HomeTech.fm

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

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 HeadlinesAmazon 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

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 HeadlinesApple 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