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] (ravepubs.com/d-tools-raises-12m-led-by-former-…)
• How Insteon came back from the dead - The Verge (theverge.com/podcast/757679/how-insteon-came-b…)
• Apollo Automation Becomes Official Home Assistant Distributor, Expanding Smart Home Hardware Access with Expert Support - Apollo Automation (apolloautomation.com/blogs/news/apollo-automat…)
• TJ on Home Assistant podcast (hasspodcast.io/ha197)
• HomeTech Headlines• Z-Wave reborn - Home Assistant Connect ZWA-2 - Home Assistant Blog - Home Assistant (home-assistant.io/blog/2025/08/13/home-assista…)
• Apollo BTN-1 Macro Deck: The Ultimate Home Assistant Control Panel for Smart Home Automation - Apollo Automation (apolloautomation.com/blogs/news/apollo-btn-1-m…)
• SLWF-09 With PoE - SMLight (smlight.tech/slwf09)
• SLZBMR1U Zigbee Extended Range To RS485 - smlight.tech (smlight.tech/slzbmr1u)
• DJI’s robot vacuum camera looks like it belongs in a drone - The Verge (theverge.com/news/754168/dji-romo-robot-vacuum)
• Sonos Voice Control to become compatible with Philips Hue - Hueblog (hueblog.com/2025/08/06/sonos-voice-control-to-…)
• Sonos speakers are getting pricier as US tariffs hit hard - The Verge (theverge.com/news/739106/sonos-price-hike-tari…)
• Sonos Now Maintaining Multiple Firmware Versions (reddit.com/r/sonos/comments/1m6ehmi/discover_t…)
• Sonos Roam speakers are overheating and partially melting, company admits - 9to5Mac (9to5mac.com/2025/08/05/sonos-roam-speakers-are…)
• Eufy Security S330 Video Smart Lock review: this smart lock keeps its best feature locked away - The Verge (theverge.com/smart-home-review/679906/eufy-fam…)
• Ring Outdoor Cam Plus, Power over Ethernet- Amazon (amazon.com/dp/B0DX8558LJ?th=1)
• Amazon is ending support for a bunch of third-party Alexa smart home skills - The Verge (theverge.com/analysis/718436/amazon-alexa-skil…)
• Amazon aims to boost Alexa’s revenue with AI, ads, and subscriptions - The Verge (theverge.com/analysis/717763/amazon-alexa-plus…)
• Matter 1.4.2 spec release pushes platforms to play nicely - The Verge (theverge.com/matter/757179/matter-1-4-2-spec-r…)
• Release 2025.8: Smarter Automation and Enhanced Device Support - Home Assistant (rc.home-assistant.io/blog/2025/08/06/release-2…)