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4 Jul 2025

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Fagan laughs off Daniher comeback talk; Dillon says clubs were warned about umpire contact
AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon says clubs were given multiple warnings about players making umpire contact, while he also gives his thoughts on the bye rounds.

A glimpse into the 2025 Pacific Mini Games - voices of athletes in Palau
Amid the action and energy in Palau on Thursday, RNZ Pacific caught up with a few athletes on the ground to hear about their experiences so far.

Renters, rejoice! 8 easy smart home upgrades that won’t leave a trace
Renting an apartment or house doesn’t mean you must forgo the convenience of a smart home; in fact, you might be surprised by the possibilities for making your home life easier, all of which can be achieved without drilling or making any lease-breaking modifications to your dwelling. I’ve been a serial renter all my adult life, and I’ve been reviewing smart home devices for more than six years. My Brooklyn rental is decked out with smart lights, a video doorbell, security cameras, smart water leak detectors, and more. Yet, I’m confident that when my family picks up stakes for a new abode, we’ll be able to take our smart devices with us, all without leaving a trace. I’ll be ticking off types of smart devices that are decidedly apartment-friendly, from smart bulbs that you can screw into existing sockets to stick-up video doorbells that don’t require wired power. These smart gadgets are easy to install, and once your lease is up, you can pack them up without putting your security deposit at risk. Once you’ve perused our guide, click through to see our top picks for each category. Renters unite! Smart lights Smart bulbs rank as among the easiest way for renters to begin their smart home journeys. An Edison-style smart bulb can be screwed into a standard light socket, and you can reduce your initial outlay by choosing a bulb that’s controllable via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Once you’re ready to expand, you can add a smart hub for even greater control (such as a Philips Hue Bridge), while light strips and smart light panels can add atmosphere with simple stick-up installation. Renter's pick: Philips Hue White Ambiance A19 (Bluetooth + Zigbee) Pros Having Bluetooth onboard eliminates the need for the $60 (MSRP) Philips Hue Bridge Excellent quality of light and smooth-as-silk dimming Supremely easy to install and later transfer to Philips Hue Bridge control when you’re ready Cons Without the Philips Hue Bridge, you can’t limit scenes to one or a few bulbs; changes affect all the Bluetooth bulbs you’ve installed You can’t assign bulbs to rooms without the Bridge Best Prices Today: $49.97 at Amazon$54.99 at Best BuyNot Available at Adorama No one does smart lighting better than Signify’s Philips Hue, and adding Bluetooth while keeping Zigbee makes it cheaper and a whole lot easier to get started. Read our full Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance A19 (Bluetooth + Zigbee) review Check out TechHive's favorite smart lights Smart plugs Want to automate your fans or add smarts to a decorative standing lamp? A smart plug will do the trick. Just plug a smart plug into an existing wall outlet, and you’ll be able to control any connected device using voice commands (assuming you have smart speakers, which we’re getting to in a moment), put it on a schedule, or add it to a smart automation (such as powering on a lamp when you come home). Some smart plugs will also monitor your energy usage, although our renter’s pick below lacks that option. Renter's pick: TP-Link Tapo P125M Mini Smart Wi-Fi Plug Pros Matter certification guarantees broad compatibility and easy setup We experienced zero operational hiccups Physically small and unobtrusive Cons No Thread radio on board Extremely basic usage history and no energy-consumption monitoring Best Prices Today: Not Available at Amazon This TP-Link Tapo P125M doesn’t do energy monitoring, but the price is right, it’s small, it’s easy to set up, and it’s reliable. Read our full TP-Link Tapo P125M Mini Smart Wi-Fi Plug review Check out TechHive's favorite smart plugs Smart speakers The heart of your smart home, a smart speaker can bring Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri into your apartment, allowing you to control your smart devices, play music, set timers and alarms, and more, all using voice commands. Some smart speakers can even act as smart hubs, connecting your various smart gadgets (including those that work with Matter) together. Best of all, installation is a snap: just set your new smart speaker on a table, shelf, or other flat surface, and then plug it in. Our current favorite smart speaker for most people is the Amazon Echo Dot, but whichever smart ecosystem you choose, we recommend sticking with it for all your other smart speakers–so if you start with Apple’s HomePod mini and you’re ready for more, get another Apple HomePod speaker, not one powered by Alexa or Google Assistant. Renter's pick: Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) Pros A very inexpensive voice-powered smart home controller Very good audio reproduction Pretty industrial design Acts as an extender for Amazon’s Eero mesh routers Cons Audio performance still pales in comparison to a Sonos One 3.5mm analog audio output has been removed Best Prices Today: $31.99 at Amazon Prime$49.99 at Amazon$49.99 at Best Buy Amazon is the strongest player in the smart home market today, and the Echo Dot is a key reason for that position. Check out TechHive's favorite smart speakers Video doorbell Just because you’re a renter doesn’t mean you can’t have a video doorbell. We’re seeing more and more smart doorbells that run on battery power and can be attached to your door with adhesive-backed mounting brackets, allowing you to remove them when you’re ready to move out. Even better, our current favorite video doorbell (below, and it’s the one I use) boasts motion and package detection, along with rechargeable batteries that will run for weeks at a time. In case you’re wondering, video doorbells are (in most jurisdictions) perfectly legal for use in apartment buildings, given that there’s no expectation of privacy in a shared hallway. That said, you might want to give neighbors a heads-up before installing a video doorbell on your apartment door. If you’re renting a single-family home, duplex, or the like, take advantage of the doorbell’s privacy features that let you mask your neighbor’s door, window, patio, or other areas where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy. Renter's pick: Ring Battery Doorbell Plus Pros High-res video: 1,536×1,536 pixels Package detection 1:1 aspect ratio shows visitors from head to toe Operates on either battery or low-voltage power Cons 2.4GHz Wi-Fi connectivity only Color pre-roll video is not supported Ring Protect subscription required to unlock all features, including recording Best Prices Today: $79.99 at Amazon Prime$129.99 at Dell Home$149.99 at Amazon Ring made significant improvements to video resolution and aspect ratio and added package detection to maintain its position as the best video doorbell for most people, including renters. Read our full Ring Battery Doorbell Plus review Check out TechHive's favorite video doorbells Smart dimmer switches Nope, you don’t have to tinker with in-wall wiring to install a smart dimmer switch in your apartment. While most of our recommended smart switches do require replacing an existing wall switch (a task that takes from technical know-how, as well as potentially break the terms of your lease), there are stick-up smart switches that you can place—and remove—with ease. Philips Hue, for starters, makes an excellent and handsome smart switch (below) with an adhesive backing, although it requires the Hue Bridge to work. Renter's pick: Philips Hue Dimmer Switch (2021) Pros Improved wall plate now has mounting holes New Hue button adds greater functionality Can trigger different light scenes depending on the time of day Fully configurable through HomeKit Cons “Power off” and dimmer buttons aren’t configurable via the Hue app Best Prices Today: $21.88 at Amazon Equipped with a new button, a much improved wall plate, and greater configurability, the new Hue Dimmer Switch is better in every way, and it’s the perfect choice for apartment dwellers who’d rather not deal with drills or in-wall wiring. Check out TechHive's favorite smart switches and dimmers Robot vacuums Even a small apartment could do with a robot vacuum sweeping up dirt and debris every so often, especially if you have pets. Until just a few years ago, a budget robot vacuum meant a basic bump-and-run model that you’d turn loose on your floors. Recently, however, affordable robot vacuums have been packing in advanced features such as AI-powered object avoidance, room-mapping capabilities, and more. Renter's pick: Eufy Clean L60 Pros Affordable Tough on pet hair Accurate room mapping Great battery life Cons Missed larger debris So-so obstacle avoidance Best Prices Today: $199.98 at Amazon If you’re on a budget but still want a robot vacuum that can map your floors, the LiDAR-equipped Eufy Clean L60 makes for a great choice. The vacuum will also please pet lovers with its prowess at picking up pet hair, and it even cleans well in carpeted rooms. Check out TechHive's favorite robot vacuums Smart thermostats Unlike most of the smart gadgets in this feature, smart thermostats require some knowledge of in-wall HVAC wiring, and they’re not much good unless your regular thermostat offers control of both heating and cooling. (Some buildings don’t allow their tenants any access to a thermostat, in which case you’re simply out of luck.) Still reading? If so, a smart thermostat isn’t that tough to install (your landlord might even help, or you could always summon a TaskRabbit worker), and it’s a terrific way to save on heating and cooling bills. You should probably get your landlord’s permission before you proceed with this change. Renter's pick: Nest Thermostat Pros Attractive industrial design, available in four colors Very easy to install, program, and use Monitors your HVAC system for potential problems Energy Star certified Cons No support for remote room sensors Not suited to more complex HVAC systems Backplate for covering holes from previous installations is a $15 option Best Prices Today: It’s hard to beat the Nest team when it comes to attractive industrial design, and the Nest Thermostat is an elegant device if you don’t need to support more sophisticated HVAC systems, which is likely the case for most apartments. Check out TechHive's favorite smart thermostats Water leak sensors Water leaks can be trouble even for renters—indeed, as a renter myself, I’ve had to deal with leaky kitchen and bathroom sinks, not to mention a basement that was susceptible to flooding during sudden downpours. To prevent your valuables from getting soaked, a smart water leak sensor makes for a wise investment. Water leak sensors come in different forms. Some are small wireless probes that connect to a hub, while others are plug-in models with lengthy, moisture-detecting sensors. Just leave the sensors under sinks, on basement floors, and other areas where water shouldn’t be, and you’ll get an alert if there’s a water problem. Renter's pick: Phyn Smart Water Sensor Pros Sends an immediate warning when water contacts it Industrial design prevents water ingress from the top of the device Operates on two AA batteries Cons Can’t be integrated into a broader smart home ecosystem (including IFTTT) Operates only on 2.4GHz networks Best Prices Today: Deploy Phyn Smart Water Sensors under your sinks, near your washing machine, next to your water heater, and other places where water might show up where it shouldn’t be, and you’ll get an immediate warning if it does. Check out TechHive's favorite water leak sensors

CEN - Greymouth gas deal
Contact Energy (Contact) has reached a seven-year gas supply agreement with Greymouth Gas New Zealand Limited (GGNZ Ltd)

This ethical hacker’s one tip changed how I think about digital scams
Scams existed before the internet, but being online makes them so much worse. A grifter can steal money faster by flooding the world with so many different tactics, like fake text messages, deceptive emails, malicious websites, and bad search engine results. Trying not to get tripped up is complicated. It’s something I’m always aware of when sharing best practices with others. But when I recently spoke with ethical hacker Mike Danseglio, I got a surprise tip that makes avoiding scams so much easier. Be suspicious. Most people start from a place of trust first. But constantly scanning for ill intent is more work for our brains—especially now as scammers get more sophisticated and persistent. Instead, if you default to thinking it could be a trick, you’ll naturally screen more carefully. At least, I know I do. I ask myself more detailed questions, like who exactly is contacting me and if they have a good reason to. As for what to do next, Danseglio believes in an equally simple approach. Don’t ignore all messages—some will be legitimate. Just follow up directly, instead of using the links or phone numbers given to you. Use contact information from your bank cards or the bank’s official site.Pixabay (Ex: Get a text from your bank about fraudulent activity? Find the phone number for customer service on your credit card or the company’s website, then initiate the call yourself. Or if a website instructs you to change a password after an account breach, open a separate tab and sign in independently. And if your friend calls and says they’re in jail for causing a car accident? First try calling your saved number for them.) This overall recipe for avoiding scams (wariness + direct contact) is very simple to remember. And more importantly, follow. It’s a heck of a lot easier than trying to memorize every piece of advice on how to avoid specific scams—which is still helpful to read when journalists and experts share those details (hi) for basic familiarity with what’s out there. (Threats keep changing, and much faster than even five years ago, too.) But realistically, it’s easier to go back and search for specific tips when you need them. Of course, online dangers are more than just scams—attackers can steal money, accounts, and other valuable information through other methods. Keeping antivirus software up to date, using a password manager to create and manage unique strong passwords, and minimizing how much personal info you share online are vital, too. You can hear myself and other PCWorld staff members discuss this with Danseglio in our chat with him on The Full Nerd, our weekly show. Our chat includes a whole segment on Windows 10 security, a looming issue with its end of life coming this October.