HomeTech.fm

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 HeadlinesCats 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?

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 HeadlinesHundreds 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

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 HeadlinesThe 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

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 HeadlinesOpenAI 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

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 HeadlinesTHIRDREALITY 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