a great length to reach up high or far.

If you have an exterior power plug you can get one of your cameras within 4m of it. Thanks to a piece in the middle with screws it’s super easy to keep the cable nice and tight against a wall to help when you are installing it.

Best of all, it means your Blink Mini 2 becomes an external security camera, and your Blink Outdoor can be set up so you never have to worry about the battery. It’s a fantastic add on for $20 (NZD) that makes complete sense to be separated so you only buy one if you’ll use it.

Should you go Blink?

Blink makes a damn good argument for checking them out.

The Blink Mini 2 for $80 (NZD), and the Blink Outdoor 4 for $170 (NZD) are incredibly reasonably priced.

If you are just looking at getting your first cameras then these ones would do you well.

The Blink subscription to add things like people detection and online video storage comes in at $5 (NZD) a month for one camera, or $15 (NZD) for as many cameras as you want.

This is reasonable but it would be cool if it could be lumped together so you can mix and match for the one fee.

The post Blink Outdoor 4 & Blink Mini 2 Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Blink smart home security, who is owned by Amazon, has just announced its launch into New Zealand and Australia, offering its range of popular smart security cameras locally.

This launch comes as new local research shows the desire for home security products, with 29% stating that they don’t already own a home security device and are wanting to purchase an indoor or outdoor camera for their home. However, at a time when many are feeling the pinch from cost-of-living pressures, almost half (44%) of say cost is a barrier.

The new Blink range offers an affordable solution, making these WiFi connected cameras make home security simple – set up is easy and customers can monitor their home from anywhere by seeing, hearing, and speaking to visitors directly through the free Blink app on their smartphone. Blink’s cameras are designed for every home and offer up to two years of battery life with just two AA batteries, as well as local storage options.

Blink’s custom-built proprietary chip is at the core of its products. The chip is expertly designed to save power, extending battery life up to an impressive two years for Blink’s wireless camera, Outdoor 4, while also enabling smart notifications with powerful features like person detection through on-device computer vision. With person detection, a Blink Subscription Plus Plan feature, you’ll get notified whenever a person is detected (versus an object or an animal).

“We know that Kiwis want to invest in home security products but that cost-of-living pressures are impacting us all. We’re thrilled to launch Blink in New Zealand and Australia, bringing our customers more feature-packed options at incredible value,” said Mark Fletcher, Blink Managing Director, APAC. “For those considering the installation of a smart home security system, the Outdoor 4 and Mini 2 cameras from Blink are an ideal, and

Blink customers can make the most of their smart security with a Blink Subscription Plan. Customers can save and share clips and view live recordings from their Blink devices conveniently in the cloud with unlimited cloud storage for up to 60 days. A Blink Subscription Plan also provides access to advanced features like person detection, Blink Moments (Plus Plan only), and more – all through the Blink app on your smartphone.

Customers who purchase a Blink camera will receive a 30-day free trial of Blink’s Subscription Plan, and there are two tiers available – Basic and Plus – starting from $5 per month for Basic and $15 per month for Plus.

Blink customers can control all privacy settings through the Blink app. This includes the set-up of Activity Zones, capturing only what they want and exclude areas like a busy street that may surround their property. All image processing takes place locally, on-device. 

All devices, accessories and subscription plans announced are now available.

The post Hello Blink! appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Nanoleaf have taken their signature smart lights from 2D to a literal 4D with Nanoleaf Blocks.

If you’re new to the world of smart lighting, Nanoleaf have been producing tiled multi-coloured lighting that presents like a puzzle when you first start out.

A variation of shapes from hexagons to triangle and even straight lines, it’s up to you to create whatever array you want, producing an illuminated wall art.

Each tile uses a specific connector and there’s a control module for you to choose any preset lighting option, sync to music – or via the app you can create your own.

Nanoleaf smart lights also sync up with Alexa, Google and Apple to integrate in to your smart home via WiFi.

The Nanoleaf Blocks are a similar affair, but instead of being flat against the wall, you can build shelving, hook panels and more to have the coolest and functional wall art ever.

Nanoleaf Blocks are an ideal mood lighting solution for any room – especially a games den.

Adjustable, expandable and one of the coolest things you could ever have on your wall, Nanoleaf Blocks take smart lighting up a few levels incorporating functionality and any environmental aesthetic.

The post Nanoleaf Blocks XL Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Knock, knock. Who’s there?

Ring are back at your doorstep to protect your parcels from porch pirates and to give you that added security of what happens around your front porch when you’re not there.

The first Ring Battery Video Doorbell has and still is an excellent super reliable device with a builtin camera and two way mic / speaker that enables you to see, record (with subscription) and talk to whoever maybe ringing your doorbell.

This new model improves on that experience.

With a clearer, sharper and full head to toe camera you can not only see in near-to crystal clarity the person at the door, but also where they may have left the parcel.

With a 150 to 150 degree of view you can also see a wider and further field, where you will also get alerts from a farther distance.

Setting up a Ring Battery Video Doorbell is super easy. Ring give you all of the tools that you need to mount the device near your door and you’ll need to download the Ring app to sync up the door bell to your phone.

A change to installing with the second gen model is a push pin to secure it to the supplied bracket.

The Ring Battery Video Doorbell requires access to your WiFi and is able to be viewed remotely from anywhere. Pair this up with a Ring Chime and you’ll hear your door bell being rung anywhere in the house. You can also sync up with Alexa – the Ring app will of course send you notifications to your smartphone, although I have found that those notifications can sometimes be delayed.

Night time is really where the Ring Battery Video Doorbell second gen has full colour nightvision, and while it is not as sharp as daytime, it is still clear enough to see what maybe lurking around in the dark.

The Ring Battery Video Doorbell is battery powered, as per its name. The large battery is housed inside the device and remains internal for easier charging.

I’d find that the first Battery Video Doorbell would give me roughly one to one and a half weeks of life from a full charge.

The newmodel has improved on that a lot. I’ve had the device for around two weeks now and while it is currently sitting at 40% battery life, this is from the very first charge-up since receiving.

Renting or home owner, a Ring Battery Video Doorbell is an all-in-one. An outside security camera that can monitor the proximity that you set around your home, as well as being it’s namesake, alerting you and recording each door bell ring or motion.

But to note, in order to save any recording you do need to pay for a yearly subscription with Ring.com.

The prior Ring Battery Video Doorbell has been a trusted and super reliable device, now with this new one that gives an even wider scope, better video capturing options and a longer battery life it is now the permanent guardian of my front porch.

An excellent smart home security device that is always on alert and ensures you never miss a ring or a parcel again.

The post Ring Battery Video Doorbell Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Ring has just introduced their new Ring Battery Video Doorbell, the next generation of the Video Doorbell 2nd Gen.

This new device comes with added features including Head-to-Toe HD video, Colour Night Vision and seamless DIY installation. Battery Video Doorbell delivers up to 23% longer battery life than the previous model.

“We’re thrilled to announce the next generation of our bestselling doorbell is coming to homes across Australia and New Zealand, following the popularity of previous models. The new Battery Video Doorbell comes with a suite of impressive features, from Head-to-Toe HD video and Colour Night Vision, to customisable and advanced privacy settings, all with the versatility of battery power, making it a great fit for our Aussie and Kiwi customers,” said Mark Fletcher, Ring Managing Director, APAC.

Head-to-Toe HD video is now available on Ring Battery Video Doorbell, providing the same view that customers enjoy on the Doorbell Plus and Pro models. Battery Video Doorbell includes HD video and 150-degree by 150-degree field of view, giving customers a head-to-toe vision of all their visitors. With Head-to-Toe video, customers get a 66 percent taller view compared to the previous generation, making features like Package Alerts (available with a Ring Protect subscription) even more helpful by easily seeing deliveries on a doorstep.

In addition to Head-to-Toe HD video, Battery Video Doorbell features Colour Night Vision, so customers can easily see what’s going on day or night.

Like all Ring doorbells and cameras, Battery Video Doorbell features motion detection with Customisable Motion Zones and real-time alerts, Live View, and the ability to talk to anyone on the other end of the doorbell at anytime, via the Two-Way Talk function.

With a Ring Protect subscription, customers can access Smart Alerts, which inform them if there’s a person or a package at their door, and also receive Rich Notifications to see exactly what triggered an alert with a photo preview in pop-up notifications on their phone. Customers will also be able to store the camera’s captured footage in the cloud for up to 180 days.

Battery Video Doorbell works seamlessly with other Ring devices and is fully compatible with Alexa-enabled devices, allowing customers to create an integrated whole-home system. Customers can conveniently receive motion alerts on connected Alexa devices, meaning they can see, hear and speak to visitors through an Echo or Fire TV.

With an all-new push-pin mount design, Battery Video Doorbell can be installed and removed easily – customers simply push to securely attach the doorbell to the wall mount, and when it’s time to recharge the battery, customers can easily release the doorbell from the mount by inserting the new push-pin tool.

Ring is a leader in delivering privacy features for customers, and like all Ring products and features, Battery Video Doorbell was designed with privacy and security front of mind. Ring was the first in the home security industry to require two-step verification for all customers, and the first major home security company to launch video end-to-end encryption as an advanced encryption option for customers. In addition, Battery Video Doorbell puts customers in control, featuring customisable privacy settings, and privacy zones, which allows them to block areas they do not want to monitor and record.

Battery Video Doorbell is available from September 4, 2024.

The post THE NEXT GENERATION OF RING appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Amazon is on point this year with their new range of Alexa Echo smart home assistant devices.

Recently I covered off their new Echo Show 5, and hot off the heels from that is this year’s Echo Spot.

Designed to fit subtly in any decor, the new Echo Spot is almost half touch screen and front facing 1.7 inch directional speaker.

Still retaining the same round shape it is slightly tilted upwards, so that no matter what angle, the 2.83-inch screen is always visible.

The top of the all-new Echo Spot has the usual volume control toggle buttons.

Connecting up you will need to use the Amazon Alexa app.

Once you go in to ‘Add a Alexa device’ the app will automatically pick up the new Echo Spot and it’s seamless from there.

You can opt to set up manually from the touch screen – but this is fiddly. Use the app.

Customizable, the new Echo Spot boasts a few clock options and also has some very unique animations on screen, whether you’re using Alexa to entertain or streaming music.

The volume and clarity of the speaker is phenomenal.

Slated as being a bedside smart device, you can easily rock out in a small to mid sized room just with this tiny Alexa powered device, which also be used as a Bluetooth speaker.

Taking up minimal space, the Echo Spot is a worthy entry level smart home assistant if you have not gotten yourself in to any Alexa device before. Same if you currently own the last gen of Echo Spot. This 2024 model is a worthy upgrade.

Alexa is THE AI assistant to have, quick with wit, humour, info and more, Alexa is the AI that others hope to be when they grow up.

The new Echo Spot is the perfect side-kick to keep you organized, give you reminders, play your fav tunes or sleep next to.

The post Amazon Echo Spot (2024) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Ready when you are, Amazon’s Alexa has got the tunes, the info, the news and entertainment, as well as answers to most of your questions.

Alexa is the primary A.I. smartdevice to have in your home, and now Amazon has released a new third generation of their Echo Show 5.

With a brighter and sharper screen than their last model, The unit is roughly the same size with the same display bezel, but the overall body and sound has definitely had a makeover.

Still rectangular in shape the rear of the housing is more contoured. The camera (which can be turned off) has a squared housing.

From the box, connecting up the Amazon Echo Show 5 is super easy. Almost plug and play once you power it up.

If you already have an Alexa in your home, this process will be familiar.

You can set it up via the device’s 5 inch, 960 x 480 touchscreen manually, but easier if you have the Amazon Alexa app.

The app will auto discover the new Alexa device and begin pairing, once connected your WiFi, it’s a few clicks of ‘Next’ and you’re basically done.

Other than being an A.I. that you can converse with, the Echo Show 5 itself can be used as an intercom in your house, if you have another Alexa device.

The 2MP front facing camera also allows you to take video calls and if paired up with a smart doorbell, or security camera’s you can interact with those too (providing that they are compatible with Alexa). The top of the device houses basic audio controls and camera toggle.

The booming crystal clear audio from the Echo Show 5 is louder than it should be from a device of this size.

You can opt to have the Echo Show 5 as a Bluetooth speaker, but if you subscribe to an audio streaming service, sync that up in the app, create a new Skill and have your playlists or podcasts playing with a voice command, ‘Alexa, play my favourite podcast’.

Alexa is able to integrate with most home smart appliances, and is a super reliable alarm clock (which the Echo Show 5 is the perfect size for), reminder assistant and more.

Set skills and routines to personalise Alexa within the app.

The Echo Show 5’s price point is such that it is affordable to anyone to upgrade their home with some A.I. smarts.

Small, ready to tell you the weather, the news through to entertaining the kids and more, Amazon’s Echo Show 5 takes up less of a footprint in your living room, home office or bedroom while retaining the same smarts and wit as it’s larger siblings.

The Amazon Alexa Echo Show 5 (3rd gen) is a definite recommend.

The post Amazon Alexa Echo Show 5 (3rd gen) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Amazon introduced their all-new Echo Spot, the latest addition to its lineup of Alexa-enabled devices.

Echo Spot is a sleek new customisable smart alarm clock, featuring a variety of custom-designed clock faces and fun colours. It’s built for the nightstand, with a display that makes it easy to set and view alarms, see the time, weather, or song titles at a glance, and a directional speaker that delivers vibrant sound.

“Customers care about the way they wake up in the morning and go to bed at night and the all-new Echo Spot will transform the way they start and end their day,” said Patrick Walker, country manager, Amazon Devices Australia and New Zealand. “Thanks to customisable clock faces, personalised designs, new alarm sounds and colourful visual animations, Echo Spot is the best smart alarm clock designed for any bedside table.”

People love asking Alexa for information—in fact, Alexa answers multiple requests every millisecond, with users asking Alexa for the weather, to set a reminder or to set an alarm tens of millions of times every day. Echo Spot comes with a variety of custom-designed clock faces, new visual animations, and fun colours that makes it easy to see the responses to these requests at a glance.

Simply ask Alexa to set alarms on Echo Spot, by saying things like “Alexa, set a weekday alarm for 7am with soft jazz.” Or, wake up to one of four new alarm sounds exclusive to Echo Spot—Aurora, Daybreak, Endeavor, and Flutter. And, if you want a bit more sleep when your alarm goes off, just tap Echo Spot to snooze.  You can also ask Alexa for the weather to see the temperature, along with an illustration—like a sun, rain cloud, or snowflake—appear on the screen.

Echo Spot’s display can be customised to fit the aesthetic of your bedroom. Choose from six different colour-ways—orange, violet, magenta, lime, teal, and blue—or mix and match colours with a variety of clock faces.

The new, colourful visual display also shows song titles when music plays. To skip songs, simply ask Alexa, or quickly tap the display. There are also buttons on the top of the all-new Echo Spot to quickly change the volume—or you can ask Alexa to adjust the sound up or down.

Enjoy vibrant sound with the all-new Echo Spot, which includes a 1.73″ front-firing directional speaker delivering clear vocals and deep bass. Just ask Alexa to play music, podcasts and audiobooks from your favourite providers like Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, Audible, and more.

Connect Echo Spot to compatible smart home products and set up Alexa Routines to help automate daily tasks. For example, set up a routine that gently wakes you with music and gradual light from compatible smart lights. Or, set an evening routine that dims your smart lights, lowers the thermostat and plays music.

Ask Alexa to place audio calls to loved ones on other Alexa-enabled devices, make household announcements, audibly Drop In on other Alexa-enabled devices in your household, or get alerts and audio from your compatible smart doorbell.

As with all of our devices, Echo Spot is built with multiple layers of privacy controls, including a microphone on / off button and the ability to view and delete voice recordings.

Echo Spot is available now in Black, Glacier White, and Ocean Blue.

The post Amazon Launches New Echo Spot appeared first on Shane the Gamer.