On the hardware front, you can use an old smartphone with a working mic and speaker to use the Home Assistant Companion app ...

Alexa. Alexa. Alexa. It can be tiring calling on Amazon's virtual assistant for every command to turn on a variety of smart home devices in succession. But did you know you can set up Alexa routines ...

The Amazon smart plug controls the flow of electricity to whatever you plug into it: This means that any device that has a physical on/off switch can be controlled by Alexa: Your coffee maker can ...