The Smart Home Show

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Join hosts Richard Gunther and Adam Justice as they explore the smart home and home automation universe. Interviews with smart home leaders, analysis of the latest smart home news and the occasional Q&A and product review. All smart home, all the time.

Richard Gunther and Adam Justice


    • Aug 16, 2022 LATEST EPISODE
    • monthly NEW EPISODES
    • 40m AVG DURATION
    • 191 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from The Smart Home Show

    Episode 211 - Smart Home Fundamentals

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 16, 2022 72:47


    Inspired by a listener's question, Adam and Richard go back to basics in this episode and explain some fundamental concepts about smart home technology. Including: What is a smart home? What's a platform? What's a standard? What's the difference between a "warm" light and a "soft" one? And how does a smart device know how to do anything? Previously... - Insteon Goes Dark & Cloud vs. Local https://www.smarthome.fm/episodes/208-insteon - Hubs and Bridges https://www.smarthome.fm/episodes/180 via Knit

    Episode 210 - Dreaming of a Perfect Smart Home

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 19, 2022 66:31


    Adam and Richard brainstorm what their dream smart homes would look like, if money were no object but technology advanced in a realistic way. They discuss the ideal state of voice assistants, lighting, window treatments, security systems, A/V equipment, home robotics, and more. Also: Should you AirTag your baby? (No.) via Knit

    Episode 209 - Moving a Smart Home, Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 2, 2022 61:39


    Adam and Richard continue their discussion of Richard's recent move to a new home. Richard explains the first devices he chose to set up, why he intentionally dragged his feet on some devices, and the mistakes he made with his existing Ring and Hue accounts. He also shares some advice for installing Zigby devices that may save you a huge amount of time, and a hack he discovered for making Sonos speakers - including first-gen ones - work in a HomePod-powered home. Plus: The smart home industry's "holding pattern" as everyone waits for Matter to drop. via Knit

    Episode 208 - Insteon Goes Dark & Cloud vs. Local

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 29, 2022 60:10


    Smartlabs, the company behind smarthome.com and Insteon smart home products, has shuttered operations. On today's show, Adam and Richard discuss how that sudden shutdown has impacted both manufacturers and consumers, and the trade-offs of communicating locally vs. over a proprietary cloud. via Knit

    Episode 207 - Moving a Smart Home, Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 23, 2022 64:59


    Adam and Richard are back to discuss Richard's move to a new state, which required him to also decide which of his more than 100 connected devices would make the move, and which would be left behind. He talks about how he decided what would make the cut, and explains the settings that needed to be adjusted or turned off in both sets of devices, because "it's not as simple as unplug and go." Plus: The annoyances Richard ran into that device makers should learn from. via Knit

    Episode 206 - Technology FM Fireside Chat with Seth Johnson

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 3, 2022 55:45


    Adam and Richard catch up with Seth Johnson for the 2021 Technology.FM Fireside chat via Knit

    Episode 205 - Matter Is Starting To Get Real, featuring Jennifer Pattison Tuohy from The Verge

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 2, 2021 83:54


    Adam, Richard, and The Verge's Smart Home reviewer Jennifer Pattison Tuohy talk about the next-gen smart home standard Matter, previously known as Project CHIP. They explain what it is, why there's some cause for optimism that this will be the one standard to rule them all - and also who's currently missing, and what important questions have not been answered yet. They also talk about Athom's reinvented Homey platform, and settle the most important debate of all: Is candy corn bad or good? via Knit

    Episode 204 - A deep dive into the Basement Guardian Halo, the smarter sump pump

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 23, 2021 40:47


    Adam and Richard are joined by Tom Flippin from Wayne Water Systems to talk about the Basement Guardian Halo, which Wayne developed with Adam's company ConnectSense. The Halo is a smarter sump pump - a device many homeowners don't see or think about until it fails catastrophically. The trio discusses what a sump pump does, how Wayne and ConnectSense thought about the ways hooking one up to the smart home could save consumers money and stress, and who the Halo is for. Plus: Adam and Richard talk about the Apple products they bought after last week's event, and answer a question from Bob H. about outdoor motion sensors. Buy the Basement Guardian Halo at https://www.waynepumps.com/product/basement-guardian-halo/ via Knit

    Episode 203 - Adam's Year of Smart Home Projects

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 11, 2021 71:40


    Last month was Richard's annual recap, and now it's Adam's turn to talk about the smart home projects he has taken on over the past year, including the Sonos Roam, new lights and cameras from Ring, an amazing 3D printer, the Harmony Elite remote, and more of Apple's HomePod Minis. Adam also talks about his "list of shame," gadgets he has purchased and projects he has meant to start that have so far gone unattended. Plus: How do Richard and Adam feel about the new Star Wars hotel at Disney World, what are the best alternatives to the Chamberlain MyQ garage door opener? via Knit

    Episode 202 - Richard's Year of Smart Home Projects

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 14, 2021 81:35


    Adam and Richard talk about all the smart home projects Richard has taken on over the past year, including several attempts to install a decorative flickering light, outdoor lighting, motion sensor switches, and outfitting his new vacation rental home. Then, Richard talks about the products he's been testing recently, including smart roller shades, the Abode Iota security system, and the Philips Smart Button. Plus: How concerned should consumers be about the privacy policies of Google, Amazon, Apple, and Facebook, and what advice do Adam and Richard have for aspiring podcasters? via Knit

    Episode 201 - Smart Home News From Apple's WWDC 2021

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 10, 2021 59:47


    Adam and Richard talk about the numerous Smart Home-adjacent announcements Apple made at WWDC21, including updates to Siri, the Home app, and HomeKit Secure Video. They also discuss the "homeOS" rumors, Apple's participation in the device standard Matter (previously known as Project CHIP), and the announcements Apple didn't make that they're disappointed are still missing. Plus: A listener question about HomeBridge. via Knit

    Episode 200 - Apple's Spring Loaded Event and Smart Home History with Mike Wolf

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 28, 2021 62:26


    To celebrate The Smart Home Show's 200th episode, Adam and Richard welcome back the Show's creator and original host, Mike Wolf. The trio discusses Apple's announcements from its Spring Loaded event last week, including the rainbow-colored M1 iMacs and the new 4K Apple TV. Then, they reflect on how much the smart home space has changed since Wolf started this podcast in 2014, and they predict how it will continue to evolve in the near future. via Knit

    Episode 199 - Talking Video Doorbells with Dan Seifert

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 14, 2021 82:08


    This week Adam & Richard welcome back Dan Seifert from The Verge to talk all about the Video Doorbells! They discuss some of the high-end models as well as what they would like to see in this category in the future. via Knit

    Episode 198 - The Future of the Smart Home w/ Rob Martens

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 25, 2021 66:46


    This week Adam & Richard are joined by Rob Martens from Allegion, they catch up on what Allegion is up to in the Smart Home space as well as talk about the future of the smart home and what's holding us back from realizing its full potential. via Knit

    Episode 197 - The Reports of Wink's Death are Greatly Exaggerated

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 10, 2021 76:13


    Adam & Richard talk about Wink's recent issues as well as their troubled past and give some suggestions of what listeners might want to use to replace it. via Knit

    Episode 196 - Not Live from CES 2021

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 19, 2021 71:02


    Adam & Richard catch up to talk about virtual CES 2021 and what the trends were that surrounded this years show. via Knit

    Episode 195 - Tech FM 2020 Fireside Chat w/ Seth Johnson & Jason Griffing

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 23, 2020 65:26


    On this 2020 edition of the Holiday Fireside chat Adam & Richard are joined again by two special guests, Seth Johnson & Jason Griffing hosts of the HomeTech Podcast. Everyone shares their unique perspectives on the biggest stores in Smart Home this year as well as sharing their predictions for what 2021 holds. via Knit

    Episode 194 - Catching Up on the Smart Kitchen with Mike Wolf

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 23, 2020 63:39


    Adam & Richard catch up with our old friend Mike Wolf to talk about all things Smart Kitchen and what has been going on in that space. via Knit

    Episode 193 - There's No Place like HomePod Mini

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 2, 2020 51:56


    Adam & Richard talk about the newly announced HomePod Mini as well as discuss what they did to prep their homes for vacation. via Knit

    Episode 192 - High flying new products from ConnectSense & Amazon

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 28, 2020 62:09


    Adam & Richard talk about two new ConnectSense products that were recently released as well as about all the new products announced by Amazon, Ring and Eero via Knit

    Episode 191 - The State of Z-Wave with Mitch Klein

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 21, 2020 65:23


    Adam & Richard are joined by Executive Director of the Z-Wave alliance Mitch Klein to talk about the state of Z-Wave and where it is headed via Knit

    Episode 190 - Testing the Homebridge Waters Ft. Eric Welander

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 8, 2020 75:36


    Adam & Richard are joined by Youtuber Eric Welander to discuss Homebridge and HOOBS via Knit

    Episode 189 - What's New in Adam's Smart Home

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 17, 2020 60:01


    Adam & Richard revisit what smart home technology Adam uses in his own home and what's changed since we talked about this last via Knit

    Episode 188 - What's New in Richard's Smart Home

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 3, 2020 70:00


    Adam & Richard revisit what smart home technology Richard uses in his own home and what's changed since they talked about this last year. via Knit

    Episode 187 - Google's Virtual Smart Home Summit

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 21, 2020 43:11


    Adam & Richard talk about Google's recent virtual Smart Home summit via Knit

    Episode 186 - Apple's Home Play

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 2, 2020 42:48


    Looking back at Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference, we have a clear draft winner! Apple introduced some nice HomeKit enhancements, including new features for lighting, cameras, and Apple TV devices. via Knit

    Episode 185 - WWDC 2020 HomeKit Draft

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 19, 2020 52:29


    Adam & Richard participate in their third annual competition predicting what will take place next week at WWDC. Each draft HomeKit and related technologies and discuss what they think will be announced at WWDC 2020. See SmartHome.FM for show notes and the full list of picks. via Knit

    Episode 184 - A Deep Dive into Digital Assistants in the Smart Home

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 10, 2020 99:26


    Adam & Richard dive deep into the three major smart home digital assistant platforms and talk about their capabilities, intricacies, technologies, and differences. via Knit

    Episode 183 - It's been a year...

    Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2020 74:18


    Adam & Richard revisit some of the subjects discussed over the last year of hosting The Smart Home Show. Additionally, they discuss how COVID-19 may affect the smart home industry. via Knit

    Episode 182 - Switches vs Bulbs

    Play Episode Listen Later May 8, 2020 81:21


    Adam & Richard talk about Smart Switches vs Bulbs, the different types of each and scenarios where you want to use each. Additionally they discuss how they use these in their own homes and what they typically recommend to others. via Knit

    Episode 181 - Smart Home Project Inspiration

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 30, 2020 66:08


    Adam & Richard talk about ideas for improving your smart home while spending a little extra time at home. They also discuss some of the smart home projects they are planning on taking on in the coming weeks. via Knit

    Episode 180 - Hubs and Bridges

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 16, 2020 71:26


    Adam & Richard discuss Hubs and bridges, the difference between the two and how they are used in the smart home space. Additionally they debate the pros and cons of using bridges and hubs. via Knit

    Episode 179 - State of HomeKit Roundtable

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 24, 2020 90:40


    Adam and Richard join Dan Vincent and Jake Pugh from Icon Garden plus Zac Hall from 9to5Mac for a roundtable discussion on the state of HomeKit. via Knit

    Episode 178 - Product Lifecycles & End of Life

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 10, 2020 74:26


    Adam & Richard welcome special guest Josh Clark to discuss smart home product end of life and the saga going on lately with Sonos via Knit

    Episode 177 - CES 2020

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 13, 2020 58:18


    Adam & Richard talk live from the show floor at CES 2020 about some of their favorite things that they saw at the show as well as some of the trends seen at CES this year. via Knit

    Episode 176 - Technology.FM's 2019 Fireside Chat

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 23, 2019 82:55


    Adam & Richard join the hosts of Hometech.FM for the fifth annual Technology.FM Fireside Chat. What were the most important stories of 2019, and what are they all most looking forward to in 2020? via Knit

    Episode 175 - Designing and Launching the In-Wall Outlet

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 10, 2019 58:30


    Adam & Richard discuss ConnectSense's new Smart In-Wall Outlet, digging into the origins of the product and its features as well as discussing the process of launching a smart home product via Knit

    Episode 174 - Troubleshooting the Smart Home

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 2, 2019 69:24


    Adam & Richard discuss common Smart Home issues and how to troubleshoot them as well as tips and tricks for keeping your smart home working optimally. via Knit

    Episode 173 - Smart Home Device Pricing

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 28, 2019 56:59


    Adam & Richard discuss smart home device pricing including a discussion on new low cost hardware providers as well as a deep discussion on what makes up the cost of a smart home device. via Knit

    Episode 172 - Amazon Fall Extravaganza w/ Special Guest Dan Seifert

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 7, 2019 75:56


    Adam & Richard welcome special guest Dan Seifert from the Verge to talk all about Amazons fall event and all the new hardware and services announced. via Knit

    Episode 171 - CEDIA

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 23, 2019 39:34


    Adam & Richard discuss CEDIA 2019 and an exciting new technology with interesting uses in the smart home. via Knit

    Episode 170 - DIY vs Professional Smart Home

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 3, 2019 58:48


    Adam & Richard discuss the professional and DIY markets for smart home products. via Knit

    Episode 169 - Google Smart Home Summit

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 19, 2019 40:52


    Adam & Richard are joined by special guest Steve Sanders to talk about Adam & Steves recent visit to Mountain View for the Google Smart Home Summit. via Knit

    Episode 168 - What devices are in Adam's Smart Home?

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 5, 2019 72:48


    Adam & Richard discuss what devices Adam has currently in his smart home that he uses in his every day life. via Knit

    Episode 167 - What devices are in Richard's Smart Home?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 22, 2019 69:00


    Adam & Richard discuss what devices Richard has currently in his smart home that he uses in his every day life. via Knit

    Episode 166 - Outdoor Smart Home

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 8, 2019 69:51


    Adam & Richard discuss what's going on in the outdoors with smart home products for irrigation and lighting. Links: https://homekittalk.co/join/ via Knit

    Episode 165 - Who's Winning in the Smart Home

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 24, 2019 48:35


    Adam & Richard Discuss Point players vs Ecosystem plays as well as who is winning in the Smart Home. Show Links:: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pocket_Rockers via Knit

    Episode 164 - What's new with HomeKit w/ Special Guest Rene Ritchie - WWDC 2019

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 10, 2019 44:07


    Adam Justice and Richard Gunther are joined by special guest Rene Ritchie from iMore to discuss all the HomeKit related announcements at WWDC 2019. Topics include: -HomeKit Secure Video -Privacy & Security -HomeKit Enabled Routers -HomeKit & Catalyst/Marzipan -Automation Improvements, HomeKit + Shortcuts -Automating HomePod/AirPlay 2 Show Links: CNet HomeKit WWDC 2019 Coverage https://www.cnet.com/news/apple-homekit-security-features-come-routers-cameras-wwdc-2019 HomeKit Router UI via KhaosT on Twitter https://twitter.com/KhaosT/status/1135828579931967488/ Adam's MegaThread of new Home App UI https://twitter.com/adamjustice/status/1135665099065061376?s=21 HomeKit Automations in Shortcuts via Aaron Pearce on twitter https://twitter.com/aaron_pearce/status/1135683314184929280?s=21 http://knit.audio/podcast-advertising (via Knit)

    Episode 163 - There is No Place like HomeKit - Past and Future

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 10, 2019 71:07


    Adam Justice and Richard Gunther prepare for Apple's annual World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC) with a review of the history and current state of HomeKit. How has it evolved over the five years (five years!) since it was first introduced, where can it stand to improve, and how do Adam and Richard think Apple will enhance it this year? Will we see state-of-the-art improvements to Siri? Will HomePod become more useful? Will Marzipan ruin Mac apps? These topics and other rumors make for some great discussion this week. But they'll also get the real scoop after the conference, when Adam and Richard follow up with the next episode, recorded on site at WWDC. Show Links Apple to Reveal New Home-Grown Apps, Software Features at WWDC Amazon's Ring may soon release doorbell and camera HomeKit support after years of promises The Connected Home Show #4: WWDC 2018 HomeKit Draft HomeKit Talk Slack Aaron Pierce's apps http://knit.audio/podcast-advertising (via Knit)

    Episode 162 - All Things Google

    Play Episode Listen Later May 25, 2019 46:48


    -Google Home Hub https://store.google.com/us/product/google_nest_hub?hl=en-US -Nest Hub Max https://store.google.com/us/product/google_nest_hub_max?hl=en-US -New Branding Google Nest -New Device Google Nest Hub Max -Added Built in Nest Cam -Gesture Recognition -Bigger display -Person recognition -Better Speakers - Sub built in -$229 -State of where things are at with Google Assistant in the Smart Home Space today -Playing catchup to Amazon but investing heavily and moving fast -Heavy investment in CES -More integrations with more vendors -How many devices in Adam's home are integrated -What's missing? -No ring - feels glaring https://www.techhive.com/article/3332143/rings-founder-says-hes-open-to-working-with-google-assistant.html -No Moen (Announced) / No Delta Faucet support, either -No TiVo -No Rachio -Schlage - has integration but can't run simultaneously with HomeKit -Very quick response time -Voice understanding is good -Wake word -Robotic John Legend -State reporting requirement -Feels like moving towards something bigger -Model for creating new types of devices -Have worked with all 3 major ecosystems now in adding new device types -Apple has device types they need to create and release -Amazon has new model for this called Alexa Primitives https://developer.amazon.com/blogs/alexa/post/acf7689b-f118-469e-b452-0c4da8d3e61a/new-alexa-smart-home-developer-tools-enable-seamless-voice-control-of-any-device-and-any-feature -Great talk about this at ReInvent last year https://youtu.be/KQuMrfePbDQ -Google has an almost Lego like approach to this, where they have created all the pieces and you can put them together in a way to represent your device -Much more extensible -Requires less time and work from them http://knit.audio/podcast-advertising (via Knit)

    Episode 161 - Convergence of Smart Home and Smart Kitchen

    Play Episode Listen Later May 18, 2019 39:43


    * Where are we seeing cross-over? * Samsung SmartThings * Echo devices * Dash replenishment services * What are the use cases/value propositions? * Is this ready for prime time? * Seems like early days * Can the tech survive (aka "don't brick my fridge") * What would this look like ideally? Wake of defunct services and devices * Recent shutdowns/pivots * Lowe's / Lowe's Smart Home powered by b8ta * Cortana * Stringify * Past shutdowns * Connected by TCP * Staples Connect * Revolv * Dead men walking * Zuli plugs * Keen Home * Wink * Is this just the natural course of things? * Won't this scare off interested consumers? * What can be done to minimize exposure? http://knit.audio/podcast-advertising (via Knit)

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