Episode 549 - Smart Candles and Electric Tacos

On this week’s show: TP-Link might be banned, is 4K even worth buying? SwitchBot drops smart candles, Wyze has a new doorbell, Sofabaton has a new remote, letters from the mailbag, project updates, two picks of the week, and so much more!
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• Apollo H-2 Annual Holiday Ornament - Apollo Automation (apolloautomation.com/products/apollo-h-2-annua…)
• HomeTech Headlines• The U.S. Government Might Ban TP-Link Routers - CEPRO (cepro.com/news/the-u-s-government-might-ban-tp…)
• Is your ultra-HD TV worth it? Scientists measure the resolution limit of the human eye - techxplore.com (techxplore.com/news/2025-10-ultra-hd-tv-worth-…)
• Smart Candles, Baby. We F*cking Did It. - Gizmodo (gizmodo.com/switchbot-smart-candle-warmer-lamp…)
• Wyze’s new doorbell will last six months between charges - The Ambient (the-ambient.com/news/wyzes-new-doorbell-will-l…)
• X2 Sofabaton Universal Remote（Pre-sale） - Sofabaton Universal Remote (sofabaton.com/product/x2)
• Govee’s new power outlet expander gives you voice control and a night light - The Verge (theverge.com/news/807890/govee-smart-plug-outl…)
• Eve Shutter Switch gets huge Matter update - The Ambient (the-ambient.com/news/eve-shutter-switch-gets-h…)
• Matter over Thread Smart Window Lever Launched in Europe - Homekit News and Reviews (homekitnews.com/2025/11/04/matter-over-thread-…)
• Bluetti is finally getting a official Smart Home Integration! (reddit.com/r/smarthome/comments/1ojwahg/bluett…)
• Amazon embarks on biggest layoffs since 2022 affecting 30,000 corporate jobs - Hindustan Times (hindustantimes.com/business/amazon-targets-as-…)
• Neato’s cloud is shutting down, leaving its robovacs stuck in manual mode - The Verge (theverge.com/news/806246/neato-robovac-cloud-s…)
• Looking Ahead: The Next Chapter for Sense - Sense - Sense (sense.com/consumer-blog/looking-ahead-the-next…)

• Mailbag• AItomations - Home Assistant Automation Creator (github.com/gmatrangola/AItomation)
• Youtube - Called my Bluff (youtube.com/shorts/KxtpOOlnBeM?si=DlgG3JkKUgDW…)

• Pick of the Week• #thehub - Patron Pick of the Week (hometech.slack.com/archives/C09DAVD0X/p1761965…)
• Illumibot (illumibot.ai)
• Doorbell GIF maker - ezgif.com (ezgif.com/doorbell-gif)

• ELTAKO joins Works with Home Assistant - Home Assistant (home-assistant.io/blog/2025/10/29/eltako-joins…)
• Cameras vs Spiders (community.home-assistant.io/t/cameras-versus-s…)
• MmWave being shipped 🥹almost feel like it's a prank (reddit.com/r/Inovelli/comments/1opg6pi/mmwave_…)
• Unraid OS 7.2.0 Stable is Now Available (unraid.net/blog/unraid-7-2-0?srsltid=AfmBOopsH…)
• Amazon Echo Dot Max (amzn.to/49UAuGU)
• Blue Series (Zigbee) - Smart Presence Sensing Dimmer (inovelli.com/products/zigbee-blue-series-mmwav…)
• Gavin Campbell with Smart Yard Automation, Unraid 7.2 Enhancements, and the Rise of Local AI – HGG661 (theaverageguy.tv/2025/11/01/gavin-campbell-wit…)
• HolidayCoro (holidaycoro.com)
• Eufy E25 (eufy.com/products/t2353111)
• Bambu Lab P1S Combo Printer (us.store.bambulab.com/products/p1s?from=naviga…)