On paper, Iris by Lowe's handled the transition from the first to the second generation of the company's smart home system well. Iris took note of the problems with generation one, and promised faster response time, easier device pairing, and more robust app controls. The company even offered existing customers a free upgrade to the $60 next-gen hub along with a migration tool to help with the transition.Take a look at the comments in the iOS app store, in Google's Play store, or even on the new hub's page on Lowe's site (at the bottom of this page, too) and you'll notice lots of customers unhappy with the upgrade. The migration tool wasn't ready at launch, and the second-gen system wasn't fully compatible with all first gen devices. Lots of customization options were lost in translation. Many of these details have been added back in through updates since the second-gen launched in November, but customers who relied on a web interface instead of the app to interact with the system are still out of luck.

Transition issues aside, Lowe's Iris generation two doesn't hold up on its own merits as a good smart-home system. It is more responsive, but using the app is tedious and counterintuitive. Some pieces of hardware don't work consistently. Worse, you still have to pay a $10 monthly fee just to use some of the basic features of the system. Wink, SmartThings and Insteon all have similar features for free, and all are a better buy than the second generation Lowe's Iris system right now. For the review process, I primarily looked at the devices contained with the $130 Iris Automation Pack -- the hub, two contact sensors to detect when a door opens and closes, a smart outlet you can use to automate a lamp or anything else with a plug, a button you can map to rules or use as a panic button, and a motion sensor. The $60 hub has antennas for ZigBee, Z-Wave and Bluetooth wireless radios -- covering the bases for typical smart-home connection standards. In theory, Iris should be widely compatible with third party devices.

You plug it into your router so you can control your devices from anywhere over Wi-Fi. And it uses four AA batteries as a backup in case power goes down -- Lowe's has on optional cellular backup plan for $5 a month so you can access the system even when your router is offline. installing an ac unit sidewaysOther first party Lowe's devices include a garage door controller, a range extender, an indoor and outdoor camera, a keypad and a water sensor. split system ac traneThe hub works with third party devices like GE plugs, First Alert smoke detectors, Honeywell thermostats, Osram lights and locks from Schlage, Yale, and Kwikset. lg ac unit fault codesIn all, it's a lineup competitive with SmartThings, Wink, and Insteon. Though Wink and SmartThings get lots of additional interoperability via integration with IFTTT -- the online rule maker.

Iris doesn't have that. and in Lowe's retail outlets. Lowe's Iris only officially supports the US, but according to the company, does have customers using the system overseas. The price of the hub converts to approximately £40 and AU$80 for our readers in the UK and Australia respectively. The $130 Automation Pack converts to £90 and AU$170. The $100 Security pack costs roughly £70 and AU$130. With the first generation, we were annoyed by how little you could do with the app. For the most part, you needed to control the system with the Web interface. That isn't a problem anymore. Anything you control with Lowe's Iris, you control via the app. In fact, now the Web interface is bare-bones. You can use it to manage your billing, though Iris Vice President Mick Koster promised that core services are coming back to the web later this year. Between rules, schedules, scenes, and managing alerts and alarms, you can do a lot with the app to make your Lowe's Iris smart home pretty smart. For instance, the hub comes with a built-in alarm, and you can set up your motion sensor or contact sensor to trigger the alarm and send you a push notification when the system is armed.

Unfortunately, a lot of this functionality sits behind a paywall. By comparison, with SmartThings, you can use IFTTT to create a wide variety of recipes using a large catalog of interoperable devices and platforms for free. To do something similar, even with first-party Lowe's Iris accessories, you need to pay $10 a month. .That could all change in the coming months. Lowe's Iris will offer contract free monitoring as an optional add-on soon. At that point, a $20 monthly fee will include professional monitoring and the premium version of the app, plus cellular backup of the hub. That price feels much more worth it, given that monitoring alone costs $25 a month with SimpliSafe. AT&T's Digital Life charges as much as $65 a month for monitoring. Plus, once monitoring becomes a reality for Lowe's, Koster assured me the company would start looking at the basic to premium breakdown, and moving some premium features to the other side of the paywall. But I can't give any credit now to a smart-home system based on how good it might be in a couple of months.

As it stands, that $10 monthly fee is dumb.Lowe's values your safety and satisfaction. We make sure to provide you with up-to-date information on any recalls or product safety news as it comes available. At Lowe's your safety and satisfaction are our first priorities. So we will post product recalls from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). For more information, you may also visit the CPSC Web site at www.cpsc.gov. The information includes the products involved and the steps to take if you have one of the recalled items. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. Also, the Web site www.recalls.gov links visitors to the home pages of government regulatory agencies responsible for product recalls. In addition to finding details about recalled products, visitors will gain additional safety information and may sign up for e-mail alerts on recalled products, as they become available. Portable generators are useful when temporary or remote electric power is needed, but they also can be hazardous.

The primary hazards to avoid when using a generator are carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning from the toxic engine exhaust, electric shock or electrocution, and fire. Never use a generator in enclosed or partially-enclosed spaces. Generators can produce high levels of CO very quickly. When you use a portable generator, remember that you cannot smell or see CO. Even if you can't smell exhaust fumes, you may still be exposed to CO. For more information, please click on the link: www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/portgen.html The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the Window Covering Safety Council, and independent retailers have joined forces to urge consumers to repair or replace window coverings purchased before 2001. , or call (800) 504-4636. For more information, please click on the link: www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml06/06014.html Hitachi Koki Recalls Grass Trimmers Due to Fire and Burn Hazards Genie Recalls Garage Door Openers Due to Fire Hazard Shaw Industries Recalls Carpet Due to Fire Hazard;

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Irwin Recalls 10-Inch Circular Saw Blade 3-Pack Due to Laceration Hazard Posed by Defective Packaging Husqvarna Recalls Grass and Hedge Trimmers Due to Fire Hazard Safety 1st Cabinet Locks Recalled Due to Lock Failure; Children Can Gain Unintended Access to Dangerous Items LED Night Lights Recalled by AmerTac Due to Fire and Burn Hazards Gas Cylinders Recalled by Worthington Cylinders Wisconsin Due to Fire Hazard Tassimo Single-Cup Coffee Makers Recalled by BSH Home Appliances Due to Burn Hazard John Deere Recalls Lawn Tractors; Brake Failure Can Cause Loss of Control John Deere Recalls Lawn Tractors Due to Laceration Hazard Nine Manufacturers, Distributors Announce Consumer Recall of Pourable Gel Fuel Due to Burn and Flash Fire Hazards Changzhou Globe Tool Group Recalls Electric Log Splitters Due to Laceration or Amputation Hazard; Firm to Provide Additional On-Product Warnings; Kohler Recalls Engines Sold with Husqvarna, Cub Cadet, and Troy-Bilt Riding Lawn Tractors;

Lasko Recalls Box Fans Due To Fire Hazard Sunjoy Industries Recalls Outdoor Wood Burning Fireplaces Sold Exclusively at Lowe's Stores Due to Fire Hazard Two Strangulation Deaths Prompt Summer Infant to Recall Video Baby Monitors with Cords; Firm to Provide New On-Product Label & Instructions Hoover Recalls WindTunnel Canister Vacuums Due to Fire and Shock Hazards Robert Bosch Tool Corp. Recalls Bosch Hammer Drills Due to Electrical Shock Hazard DeVilbiss Recalls Air Compressors Due to Fire Hazard Lowe's Stores Recall to Repair Roman Shades and Roll-Up Blinds; Two Near Strangulations Involved Young Children Frigidaire and Electrolux ICON Electric Smoothtop Cooktops and Slide-In Ranges Recalled Due to Fire Hazard Siemens Recalls Circuit Breakers Due to Fire Hazard Black & Decker Recalls Random Orbit Sanders Due to Laceration Hazard Maytag Recalls Dishwashers Due to Fire Hazard GE Recalls Front Load Washers Due to Fire and Shock Hazards