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Hosted by Gavin Campbell, TJ Huddleston, & Seth Johnson

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584

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Aug 2026

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The HomeTech Podcast features news, opinions, insights, and advice on all things Smart Home | Co-Hosted by Home Automation Pros Gavin Campbell, TJ Huddleston, & Seth Johnson

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August 21, 2026Episode 5861 hr 7 min

Episode 586 - Distracted by Paperclips

On this week's show: the Open Home Foundation puts Community Day 2026 on the calendar, Apollo makes ESPHome a little less breadboard-y, Petlibro reminds everyone why cloud-dependent pet gear is a terrible way to miss dinner, and Whisker proves AI still can’t always tell one cat from another. We also hit Brilliant’s new managed-service subscription, Comcast turning routers into motion sensors with a privacy asterisk, Aqara pushing Matter camera controls forward, Sonos news, plus CEDIA-bound gear from DreamWall and DoorBird, a pick of the week, project updates, and so much more! Community Day 2026: Save the date! – Open Home Foundation ESPHome Starter Kit is shipping! Universal Paperclips (Game) HomeTech Headlines Cats and dogs are missing meals after a popular smart feeder went down Whisker’s AI-powered litter robot thinks my cats swapped bodies Brilliant Launches Subscription Service for Managed Smart Home Automation DreamWall to Debut New Generation of Outdoor CooLED MicroLED Video Wall Solutions at CEDIA Expo 2026 DoorBird Launches the New D22x Series - Residential Systems Comcast adds motion sensing to millions of its newer routers, with a privacy catch | TechCrunch Sonos gets ready to launch new Ace Ultra headphones Sonos Adds Live Activities Support on iPhone Aqara enables PTZ camera control through Matter on the G350 SEED - SEED Early Access | A brand new world, ready to be populated Whats Up, Reynoldsburg?

August 14, 2026Episode 5851 hr 6 min

Episode 585 - Bad Gavin, Smart Donut

On this week's show: CEDIA Expo 2026 is almost here with hundreds of product debuts on deck, GE talks up US-made chips in connected laundry, Home Assistant finds a new way to boss around Apple devices, Google Home on iOS may be turning lights on just for fun, Alexa+ lands in Australia, Sonos learns some Lutron tricks, OpenAI’s hockey-puck AI speaker rumor rolls on, ESPHome gets a much friendlier desktop app, plus a pick of the week, project updates, and so much more. Oberlin, Ohio HomeTech Headlines Hundreds of New Products Anticipated to Debut at CEDIA Expo 2026 GE Appliances doubles down on US-made chips. iOS 27 Flips the Script: Home Assistant Can Now Control Your Apple Devices Dolby Vision 2 is officially available on select Hisense TVs - Engadget A Google Home bug is randomly turning on smart lights Amazon's Alexa+ Assistant Launches in Early Access in Australia “Hey Sonos, open the shades.” OpenAI speaker to be hockey puck-sized and cost over US$300: report Simplify your ESPHome setup with the new desktop app WiiM Bar | Display-First Dolby Atmos Soundbar Badgers : animated music video : MrWeebl

August 7, 2026Episode 5841 hr 30 min

Episode 584 - First, They Came for the Robot Vacuums

On this week's show: the FCC’s robot ban turns out to include future robot vacuums and mowers, which may make the next robovac harder to buy without making it much safer; Roku decides budget streamers are a premium experience now; Apple’s smart home hub and Siri refresh are reportedly getting closer; Sonos is teasing some kind of AI move for September; UniFi adds a Thread border router and beefs up Protect; plus new gear from Zooz, Aqara, Xiaomi, Homey, SmartThings, and Home Assistant, a pick of the week, project updates, and so much more! HomeTech Headlines The US is banning foreign robots The US government just banned Roombas Robot vacuums are included in US robot ban The ban on robot vacuums won’t make them safer. But it may make your next one worse The US Just Banned New Chinese Robot Vacuums and Mowers: Canada Could Be Next | iPhone in Canada Roku raises streaming stick prices by up to 60 percent Zooz 800 Series Z-Wave Long Range Motion Dimmer ZEN12 800LR Xiaomi’s smart washing machines are finally going global Sonos Is Reportedly Planning Something Big for AI in September Apple’s long-awaited smart home Siri AI refresh is achingly close to reality Apple Could Start New Smart Home Push as Early as October Ubiquiti’s new SuperLink Gateway HA brings professional Thread hardware to UniFi UniFi Gets Its Own Thread Border Router Introducing UniFi Protect 7.2 Homey is a rare smart home platform that is Matter 1.5 certified SmartThings quietly brings Matter 1.6 to beta hub firmware Finally: Aqara launches dual-protocol Matter and Thread smart plugs in the UK and EU Home Assistant 2026.8 beta adds Matter doorbell events and simpler setup FireAvert joins Works with Home Assistant Building the device database together: Public preview now live – Open Home Foundation GitHub - GuiPoM/ha-sentinel: HA Sentinel — proactive health monitoring for Home Assistant integrations and apps ESPHome Starter Kit Maslow4 Large Format CNC

July 25, 2026Episode 5831 hr 21 min

Episode 583 - OpenAI Wants In, Nice Wants Out

On this week's show: OpenAI may be building a screen-free AI home companion, Nice is skipping CEDIA 2026 and insisting everything is fine, the 2026 TV Shootout crowns both Samsung and Sony, Philips Hue might stick a camera on your TV, and a TP-Link Kasa camera vulnerability report is a rough reminder to patch your gear. We also chat about a touchscreen Zigbee switch from Zemismart, an open-source robot vacuum project, Matter Server 9.1.0, the Only Fan Controller update, a pick of the week, project updates, and so much more! HomeTech Headlines OpenAI Reportedly Developing Screen-Free AI Companion for Smart Home Nice Announces It Has Pulled Out of CEDIA Expo 2026 The 2026 Kings of TV Are Crowned at Value Electronics TV Shootout - Residential Systems Zemismart Launches Zigbee Touchscreen Light Switch With Power Monitoring Philips Hue’s latest camera might be for your TV. IoT-Vulnerability-Research-Public/TP-Link_Kasa_EC71/Kasa_EC71.md at main · BadChemical/IoT-Vulnerability-Research-Public Matter Server 9.1.0 Released xcancel.com/ThirdRealityInc Only Fan Controller v1.2.1 Jimothy

July 17, 2026Episode 5821 hr 24 min

Episode 582 - Which Switch is Which?

On this week's show: Apple wants smarter Home cameras, but only if you spring for the 2TB iCloud plan, IKEA quietly makes Matter less annoying, and Matter cameras from Tapo, Aqara, EZVIZ, and friends are finally becoming a real category. We also get into Josh.ai adding DMX and DALI for the fancy-lighting crowd, Sonos trimming some of the people you’d think it should keep, a coax-powered floodlight for those Wi-Fi dead zones, Ecowitt’s Kickstarter water tester, new Home Assistant-friendly gear from IoTorero and Third Reality, a pick of the week, project updates, and so much more! The story behind Erling Haaland and his taxidermy raccoon: ‘Lock the doors, let’s make this special’ HomeTech Headlines THIRDREALITY Smart Wall Outlet, Dual Independent Control for 2 Sockets, Individual Power Monitoring, Zigbee Repeater, Compatible with Home Assistant & SmartThings, ETL Certified WQT01: Smart Water Quality Tester Channel Master’s Pro Floodlight uses coax to bring smart lighting to your garden’s dead zones Apple Intelligence in Apple Home will require the $10-a-month iCloud Plus plan. Sonos Sacks Top Designers Behind its Premium Speakers | iPhone in Canada Josh.ai Now Offers Native DMX & DALI Support - Residential Systems IKEA updates DIRIGERA hub with Matter 1.4.2 support and improved network stability Tapo, Aqara, Ulticam, and EZVIZ: All the Matter-certified cameras IoTorero joins Works with Home Assistant Hermes Agent — The Agent That Grows With You IrriSense 2 | 4-in-1 Smart Sprinkler & Irrigation System | Aiper Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra 16K – Best 3D Printer for Beginners & Pros PrismML — Announcing Bonsai 27B: The First 27B-Class Model to Run on a Phone

July 10, 2026Episode 581

Episode 581 - YOLO Updates

On this week's show: Apple makes Apple Home hubs a lot pricier, Samsung puts a $5 toll booth in front of the SmartThings API, and Matter itself keeps inching toward “maybe this really will work.” We also hit a THIRDREALITY timer clock, an interesting universal remote hub, Level’s rough week, Netflix’s new profile email rule, project updates, a pick of the week, and so much more! Building an Apple Home just got pricier: New hardware hikes affect key Matter hubs Home Tech Headlines New - THIRDREALITY Smart Timer Light TL2,Digital Clock,60GHz mmWave Radar,RGB Light,Light Sensor,Simple Setup,Countdown Timer,Matter Enabled,2.4GHz WiFi only,Compatible with Alexa, Apple Home,Google Home DREO Brings Matter Connectivity to TurboPoly™ Fan 765S, Furthering its Open Ecosystem Commitment OpenInfrared Point: Universal Remote Hub Introducing UniFi Network 10.5 Hackers target UniFi as critical exploits surface Crestron Launches Configure Pro Platform for Crestron Home OS Josh.ai Showcases AI-Powered Home Control with New Experiential Video Hunter Douglas Alta Window Fashions Motorized Shades Now Compatible with PowerView Automation Samsung will soon start charging to access its smart home API A New Enhanced SmartThings API Experience - SmartThings Blog Netflix now requires every user profile to be tied to unique email address Smart lock maker Level has been gutted and its founders are out Matter Just Underwent a Major Stress Test for Supporting Large-Scale Deployments Home Assistant upgrades to Matter 1.5.1 with a better codebase The Matter upgrade you’ve been waiting for Inside the room where the smart home industry is still betting on Matter Droplet the #1 Smart Home Water Sensor - Hydrific, part of LIXIL

June 26, 2026Episode 5801 hr 16 min

Episode 580 - Gemini in the House

On this week's show: Hue brings wired wall modules to Europe and keeps pushing Matter, Schlage’s UWB smart lock finally gets a date and a price, Amazon rolls Alexa+ into Brazil, Google launches a new Gemini-powered speaker while retiring a couple of old Nest favorites, Sonos keeps trying to fix the app it broke, Matter 1.6 tries to make Matter less Matter-y, and a report says your smart TV apps may be doing more networking than streaming. Plus a pick of the week, project updates, and so much more! Energy minister plans 'nuclear renaissance' with up to 10 reactors built by 2040 HomeTech Headlines Valve prices the Steam Machine at $1,049 Europe - Hue’s wired wall modules bring non-smart lights into its ecosystem Schlage’s UWB-enabled smart lock launches this month Alexa+ Launches in Early Access in Brazil Google Has Discontinued its Nest Audio and Nest Mini Speakers Google's Gemini-Powered Home Speaker Launches on June 25 for $99.99 Google’s first smart speaker in six years arrives next week Google Home Speaker Canada: Price, Release Date, and AI Features Sonos Updating App With New Volume Controls and Navigation | iPhone in Canada Signify Enhances Philips Hue Matter Support Through Collaboration with Silicon Labs Instead of new devices, Matter 1.6 focuses on making Matter less of a headache Matter 1.6 Brings NFC Setup, Joint Fabric, and Smarter Thermostats Nearly Half of LG Smart TV Apps Contain Residential Proxy SDKs How Roomba started a robot revolution GoveeLife Smart Nugget Ice Maker Pro, 60lbs Daily, 6-Minute First Ice, 40dB Ultra-Quiet with AI NoiseGuard, App & Voice Control, Self-Clean, 3.5lbs Basket & Dual Water Tanks, for Home Kitchen, Party

June 20, 2026Episode 5791 hr 3 min

Episode 579 - Roku is FOX'd

On this week's show: Alexa+ finally opens up across Canada in English and French, Prime Day deals are already leaking out of Amazon’s cart, Fox wants to buy Roku in a massive streaming-and-ads play, and ADI layoffs have Control4 watchers a little nervous. We’ve also got project updates featuring cameras, deck drama, Starlink, a new show notes server, a pick of the week, and so much more! Hetzner Price Adjustment 15 June 2026 - Hetzner Docs HomeTech Headlines Amazon Just Opened Alexa+ to All Canadians. Here’s What’s Changed Alexa+ is available across Canada in English and French The best early Amazon Prime Day deals include Apple, Bose, and more Fox Corporation announces $22B acquisition of Roku in landmark streaming and live TV deal With Resideo Spin-Off of ADI Imminent, Sources Say ADI is Cutting Staff Milwaukee M18 FUEL 18V Lithium Ion Cordless 4-inch Rear Handle Circular Saw Camera G6 180 - Ubiquiti Store Access Point E7 - Ubiquiti Store Starlink Roam Zooz ZEN14 Double Outdoor Plug – ZOOZ

June 12, 2026Episode 5781 hr 21 min

Episode 578 - Furry Friend Detection

On this week's show: Apple Home gets Thread 1.4, 4K video, and energy tracking, Amazon gives the Echo Hub a makeover with smarter Ring features, and Google teaches Nest cams to recognize your pets. We also check out Eufy’s biometric locks, UniFi’s campus-level security gear, WiiM’s first soundbar, a Donut Lab battery scandal that’s gone flat, and Music Assistant’s sonic smarts. All that, project updates, and so much more! HomeTech Headlines Apple Home goes pro: Thread 1.4, 4K video, and native energy management in iOS 27 | Matter Alpha - matteralpha.com Cameras get an Apple Intelligence boost in Apple Home | The Verge - theverge.com Apple’s Home app will soon show you how much energy your smart plug is drawing. | The Verge - theverge.com Shark is bringing some style to robot vacuums. | The Verge - The Verge Amazon’s Echo Hub gets a customizable new look and Ring’s AI features | The Verge - theverge.com Nest cams can now recognize your furry friends. | The Verge - theverge.com Eufy launches new smart locks with facial recognition and palm scanning. | The Verge - theverge.com UniFi Protect is Now Campus Security Ready - blog.ui.com WiiM expands its whole-home ecosystem with a new soundbar | The Verge - theverge.com Music Assistant 2.9: Discover Your Sound - Music Assistant - music-assistant.io FeatherSnap Smart Bird Feeder Camera | Wi-Fi, Solar, & Bird ID

June 5, 2026Episode 577

Episode 577 - eero Phone Home

On this week’s show: SwitchBot flips the switch on Nanoleaf, eero dials back to the landline era with a new Telephone Adapter, Home Assistant welcomes Sensereo’s smoke and CO alarms, and the latest Home Assistant beta brings new toys for dashboards, automations, and IR nerds alike. A pick of the week, project updates, and so much more! Fan of the show? Want to support our efforts? Please consider becoming a Patron! What to Expect From WWDC 2026: Gemini-Powered Siri, iOS 27, macOS 27 and More Microsoft Build 2026: All the news about Windows, AI, RTX Spark, and more -HomeTech Headlines SwitchBot brightens its smart home portfolio with Nanoleaf acquisition | Matter Alpha - matteralpha.com Introducing eero Telephone Adapter: Adding VoIP to customer networks quickly and easily. – The Download - blog.eero.com Aqara in Best Buy Pick of the Week: Relax with Coax Sensereo joins Works with Home Assistant - Home Assistant - home-assistant.io 2026.6 Beta: A betta title - Home Assistant - rc.home-assistant.io