Being able to control your home's lights from your phone can be useful. Lights can be switched on or off from your bed, for example, or set to come on when you arrive home. Now, Switchmate is offering this functionality without the need for new fittings and wiring like, say, the WeMo Light Switch.

"Smart products are supposed to make our lives simpler, but their set-up alone is often needlessly complicated," says Switchmate founder Daniel Peng. "And for those of us who don't own property, those installation processes aren't just complicated, they're impossible."

Peng says that Switchmate aims to provide users with the convenience of a connected home without the hassle of a complicated installation process. The device is a cover that snaps onto an existing light switch magnetically. It is compatible with either US toggle or rocker switches and contains a motor that will flick the switch when activated.

Connected lightbulbs like the Philips Hue and Emberlight can offer a similar, simple means of achieving smart lighting functionality. They are, however, more expensive than standard bulbs and ultimately will still need to be replaced.

Once a Switchmate has been placed onto a light switch, users can tap the device to switch the light on or off, or they can control it using a companion Android or iOS app on their smartphone. Lights can be controlled without having to move over to the switch, can be scheduled to come on and off when users are on holiday and to come on when users are detected arriving home.

The device connects to the app via Bluetooth, meaning users must be nearby in order to control the device, schedule it to switch lights on or off at certain times or change its settings. An optional Logitech Harmony Hub can also be added that allows users to control the device from anywhere, with the company hoping to develop their own hub in the future.

Switchmate is coming to the end of a successful crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo. At the time of writing, users can pledge from US$45 to receive a Switchmate device. Assuming all goes to plan with the campaign and roll-out, the devices are expected to start being shipped from December of this year.

The video below provides an introduction to Switchmate.

Sources: Switchmate, Indiegogo

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Switchmate gives smart light bulbs the flick

By Jack Pickell @pacmanjack

Boston.com Staff | 03.26.15 | 12:53 PM

It started out as a pretty normal Tuesday for Francois Charlotin Jr.

The Fall River-based electrician was called to inspect a home in the Boston suburb of Milton for a wiring issue. He arrived to see a simple-looking white house with some snow on the roof and plenty more melting on the lawn.

And then the day got interesting.

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Cutting into a ceiling while tracing a wire away from a light switch, he discovered that it led into a plastic jug filled with liquid.

I said, This doesnt look right, said Charlotin, 47. It went from being an electrical issue to something else.

He told the homeowner, who told police. The Boston Police bomb unit determined that the liquid was an accelerant rigged to ignite once a light switch was flipped.

The same switch Charlotin was checking on.

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Meet the Electrician Who Kept a Milton Home From Exploding

MILTON, Mass.

An electrician in Massachusetts came across a chilling discovery when inspecting a home that was for sale: the house was wired to explode.

The chief of police in Milton stated that the explosive device was designed to cause significant destruction after the previous tenants had moved out.

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It is those tenants that are suspected of setting up the device which would go off when a certain light switch, which was connected to a jug of accelerant, was turned on.

"The switch sets off a spark and the gas explodes, the police chief explains, whoever flipped the switch, once the power was back on, would have no idea they were doing it."

Thankfully, the power to the home had been shut off after the house hadnt passed inspection.

The bomb squad took several hours to disable the wiring that spanned multiple rooms.

The people who had set up the explosive device took care to try to hide the bomb, concealing it behind a newly plastered closet wall.

The previous tenants, who moved out last week, are also suspected of pouring concrete down the drains of the home.

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Electrician finds home wired to explode during inspection

Dirty Electricity on Digipan
Electricity in your home wiring isn #39;t pure AC! http://www.sciencewriter.net.

By: Stan Gibilisco

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Dirty Electricity on Digipan - Video

French Electrical - Auckland
http://www.frenchelectrical.co.nz 09 274 8082 25 Sir William Ave, East Tamaki, Auckland With a team of Electricians in Auckland, we specialize in residential and industrial/commercial electrical...

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French Electrical - Auckland - Video

At least three decades of a Detroit family lived in the home. Now, after 40 years, leaks and cracks have caused major damage to the roof, walls, and even the foundation. But the family is banding together hoping you can lend a hand.

Oscar Edwards was born mentally disabled and the house is the only one he's ever known. For Faatima Evans, moving just isn't an option.

"It's all he knows. There is no where else my uncle has lived."

Evans says 66-year-old Oscar has the mental capacity of a child and depends on the comfort of his childhood home on Petoskey in Detroit. He grew up there and lived with his brothers at the home until last year when they passed away.

"When our uncles passed away, he refused to go. He wasn't leaving the house, period," Evans said.

While he may not want to leave the house, may not get a choice. Last summer's record rains caused major flooding throughout the house. It was so bad, Edwards' nephew and caretaker, Solomon Bryant, was concerned the state would remove Oscar.

"The first thing I thought about was my uncle," Solomon said. "I didn't want them to take him or anything like that. I want to take care of him."

As luck would have it, most of the damage was in Oscar's room; the one he had for almost his entire life. It's being gutted to the studs and now will have to be redone from the ceiling to the floor.

The damage was overwhelming. Evans finally got inside and found the roof was caved in and holes in the ceiling. But it wasn't all because of the flood. The home needed new plumbing and wiring plus the porch and stairs were too dangerous to walk on.

She knew she had to ask for help.

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Help for Uncle Oscar needed to stay in home of 40 years

LOS ANGELES - Mr. T pities the fool who doesn't know the first thing about home renovation.

"You can't just knock down everything, There might be electrical wiring. There might be a gap open," he cautioned during a recent phone interview. "You have to take your time. You have to scout things out. If you do the wrong thing, it's going to be a disaster."

Once known as one of Hollywood's tough guys, the one-time bouncer and mohawked member of TV's "The A Team" will show a tender side as he helps people in need redo kitchens and living rooms as part of a new show on Scripps Networks' DIY. "I Pity The Tool" is the latest in a growing series of programs on the cable network that place celebrities in the midst of tricky home repairs and remodels.

Daryl Hall, Vanilla Ice and William Shatner are among the famous folk who have come to DIY to show off their skills in taking homes apart and rebuilding them. And the network has good reason to supplement fare like "Rescue Renovation" and "Rehab Addict," said Kathleen Finch, president of Scripps' home-category networks HGTV, DIY and Great American Country. "We are bringing people to the network for reasons other than just watching a demolition or a construction project," she said.

The celebrity method has popped up in other parts of the Scripps empire as well. Valerie Bertinelli has been spotted in Food Network's daytime lineup, while programming featuring rapper Rev Run and actress Jennie Garth has been featured on DIY or HGTV. Scripps has gained a reputation for turning chefs and home-arts experts into stars, but the company has also realized it stands to gain by making use of people whose fame is already established.

See More:William Shatner To Star In Home Renovation Series For DIY

When viewers tune in Mr. T's new program, the first episode of which is slated to debut in 2015, they will also get something else: a sentimental tale. The pilot will show Mr. T. helping out an old associate, a man whom Mr. T visited when the guy was a teenager and had broken his neck while playing in the snow (the man is back on his feet again, with a large family). Future episodes, slated for 2016, are expected to also show Mr. T. lending a hand to people who need it, like military veterans or people going through hard times.

"I am tough, but deep inside my toughness, I like to let people know I'm an old-fashioned mama's boy," said Mr. T, who has spent recent years working on commercials, a short-lived reality series on Viacom's TV Land and a book. "I have a heart of gold, but I'm really a marshmallow in my heart."

Scripps and DIY are set to unveil the series as part of the company's presentation for the "upfront" market, when U.S. TV networks try to sell the bulk of their advertising for the coming programming season. The celebrity series, said Finch, helped the network grow its ratings among its target audience, people between 25 and 54, more than 8% in 2014.

"These people have built-in fan bases that come to see their heroes do things that they didn't really know they could," she said.

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'I Pity The Tool': Mr. T to star in home renovation series

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. -

A federal judge ruled Wednesday that a St. Johns County husband and wife arrested for growing marijuana in their home can go back to their home to collect their belongings.

Scott and Marsha Yandell took the county to court, claiming the county irreparably harmed them by not allowing them into their homeafter they were arrested in February. Deputies said four dozen marijuana plants were found growing in their home.

The Yandells have not been allowed back in their home since investigators found their large marijuana growing operation.

The attorney for St. Johns County argued earlier this week that the home was a manufacturing facility for illegal drugs. She also argued the couple had an electrician go into the house to alter the wiring to accommodate their grow operation.

The Yandells said St. Johns County was illegally keeping them from their home and that they have the legal right to use medical marijuana.

Judge Marcia Howard agreed Wednesday, giving the Yandells a temporary restraining order against St. Johns County and saying the county has to allow the Yandells to access the property for 14 days at most. The ruling essentially said the county did not follow its procedures in barring the Yandells from the home.

After the 14 days, the restraining order expires and the county can move forward with whatever it wants to do with the home. It's possible it will be demolished.

The county has a hearing on the issue on March 23.

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Yandells took St. Johns County to court over medical marijuana dispute

MOUNT CARMEL - Faulty wiring sparked the four-alarm fire Monday that burned through seven homes on South Walnut Street, according to investigators.

Meanwhile, James Reed Sr., a borough police chief who went into cardiac arrest while fighting the devastating fire, may return home today.

Borough police Lt. Chris Buhay, Mount Carmel's fire investigator, said the fire originated in a first-floor living room wall shared by 215-217 S. Walnut St., and that it was accidental.

"It wasn't an outlet," Buhay said Tuesday. "It was wiring."

Those homes are a total loss, Buhay said, adding that it's likely neighboring homes at 213 and 219 S. Walnut also are destroyed.

The properties at 211, 215, 217 and 223 S. Walnut were insured. Tenants of the latter two did not, however, have renter's insurance, Buhay said. Uninsured were 213 and 219 S. Walnut, both vacant, along with 221 S. Walnut.

The fire was reported to 9-1-1 about 11:40 a.m. Monday. First responders

from five counties manned more than 50 emergency vehicles. It took nearly four hours to extinguish the blaze. Thirteen people were displaced.

An investigation began Monday shortly after the fire was extinguished, and resumed at 9 a.m. Tuesday. Buhay was joined by Trooper Kirk Renn, a state police fire marshal, Mount Carmel Township Fire Marshal Brian Hollenbush and Mount Carmel Borough Fire Chief Daniel Cimino.

'Barrage of fire'

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Faulty wiring blamed for Mount Carmel fire; injured chief may be home today

It is impressive to hear Steven Snider rattle off a list of all the things he can control from his iPhone: the ventilation in his garage, the music streaming to speakers in multiple rooms of his home, every light, the TV, the thermostat, even the Blu-Ray player in the guest house.

But Snider, who turned his century-old Newton home into a fully connected house during a major 2012 renovation, had no special knowledge before beginning the project.

Im not as tech savvy as it sounds, Snider, who was profiled in Boston Globe Magazine in 2013, said. This works just like any other iPhone app. You push a button and it brings you to the next menu, you select what you want to do and it brings you to the next menu, and youre done.

Sniders house runs the Control4 automated home system, which New England-based firm simpleHome installed and maintains. Both companies are championing a whole-house system, fully integrated with a homeowners smartphone or iPad, as a way to finally bring connected home technology into the mainstream.

Greg Premru

Connected, or smart, homes have been a long time coming. Bill Gatess mansion made news in 1997 for having a series of televisions that displayed artwork according to his guests preferences by communicating with a special pin each person wore.

The Internet of things, the network of physical objects injected with software and able to communicate with each other, has been adopted slowly by the general population.

In 2014, the Consumer Electronics Association found only 3 percent of homeowners had a smart thermostat, like the Nest. Of the people who didnt own one, 61 percent said they never expected to.

The most familiar products bringing the Internet of things into our homes ask homeowners to take a DIY approach to installation.

Ever installed a light fixture? Nests website asks. Then you shouldnt have any trouble with Nest. In fact, 99% of the people who installed Nest themselves would do it again.

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Can Comprehensive Smart Home Systems Go Mainstream?