Episode 538 - Farmer TJ's Corn Eatin' Squirrels

On this week's show: CES 2026 is right around the corner, AI is a bubble, Home Assistant makes a better paper towel holder, new kit from SMLight, Apollo, SMLight, and Ring, DJI jumps into the robot vacuum game, Sonos still has problems, Amazon kills some skills, a pick of the week, project updates, and so much more!

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Show Notes

• D-Tools Raises $12M Led by Former SnapOne CEO John Heyman - rAVe [PUBS]
• How Insteon came back from the dead - The Verge
• Apollo Automation Becomes Official Home Assistant Distributor, Expanding Smart Home Hardware Access with Expert Support - Apollo Automation
• TJ on Home Assistant podcast
• HomeTech Headlines
  • Z-Wave reborn - Home Assistant Connect ZWA-2 - Home Assistant Blog - Home Assistant
  • Apollo BTN-1 Macro Deck: The Ultimate Home Assistant Control Panel for Smart Home Automation - Apollo Automation
  • SLWF-09 With PoE - SMLight
  • SLZBMR1U Zigbee Extended Range To RS485 - smlight.tech
  • DJI’s robot vacuum camera looks like it belongs in a drone - The Verge
  • Sonos Voice Control to become compatible with Philips Hue - Hueblog
  • Sonos speakers are getting pricier as US tariffs hit hard - The Verge
  • Sonos Now Maintaining Multiple Firmware Versions
  • Sonos Roam speakers are overheating and partially melting, company admits - 9to5Mac
  • Eufy Security S330 Video Smart Lock review: this smart lock keeps its best feature locked away - The Verge
  • Ring Outdoor Cam Plus, Power over Ethernet- Amazon
  • Amazon is ending support for a bunch of third-party Alexa smart home skills - The Verge
  • Amazon aims to boost Alexa’s revenue with AI, ads, and subscriptions - The Verge
  • Matter 1.4.2 spec release pushes platforms to play nicely - The Verge
  • Release 2025.8: Smarter Automation and Enhanced Device Support - Home Assistant