A gadget to make your dumb house smarter

<figure> <img alt="" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="Image: David Pierce / The Verge" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/11/Installer-152.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> </figcaption> </figure> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Hi, friends! Welcome to <em>Installer</em> No. 152, your guide to the best and <em>Verge</em>-iest stuff in the world. (If you're new here, welcome, thank you for taking time away from <em>Zelda</em> to be here, and also you can read all the old editions at the <a href="https://www.theverge.com/installer-newsletter"><em>Installer</em> homepage</a>.)</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">This week, I've been reading about <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/2026/11/school-apps-communication-broken/689312/"><strong>school apps</strong></a> and <a href="https://emergencemagazine.org/essay/benchmarking/"><strong>AI benches</strong></a> and <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/11/16/the-nba-player-who-got-hooked-on-sports-betting"><strong>sports gambling</strong></a> and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/technology/nvidia-chips-china-megaspeed.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&amp;__readwiseLocation="><strong>Megaspeed</strong></a>, watching the surprisingly emotional <a href="https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/1757386-funny-money-the-dane-cook-story"><strong>Dane Cook documentary</strong></a>, learning way more than I ever expected about <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raik_i8VFvo"><strong>dial-up sounds</strong></a>, digging out my old Xbox One since it's <a href="https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2026/11/10/grand-theft-auto-6-comes-to-xbox-cloud-gaming-november-19/"><strong>apparently my best shot</strong></a> at playing <em>GTA VI</em>, seeing what I can get done with <a href="https://claude.com/product/claude-duet"><strong>Claude Duet</strong></a>, and trying a bunch of <a href="https://www.monologue.to/"><strong>third-party iPhone keyboar …</strong></a></p> <p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/tech/1033761/home-assistant-tk-tripod-tabletop-installer">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>