Skip to main content

Skylink Group’s Nova smart garage door controller syncs with Amazon Alexa

From the connected oven in your kitchen to the talking dryer in your laundry room, just about every corner of your home has entered the 21st century. Your garage, on the other hand, may seem a few decades behind. Sure, it houses your decidedly modern cars (perhaps those are connected as well), but for the most part, it seems as though smart home technology hasn’t quite made it to that area of property. Skylink Group, however, is looking to change that. At CES 2018, the company debuted the Nova, a Wi-Fi enabled, universal garage door controller said to sync across all connected home accessories, and be compatible with Amazon Alexa.

Perhaps the most appealing thing about the Nova is that you ought to be able to retrofit it directly onto most garage door controllers in existence, which means you won’t need to rewire your entire home simply to add this one smart home accessory to the mix. Simply access the SkylinkNet iOS or Android app, and get to work pairing it with the controller you’re used to using.

Recommended Videos

From there, you’ll be able to remotely open or close your garage door using the Skylink app. Nova is also compatible with the If This Then That (IFTTT) platform and Alexa Voice Services, which means you can control your garage door and a host of other connected devices all at once, and using your voice.

The Nova itself doubles as an LED light fixture, and claims to detect alarms from smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in your home. Anytime one of these alarms sounds, Nova will automatically open your garage door to aid in ventilation in the case of an emergency.

Promising minimal wiring for an efficient and safe installation and setup process, the Nova seeks to fit quite seamlessly into any garage.

“With the Nova, we are providing homeowners with a smart hub that can control a majority of smart home accessories on the market, while offering an added safety solution to ensure the safety of families across the globe,” said Skylink Group president Gallen Tsui. “The built-in sound detector will revolutionize the way we view the smart home — what was once an extraneous function of the home will now be considered an essential.”

Nova will sell for $100 when it becomes available at the Skylink website in spring 2018.

Lulu Chang
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
Baracoda shows off first smart mirror for mental wellness at CES 2024
The BMind smart mirror installed in a bathroom.

Baracoda may not be as well-known as other smart home brands like Wyze and iRobot, but the health tech company had one of the coolest product reveals at CES 2024 with the BMind Smart Mirror. Designed to improve your mental wellness by identifying your mood and managing stress with AI, the unique product walked away from the show with a 2024 CES Innovation Award.

BMind uses generative AI and natural language processing to determine the user's mood before suggesting various exercises like guided meditation or self-affirmations. Put simply, it'll try to determine your needs based on your voice, posture, and other observable factors. The end goal is to help improve your mood using a variety of exercises, lights, sounds, and visuals -- all of which are carried on board in the mirror.

Read more
This $4,000 smart door comes packing a Ring video doorbell and Yale smart lock
The Masonite Smart Door installed on a home.

Smart home gadgets span a wide range of categories. From video doorbells and robot vacuums to outdoor cameras and smart speakers, smart gadgets can be found in all corners of the modern home. Now, thanks to Home Depot, you can now snag the first residential smart door -- and it features a built-in Yale smart lock and Ring video doorbell.

Before you rush out to your local Home Depot, it’s worth noting that this futuristic smart door comes with a hefty price tag of $4,000. Multiple styles are available, including two different sizes and additional sidelites, and depending on your configuration, its price can balloon to an eye-watering $7,000.

Read more
GE Lighting launches Smart Hexagon Panels with support for Alexa and Google Home
The GE Lighting Smart Hexagon Panels installed in a game room.

Cync by GE Lighting has officially launched the Dynamic Effects Smart Hexagon Panels, making it the latest member of the ever-growing Dynamic Effects family. Compatible with both Alexa and Google Home, the panels are designed to offer a highly programmable lighting solution for home theaters, game rooms, or anywhere else in your home that might benefit from a pop of color.

The Hexagon Panels clock in at $190 for a pack of 10 -- putting them above similar products from Govee and other lighting brands. However, the GE Lighting panels are well specced, featuring 16 million colors, six controllable zones within each hexagon, and directional control for music and light shows. If you don’t want to create your own light shows, you can choose from a list of pre-built options.

Read more