HomeTech.fm Podcast

Seth Johnson

The HomeTech Podcast features news, opinions, insights, and advice on all things Smart Home | Co-Hosted by Home Automation Pros Seth Johnson and Jason Griffing

  • Episode 561 - 8K Is Dead, Long Live Buttons

    On this week’s show: Control4 previews shiny new touchscreens and subscriptions, Google Home finally wakes up to buttons, and Ikea’s Matter devices can’t seem to "Thread the needle." Home Assistant wants your device data (respectfully), the 8K dream is officially dead (RIP pixels), and Nice and Yubii have ecosystem updates. Plus, a new dirt-hugging soil sensor, a pick of the week, project updates, an AI bot forces Gavin to spend money, and so much more!

    6 February 2026, 7:35 pm
  • Episode 560 - Sidewalks, SwitchBots, and Sonos Zones

    On this week’s show: [Gavin as a Service](https://www.youtube.com/@GavinAsAService) officially launches on YouTube and we have the exclusive! Sonos drops a new multi-zone Amp while Sony seems ready to drop the whole TV business. Amazon Sidewalk quietly infects Canada. ESPHome gets Control4 support, SwitchBot launches an AI hub with Home Assistant inside, and Zooz Z-Wave joins Apollo’s party. Seth tests drives a new AI assistant, TJ is all in again with Sonos (not really), a pick of the week, project updates, and so much more!

    30 January 2026, 6:57 pm
  • Episode 559 - What Happens in Vegas... Ends Up in Our Podcast

    On this week's show: Josh.ai and Control4 settle but at a cost —voice control stays, but touchscreens and remotes get benched. CES 2026 brings a flurry of floor interviews straight from Vegas, and we dig into a listener letter on Homey Self-Hosted. All that, a pick of the week, project updates, and so much more!

    23 January 2026, 6:51 pm
  • Episode 558 - CES 2026

    On this week's show: CES 2026 gave us everything from refrigerators with ads and humanoid laundry bots to pool cleaners smarter than your thermostat. Amazon and Samsung double down on AI (for better or worse), IKEA floods the market with affordable Matter gear, and Ring keeps dancing with Sidewalk and privacy. Kwikset locks in a new Matter smart lock under $200, SwitchBot wants to do your chores, and Roborock dares to climb stairs. Plus, Home Assistant gets a powerful new Music Assistant, Bose open-sources old gear instead of bricking it, a pick of the week, project updates, and so much more!

    16 January 2026, 6:00 am
  • Episode 557 - CES Live - Apollo Automation Monthly Livestream

    On this week's show: Live from CES! The HomeTech team joined Justin and Kyle on the Apollo Automation monthly livestream on in Las Vegas at CES 2026. We had a great time and wanted to share the conversation on our feed as well.

    9 January 2026, 6:00 am
  • Episode 556 - Too Sucky to Fail

    On this week's show: iRobot vacuums up a bankruptcy filing and is scooped up by Picea, Apollo launches a new four-button mini-keyboard, Shelly drops a new all-in-one smart plug, WiiM continues its crusade against Sonos with a compact speaker, Homey launches a self-hosted option, and Emerald (parent company of CEDIA Expo) might be for sale. All this news, letters from the mailbag, CES Pre-Game discussions, and so much more!

    2 January 2026, 4:17 pm
  • Episode 555 - The 11th Annual Technology.fm Fireside Chat

    The 11th annual Technology.fm Fireside Chat brings together a group of smart home podcasters for a year-end roundtable on the biggest developments of the past year. Richard Gunther and Adam Justice from the Smart Home Show join Gavin, TJ, and Seth to reflects on key products, platforms, and trends that shaped the smart home, what worked, what disappointed, and what it all means heading into the year ahead.

    26 December 2025, 6:00 pm
  • Episode 554 - Garage Door Drama (Again)

    On this week's show: Chamberlain locks down garage integrations (again), Doma reinvents the smart door with a motor and facial recognition, Homey Pro gets a RAM boost, Firewalla goes Zero Trust Wi-Fi 7 on the go, and Home Assistant throws a party for Music Assistant 2.7. All this, a pick of the week, project updates, and so much more!

    12 December 2025, 6:53 am
  • Episode 553 - Catching up with Apollo Automation's Justin Bunton

    On this week’s show: We catch up with Apollo Automation's Justin Bunton to talk about their new H-2 Annual Holiday Ornament, Kohler’s toilet cam raises privacy questions despite being rear-end-to-end encrypted, UniFi launches a 5G lineup, Honeywell has a new thermostat, and Meross drops a millimeter-wave sensor that sees you breathe. Aqara brings Siri to the wall (at least in the UK), and Wyze wants to watch the outdoors from indoors — through a window. All this, a pick of the week, project updates, and so much more!

    5 December 2025, 6:32 am
  • Episode 552 - A Rilla Big Dilla

    On this week's show: UniFi bridges the gap with new wireless gear, Alexa+ finally heads north to Canada (except for Gavin), Matter 1.5 adds long-awaited camera support, Josh.ai teams up with JVC for voice-controlled cinephilia, Sonos continues its 'transitional' phase with shrinking sales and growing losses, letters from the mailbag, a pick of the week, project updates, and so much more!

    29 November 2025, 4:34 am
  • Episode 551 - Fingerprints, Floods, & Futureproofing

    On this week's show: Ring thinks AI can stop crime (what could go wrong?), Zigbee 4.0 goes the distance with Suzi, Shelly rolls out a giant snake of a leak sensor, Home Assistant drops a faster Zigbee/Thread toilet paper holder, Kaleidescape launches a mini server for high-bitrate binging, and Wyze gives its smart lock an upgrade, but it comes with a catch. All that, a pick of the week, project updates, and so much more!

    21 November 2025, 6:01 am
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