HomeTech.fm

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

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 HeadlinesNew - 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

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 HeadlinesValve 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