logo
This New Smart Lock From Yale Pairs With Video Doorbells in Ways I Haven't Seen Before

This New Smart Lock From Yale Pairs With Video Doorbells in Ways I Haven't Seen Before

CNET4 days ago

Google Nest and Yale partnered before on the Nest x Yale smart lock, so I wasn't surprised to see the spring announcement of a new lock from Yale designed to work even more closely with Nest products, especially the Nest Doorbell, a personal favorite of mine. Called the Yale Smart Lock with Matter, it's now available for $190.
The Matter standard gives the new lock compatibility with platforms like Apple Home and Alexa, but the real value lies in its connections to the Nest Doorbell. Not only does the new oval design look a bit like the doorbell itself, but users can operate the lock directly from the Doorbell video feed, like if they get an app alert and see a family member has stopped by. It reminds me a bit of the Yale/Nest compatibility with the ADT Plus app, but you don't need a security system or extra app this time, just Google Home.
Yale's new smart lock is a great option for Nest users.
Yale
Even without the Nest Doorbell compatibility, the Yale Smart Lock with Matter gets plenty of expected smart lock features, including remote control, notifications about lock activity, autolocking, and the ability to set up literally hundreds of guest profiles and codes if necessary. The lock also has a vacation mode that turns off the keypad if the house won't be accessed for a while.
Matter technology promises to give the Yale Lock a lengthy battery life of up to 12 months. Of course, I'll have to test it for an extended period of time to get a better idea of that part, but provide any noteworthy updates. For now, if you're a Google Nest fan, then you should consider picking this lock up -- or maybe wait for Amazon Prime Day(s) to see if it goes on sale.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

AI is rewiring the next generation of children
AI is rewiring the next generation of children

The Hill

time9 hours ago

  • The Hill

AI is rewiring the next generation of children

Much of the public discourse around artificial intelligence has focused, understandably, on its potential to fundamentally alter the workforce. But we must pay equal attention to AI's threat to fundamentally alter humanity — particularly as it continues to creep, unregulated, into early childhood. AI may feel like a developing force largely disconnected from the way we raise children. The truth is, AI is already impacting children's developing brains in profound ways. 'Alexa' now appears in babies' first vocabularies. Toddlers increasingly expect everyday objects to respond to voice commands — and grow frustrated when they don't. And now, one of the world's largest toy companies has launched a 'strategic' partnership with OpenAI. Research shows that children as young as three can form social bonds with artificial conversational agents that closely resemble the ones they develop with real people. The pace of industry innovation far outstrips the speed of research and regulation. And our kids' wellbeing is not at the center of these inventions. Consider Meta's chatbots, capable of engaging in sexually explicit exchanges — including while posing as minors — which are available to users of all ages. Or Google's plans to launch an AI chatbot for children under 13, paired with a toothless disclaimer: 'Your child may encounter content you don't want them to see.' Now, with the Senate negotiating a budget bill that would outright ban states from regulating AI for the next decade, parents stand to be left alone to navigate yet another grand social experiment conducted on their children — this time with graver circumstances than we've yet encountered. As a pediatric physician and researcher who studies the science of brain development, I've watched with alarm as the pace of AI deployment outstrips our understanding of its effects. Nowhere is that more risky than in early childhood, when the brain is most vulnerable to outside influence. We simply do not yet know the impact of introducing young brains to responsive AI. The most likely outcome is that it offers genuine benefits alongside unforeseen risks; risks as severe as the fundamental distortion of children's cognitive development. This double-edged sword may sound familiar to anyone versed in the damage that social media has wrought on a generation of young people. Research has consistently identified troubling patterns in adolescent brain development associated with extensive technology use, such as changes in attention networks, reward processing pathways similar to behavioral dependencies, and impaired face-to-face social skill development. Social media offered the illusion of connection, but left many adolescents lonelier and more anxious. Chatbot 'friends' may follow the same arc — only this time, the cost isn't just emotional detachment, but a failure to build the capacity for real connection in the first place. What's at stake for young children is even more profound. Infants and young children aren't just learning to navigate human connection like teenagers, they're building their very capacity for it. The difference is crucial: Teenagers' social development was altered by technology; young children's social development could be hijacked by it. To be clear, I view some of AI's potential with optimism and hope, frankly, for the relief they might provide to new, overburdened parents. As a pediatric surgeon specializing in cochlear implantation, I believe deeply in the power of technology to bolster the human experience. The wearable smart monitor that tracks an infant's every breath and movement might allow a new mom with postpartum anxiety to finally get the sleep she desperately needs. The social robot that is programmed to converse with a toddler might mean that child receives two, five or ten times the language interaction he could ever hope to receive from his loving but overextended caretakers. And that exposure might fuel the creation of billions of new neural connections in his developing brain, just as serve-and-return exchanges with adults are known to. But here's the thing: It might not. It might not help wire the brain at all. Or, even worse, it might wire developing brains away from connecting at all to another human. We might not even notice what's being displaced at first. I have no trouble believing that some of these tools, with their perfect language models and ideally timed engagements, will, in fact, help children learn and grow — perhaps even faster than before. But with each interaction delegated to AI, with each moment of messy human connection replaced by algorithmic efficiency, we're unknowingly altering the very foundations of how children learn to be human. This is what keeps me up at night. My research has helped me understand just how profoundly important attachment is to the developing brain. In fact, the infant brain has evolved over millennia to learn from the imperfect, emotionally rich dance of human interaction: the microsecond delays in response, the complex layering of emotional and verbal communication that occurs in even the simplest parent-child exchange. These inefficiencies aren't bugs in childhood development, they're the features that build empathy and resilience. It is safe to say the stakes are high. Navigating this next period of history will require parents to exercise thoughtful discernment. Rather than making a single, binary choice about AI's role in their lives and homes, parents will navigate hundreds of smaller decisions. My advice for parents is this: Consider those technologies that bolster adult-child interactions. Refuse, at least for the time being, those that replace you. A smart crib that analyzes sleep patterns and suggests the optimal bedtime, leading to happier evenings with more books and snuggles? Consider it! An interactive teddy bear that does the bedtime reading for you? Maybe not. But parents need more than advice. Parents need, and deserve, coordinated action. That means robust, well-funded research into AI's effects on developing brains. It means regulation that puts child safety ahead of market speed. It means age restrictions, transparency in data use, and independent testing before these tools ever reach a nursery or classroom. Every time we replace a human with AI, we risk rewiring how a child relates to the world. And the youngest minds — those still building the scaffolding for empathy, trust and connection—are the most vulnerable of all. The choices we make now will determine whether AI becomes a transformative gift to human development, or its most profound threat. Dana Suskind, MD, is the founder and co-director of the TMW Center for Early Learning + Public Health; founding director of the Pediatric Cochlear Implant Program; and professor of surgery and pediatrics at the University of Chicago.

Are smart blinds worth it?
Are smart blinds worth it?

Tom's Guide

timea day ago

  • Tom's Guide

Are smart blinds worth it?

Just about everything in your home can be made "smart" these days, from lights to locks, even your refrigerator and oven. Like other smart home devices, smart blinds are window shades and blinds that can be controlled using an app on your phone, or through a smart assistant like Alexa or Google Home. But, what are their benefits, and are they worth the cost over traditional blinds? Here are three benefits — and three drawbacks — of smart blinds, to help you decide if they're right for you. There are a few potential benefits for smart blinds: Accessibility and safety: If someone has trouble operating blinds manually, smart blinds can be opened or closed using voice commands, through a remote control, or via an app. And, because smart blinds don't have pullstrings, they don't represent a choking hazard like traditional blinds do. Convenience: Smart blinds can be programmed to operate on a schedule, so that they open and close at set times during the day. For instance, you can create a smart home routine where your blinds automatically open when your phone's alarm goes off, and automatically close when you start your bedtime routine. Energy saving: When paired with other smart home sensors, such as smart thermostats, smart blinds can be set to automatically close during hot summer days, or if the temperature increases to a certain level, to help keep your house cool. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. A perfect addition to your smart home, these blinds provide privacy at the touch of a button. They're great for hard-to-reach windows, and you can customize their timing through the free Hubspace app. Want to wake up with sunlight streaming in? Want to make sure your shades are drawn while you're on vacation? All these options are simple and programmable, making your day-to-day even more functional They're not cheap. While they are starting to come down in price, smart blinds are still much more expensive than comparable traditional blinds. Even for the least expensive smart blinds, you can expect to pay at least twice as much as you would for regular blinds. The cost goes up even further if you need custom blinds in a specific size. And, when you consider that most rooms have at least two windows, you're looking at a significant investment if you want to use them throughout your house. They don't come in a lot of styles. Because they're relatively new, most manufacturers only offer smart blinds and shades in a limited number of styles, designs, and colors compared to traditional blinds. However, more options are being added every year. You might have trouble using them if the power goes out. Because smart blinds and shades require electricity — both in their operation and smart-home connectivity — if you have a power outage, you may not be able to open or close your blinds. If this is a concern, look for smart blinds that run on battery power, and can connect directly to a remote control.

The three things you need to look for when buying a smart lock
The three things you need to look for when buying a smart lock

Tom's Guide

timea day ago

  • Tom's Guide

The three things you need to look for when buying a smart lock

When it comes to buying one of the best smart locks, consumers are now spoiled for choice. There are now hundreds of different models on the market, starting at prices ranging from $100. But before you go off and buy the first model you see, there are a few things you need to take into consideration. The majority of smart locks are designed to replace the deadbolt on your door. In most cases, this means completely removing the deadbolt and swapping it with the smart lock. However, if you want to continue to use the same keys as before, you should look for a smart lock that only swaps out the interior portion of the lock (August's smart lock is a prime example of this). While this means you won't get such things as a keypad or fingerprint reader — unless they're available as separate accessories — you can keep using the lock as you did before you made it "smart." This may seem a bit silly at first, but one of the advantages of smart locks is that they offer multiple ways for you to enter your home. It'll be up for you to decide which you method - or methods - you want. Here are a few of the more popular entry methods. A smart lock is one of the easiest upgrades you can get for your home. No more fretting about forgetting keys or accidentally locking someone out. You can unlock your door with your unique code or the free Hubspace app. Need to let your house sitter in while you're on vacation? Give them a temporary passcode or let them in with the app. It's simple but secure. Unless your entire smart home will consist of a smart lock, you'll also want to consider how that lock will work with your other smart home devices. For example, when connected via a smart home hub, you can program your smart lights to automatically turn on when you unlock your door, or have your smart thermostat adjust its temperature down when you lock your door to leave your house. If that's your aim, then you want to make sure your smart lock works with one of the major smart home platforms — Alexa, Google Home, Apple Home, or Samsung SmartThings. Otherwise, you may have difficulty in getting all your smart home devices to talk to each other. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store