The OpenThread project published OpenThread Border Router (ot-br-posix) v2026.11.0 on 1 November 2026. This is the open-source border router that many Thread setups run underneath, including Home Assistant's OpenThread Border Router add-on and plenty of DIY builds on a Raspberry Pi with a radio co-processor. The monthly release has two changes wort
Xiaomi has put a dual-camera version of its battery video doorbell on sale in China. The Smart Doorbell 4 Pro Dual Camera Edition went on sale on the evening of 30 October 2026, according to IT Home, at a list price of 499 yuan, with a launch price of 439 yuan. The single-camera Smart Doorbell 4 Pro came out last year. Neither source mentions a rel
Waveshare has released the UNO-Q-DSI-TOUCH-10.1A, a 10.1-inch touch screen built for the Arduino UNO Q. The board plugs straight into the bottom of the display, so there is no need for the Arduino UNO Media Carrier that normally sits between the UNO Q and its MIPI display and camera connectors. CNX Software covered the launch on 31 October 2026. Wa
The Home Assistant 2026.11 beta opened on 28 October 2026 with release 2026.11.0b0, and 2026.11.0b2 followed on 30 October. The final release is planned for Wednesday 4 November, with the release party stream at 21:00 CET. The headline item is the Marketplace, the built-in successor to HACS, which we covered when it was announced. The beta notes sh
Trane and American Standard, the two residential heating and cooling brands of Trane Technologies, launched the HVAC Performance Monitoring Kit on 30 October 2026. It is a retrofit add-on for existing systems: the company says it fits virtually any 24 V non-communicating HVAC system, whatever the brand or age. That covers the common single-stage, t
NXP presented two new wireless microcontrollers on 27 October 2026: the MCX W70 for industrial and IoT products and the KW43 for cars. Both support Bluetooth Channel Sounding, the Bluetooth 6.0 feature that measures the distance between two devices. The MCX W70 is the one smart home makers will look at, because its radio also runs Zigbee, Thread fo
TTLock, the Bluetooth lock platform from the Chinese company Sciener, has a new high-severity vulnerability on record. CVE-2026-112345 was published on 26 October 2026, with VulnCheck as the assigning authority and the researcher Yassine Damiri credited with the find. It covers the TTLock Android app before version 9.8.260718 and the lock firmware
MCS, the UK certification scheme for small-scale renewable installations, is consulting on its first product standard for battery storage. The draft, MCS 042, covers home and small commercial batteries. As ESS News reported on 30 October 2026, it could bring IoT cybersecurity requirements into the certification that battery makers need to sell thro
Samsung published the details of its new SmartThings API pricing on 30 October 2026. From 4 November, developers and companies that call the SmartThings cloud API directly move to paid plans. The SmartThings app, routines and local hub integrations stay free.
