June 05, 2019

Echo Show 5 vs Echo Show

June 05, 2019/ One Hour Smart Home/ James Both

We compare the New Echo Show 5 vs the Echo Show. We help you decide which Echo Voice assistant with a touch screen is right for you. The Echo Show 5 is essentially a slimmed down version of the Echo Show with a few key differences that we review.

The Echo Show 5 is packed with all of the same great features that Alexa voice assistants are known for with a few extra updates that could make it the perfect small format Alexa Echo Device voice assistant.

June 01, 2019

Ring Security System Review

June 01, 2019/ One Hour Smart Home/ James Both

We provide our Ring Security System review. I’ve tested a lot of smart home security systems over the years and for the time being I’ve chosen to stick with the Ring Security system because of it’s huge feature set, great value and reliability.

What I like about the Ring Security System is that you don’t need to sign up for a security monitoring contract but if you want professional monitoring it’s only $10 a month to have your system professionally monitored.

The Ring Security System offers a huge list of features that allow you to protect your home and family from intruders but also protect your home from water damage, fires and carbon monoxide. The Ring Security System offers a wide array of sensors and is constantly updating features to provide a great user experience.

The Ring Security System is also compatible with Alexa meaning that you can arm and disarm your security system using your voice and your passcode. The added functionality of voice control of your alarm system is something few other competing alarm systems don’t offer.

May 29, 2019

Alexa Commands For Sonos

May 29, 2019/ One Hour Smart Home/ James Both

In this guide we cover the Alexa Commands for Sonos and how you can use Alexa to control your Sonos devices.

Alexa commands for sonos will work in two ways, if you have Sonos device with Alexa built in like the Sonos One or Sonos Beam you can use Alexa commands directly with your Sonos device to control it with your voice.

If you have a Sonos device that does not have Alexa built in, you can still use it with Alexa commands for Sonos but you will just need to pair it with an Alexa device like the Echo Show or Echo Dot.

When you have Alexa connected to your Sonos Device you can then control your Sonos speaker using voice commands. With Alexa Commands for Sonos you can select the music you would like to play, turn up or down the volume and even pause the track using Alexa voice commands for Sonos.

It’s a great way to increase the functionality of both your Sonos and Alexa device and the success of the using Alexa commands with Sonos is one of the reasons that Alexa was built into the Sonos One and Sonos Beam.

May 29, 2019

Ring Smart Lighting Spotlight Review

May 29, 2019/ One Hour Smart Home/ James Both

In our review of the Ring Smart Light Spotlight we cover the smart features of Ring’s smart wireless outdoor Spotlights designed to light up outdoor areas around your home.

The Ring Spotlight is wirelessly controlled and battery powered, it connects to the Ring app on your phone to allow for smart lighting control using the Ring Smart Bridge. Once the Ring Spotlights are connected to the Ring App you can turn them on and off from your phone, adjust the brightness or adjust the built in motion detection settings on the Ring Spotlights.

The Ring Spotlights work with Alexa and can be set to activate your Ring Doorbell or Ring Cameras to record when motion is detected by the built in motion sensor on the Ring Spotlights.

We’ve found that the Ring Spotlights are great for providing additional security at doors and windows or lighting up a set of steps that might be hard to see at night.

It’s easy battery powered installation allows you to place the spotlights anywhere you want without worrying about running new electrical wiring.

May 27, 2019

Best Smart Plugs That Work With Alexa

May 27, 2019/ One Hour Smart Home/ James Both

Do you know what smart plugs work with Alexa? In this post we cover the best smart plugs that work with Alexa. We cover what Alexa is, what she can do and how you connect your smart plugs and smart devices to Alexa.

There is a wide variety of smart plugs that work with Alexa but they all work in slightly different ways. A smart plug allows you to control devices you would normally plug into a wall with a smart wifi device that can turn on or off the device remotely. People commonly use smart plugs to control lamps, fans and even coffee makers.

When your smart plug is connected to Alexa it will allow you to control the smart plug with smart voice commands like “Alexa, turn on the lights.” or “Alexa, turn off my night stand.”

Adding smart home Alexa voice control to your home is a true luxury and it’s easy to add smart plug control by just plugging in the smart plug setting it up and then connecting it to Alexa. It sounds too good to be true but it’s not, it’s really that simple. We teach you everything you need to know about smart plugs and how they can be used in your home for smart lighting control, fan or coffeemaker control with Alexa.

May 22, 2019

Best Smart Plugs That Work With Google Home

May 22, 2019/ One Hour Smart Home/ James Both

Do you know what smart plugs work with Google Home? In this post we cover the best smart plugs to use with Google Home. We cover what Google Home is, what it can do and how you connect your smart plugs and smart devices to Google Home.

There is a wide variety of smart plugs that work with Google Home but they all work in slightly different ways. A smart plug allows you to control devices you would normally plug into a wall with a smart wifi device that can turn on or off the device remotely. People commonly use smart plugs to control lamps, fans and even coffee makers.

When your smart plug is connected to Google Home it will allow you to control the smart plug with smart voice commands like “Ok Google, turn on the bedside lamps” or “Ok Google, turn on the family room lights”

Adding smart home Google Home voice control to your home is a true luxury and it’s easy to add smart plug control by just plugging in the smart plug setting it up and then connecting it to Google Home. It sounds too easy to be true but it’s not. We teach you everything you need to know about smart plugs and how they can be used in your home for smart lighting control, fan or coffeemaker control with Google Home.

May 20, 2019

Sonos Outdoor Speaker Review

May 20, 2019/ James Both

We review the Sonos by Sonance Outdoor speakers, how they function and how you can pair them with a Sonos Amp for great sound.

In our review of the Sonos Outdoor Speakers we review the features, sound quality and how to correctly wire your Sonos Outdoor by Sonance speakers. With the Sonos Outdoor speakers you can pair up to 6 speakers with a one Sonos Amp. With the Sonos Outdoor speakers paired withe the Sonos Amp you can stream music directly through your phone to the speakers or using integrated streaming services like Spotify to power the music on your Sonos Outdoor speakers. The system is airPlay compatible enabling native streaming through your iphone.

The sound quality on these speakers is amazing and we teach you how you can wire your home for these exceptional sounding outdoor Sonos speakers.

May 20, 2019

Best Smart Plugs That Work With HomeKit

May 20, 2019/ One Hour Smart Home/ James Both

We cover the best smart plugs that work with Apple Home Kit. If you are looking a smart wifi plugs that works with HomeKit you have come to the right place.

There is a wide variety of smart plugs that work with HomeKit but they all work in slightly different ways. A smart plug allows you to control devices you would normally plug into a wall with a smart wifi device that can turn on or off the device remotely. People commonly use smart plugs to control lamps, fans and even coffee makers.

When your smart plug is connected to HomeKit it will allow you to control the smart plug with smart voice commands like “Siri, turn on the bedside lamps” or “Siri, turn on the family room lights”

Adding smart home voice control to your home is a true luxury and it’s easy to add smart plug control by just plugging in the smart plug setting it up and then connecting it to HomeKit. It sounds too easy to be true but it’s not. We teach you everything you need to know about smart plugs and how they can be used in your home for smart lighting control, fan or coffeemaker control with HomeKit.

May 20, 2019

Does Echo Spot Work With Ring Doorbell?

May 20, 2019/ One Hour Smart Home/ James Both

Does Echo Spot work with the Ring Doorbell? Yes, and we teach you how to connect your Echo Spot to your Ring Doorbell so you can view the live streaming video from your Ring Doorbell on your Echo Spot.

Adding the Echo spot to a Ring Doorbell will increase the functionality of the Ring Doorbell and also allow you to use the Echo Spot as a remote chime for the Ring Doorbell.

The Echo Spot is a touch screen enabled voice assistant that allows to to stream the live video stream from your Ring Doorbell and Ring Cameras but also has a full suite of smart home voice command features.

To connect your Echo Spot to the Ring Doorbell you need to add the “Ring” Skill on the Alexa skills store to your Alexa account which will then enable live streaming of Ring Video on your Echo Spot.

The Echo Spot is a great addition to any smart home because of it’s small form factor, it’s full feature list and easy to use interface. Beyond viewing live streaming video on your Echo Spot you can also control other smart home devices with voice commands, play streaming music and check the weather all with voice commands, enabling touch free control of your home.

May 17, 2019

Ring Panic Button Review

May 17, 2019/ One Hour Smart Home/ James Both

We review the Ring Alarm Panic Button and how it can work to help you protect your home in the event of an emergency. The Ring Alarm Panic button works with the Ring Alarm System to allow you to instantly tigger your Ring Alarm system in the event of an emergency.

It’s a great way to quickly activate your alarm and deter potential intruders. When you have the Ring Panic button connected to the Ring Alarm System and you are subscribed to active monitoring it will automatically dispatch the Alarm monitoring center if the Ring Alarm panic button is pressed, so you know that help is on the way in the event of an emergency.

The Ring Panic button is a great addition to the lineup of sensors and features for the Ring Security System and adds to the already impressive functionality of the Ring Security System.

May 08, 2019

Does Nest Work With HomeKit?

May 08, 2019/ One Hour Smart Home/ James Both

Does Nest work with HomeKit? Yes and no. We explain how Nest works with your iPhone and what you can do do get Nest to work with HomeKit.

You don’t need HomeKit in order to to use your Nest on your iPhone. The main functionality that HomeKit add’s to smart devices is the ability to use Siri voice commands to control your smart devices like the Nest. But since the Nest is not a HomeKit certified device the Siri voice commands are disabled.

However you can still use your Nest with voice commands using Alexa or Google Home Assistant. There is also an iOS app that integrates with Siri and Nest to allow you voice control of Nest through Siri and will also allow you to control your Nest with voice through your Apple Watch.

May 07, 2019

List Of Chimes That Work With Ring Doorbell

May 07, 2019/ One Hour Smart Home/ James Both

We provide you with a list of doorbell chimes that work with Ring. The Ring Smart

Doorbell works with several different types of doorbell chimes including mechanical chimes, wireless chimes, Alexa and electronic chimes.

We give you a clickable list of doorbells that work with the Ring Doorbell so you can find the right doorbell chime and style that will work in your home with your Ring Doorbell.

We highly recommend using a mechanical chime, wifi chime or Alexa as a chime with your Ring Doorbell as we have found these to be the most reliable chime options for the Ring doorbell.

Using the Ring Wifi Chime or Alexa as a chime allows you to add doorbell chime compatibility without any additional installation or wiring. Just plug in the Ring Chime or Alexa and set it up through the Ring app to begin using it as a doorbell chime.

May 06, 2019

Best Smart Lock For Airbnb

May 06, 2019/ One Hour Smart Home/ James Both

We cover the best smart lock for Airbnb and how it will make managing your Airbnb even easier. You might already have a smart lock installed on your airbnb or maybe you are considering getting a new smart lock for your Airbnb.

There are plenty of smart lock options for your airbnb but there are only a few that will actually automate the process of assigning smart lock codes directly from Airbnb to your guests. Don’t make the mistake of getting a subpar smart lock for your Airbnb, get the best smart lock that will make managing your airbnb easy and provide easy reliable access for your guests.

I installed my first smart lock on our Airbnb about 5 years ago and it worked ok, but smart lock technology has significantly improved since then and there are smart locks that will directly integrate with HomeAway and Airbnb to allow full smart lock integration with Airbnb.

Here’s our list of the best smart locks for Airbnb

May 04, 2019

What TV's Work With Google Home?

May 04, 2019/ One Hour Smart Home/ James Both

What TV’s Work With Google Home? We cover all of the best TV’s that work with Google Home and what you can do if your TV doesn’t have Google Home compatibility built in.

Sony and LG are the leaders for TV’s that have built in Google Home and Google Assistant compatibility . To control your smart Sony or LG TV with Google Home and your voice all you need is a compatible Google Home device like the Google Home Mini.

Once your Google Home device is connected to your smart TV that works with Google Home you can control it with voice commands to turn up or down the volume, turn on or off the TV and request your favorite show.

If you want to upgrade your existing TV to work with Google Home, you can get a Google Chromecast Device that will work with TV’s that have an HDMI port and allow you to control your TV with your voice. The Google Chromecast Ultra has 4K resolution and will also allow you to access Hulu, Netflix and other streaming services.

Overall the Sony & LG TV’s work with Google Home and provide a great value to future proof your TV with Google Home built in. Hisense and TCL also make TV’s that work with Google Home built in and provide a good value for TV’s under 65” these newer smart TV companies don’t have the long history of Sony and LG but have proven to be reliable in their short tenure.

If you want a larger TV 65” + that works with Google Home you should stick with the Sony and LG as both of these brands make massive TV’s some of which are even bigger than 80”

May 02, 2019

Best Google Home Smart Locks

May 02, 2019/ One Hour Smart Home/ James Both

We cover the best smart locks that work with Google Home to enable voice control of your smart lock. using google home.

Yale x Nest Smart Lock - This smart lock works with Google Home to enable remote control with your voice. Nest is a division of Google which means the integration between the Nest Smart lock and Google Home are seamless. This is smart lock is easy to use and allows you to check the status of the lock and remotely lock it with your voice. What is great about this lock is that it offers maximum control flexibility with a keypad, phone app control, or voice control.
Yale August Smart Lock - This Google Home enable smart lock combines all the features of well known smart features of August locks with the reliability of a Yale lock. The Yale August smart lock has a touch screen, remote control and scheduling and works with Google Home, Alexa and Siri voice assistants. It is a versitile smart lock that will preform a wide variety of smart functions when connected to Google Home.
August Lock Pro - These smart locks have been around a long time and have proven to be a great lock that allows you to re-use your existing door hardware without needing to completely install a new lock. The August smart lock bolts on to the back of your existing door hardware making it the perfect smart lock for renters of condos. You can stealthy install this smart lock and your neighbors will never even know you have a smart lock on your door.

If you are in the market for a smart lock that works with Google Home these are the best google home smart locks. I’ve had a smart lock installed on my home for years and it has made my life easier by no longer needing to take keys with me on short errands, walks with my dog or when I go for a run.

Smart locks that work with Google Home will allow you to control you’re smart lock from your phone but they will also allow you to control your smart lock using Google Home and Google assistant voice commands to lock your door by saying “Ok, Google lock my door.”

A Google Home smart lock is a great way to upgrade your front door to allow full remote access, manage user codes and track the history of who has entered your house.

May 01, 2019

What transformer should I use with The Ring Doorbell Pro?

May 01, 2019/ One Hour Smart Home Team

Learn what transformers you can use that are compatible with the Ring Pro Video Doorbell. We teach you what you need to know to identify the voltage of your existing doorbell transformer and what tools to use to upgrade your transformer to be compatible with the Ring Pro Doorbell. The Ring Pro Doorbell requires that the transformer supply between 16-24V AC to function properly. Depending on your existing doorbell setup you will need to upgrade to a 16V-30VA transformer or a 24V-40VA transformer for the Ring Doorbell Pro. www.onehoursmarthome.com

April 30, 2019

How to control your nest smart lock with voice using google home.

April 30, 2019/ James Both

How to control your nest smart lock with voice, using google home and google assistant. We teach you how to set up and control your nest x yale smart lock using voice commands and a google home or google home mini device. If you have a nest smart lock you can follow the the simple formula we provide to lock your front door with your voice. We also provide a video guide showing you how to connect the nest smart lock to google voice. Even if you don’t have a google home mini you can still set up your nest x yale smart lock to be controlled with voice using google assistant on your smart home. With our guide you will learn how to set up the nest smart lock so you can say “Ok, google lock my door” and like magic you nest smart lock will engage and lock with just the sound of your voice.

April 25, 2019

Best HomeKit Smart Locks

April 25, 2019/ One Hour Smart Home/ James Both

We cover the best HomeKit compatible smart locks and how they can be used in your smart home.

Yale Assure Connected By August (Keyed)
Yale Assure Connected By August (Keyless)
Schlage Sense Smart Deadbolt
August Lock Pro

If you are in the market for a smart lock that works with HomeKit there are several options that will provide the best user experience, easy installation and great compatibility with Siri and HomeKit. I’ve had a smart lock installed on my home for years and it has made my life easier by no longer needing to take keys with me on short errands, walks with my dog or when I go for a run.

Smart locks that work with HomeKit will allow you to control you’re smart lock from your phone but they will also allow you to control your smart lock using homeKit and Siri voice commands to lock or unlock your door by saying “Siri, lock my door”

A HomeKit enabled smart lock is a great way to upgrade your front door to allow full remote access, manage user codes and track the history of who has entered your house.

April 22, 2019

Best HomeKit Thermostats

April 22, 2019/ One Hour Smart Home/ James Both

We review the best home kit thermostat for your smart home. Adding a smart thermostat that is compatible with HomeKit will allow you to use your Siri on your phone to control your HomeKit compatible thermostat with your voice.

You can say things like “Siri set the heat to 70 degrees” to control your thermostat without the need to touch your thermostat.

There is a large number of smart thermostats that work with HomeKit but there are a few that provide exceptional features, simplicity and great design. We cover the best HomeKit smart thermostats as well as provide the full list of smart thermostats that are compatible with HomeKit and Siri.

In our review we found the Ecobee and Sensi Thermostats to be the best HomekIt thermostats, also followed by Mysa smart thermostats which provides great HomeKit control for high voltage electric baseboard heating systems.

If you are looking for a smart home thermostat that is compatible with HomeKit our guide should help you make the right decision on the best HomeKit Thermostat for you.

April 18, 2019

Nest Lock Won't Fit, Nest Lock Won't Work, How To Fix and Install Your Nest x Yale Lock

April 18, 2019/ One Hour Smart Home/ James Both

We teach you how to install a Nest x Yale smart lock that won’t fit. We cover the most common issues people run into when trying to install a Nest x Yale smart lock and solutions on how to get your Nest smart lock to work.

Installing a Nest lock is a great way to add security and connivence to your home but many people run into issues when installing their nest lock. Sometimes the existing deadbolt hole is too small for the nest lock, but we cover an easy way to enlarge the hole with two tools.

Other people run into issues when they attempt to close the door and the Nest x Yale lock wont latch. But don’t worry that’s an easy fix also. We teach you how to get your Nest x Yale smart lock latching smoothly every time.

We empower you with the tools and supplies you need to get your Nest smart lock installed the right way and how to troubleshoot your Nest smart lock installation.

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